Kevin Bresnahan

I did a lot of research back when this was going on in my life and I read all about the lack of a link between sugar consumption and behavioral problems. However, my wife & I noticed that our daughter would usually be worse just after eating and especially bad after eating tons of sugar (like after a birthday party). We experimented with cutting out sugar and we liked the results. It should be noted that cutting out sugar from a kid's diet comes across as a "punishment" and my daughter's change in attitude may have been a result of this as much as a lack of sugar. Her knowing that she wouldn't get ice cream if she acted up may have had a more calming effect than anything else. All I know is that I saw a positive response to this. Later, Kevin

My oldest daughter was once declared "borderline ADHD". There was no way I was putting her on Ritalin. Nope. She's an active kid. I was an active kid. Active kids runs in the family. My mother jokes that if they had ADHD back when I was growing up, the whole neighborhood would have been on Ritalin. While we didn't even look into drug treatment, one thing my wife and I did try with some success was to completely cut out sweets. No candy. No ice cream. No chocolate. Nada. We tried this for a few weeks and in our opinion, she was a lot better. Your mileage may very. Later, Kevin

Just 3? What a pussy. Oh, Jim, it was worse though. 3 cigarettes in about 10 minutes, plus he hacked between solos and his teeth... man, if I had just his teeth alone, I would quit in minutes! The guy had black teeth. I tell you, I took one look at the guy and figured "smoker" and in between sets, I figured I'd shake his hand and talk about his music so I went out into the bar area, figuring that's where he disappeared to between sets (when most other guys just hang around the stage) and sure enough, he was trying to suck down as many cigs as he could. Jim, it sounds like you smoke too? How does that affect your playing? The way Hamiliton hacked it up between solos, I imagine there are times that he has that "I gotta cough" feeling during a solo too, right? Kevin

Why this thread has morphed into a Scott Hamilton thread... Regarding Hamilton's playing style, I can attest that as he was "packaged" (maybe "boxed in" might be a better term?) by Concord, really made him some money. I can't blame the guy for playing the way he does if he truly likes playing that way because he's made a living playing Jazz. I recently caught Hamilton live in Boston and I have to say, the average age of the crowd was probably 75 and it was friggin' packed. The guy makes a living channeling Ben Webster, he's enjoyable enough, so what's the problem? I have no problem at all with the guy's playing. FWIW, I have several Hamilton CDs but I rarely play them during any "serious" listening times. He's great to spin at dinner. My wife loves his ballads CD... oh yeah, and his Christmas disc? One of the best of the genre. His buttery tone just seems perfect for "Chestnuts roasting by an open fire." BTW, anyone else catch that Hamilton turns 50 this year? Wow, time flies. When I saw him, he must've smoked 3 cigarettes between sets. He won't be around too much longer if he smokes like that. Kevin

Did the CD-R have a label stuck on it? Avoid using stick-on labels. They don't adhere well and they can cause the disc to be out of balance. My Toyota 6 CD changer hasn't had any problems with either CDs or CD-Rs. It also specifically states not to use any stickers on the CDs. I went through 3 CD players on my last car and only one of them scratched a CD when I hit a hard bump (which was why I switched it out). Kevin

Eric Alexander also has a CD called "Alexander the Great". He did not come up with this title, the label did. In fact, I have heard that he was pretty upset by it but the label decided to use it and that was that. Maybe the same thing happened with "Summit Meeting"? BTW, I'm with you on "Summit Meeting" - Not anywhere near my favorite Eric Alexander date either. I don't think I dig Idris Mohammed's drumming that much... at least that's my guess. Later, Kevin

BTW, I am not sure of the specifics, but the word I was given on why these are getting cut short is that Rhino's agreement with the owners of this Vee Jay material was terminated. Which side initiated the termination wasn't said. I guess Mosaic's deal was with Rhino so when Rhino lost the contract, Mosaic lost the contract too. Sounds complicated! Later, Kevin

