Teachers Say the Darnedest Things (Sometimes When Prompted By Kids)

Sometimes kids prompt me to say the darnedest things:

KID (coming into his first lesson after a big audition over the weekend): So what are we gonna do today?
ME: Same thing we do every day, Pinky...try and take over the world.

(The kids we passed by in the hall seemed amused, if nothing else.)

There was some debate on Facebook as to whether or not a kid that young would be familiar with Pinky and the Brain, or the Animaniacs in general, but my informal, unscientific survey--consisting of every kid I taught after this went up over there--shows that most of them actually do know the show. (And it still warms my heart that most high school kids I know can quote Monty Python and the Holy Grail as well as I could when I was their age.)

You won't Get In-N-Out Quickly for a While, But It's Worth Checking Out

Until today, I had never been to opening day of a restaurant, never mind the debut of an entire chain in the area. As much as I've always joked about camping out for free Chick-Fil-A when one of their stores opens, it has yet to happen. In fact, I'm usually one of those "I'll wait for the crowd to die down" type of people. So the fact that I ended up at the new In-N-Out Burger in Allen within an hour and a half of its opening may have meant that I was in totally new territory, but I'm totally glad that it happened.

So the obvious first question would be, "How bad were the lines?" Well, the walk-up line for the dining room really wasn't too bad, considering the crowds; it was "only" an hour and ten minutes from the time we entered the line until we hit the registers. The drive-thru line, however, was a much different story; one of the police officers directing traffic told me on the way out that the line had peaked about two miles back. And I heard somebody in line behind us asking a driver who was about six cars in back of the menu board how long he had been in line up to that point, and he said, "two hours." Yikes--I can't imagine using that much gas!

As for the food itself? I really liked it! Here in the DFW area, there are really two types of burger joints: The typical cheap, greasy McDonald's/Burger King/Wendy's-type places, and the much better (but usually pricey) options such as Scotty P's, Five Guys and Mooyah. In-N-Out slides quite neatly into its own niche in between those two types of places.

If you've never been to an In-N-Out, the menu is quite minimal: Hamburger, cheeseburger, and Double Double (two meat patties, two slices of cheese), and you can get a combo of same with fries and a drink. Sure, there are some things on the "not-so-secret menu" that can add variation (the most notable being "animal style," which involves grilled onions, double the secret sauce, mustard-fried patties and pickles, though I dispensed with the latter as I always do), but it's still pretty easy to memorize everything.

Texans will have to get used to the fact that the burger is built up, not out (much like urban architecture vs. suburban); it's skinnier than the burgers sold by the high-end places, but the famous Double-Double does go up a little higher, so while it takes a smaller grasp to pick it up (and includes less bread, which might please the carb-conscious folks), it was still quite filling and satisfying.


The fries were quite good; they could have maybe been a little warmer (although I'm somewhat forgiving in that regard because of the insane opening-day crowds), and--this surprised me--I almost felt the need to lightly salt them. (Understand that I'm a minimal-to-no salt guy who's been known to take salt off my fries at other places, so the fact that I thought something might need a pinch of it is telling; still, I prefer that to the other end of the spectrum.)


The thing that was most impressive was the prices: A #1 combo (Double double, medium fries, medium drink) comes in at only $6.15, whereas a Mooyah or Five Guys will usually set you back nine or ten bucks. (But as I noted on the Facebook picture I took of the receipt, they should probably tweak their price on the #1 by a penny or two, so that it doesn't come out to the purely evil amount of $6.66 with sales tax!)

I'm sure a lot of native Texans will want to know how it compares to our beloved Whataburger. And you know what? I'm going to punt that one--elude the question like the best of politicians. Each of them is unique, and in dine-out-crazy Dallas, there's room for both of those places.

And in case you're curious, I got a #1 combo: Double double, animal style (save for no tomatoes or pickles), fries and a Dr Pepper.

So when the initial hoopla settles down, what will be left is a pretty unique take on the all-American burger and fries, reasonably priced for what you get, and open till 1:00 in the morning (1:30 on weekends). If you're not a fan of big crowds, wait a week or so, but if you're a serious burger fan, check the place out so that you'll know what everyone has been talking about all this time.

(And let's open that proposed Garland location pretty soon, OK? We were originally supposed to be first!)

