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I actually was on an escalator in a store, when it broke down. Somebody did yell (jokingly), oh no we're stuck. I was in the hot tub in a health club in Manhattan, and a guy got in that looked very much like Steven Wright. I doubt if it was him, but that would certainly be my closest celebrity sighting. Trying to think of a joke here, but that only proves why I am not a comic. I think my favorite Wright joke is the map one, cited above. Oddly enough a recent episode of Joey (my wife was watching and I just happened to be in the room!), ripped this off. Joey had made reservations all over Southern California, then when told this, he said, "Darn it, it looked so much closer on the map. Why don't they make maps full size" or something like that. And what is up with the long person on the streets segments in Leno's show and extended monologue and schtick? I think a few times now there have been two commercial breaks before the celebrity interview. Either this is Jay's passive aggressive way of commenting on the quality of that night's star or he is just getting bored with the interview format in general.

The recently issued Counterpoints is supposed to be from the same tour of Japan. If it does well, perhaps Passion Dance will be released on CD.

Well, I don't have that much interaction with my supervisor anymore (probably for the best), but he was into jazz. Not as deep as me, but he often had the new Keith Jarrett albums, he really liked Desmond's Glad to be Unhappy, and for Xmas one year, he got me the Miles Davis Columbia 4 CD sampler. The guy I work with the most, however, is a real jazz nut. If he had the money, he would have even more music than I do. A huge Andrew Hill fan. Talking to him, mostly over the phone now since I relocated, has been very rewarding.

Joe McPhee Trio Wed 11/10, 7 PM, Claudia Cassidy Theater, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. 312-744-6630. So this looks kind of interesting, and I will try to make it. I see that Brotzman is doing some strange performance piece revolving around Kenneth Patchen. Don't know the price, but I think $10 or so. Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet is joined by Welsh performer Mike Pearson for a performance of Be Music, Night, combining poetry by Kenneth Patchen and musical improvisation; part of the Chicago Humanities Festival. See the Treatment. Sun 11/7, 8 PM, Thorne Auditorium, Northwestern University School of Law, 375 E. Chicago. 312-494-9509. And as a follow-up, I actually emailed Stefon Harris about the Jazz Showcase gig. He didn't go into any details but said that he was looking to come to Chicago in the near future (and possibly at the Showcase), so I will keep people posted.

Years ago I recall reading a long (2-3 page) poem, where the ending went like this: JESUS SAVES JESUS SAVES JESUS SAVES GREEN STAMPS Then there might have been a coda like, Yes he does. The rest of the poem was kind of rambling, I think it had urban overtones. Almost certainly written in the 1960s or early 1970s. The two most likely candidates are early Amiri Baraka (back when he was still LeRoi Jones) or Paul Blackburn. But I have gone through my collections of their works and can't find it (doesn't mean that I didn't just miss it). Baraka does have a pretty interesting poem featuring the Green Hornet, but that's not what I am thinking of. It's probably not Frank O'Hara, whose poems generally weren't so overtly political. I have done a variety of google searches, but haven't turned up a true hit so far. Let me know if this sounds familiar. Thanks for any leads. By the way, I think both O'Hara's and Blackburn's poetry is worth checking out. Paul Blackburn can be sampled a couple of ways, in a Selected Poems or in The Cities. He was an observer of cities and writes rambling poems about what he sees in 1960s and 1970s Manhattan. He has a whole series of quite interesting subway poems. I actually selected a few for an anthology of subway poems I was working on. I finished this and sent it around, got some interest from a small publisher, then finally decided that getting (and paying for) the permissions would sink the project. Eric

Or did Rollins decide he didn't like sharing the spotlight? I certainly like some of his later work (This is What I Do has some very fine moments, though it probably never made it to vinyl), but I really, really wish he would have occasionally hooked up with A-level players who should have helped kick his playing up a notch.

Johnny Hartman & the Andrew Hill Trio 1961 Live" (VGM 11) I think there is some disagreement whether this should be considered a boot. Hartman sings four very short songs, and Hill stretches out on two much longer numbers. Going to have to listen to this again soon.

You are right. Classic stuff that needs to stay in print. What I was actually thinking of was Eddy Louiss Bohemia After Dark which is part of Jazz in Paris set, disk 35. Kenny Clarke is again the drummer. However, this is not the Savoy material. It was recorded in 1972. I didn't remember that part.

Yes, absolutely.

Last photo for now.

Oops, I guess I'll post them separately. My fingers are in this photo where he was about a month old.

Thanks a lot, man. Yes, jazz lovers have beautiful children. I think Kendall is the perfect combination of our attributes. What I haven't said on this board yet is that I am in an inter-racial marriage, and, to this day, I can't figure out how Kendall ended up with my color rather than more of a blend. I'm not saying it matters, I am just curious about the genetics behind it. I was worried about how he was going to fit in as a biracial child, and now it is more that no one in the Black community is going to believe he is Black. A few more of the best photos (he rarely takes a bad photo). My fingers are in the first photo.

Here is a non-political picture of my son, Kendall. He is just five months old.

And why didn't they? More cowbell, baby!