If we're talking about Eric Alexander and a "personal style", well, I can "hear" Eric Alexander just fine. In fact, just this morning on the way into work, I was spinning Mel Rhyne's "Tenor Triangle" which features Alexander, Ralph Lalama & Tad Shull. I could tell which tenor was Eric in every tune. He has a way of starting a note with a vibrato but he "blows through it" (best description I can come up with) so it sounds like a slight bend in the notes. He also likes a quick up & down waffling note that he gets into nearly every solo. The waffle note is also what he seems to stick with when he emulates he teacher George Coleman during his attempts to play with circular breathing techniques (which, just like Coleman, almost always brings down the house when seen live). I guess I just don't get the argument against a guy playing in an older style. Look, Dexter, Mobley, Hendu... these guys are all dead! If a young(er) guy like Alexander can't play in this style without being called a copycat/soul-less player, than this style will totally die. No one will play that way. I like going to shows that Alexander plays. One For All #@%$ing smokes! I have yet to got to a gig with any of these guys and left feeling that I saw a bad show. I like the style of music he plays. Is that so wrong? Now, lastly, without stirring it up too much, I worry when "soul-less" is used in describing the playing of guys like Eric Alexander, Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen. Soul music is generally associated with black musicians. Obviously, these guys are white. Is there maybe some preconceived bias at work here? It's been suggested before with Getz, Marsh, Zoot and Konitz et al. I would like to think everyone is color blind when it comes to music but it just seems weird that this keeps coming up again & again. I was once told by a white drummer that the Jazz world has blatant reverse discrimination. He said he was blacklisted (no pun intended) from a few dates strictly because he was white. Could this be part of the problem? Later, Kevin

I'm tired of having to "defend" the playing style of guys like Eric Alexander. I'm tired of having to explain why I like his playing style. I'm tired of hearing about how he's doing something that was done before. I dig the guy's playing. Nothing said here or anywhere is going to change my mind. But c'mon Larry... laying that stuff on a guy's playing after hearing one(!) CD? Don't you think that's a bit unfair? Try listening to a few more before talking about stapling together pieces of cardboard. Try listening to one of his latest CDs like "Nightlife In Tokyo"... very good Eric Alexander but even better Ron Carter. Best I've heard from Ron in a while. I still think Alexander's best solo on record is on the title track to Robert Mazurek's "Badlands". It very well built with multiple peaks. It reminds me a lot of Wayne Shorter's solo on "Free For All". By the end of that solo, I'm usually whooping it up in the car (and people around me wonder about my sanity). I prefer young Alexander's version of "Up, Over & Out" to the originator's version and considering that the originator is far and away my favorite Jazz musician, that is saying something. Now, sorry to say, I bought and dumped two of the dates he did with Charles Earland, "Unforgettable" and "I Ain't Jivin' I'm Jammin'". I can't stop thinking that the guys were trying for Smooth Jazz airplay with some of the tunes. There's always a good song or 2 but then that shudder hits me and all I can think of is Dave Sanborn. I haven't even tried the others. I also have to say that while I admire Alexander for giving a master like Cecil Payne a recording date, I don't think Cecil's got it any more. He seems to have trouble pushing air through his bari. Hey, I hope I'm pushing any air when I'm 75, never mind playing a bari sax but I cringe during some of his solos on the dates he plays with Alexander. I rarely play them. Other favs are Mike LeDonne's "Then And Now", the aforementioned "Power Station" by Michael Weiss and both the Brigandi dates. I also feel guilty that I like the 2 dates Alexander made for the Japanese Alpha label, "Heavy Hitters" and "Extra Innings" (both quartet dates with Mabern, Peter Washington and Joe Farnsworth). Why do I feel guilty? I mentioned the CDs to Alexander between sets one night and he told me he never got a cent from either of those CDs. Looking back at what I've written, I notice that I don't list any of Alexander's Criss Cross dates. I dig them and I play them but not as often as others. I bet my favorite Criss Cross date with Alexander on it is probably Melvin Rhyne's "Stick to the Kick"... although both Jim Rotondi dates are pretty good. Oh wait! Rhyne's "Aztec Blues" is another good one (have to dig that one out for the morning commute). Later, Kevin

These are not RVGs. I am in the process of finding out who did the remastering, but the initial info seems to indicate that they were remastered by the same team that has done all of the other TOCJs prior to the RVG series. Since I am a big fan of the sound of these, at a measly 1500 yen, I may buy quite a few as sonic upgrades. The "TOCJ sound" ranks right up there to my ears. Too bad they're not SACD hybrids. Later, Kevin EDIT: Oh yeah, I forgot... there will be 100 "best selling" titles celebrating BN's 65th anniversary. They will be limited editions.