I'll have pictures added to this post once I can sync my new iPhone to the computer.

Kids Have the Darnedest Ways of Getting to School

Saw a kid get dropped off at school in a Yellow Cab this morning. I sure hope that either Mom or Dad is a cabbie, because otherwise, that would be a really expensive way to get to school.

(It was pointed out to me that it was also possible that the kid overslept and missed his/her ride, which actually happened to one of my Facebook friends one time.)

Kids Say the Darnedest Things at Gigs

Kids say the darnedest things at gigs:

KID (walking by the band): Are you going to play jazz?
BASSIST: Yes we are.
KID: Is that a bass (pronouncing it like the fish)?
...BASSIST: Yes, it's a bass (pronounces it correctly).
ME (after kid is out of earshot): Yes, it's a bass [like the fish]. You play a lot of scales on it.

Playing This Week in the Kevmobile

Last week's post reflected a week that was heavily devoted to the music of one artist, as I was looking for inspiration for an arrangement I was doing. This past week, I was back to my usual collection of stuff that might be new to many of you, but hopefully you'll click the links and check these folks out.

• MONDAY: Fieldwork, "Door." Trio with unusual instrumentation (Vijay Iyer, piano; Steve Lehman, alto; Tyshawn Sorey, drums) continually redefines musical boundaries.

TUESDAY: Fly, "Sky and Country." Second CD (and first on ECM) from Mark Turner, Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard--the first, and thus far the only group I've had the pleasure of seeing live at the Village Vanguard.
WEDNESDAY: Fredrik Kronkvist, "Ignition." A fine release from altoist best described as the Kenny Garrett of Sweden.
THURSDAY: "The Essence of George Benson." Great early compilation of pure instrumentals with Ronnie Cuber on bari and Brother Jack McDuff on organ,and a variety of drummers.
FRIDAY: Level 42, "Running in the Family." A quick break from pure jazz with this funky UK band with jazz roots.
SATURDAY: Chris Potter Underground, "Ultrahang." Potter is always inspirational to me on concert days, and the latest one from his bassless fusion quartet filled the bill this time.
SUNDAY: Christian McBride, "Gettin' To It." Debut from acclaimed bassist mixes strong originals (including my favorite composition of his, "The Shade of the Cedar Tree") with a few standards.

Stay tuned for more next week; I've gotten lots of new music lately that's still waiting to be played in the car.

This Series Is Keeping It Real

It's easy to go to a musical performance and see the really good parts: The end results of all the hard work, the applause, and so on...but unless you've ever been a musician, you might not think about all of the grunt work that goes into what is seen on stage:

When we talk about full-time or professional musicians, we don't really look at the inglorious parts of being one: the practicing, the rehearsing, the chasing down of gigs and recordings, the way most actually make money. (It's not gigging, that's for sure.) And with good reason: That's boring to most people, usually.

Not to Luke Rabin. He's a drummer, and founded a group called FREEWAYarts: "a company that hopes to alternatively finance music through supportive communities while offering artists a more sustainable livelihood." And FREEWAYarts has started a series of short online interviews with musicians (mostly drummers so far) about the realities of making a living in music. Check out its Vimeo channel for more, including one feature with Rabin himself.

There's a lot more on the subject to be found in this excellent post over at A Blog Supreme. Here's the money quote, in my opinion:

Musicians don't choose to do music — it chooses them. It's almost a cliche by now, but how else do you talk about an inexplicable driving passion? Time and time again, you get people saying things like this: "For me, the decision was kind of already made. It wasn't like I decided, 'Oh, I think I'm just going to do this.'"

As they say, read the whole thing.

Playing This Week in the Kevmobile

It's been an unusual week for music for me, so here's a slightly unconventional recap of my car-tunes for the past seven days:

• MONDAY: The Flashbulb, Love As A Dark Hallway. Newest release from prolific multi-instrumentalist Benn Jordan shows more of a jazz influence this time around.


• TUESDAY: Pat Metheny, Secret Story. Great "solo" effort from '92 includes most of the Group, plus strings.


• WEDNESDAY:Pat Metheny Group, Letter From Home. Yes, two in a row. I was listening to a lot of Pat this week as inspiration for an arrangement I was doing on a very Methenyoid tune.