How was Steve Martin in Novacaine? I caught about 5 minutes before I had to leave, and I'm wondering if it is worth renting. Bill Murray in Lost in Translation was great, though it did seem a bit like cheating, since he was sort of playing his off-screen self. Some people have suggested the movie plays a lot better on the big screen (where I saw it) than on tv. Any comments? I've yet to watch it all again on DVD.

Well, I wish I had rolled out of bed earlier. My polling place is in the lobby of my building (a really big apartment building). I got there at 8, and it took 45 minutes to get through. Normally it takes about 15 minutes, so unfortunately I didn't bring anything to read, but the people standing in line were pretty cool and we talked about work and other things. One student was prepping for the GRE and got some encouragement from us. This being Chicago, tempers were fairly cool, since everyone knew that 85-90% of the people in line were for Kerry and especially for Obama. Even the two Republicans behind us just made jokes about being the minority for once and that was it. The election judges were pretty surprised at the turnout, which was about 4-5 times higher than normal. (Actually, I do wonder where they come up with enough Republican election judges.) Chicago still uses punch cards which you punch out behind a rickety election lecturn. Then you run it through a scanner which checks for overvotes and undervotes, which does seem to cut down somewhat on mistakes. The main problem is trying to decide on judicial retention, when there are around 75 judges "running."

I took a gamble and grabbed the Jazz Studio and Jazz Lab CDs from Lonehill once Dusty Groove stocked them. I am favorably impressed. I particularly like the varied instrumentation on the Jazz Studio albums. It seems like there was quite a demand for jazz French horn players in the 1950s. Who knew? In addition to John Graas and Julius Watkins playing the field around this time, a third jazz French horn player shows up on Jazz Studio 4. But no cowbell!!

I think, but would have to double check, that this material was released as part of the Jazz in Paris box, but another a different musician's name. I know it's surfaced somewhere recently. But yes, a good date.

It does seem particularly sad after a lot of recent activity reissuing MPS albums and getting them into the US. I picked up Jazz Works (a sampler), Jazz Re-Works (the remix obviously), and a more serious issue Clarke/Boland Big Band All Smiles from Dusty Groove recently. All Smiles is over in the sexiest covers list, but more importantly it's a great line up. Johnny Griffin, Ronnie Scott and Tony Coe all on tenor! (though it is too bad that Griffin only solos on one track). I hope that they can continue to issue this kind of work.

I think I am largely in agreement with jazzshrink. Corporal punishment is generally not effective and there are better alternatives. That said, I do not like the trend I see, in Europe particularly, of criminalizing even minor instances of corporal punishment. Maybe I just feel the pendulum has swung too far towards permissiveness, and many of today's parents do not assert control and raise spoiled brats. While these are slightly separate issues, they both have a root a feeling/sense that parents don't have the right to assert authority (that's so patriarchal). Not all children can simply be reasoned with. I was a miserable failure as a teacher when I tried to be reasonable and fair to students. They interpreted that as weakness, and walked all over me. I would have been much better off as a tyrant -- though I would never have dreamed of touching any of them.

The mystery deepens. This is the Vernon label from Mount Vernon, NY.

Well, it might be Musicraft. Here is the track listing for those interested. It doesn't match any Carnegie Hall Concert I am aware of, but the titles could be completely wrong or changed to protect the guilty. Side 1: Inferno 1 Overture to a Jam Session Part 1 Overture to a Jam Session Part 2 Inferno Blues #1 1/2 Inferno Blues #17 So Slow, So Hot Side 2: Zonce Helenzee Li'l Glow Bug To a Sweet Dream Misty B The whole thing clocks in under 35 minutes.

And this is completely off topic, but I am converting over LPs onto CDR, starting with Ellington and some solo Hodges stuff. I am wondering if any of the following had a US (or Japanese) CD release: Ellington Jazz at the Plaza II At the Bal Masque (kind of amusing, particularly when they swing Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf) Drum is a Woman Hodges The Eleventh Hour (arranged by Oliver Nelson) Don't Sleep in the Subway I am pretty sure none of these has had a US CD release, but I could certainly be wrong. I guess the most surprising is leaving Jazz at the Plaza in the can, since it features appearances by Jimmy Rushing and Billie Holiday (actually I should perhaps check my Columbia Holiday set, since those two songs might have been issued there). Drum is a Woman is kind of cheesy, though I suspect that is going to be in the next batch of Columbia Duke CDs. I really think the Hodges albums listed above are quite good, and it would be a shame if they haven't been rereleased. Some of this stuff I am listening to for the first time, since I bought the vinyl in anticipation of getting my record player fixed.

Hmm. I am trying to track down some information on this LP. It is Inferno! on Vernon records. I guess it is Vernon 517. Looks pretty much like an old bootleg LP. I have the LP in my possesion, so I do have track listing, but there are no details on the musicians. The very brief notes claim (or rather imply) this was from a Carnegie Hall concert, but there is no date anywhere in the notes or on the LP. It's an ok date. It will probably grow on me. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Eric

Fraid not, it was just snakes, snakes, snakes for the first three days. Then an ashtray. Then Adam.