I have a lot of Eric Alexander in my stash of frequently played CDs but work is crazy right now and I couldn't do justice in the short period of time I'm taking to type this. I will say that one of One For All's latest efforts, a tribute to Art Blakey on the Venus label called "No Problem", is one of my favorite new CDs in years. It just flat-out smokes! Joe Farnsworth has really become a monster on the drums when he's playing with One For All. I think this band is one of the few that can do justice to Bu's Jazz Messengers legacy. BTW, the mispell Blakey's name on this CD! Funny as heck. The first track is titled, "Our Father Who Art Blaky". Later, Kevin

About this copy-protected stuff in Europe, I was just talking to someone at Blue Note about how the copy protection, combined with the 50 year rule, could really backfire on them. I was told that in no uncertain terms, the US arm of Blue Note told them they thought it was a bad idea. The European EMI people won't listen. They will be copy-protected in Europe from now on. If you do buy these Blue Notes in the public domain to avoid copy proctection, make sure you E-mail European Blue Note to let them know this. Maybe they will finally check a calendar and go "Duh". Later, Kevin

I assume you are talking about the 2000-2003 Prius? I don't think my 2004 Prius is "dinky". In fact, it seems pretty big to me. It is slotted as a "mid size car" and is only inches smaller than the Camry. It's certainly a lot bigger than the Echo. On top of that, since it's a hatchback, it has tons of hauling room. Later, Kevin

No, it is not a status symbol at all! Maybe I wasn't clear... the reason you started seeing so many Hummers about a year ago was that they are now basically free for anyone working in a corporate position requiring a company car. FREE. The company gets to take a 100% tax credit for their Hummer. Think about it... let's say the company buys a Ford Taurus and gives it to their employee to use. It probably costs the company $7K per year to amortize the thing. After about 3 years, it has about $8K on the books and they sell it (usually to an employee) and move on to the next one. Now let's say the company buys the same employee a Hummer. Businesses file quarterly, right? Well, first quarter, they write it off! Gone off the books. I bet they can even sell it after a certain period of time and make money. From an accounting point of view, it's a no-brainer. Up in the Boston area late last year, there were Hummer dealers advertising "free Hummers" to businesses. Believe me, they saw this loophole and took full advantage of it. I bet there isn't one company that doesn't know about this. Later, Kevin

Ha! Surely you must know of the recent tax break that the Bush administration just gave the Hummer right? They passed a law allowing businesses to write 100% of the purchase price of a business vehicle with a gross weight of 5,000 lbs (or some such number). It was supposedly meant to allow farmers to purchase large equipment but the result is that every business in the US is buying Hummers and using them as "company cars" and writing the whole price off their company's bottom line. Ban them? Bush & his oil buds are reveling in it! BTW, at the same time they did this, they also refused to extend the tax break for hybrid-electric cars like my Prius. I got a $2,000 tax deduction for my car because I put it on the road by the end of 2003. It is decreasing by $500 every year until it's gone. So, by 2007, there will be no tax benefit to buying a gas-saving vehicle... I wonder if by then, the car companies will all have 5 or 10 models each that meet the weight requirements for this new tax break? Later, Kevin

I love my 2004 Toyota Prius!! Yes I do. Lately, I've been averaging 54 mpg. Fill it up maybe once a week and even at that, it only takes about 8 gallons. Man, am I glad I bought this car. Later, Kevin

Well, I decided to sell the Denon. I just put an ad up on Audiogon. In case anyone here is interested, I would give a great deal to someone from the board. Later, Kevin