• THURSDAY: Pat Metheny Group, The Way Up. The Pat-fest concludes with the epic '05 work by Pat and longtime cohort Lyle Mays.


• FRIDAY: Trio Elf, 746. We return to wonderful obscurity: a German group reminiscent of the Esbjörn Svensson Trio, but with heavy breakbeat influences.


• SATURDAY: Youngblood Brass Band, center:level:roar. A wonderful New Orleans brass band/hip-hop hybrid with ace sousaphonist Nat McIntosh.


• SUNDAY: James Morrison, Snappy Doo. In settings ranging from a quartet to full big band, the amazing Aussie plays every instrument on the album with the exception of guitar, bass and drums (which are ably supplied by Herb Ellis, John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton).

As noted above, I listened to a lot of one artist this week for a good reason; next week will have a more typical collection of wonderful lesser-known musicians. (It was also funny to hear people say "Hey, I've finally heard of somebody who's playing in the Kevmobile!" on the days I posted Pat. Click on the links and change that, folks!)

Playing This Week in the Kevmobile

As always, here's a rundown of the (mostly) new (at least to me) stuff that's served as the soundtrack to my week as I drive between schools and what-not:

• MONDAY: Imagination Quartet, IQ. Debut EP from Polish foursome includes some fine originals.


• TUESDAY: Jerry Bergonzi/Joey Calderazzo/Lars Danielsson/Jukkis Uotila, Fast Company. Legendary U.S. tenorman joins pianist Calderazzo, a Swedish bassist and a Finnish drummer for an engaging set, many of which are Bergonzi originals.


• WEDNESDAY: Kim Edmundson/Alan Oldfield Project, Reality Check. My esteemed friend and fraternity brother Oldfield, a former Californian now living in the DFW area, and his L.A drummer buddy lead a quintet through a set of excellent Oldfield originals and a cover of Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere."


• THRUSDAY/FRIDAY: Jane Ira Bloom, Mental Weather. A fine recent effort from the eminent soprano saxophonist/composer.


• SATURDAY: Spymob, Sitting Around Keeping Score and Steps Ahead, Modern Times,. My "early drive to Ft. Worth" tradition from the Minneapolis-based band best known for their work with the Neptunes and N.E.R.D., followed by one of the best U.S. albums by the Mike Mainieri-led fusion outfit from their Michael Brecker days.


• SUNDAY: Jars of Clay, Much Afraid. My favorite among this band's many albums, likely because of its Beatles influence.

As you can see, it was an uneven week of driving--Thursday's CD bled into Friday, while Saturday had two all to itself. But no matter how little or how much I drive, the music is always good. Stay tuned next week for more!

Adios to Amosan; I"ll Miss You, Old Friend

For as long as I can remember, I've had problems with canker sores, and I've also managed to bite my tongue (in a literal sense) more frequently than humans should be allowed to do. Until I got about halfway through college, there wasn't much I could do about it; I tried products like Anbesol and Carmex (the latter touted itself as being "for cold sores," but I found it worked even better as a lip balm), but nothing really worked.

But then a friend turned me onto this product called Amosan. Manufactured by Oral-B, it was sort of a weird concept: It billed itself as an "oral wound cleanser" (which prompted another college friend to say something like, "Help, I've been orally wounded!") and came in these tiny little packets of powder. The idea was to dissolve one packet in water "as hot as can be tolerated," swish it around in your mouth for 30 seconds, and...ahhh! Relief!

Amosan was never available everywhere I shopped, but I could find it sitting faithfully on the shelves at Walgreens and Albertsons for years, until recently. Even then, it was still possible to buy it on Amazon.com (yes, Amosan on Amazon), which I, having run out (and having bitten my tongue at least five times in the past two days), set out to do.

Except it's not there anymore. It was discontinued a year ago. D'oh! Even Amazon doesn't have back stock, so I'm pretty much out of luck on that front (unless I can find some on the shelf at a mom-and-pop drugstore somewhere...and yes, I'll be looking).

Is anyone else out there a faithful (and now equally bereft) Amosan user? If so, have you found a suitable replacement? One forum suggested using "3% hydrogen peroxide," but I'm not sure how to mix that, so I'd be open to suggestions in that vein as well.

