...Even If I Don't Know Anything About Jazz

Category:  Concert Review


I'll start by admitting point blank that I know nothing about jazz.  I know some of the names, of course -- Charlie Parker, Louie Armstrong, Django Reinhardt, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald -- but I don't have any real knowledge of the music, its history, or anything else.  Give me two notes can I can tell you if something's real country music or pop wanna-be, but jazz?  I haven't even graduated kindergarten in my education.  So when I spent an evening at Katerina's in Chicago watching Harmonious Wail perform over two hours of spectacular music all I could say is "wow."  

L-R: Jeff Weiss, Sims Delaney-Potthoff,
Maggie Delaney-Potthoff, Mark Kreitzer

Harmonious Wail is a quartet from Madison, Wisconsin fronted by the husband and wife team of Sims and Maggie Delaney-Potthoff.  They bill themselves as a "gypsy swing jazz band."  I do know enough to know the term "gypsy jazz" is an ode to Django, the masterful French guitarist who influenced people ranging from Les Paul to Chet Atkins.  Sims fronts the band not on guitar but on mandolin, having taken lessons from the legendary Jethro Burns (who was also influenced by Reinhardt).  Maggie plays various and unique percussive instruments (such as a empty box that once held boxes of Purex laundry detergent and a pair of scissors).  Mark Kreitzer plays guitar brilliantly, and Jeff "Jeffro" Weiss is a young but gifted stand-up bassist.


The band, quite simply, is superb.  Maggie has a voice that can melt ice cubes then turn around and re-freeze the water.  "Torch?"  Maybe.  "Great?"  Absolutely.  She let loose on a combination of originals ("I Like to Feel My Bones," a song written after a car wreck, and the title song from their most recent CD "The Vegan Zombie's Lament") and covers ("My Favorite Things" and a show-stopping rendition of Steely Dan's "Home at Last").  Sims' mandolin playing showed his respect for his teacher (most notably when he let loose on "Tico Tico," borrowing heavily from the 1962 Homer & Jethro Playing It Straight arrangement) as well as the love for Django (they played "Djangology" and "Minor Swing").


My favorite quote about music comes from Sir Paul McCartney, who said in an 1974 interview, "I just like good music.  And, you know, you gotta search for it."  I may not know much about jazz but I do know that Harmonious Wail is a superb band with talented musicians and a gifted vocalist, and they deserve to be heard, regardless of how much you do or don't know about jazz.


Harmonious Wail's web site

At Halftime of the Baseball Season...

Category:  Sports Rant

Now that the Midsummer Classic is over with an astonishing two-game winning streak by the National League in the books, it's time to sound off on the All-Star Game -- and a few other things.

1.  Don't Wanna Go to the All-Star Game?  Fine!  This year's All-Star Game may be remembered more for the players who snubbed it rather than the people who did attend, the outcome, or the game's MVP.  This has become a disturbing trend over the past few years:  instead of acknowledging the fans' votes and being grateful, more and more players seem upset that their less-successful teammates are getting a three to four-day vacation and they, the superstars, are not.  So, they're shunning the All-Star Game.  That used to be a resume-padder (so-and-so "is a three-time All Star").  Now people are treating it like a liability.  

Here's a solution:  if you don't go to the All-Star Game this year after being voted on the starting line-up by the fans, you're automatically excluded for three years.  That way, your fans won't waste their vote on you when they could instead be voting for someone who really would appreciate the fans' gratitude toward the season he's having.

2.  That Annoying "Every Team Must Be Represented" Rule.  There are 30 teams in Major League Baseball -- 14 American, 16 National.  There are 25 players in the game on each side.  There's also a rule:  each team must have at least one representative on the All-Star team.  Baloney.  A team with sixty-two losses at the All-Star Break deserves a representative?  In a word, NO.  

Instead, try this:  the last-place teams (in each of the six divisions) do not get a representative unless (a) he's voted in by the fans or (b) that team is the host for the game.  That way, if Houston were hosting the game this year they would get a representative, or if Carlos Lee received enough votes, they could be represented.  Otherwise, let them all stay home and work on getting out of the cellar (between that and Reds' closer Francisco Cordero melting down worse than a damaged Japanese nuclear reactor, that shouldn't take long) and leave that spot for a player that currently has to stay off the roster because of the rule.  (Think about it:  if this game "means something," would the manager rather have the best players that would help assure a victory, or would he rather have the best player from the worst team instead of, oh, another player off the first-place team?)

3.  And While We're On the Subject of "The All-Star Game Means Something..."  This may well be the worst thing Bud Selig has ever done to baseball -- and that's saying something.  The notion of giving home field advantage to the All-Star champ league hasn't helped re-spark passionate interest in the All-Star Game a whole heck of a lot, has it?  (See issue #1.)  Fine.  Chalk this up as a failed experiment and let's have the World Series home field advantage decided on the field -- the team with the best record gets it.  Hockey and basketball seem to think that's a good idea, so why can't baseball do it the logical way as well?