Hey! They made the web: Ogre-sized M&M's. This web page says that they are 65% larger! Later, Kevin

Erdinger Weißbier Mit feiner Hefe (Hefe-weiss) is my favorite by far. Make sure you check out the section of the web site with the diections on how to pour their beer. It is a must that you get all the yeast out of the bottle or the taste is just weird. I agree that Franziskaner is good. Hacker-Pschorr is good too (sold as Pschorr-Weiss) but be aware that nearly all of these are made by Paulaner, sometimes called "The Budweiser of Germany". They bought up all kinds of breweries and kept the old name but most of them are all the same. FWIW, I don't like Paulaner's Hefe-weiss. Too tangy. Later, Kevin

It sounds like you need to look into a receiver/DVD combo machine and couple that with a standalone VCR. As I said, DVD players are far more reliable than VCRs so this combination would likely save you some space while giving you the playback you want. I see that Crutchfield has a cheap Panasonic unit that would fit the bill here but I would look around. Panny's aren't the best these days. Onkyo makes a really nice looking receiver/DVD combo unit but it's a bit expensive (around $550). BTW, the best deals in this realm are for "home theater in a box" systems but that would mean getting 5.1 speakers and a combo receiver/DVD player which may be more than you want or need. Sony offers a whole bunch of these but like their other product lines, there is a question about the quality. Later, Kevin

I have been told that these 3 sessions were licensed by Concord and have since reverted back to the Kamuca estate. The Kamuca family apprently hasn't licensed them back out. Later, Kevin

Sorry to say, but once you move out of Sony's EX line, build quality goes way down. Their VCRs have dropped in quality at an alarming rate. I used to buy Sony and Sony alone for years. The last VCR I bought died in about a year. The one before that was about 2 years. I am now on my second Mitsubishi unit. It's a Super VHS model and the picture quality is miles ahead of standard VHS. As for combo players, I bought one for my mother-in-law's room last year. The first one was a Go Video player... that wouldn't play... right out of the box! I was shocked at that one. I looked at the Sony units and almost pulled the trigger but I did some research and remembered the trouble I'd been having with their VCRs and took a step back. I bought a Hitachi model. Other than it being a bit confusing (to her), it has been pretty good. I wouldn't rave about it. BTW, it goes without saying that to cram 2 players into one box for under $200, some shortcuts will be made. You would be much better off buying a separate player for each if only for better quality build. Also, if one of the players dies, you don't have to replace both. I'd bet a lot that the VCR croaks way before the DVD player. The really aren't making these things very well today. Later, Kevin

I've seen this article all over the web. I have to wonder if the music industry isn't behind its publication. What better way to scare people away from burning CDs? As I've said in other threads, I have many CDs which I bought in the early 80's and all of them look & play fine. I also have many CD-Rs that I made in the early 90's and all are fine, both data & audio. In everything, there is a probability of failure and that includes CDs and CD-Rs. However, I haven't gotten stung myself and I personally have yet to see a problem in any of my friends' collections. Later, Kevin

I agree that this Denon 3803 is quite the machine. It just has way more playback options than I am interested in. I tend to use the reciever in 3 modes. Stereo. Multi-channel audio. Dolby Digital. Everything else is superfluous. Maybe DTS is the next best thing to sliced bread and maybe I will need it in a few years, but right now, I don't. Of course, the reason I bought it was because it comes highly recommended for audio and true-to-form, it kicks major booty on audio. I may just Ebay the thing. I figure I can get around $650. That's not really enough. The Rotel is around $900, even on Audiogon. Maybe I should consider Cambridge Audio's new surround receiver? Later, Kevin

Earlier this year, I got a chance to get a Denon home theater receiver at a big discount so I jumped at the 3803. While it is an incredible machine, it has way more features than I want and I am thinking about swapping over to a Rotel 1055 receiver. Anyone here got an opinion on this? Am I nuts for thinking about making this change? Anyone here in the market for a killer Denon 3803 that I could swing them a sweet deal? Later, Kevin