Playing Last Week in the Kevmobile (and Other Conveyances)

OK, this is an abbreviated post (and it's a day late, because I was exhausted from yesterday's 12-hour bus trip), but I can't let a week go by without giving a shout-out to some of the bands I've been listening to recently, no matter what vehicle I might be in at the time:

• MONDAY: Dan Haerle, Jack Mouse and Bob Bowman, The Truth of the Matter An excellent piano trio (with some synth enhancements) led by my former jazz professor. (It's so cool to hear an original of Dan's and think, "Hey, that was really hard when it was assigned in Improv IV.")


• TUESDAY: Mike Murley/David Occhipinti, Duologue, Vol. 2. Guitar/sax duo (a format that's of great interest to me at the moment) from Canada explores a variety of styles, mixing originals and standards.


• WEDNESDAY (on the bus): Roy Hargrove, Earfood, and Snarky Puppy, Bring Us the Bright. As we drove through Oklahoma and Missouri, I listened to tunes by artists who got their start in Texas.


• THURSDAY-SATURDAY: Nothing. The trips from the hotel to the performing arts center took less than ten minutes, and even on the trip into downtown St. Louis on Saturday, I spent my time not with headphones on my head, but rather doing this odd thing called "talking to people." I wish I could do more of this while I'm driving.


• SUNDAY (on the bus back home): Tim Collins, Fade, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Winterwood, and the eponymous debut by Speak. In my effort to chronicle lots of new tunes, I don't do a lot of reruns (or if I do, it's on a day when the logged album is completed and I still have driving time left), but today was devoted to a few old favorites to make the long trip go faster.

So this may not seem like a lot of music for a pair of 12-hour bus rides, but, well...the bus had a DVD player, and I also got to see four movies that I hadn't seen before (and one other that was a rerun to me). But the new music has already resumed, and I'll recap the week ahead next Sunday.

That Three-Week Gig Has Worked Out Pretty Well So Far

ST. LOUIS--By now, the story of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra--née Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra, née the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra--is fairly well known by now: At the request of Jones and Lewis, Max Gordon allowed a big band to booked for three Monday nights in February, 1966 at his legendary Village Vanguard in New York City at the request of Jones and Lewis, who had each come off the road with Basie and Kenton, respectively.

And forty-five years later, the band is still going strong, having survived the passing of both Jones and Lewis (as well as Gordon) and performing under a name that now reflects its home base instead of its leadership. Many of the band's veteran players have a history with the group dating back to Thad's day, so tightness and swing still rule the day. And even with a few subs on board tonight (at least if one compares tonight's lineup to the personnel listed on the band's website), the band played in such a unified fashion, it was as if everyone on stage had been together for the entire 45 years of the band's existence.

And a lot of the core band was there tonight: Four-fifths of the saxophone section (Dick Oatts and Billy Drewes on altos/sopranos, and Rich Perry and Ralph Lalama on tenors) was in attendance, as were trombonist/spokesman John Mosca and bass trombonist/producer Doug Purviance. Lead trumpeter Nick Marchione and jazz trunpeter Scott Wendholdt were on board tonight, as was new bassist David Wong (as we pause to remember the late Dennis Irwin). And the subs--most notably pianist Michael Weiss, drummer Andy Watson and the bari player, whose name was Mark something (help me here!)--did an outstanding job of filling in for their missing counterparts.

As imagined, the evening featured a healthy portion of charts both famous and obscure by co-founder Thad Jones, including "Central Park North," "Kids Are Pretty People,' "Groove Merchant" and the encore "Mean What You Say." Other highlights included the music of pianist/composer-in-residence Jim McNeely, represented here by his arrangement of Jimi Hendrix's "Up from the Skies," along with a brand-new suite of three movements, each featuring one of the band's premier soloists--Oatts, Wendholt and Perry (in fact, the movements were simply entitled "Oatts," "Scott" and "Rich," respectively).

Needless to say, the band blew the roof off the place. The 40-year-old charts sounded as fresh as ever, and the new music stood ready to take its place among the classics. Very few times can a big band where virtually everyone is a world-class soloist (many of them leaders in their own right) be found outside of New York City, and it's great to see this band hit the road every now and then.