4.  Elsewhere, There's the NCAA's Feet-Dragging.  So does Ohio State have to give the Sugar Bowl trophy to Arkansas with "2011 Sugar Bowl champions: Ohio State" written on it for the Razorbacks' trophy case?  What's going to happen to Auburn if the investigations prove all the news reports about Cam Newton were true?  The NCAA moves about as fast as a turtle covered in molasses stuck in a frozen pond when it comes to investigations, and that's making them a laughingstock.  They need to change the rules so we don't have any more Heisman Trophies returned to the New York Athletic Club or bowl hardware handed over to the losing team.  Come up with a "limbo" program, move faster, or do something to prevent any more egg on the faces of award sponsors, bowl sponsors, universities, and/or the NCAA.

5.  How About Punishing the COACHES in These Scandals?  "Eddie Sutton" is a worse cuss word in Kentucky than "Christian Laettner."  While Sutton was the head basketball coach at Kentucky a number of scandals, from players cheating on their tests to payment of $1,000 to the father of a player, came to light.  The NCAA's punishment was swift and sure:  Kentucky almost got the "death penalty" for the basketball program but was "let off the hook" with a three-year probation, two-year postseason ban, and a ban from television.  While Kentucky's fans, innocent players, and new coach (R*ck P*t*no, another cuss word in the eyes of Wildcat fans considering where he's coaching now) paid the penalty, Eddie Sutton waltzed off to a new job at Oklahoma State.

That is just wrong.  The NCAA has to initiate a penalty for ALL the guilty parties.  If an assistant coach is slipping C-notes under the table to a player's parents that coach should be banned from working anywhere in an NCAA college for a number of years.  I don't know if Jim Tressel could get a job as towel washer at a university right now, given what happened at Ohio State, but given the fact that he is a proven winner (and the name of the game is "just win, baby") somebody is sure to offer him a job.  Not so fast:  when the slow but sure boom is lowered on Ohio State it should also come down on Tressel.  The fact that the guilty coaches, assistant coaches, and other behind-the-scenes people can walk away and immediately become gainfully employed by another university while the former college is left to bear the brunt of the sins is part of the reason there are so many problems in college sports now.  Let them experience a consequence for their actions and see how quickly things clear up.

6.  And Finally... If these sporting events wish "to honor America," how about having someone sing the National Anthem with dignity, respect, and all of the words instead of calling on pop stars who try to turn the song into their new top 40 hit?  Take it from a veteran:  having someone who sold four million records last year screaming the song while forgetting the words does not honor America.  It should shame these people that the Stanley Cup's games in Canada earlier this year featured a Canadian singing our National Anthem on-key, with respect, and not forgetting a single word.  If you want to "honor America," get Wayne Mesmer (who sings the National Anthem at many Cubs games), not Christine Aguilera or Jesse McCartney.

Thank you, and enjoy the second half of the season.

When Scooter and the Big Man Bust This City in Half

Category:  Obituary/News


Thinking about Bruce Springsteen without Clarence Clemons is almost impossible.  It's the rock equivalent of Buck Owens without his lead guitarist/tenor singer Don Rich.  It's just not right.


Clarence Clemons, Springsteen's "Big Man" saxophonist, died today (6/18) at approximately 7:00 p.m. (ET) from complications of a stroke he suffered June 12.  The news had been bad from the beginning:  his stroke was considered "very serious" according to news reports, and sources reported that Springsteen and fellow E Street Band members were advised to get to Palm Beach, Florida (where Clemons lived and where he was stricken) as soon as possible.  Clemons underwent two surgeries on his brain after the stroke and was reported to be "responsive" although paralyzed on his left side following the operations.


Clemons was in the E Street Band at the beginning, playing saxophone that ranged from raucous rock and roll to beautiful soul.  He was featured on the cover of Springsteen's legendary breakthrough Born to Run album in 1975, and the song "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" mentioned him in the final verse ("I'm gonna sit back right easy and laugh when Scooter and the Big Man bust this city in half").  Even Randy Newman mentioned Clemons in his song "My Life is Good," in which he spoofed Springsteen ("Rand, I'm tired, how would you like to be Boss for awhile?  Well, blow, Big Man, blow!").  In addition to his work with Springsteen, Clemons released his own music (his duet with Jackson Browne, "You're a Friend of Mine," was an MTV hit in the early 1980s) and played on numerous other recordings.


Shortly after Clemons' passing Bruce Springsteen released this statement:

"Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage.  His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly 40 years. He was my great friend, my partner and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band."

Rock and roll will never be the same.


Farewell to the great Clarence "Big Man" Clemons.  He was 69.

Good and Bad in News

Category:  News Reporting


Kudos to the Weather Channel's Mike Bettes for being human.  It's really nice to know that seeing hundreds of people killed and injured and scores of buildings destroyed does emotionally affect a reporter.  That was honest, too, as real as the pain on Walter Cronkite's face when he announced that President Kennedy was dead in 1963.  Way to go, Mike.  I hope the weather improves so you don't get choked up over tornado devastation again for a long time.


