Kevin Bresnahan

The difference is that I knew the director of the nursing home. I gave the CDs to her personally and she told me that her residents were loving the music.

Many (all?) libraries are very picky about what they take. The several large batches of CDs I donated to my local library ended up being sold for 25-50 cents each at the library's big fundraising sale. They didn't keep any of them for their music shelves. Apparently, there is very little interest from their patrons in them having a large Jazz CD collection. Just an idea... I was recently given ~2,000 big band/Dixieland CDs after a co-worker of my wife inherited them from her grandfather. She heard that "Kevin likes Jazz". I didn't know what to do with them (they were not my style) so I donated them a local nursing home where they have apparently been enthusiastically well received.

I haven't played this LP in a while so I pulled it off the shelf tonight. Nice date. I have the Analogue Productions 33 rpm LP (Analogue Productions Revival Series - APR 3006), which is mastered beautifully. Highly recommended if you can find it.

It first made land in Florida at Cudjoe Key. For the last two April vacations, my family has spent a week at a beautiful house on Cudjoe Key. I have doubts that it's still there. It was right on the water.

My first concert was Kiss at the Springfield Civic Center in 1978 or 1979. It's a little hazy which one it was. I'm guessing January of 1978 because there were other concerts at that venue in 1978 that I'm almost positive I saw. I sat next to the stage so I got to see Simmons set up all the staged action. I saw him put the packet of blood in his mouth (how stupid was that?) and I saw him drink the flammable liquid that he used to shoot flames into the air (how much more stupid can you get?). Funniest thing was seeing him sprint back off stage to get the stuff out of his mouth after each performance. My first Jazz show was a tenor sax player who I've never heard of again (and can't remember his name) that I saw because he had Curtis Fuller in the band and I wanted to see Curtis. It would have been late in 1990 because it was right after Art Blakey died. I believe that the sax player was Curtis's student and I heard that he made a living playing the cruise lines afterward. I wonder if he still plays?

The picture I posted is from a review of the Imagine XBs: http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PBIMGXB It looks like the Audio Advisor reviewer used a stock photo from a different model.

I was at a show last night and the drummer took an extended solo. I leaned over and whispered to my friend Bob, "He's lucky Terumasa Hino isn't up there". We got a good laugh. It was an excellent drum solo BTW and it was well received.

It's a bootleg: https://www.discogs.com/John-Coltrane-Quartet-Creation/master/568328

I did a double take when I read that Hino is 74. I did not think he was that old.

I just got in a new LP as I finished up Herb Ellis. Now playing Paula Cole's new one: "Ballads"

I finally got my turntable going again after my move late last year. It's been a while. Now playing: Herb Ellis - Softly... But With That Feeling (Verve Japan).

Ahhh, here it is:

Are these Transition LPs even vinyl? Aren't they some kind of hard plastic? I think that's why the labels don't stick.

I have a Japanese copy as well. From what I've read, I wouldn't want an original. I've heard that the vinyl is noisy and the labels usually fall off.

I only just saw that Peter Leitch announced back in 2015 that he was retiring. I was wondering why I hadn't heard from him in a while. Then I read that he is 73... I had no idea that he was that old.

Yes, that's true. They're switching to black & white.

I hear Jet Blue is going to start flying routes in Europe on jets that are even more bare bones than the ones they fly here in the US.

My buddy Bob Festa takes pictures at most of the shows he attends. He took a bunch during Abercrombie's 2015 swing through the Cambridge MA Regattabar. Here are a couple from his Google+ page:

Except for that cover. Was he having a bad hair day or was he getting attacked by a raven?

Although I expected this, it is still terrible news. I am lucky to have seen him several times over the years and I will cherish those memories.

Although I mainly interacted with Valerie in the electronic world, I did get to meet her a couple of times in person back when the Jazz Corner crowd organized "hangs" down in New York City. She was a funny woman who knew a little something about nearly everyone in the Jazz world. You'd bring up a name, and she'd have a story. I remember having a PM conversation with her about some session she mentioned she was at and I was amazed at her recall. The Jazz world lost a lot of great memories with her passing, The thing about Val was that she was a friend to so many and an enemy of very few. If they can write that on your headstone, you did good. And I have to say, I can't believe she was 77! She seemed so much younger. She'd get a good laugh at me saying that. I am going to miss her.

Copied from my first post... From her son's FB post: Valerie Bishop, jazz lover, sassy spirit, beloved friend and cherished mother, passed this morning after a long battle with cancer at the age of 77. In the past week she had been visited by many friends who got to voice their love and say goodbye. At her request, there will be no funeral, but a memorial service will be held at a later date. I will also list charities where you can make donations in her memory. Thank you for my life, Mamacita, and farewell.

I think Val was a backup singer for Ike & Tina. This is a picture she posted to her Facebook page a bout 4 years ago: I don't know which one is Val. I think she's right next to Tina on the left. Supposedly, in real life, this scene was between Valerie and Tina Turner. No idea why they changed her so much for the movie.

It saddens me to report that Valerie Bishop (ValerieB here on the forum) was placed in hospice care today. Her son posted this to her Facebook page and he included his contact number if anyone wants to get a message to her, though he does say that her condition may make it tough to get to her. Apparently, this was very sudden but not unexpected as she's been having a rough time of it lately. Valerie has been an "on-line friend" of mine for over 20 years now. I will miss her stories. I will miss her positive outlook on life. Simply put, I will miss her presence. Valerie's son's post: Hello. I'm Valerie's son, Jay. I can appreciate the anxiety many of you feel from not being in touch with Valerie during her health challenges. She made a very Valerie decision to not involve or burden friends and actually pushed concerned friends away. The past two months have involved many incidents and setbacks that required hospitalization and rehab. But her medical team has seen a marked decline in her condition and it was decided to move Valerie to hospice. She's at Berkley East Convalescent Hospital in Santa Monica. Here, medical efforts are focused on hospice goals, meaning comfort and pain management. Valerie has good moments and bad ones, depending on the time of day. Sometimes she is alert and engaged with nurses. And very funny. Other times her head is clouded. I know that people would like to say goodbye. But I also don't want to overwhelm Valerie with phone calls or crowds. I welcome people to text me if they want to talk by phone. Or if they want to visit. Together we can decide the best time. Make contact by texting me at XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thanks to everyone who sends love and support. I blanked out the phone number. If you're friends with Val on Facebook, it's there. Edit to add that Valerie died this morning. From her son's FB post: Valerie Bishop, jazz lover, sassy spirit, beloved friend and cherished mother, passed this morning after a long battle with cancer at the age of 77. In the past week she had been visited by many friends who got to voice their love and say goodbye. At her request, there will be no funeral, but a memorial service will be held at a later date. I will also list charities where you can make donations in her memory. Thank you for my life, Mamacita, and farewell.