Another treat this evening was a brief but memorable appearance by Clark Terry. The legendary trumpeter/flugelhornist/vocalist/sweetheart of a guy was our guest artist at the college in '98, back when he was "only" 77 years old. Now, at age 90, he's very frail and can no longer play (thanks to a heart attack a few years ago), but he came onstage to sing an old favorite, "Just Squeeze Me," with the UMSL band's rhythm section, and he closed out his portion with his famous "Mumbles" routine (in case you're curious, the last intelligible part of the song this time around was a shout-out to his hometown St. Louis Cardinals). Clark is one of our national treasures, and I'm glad that I had the chance to see him again.

The festival is off to a great start! Tomorrow, it's the Ron Carter Trio; I'll blog that as well.

Oh, So Close to Old Home Week

ST. LOUIS--I lived in this area--Florissant, to be precise--in first and second grade. Since then, I've been back as an adult six times, but never in my own vehicle (or even in a rented one). I've always wanted to see my old house, but I've never been able to find the means to do so--again, mostly because of lack of personal transportation.

But I have gotten closer than ever as of this evening; after coming back from dinner, the bus driver offered to make a supply run for anyone needing provisions, and I went along for the trip. As we went onto I-270, I realized that we were skirting the border of Florissant, so that we were within five or ten minutes of my old house (coming back and plugging it into Mapquest showed us to be 2.8 miles away).

How I wish I were the one driving! I wasn't going to inconvenience eight other people and make the bus use the extra gas, of course...and besides, I'd want to go during the day when I could take pictures. And my "consolation prize" was that I got to pass by the hospital where my sister was born when we went back to the hotel.

I'll get to see that house again one of these days, but it really brought out a sense of longing to be that close tonight.

Fallliversary

ST. LOUIS--At the end of what's been a long day of travel, I pause to note that today marks the second anniversary of my accident. I'm thankful for a virtually complete recovery, and I'm having much more fun on this bus trip than the one in '09 when my leg was all braced up.

(If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go here for the whole story; if nothing else, the post from 4/14/09 will give you a general rundown of that fateful evening.)

As I said a year ago, little things that I used to take for granted are back to normal now; here's hoping it stays that way for the foreseeable future.

Blogiversary

It's hard to believe, but it was eight years ago today that I started The Musings of Kev. Why did I begin this? Well, let's review what I said at this time last year:

I began blogging for several reasons: To have an outlet for creative writing; to vent about a few things in a larger forum; to satisfy the journalism bug that bit me in college (writing CD and concert reviews, among other things); and, well, because a lot of my friends were blogging at the time (I guess that's the "all the cool kids are doing it" line of reasoning).

I started out doing very short posts--things that would probably be Tweeted today. Eventually, the Blogger software went through a few updates, and suddenly, my posts had headlines, tags and so on. As I learned more and more about HTML, things like links and embedded videos would make their way into various posts. As I read more and more "A-list" bloggers, some of their styles inevitably crept into mine.

And in the year since I wrote those words, The Musings has run into its most formidable adversary: Facebook. I finally caved and joined the social networking behemoth a year ago this month, after holding out for quite some time. It's been a great experience, as I've reconnected with plenty of old friends from college and high school, kept up with former students and met a lot of new brothers in my fraternity, Sinfonia.

So what does all that have to do with blogging? Well, I've always had a limited amount of computer time during the business day, since I'm teaching lessons or directing ensembles for most of the day. And when something as immediate as Facebook (which I read and update from the phone) gets the bulk of my attention, my other forms of online presence seem to suffer. (I've also been practicing and arranging more this year, both of which also cut into my limited non-teaching time.)

But nonetheless, I remain committed to this blog, and one way I've done is by a slight duplication of effort. Every Sunday has become a recap of the new music I'm listening to in the Kevmobile (which itself grows out of a daily series of tweets on Twitter that simulpost to Facebook), and some of the shorter posts on Facebook about the unusual things I run across in daily life (such as the perennial "Kids Say the Darnedest Things" series) will become posts here as well. I may not always have time to do a long post with links (as has been the custom over the past several years), but I usually have something to say every day, so I may end up saying the same thing (in various states of brevity, or not) across all three platforms. If nothing else, my blog readers, Twitter tweeps and Facebook friends don't have all that much overlap, so it's not as if too many people will be bombarded with the same post several times a day.