As for other news reporters, could you please give us a break from the false prophet who keeps proclaiming a new date for the end of the world every time it becomes obvious that he doesn't have a clue?  This clod's giving Christians a bad name by claiming he knows more than God (since Jesus said that only God knows the day).  He's also giving reporters a bad name because they treat his spewings as if he's actually newsworthy.  Take a hint from Lou Grant, who once said, "There's no such thing as a slow news day, only slow news men." 


Or maybe a better reference would be Chevy Chase from "Weekend Update" from the original Saturday Night Live, where he reported that a celebrity was back in the news.  Chase then added, "Sources report that nobody is interested and nobody cares."  Neither do we.

Golf Loses a Giant

Category:  Sports News/Obituary


Seve Ballesteros lost his two and a half year battle with brain cancer today (5/7).  Ballesteros died at his home in Pedrena, Spain less than a day after his family announced that his condition had taken a "dramatic turn for the worse."


Ballesteros was to the European tour what Arnold Palmer is to golf in America, or what Gary Player is to the sport in South Africa.  He was an icon not only in his native Spain but throughout Europe.  He was the first European to slip the coveted Green Jacket, the prize for winning the Masters, on his shoulders.  Overall, he won five majors (three British Opens and two Masters).  Additionally, he won fifty European PGA events, more than anyone on the European tour.  He captained the European Ryder Cup in 1997, the year it was played in Spain for the first time, leading the Europeans to victory.


It was Ballesteros' seemingly impossible shots that made him a legend.  A slice in the woods wasn't a reason to cuss and slam his club (the way some people do), it was an opportunity to invent a new shot.  Archive footage airing on the sports tributes showed Ballesteros hitting a ball nearly 200 yards -- from his knees in the woods.


2010 Masters champion Phil Mickelson paid tribute to Ballesteros at this year's Masters Champions dinner.  The defending champion picks the menu for the dinner, and to honor Ballesteros Mickelson's dinner had a Spanish theme with a bilingual menu.


Spain has lost one of its most iconic figures, and golf has lost a superb player who was tremendously under-appreciated in this country.


Seve Ballesteros was only 54.

The True End of an Era

Category:  Television News


ABC is canceling two of its three "daytime dramas" (better known as soap operas).  All My Children, which has been on the air for 41 years, and One Life to Live, which has aired for 43 years, will end their respective runs on network television by the beginning of 2012.  The network states that the expense of producing a daily soap opera -- about $50 million annually according to an L.A. Times article -- no longer justifies the increasingly lower ratings of daytime shows.


Soap operas were once the rule on television.  Daytime mornings were filled with game shows, from Concentration to Hollywood Squares; and the afternoon belonged to the soaps.  The game shows, by and large, have disappeared from daytime network television (although syndicated shows such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Family Feud are quite popular), with only The Price is Right on a network in daytime.  Now soap operas are following the game shows into relative oblivion.


Additionally, SoapNet, which is owned by Disney (the owners of ABC), will cease to exist as a cable channel about the same time that One Life to Live dies -- January 2012.  SoapNet will be replaced with a new Disney channel for children (which sounds redundant, but I digress).


I have mixed feelings about this.  How many different ways can someone have an affair, die then the actor comes back as a twin brother/sister/cousin/friend that nobody ever knew about, shoot someone, get pregnant and lose the baby/not know who the father is, etc. etc. etc.  It takes a great actor to make very predictable, sometimes snail's pace-moving storylines (I remember watching The Guiding Light before I went into the Navy...eleven weeks of missing it while in boot camp and nothing changed!) riveting.  The surviving shows have that (Eric Braeden is as excellent a villain in The Young and the Restless as he was when he played Captain Dietrich [when he went by his birth name, Hans Gudegast] in The Rat Patrol), but All My Children has the poster child for bitchiness:  Susan Lucci.  In fact, people who know nothing about soap operas know her name.  There comes a point, however, when not even those powerhouse actors can carry a show.


Still, Disney needs to tread lightly here.  Soap opera fans, much like old country music fans, are fiercely loyal.  Badmouthing Luke and Laura is like saying something nasty about mom, apple pie, or baseball to the fans of these shows.  It might be better to have a few million very dedicated fans than ten million fickle watchers who will turn the channel at the first sign of something unpleasant.


The two canceled soap operas will be replaced with much cheaper programs, The Chew (described as a food program) and The Revolution (a makeover series).  If Disney's claim that there are fewer "target audience" members (women) at home to watch the soaps, it remains to be seen who will be watching these new productions.

Baker Street Dead Ends

Category:  News/Obituary


Gerry Rafferty died today (1/4) of liver failure after a long, tumultuous battle with alcoholism.

Rafferty was best-known for the 1978 hit "Baker Street," featuring the haunting saxophone and introspective lyrics about a musician who wanted to "give up the blues and the one-night stands."  He was also the lead singer for Stealer's Wheel, of "Stuck in the Middle With You" fame.


Rafferty's wife divorced him in 1990 because of his battles with the bottle.  In August 2008 he disappeared from a rehab hospital.  He turned up at his home in Tuscany six months later.  Alas, the alcoholism won the war.


"Stealin' Time" from 1978's City to City is one of the songs on my "50 songs everyone should listen to" project.


Gerry Rafferty was just 63.