And for those of you who stop by regularly, whether for a short time or for the entire eight years (is there anyone out there in the latter category?), I thank you for your patronage, as well as for your patience when I do get backed up on posting. It's a big, wide Internet out there, and I appreciate your visiting my little corner of it. (And if you really want to get this thing going bigger, start up a discussion in the comments. It's nice to know the thoughts and opinions of those who read this.)

Copyrighting Pi: The Saga Continues

Right after Pi Day (3/14), I posted the story of Michael John Blake, the Canadian musician whose video of a clever musical rendition of the first 31 digits of pi was ordered taken down by another ocmposer who had done a similar thing a number of years back. I said that I'd post an update once I got more information, and this weekend, a reader did the work for me:

I saw that you posted about this issue back around Pi Day and said you'll "keep following this story here as well".

Well, there has been a significant new development. Michael John Blake was finally successful with his counter-claim, having his video restored recently after a wait of weeks. But now, Lars [Erickson] has taken the next step, and filed an actual lawsuit.

A PDF of the filing can be found on Scribd if you simply search for "Erickson v Blake" (I'd link it but I don't want to be eaten by the spam filter)

As you can see, Lars wants to thieve EVERYTHING from him:

"This is a case of copyright infringement against Defendant Michael John Blake. The suit seeks actual damages, plus disgorgement of Defendant's profits, and statutory damages as well as the recovery of Plaintiff s expenses and reasonable attorneys' fees. Plaintiff also requests additional relief in the form of an injunction preventing
Defendant from engaging in further infringing acts."

Pretty disgusting that he's going to this length. I'm also surprised he took it this far. It's easy enough to bully someone with a DMCA takedown, but to actually file a suit? I posted a mocking comment on his Youtube profile a few weeks back - when "Newscientistvideo" uploaded a copy of Blake's video - taunting him about whether he wasgoing to claim against them too. He deleted the comment in moderation but replied in PM claiming he HAD already submitted a claim against them too. The video never went down, so that's obviously a lie.

--- Billy Wenge-Murphy

And in a later correspondence, Billy adds the following:

One more bit you might be interested in is that Lars was already aware
of a pi song which was created independently of his own, and he
treated it much differently. This video by "DSarahGarland":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wxp0x2JoXo

If you follow the Youtube comments, Lars has been going around arguing that people clearly must have learned how to play Pi from his "Explanation of the Pi Symphony" video (nevermind its measly 24K views).

But, wait! Look at the comments! He put up that video in the first place because of her! He knows damn well others didn't have to copy him, because this girl's nearly identical creation inspired him to explain his own.

That seems to suggest ulterior motives for his treatment of Blake's work - jealousy maybe? Greed? Blake got more attention in one shot than Lars did in decades. Why be so friendly to that girl and so aggressively litigious to Blake?

Agreed--that's pretty strange. Thanks, Billy, for the update; I agree that Lars seems to be going way too far to protect a melody that's generated by a number. It reminds me of the music that came out after J.S. Bach died, where every composer and his cousin was writing melodies on the figure "B-A-C-H" (with "B" meaning "B-flat" and "H" meaning "B-natural" in old-school notation). Had there been stringent copyright laws in those days, would anyone be filing "Hey, I thought of that first!" lawsuits against each other? I sort of doubt it.

Sounds like this one isn't over; more updates to come.

UPDATE: Only a few hours after I posted this (and a mere ten minutes after I watched the video again for the first time in nearly a month), the video has been taken down again, at Erickson's request. This guy isn't exactly winning friends and influencing people, is he?

Playing This Week in the Kevmobile

Do I really play something brand-new in my car every day with no repeats? Well, yes and no. I do play something new each day--the "official" album that gets blogged and Facebooked and Twittered. But sometimes, I do more than one album's worth of driving in a given day, and that's where the repeats come in; I simply don't include those in the postings.

And now, a recap of this past week:

• MONDAY: The Claudia Quintet, "Semi-Formal." Composer John Hollenbeck presents jazz minimalism and other cleverness.


• TUESDAY: Vijay Iyer Trio, "Historicity." A fine recent effort from the rising piano star.


• WEDNESDAY: Curtis Macdonald, "Community Immunity." Impressive debut from the saxophonist/composer, and perhaps the soonest that a CD has made it to the Kevmobile after its release (it dropped yesterday).


• THURSDAY: Dafnis Prieto Sextet, "Taking the Soul for a Walk." Cool grooves and tunes from Cuban-born drummer & group; many of the compositions have a definite Chick Corea-ish vibe.


• FRIDAY: Miles Okazaki, "Generations." Latest effort from the innovative guitarist adds wordless vocals to the mix.


• SATURDAY: Vijay Iyer, Prasanna and Nitin Mitta, "Tirtha." Jazz meets India in this great trio of piano/guitar/tabla; the sound was so fresh to me that, after hearing it on Iyer's website when snagging the link for Tuesday's entry, I had to snag it almost immediately. (Read more about it and hear two full-length tracks from the CD here.)


• SUNDAY: Dave Holland Quintet, "Critical Mass." It's a tough choice, but--in my humble opinion, of course--I consider this to be the best of all the excellent albums by the group I consider to be the best working combo in jazz.

Yet another great week for music! Next week includes two days of long bus travel, so the theme will be a little bit different, but I may have more entries per day as well.

It's Just a Sign of...I'm Not Actually Sure

I've passed by this sign regularly for several weeks, and I still have no idea what they're going for here:


Did they mean to say something about the Bible, but were lacking many letters, or was the church having an emo moment and attempting to say "BLEH," lacking only an H? (And what would it be like to go to Emo Church? I bet the sermons would be entertaining: "Lo, and thou shalt wearest thy hair only over thine eyes, and cloak thy loins in the skinniest of jeans.")

UPDATE: One of my Facebook friends suggests that perhaps the sign meant to read "BLESS" and the two S's fell off. Who knows...

Wondering About My Favorite Bari Player? I'll Take a Mulligan

On this day in 1927, Gerard Joseph Mulligan (known to the world as Gerry) was born. Throughout his 68 years of life, he would be known for several things: His major contributions to Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool recordings; his baritone sax style that was also rooted in the "cool jazz" aesthetic; his Concert Jazz Orchestra; his piano-less quartets with Chet Baker; and his many well-loved compositions such as "Line for Lyons."

As I noted on Facebook this morning, anyone who loves the bari certainly owes Gerry a debt of gratitude, as does anyone who loves cool jazz. I was fortunate to be able to meet him at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago in 1993 and also see him perform with the One O'Clock Lab Band as part of the Gomez Artist Series at the Meyerson a year or two before his passing.

Happy birthday, Gerry; you won't soon be forgotten.

Beer: It May Not Just Be for Breakfast Anymore, But It Still Is for Some People

When I was buying my newspaper this morning, the guy in front of me had several items: A Coke, a bag of chips..and a rather large can of beer. A few things came to mind:

1) I hope the guy was just getting off work and not headed there.
2) If he was headed to work, I hope his job isn't something like brain surgeon, air traffic controller..., or the guy building bridges on the Bush Turnpike extension.

I've never seen anyone buy a beer that early (~7:30) in the morning before. How about you?

Playing This Week in the Kevmobile

As always, the weekly recap of music from the car--hopefully something that's new to you that you'll end up checking out:

• MONDAY: Stockton Helbing,"Lodestar." Debut CD from the amazing drummer/writer/producer who's also an esteemed colleague of mine at the Texas All-Star Jazz Camp and a producer on the Kris Berg recording project with which I'm currently involved.


• TUESDAY: Gino Vannelli, "Black Cars." This album is more stripped-down than Gino's usual fare (especially its lush predecessor, "Nightwalker," and the synths scream '80s, but they're still great songs.


• WEDNESDAY: Miles Okazaki, "Mirror." Engaging debut from the guitarist/award-winning composer.


• THURSDAY: Numinous, "Vipassana." Composer Joseph C. Phillips, Jr. offers up a fine variety of jazz-tinged minimalism--think Steve Reich meets Maria Schneider.


• FRIDAY: The Flashbulb, "Réunion." Tasty collection from Chicago-based guitarist/electronic musician Benn Jordan.


• SATURDAY: Tiny Tribe, "Strange Stories & Faraway Places." German trio and special guests mix jazz with electronics.


• SUNDAY: Niels Lan Doky, "The Target." Danish pianist joined by the great Danish bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Jack DeJohnette on drums.

It's been a great week for music, and it starts again in the morning!