Loss of an Icon

When Ann and I were visiting Mike and Tammy recently, we got a chance to relax and listen to some albums on their new turntable. They have a very nice set-up and, although they don't have a lot of albums yet, there are enough to easily fill an afternoon of playing board games.    

 I have been fascinated these last few years as vinyl becomes a thing again. We were in the Barnes and Noble store a few weeks ago and found a selection of albums prominently displayed back in the music section. Some albums from newer artists like Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift were there, but David Bowie and Chicago were in the mix as well.   




I use my Kindle quite a bit to read, but still go to the library every two or three weeks because I enjoy having a physical book to read, with pages to turn and a place to put my bookmark. I get that same feeling when I handle a record album. Seeing the artwork, looking at the list of songs and composers on the back side, reading the liner notes to find out what's new with the band. That was very much a part of my high school and college days. I have albums from The Association, James Taylor, The Kingston Trio, and even an Aaron Copland classical album.   



So I'm excited that the kids are into vinyl. Nate's collection is pretty large. He has been buying albums for quite some time. Unfortunately one of the best places to look for albums is now gone. The Jazz Record Mart, which long billed itself as “The World’s Largest Jazz and Blues Record Store,” closed its doors due to rising rents at 11:30 a.m. Monday, 10 minutes after a deal was completed to sell the business, according to the Chicago Tribune. Wolfgang’s Vault – a Reno, Nev., operation that buys and sells music, film and other cultural items – has acquired the store’s inventory and the Jazz Record Mart name and web site.   

I've been in the store once or twice in the past when I've been downtown for something else and I know Nathan goes in whenever he has time and a little extra money, so The Record Mart will be missed. The Logan Hardware is still open on Fullerton. Its website promises:  

Looking for a working Fun Chicken? We have one. Looking for that Polish language LP from 1971 about the goat and the ostrich? We've got it.   

Old School Records in Forest Park is not a big store, but I enjoyed looking through their albums last time we were out in that direction shopping. And just down the street is Defiant Comics, which is also a fun place to stop.   

Mike asked for some advice on picking a jazz album to add to his library, so when we got home, I ordered him "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis. It shows up on most top five lists for best jazz album ever. If you don't know it, here's a sample. Enjoy.   
  


  

Just Walk Away, Michael

Michael Brown, the brilliant leader and keyboardist of the rock group, The Left Bank, passed away last year at the age of 65, according to the Los Angeles Times.  Brown was the main songwriter for the group, though he left in 1967 after just one album. At the age of 16, he co-wrote and wrote, respectively, the band's best-known songs, "Walk Away Renee" and "Pretty Ballerina", both odes to unrequited love. The band's use of strings and harpsichord earned them the label "baroque-pop," while their sound echoes on in the work of acts such as Belle & Sebastian, Elliott Smith and Jens Lekman, whose "Black Cab" sampled the band's "I've Got Something On My Mind."   

I was a big fan of Left Banke in freshman year at Michigan State University in 1969. They just seemed to hit a chord for a young man with a heavy background in high school chorus and pop music who was living away from all of his family and friends for the first time. Almost every evening had Association, Left Banke, Simon and Garfunkel, and CSNY songs filling the third floor of Fee Hall.  

For your enjoyment, Walk Away Renee:  

                

Timing is Everything

So Ann and I went to see Star Wars a second time yesterday and in the middle of the movie, we each needed to leave for a brief time to use the facilities. It wasn't a problem because it was our second time through the movie and we're pretty sure we didn't miss anything important, but I felt bad for the lady next to us who had to leave for a while because she didn't look like the type of person to see any movie twice. "My time is just too important." So it seemed serendipitous that the next day I run across an ad for an app on Itunes and Android Play called RunPee.

The app lists times to go to the bathroom during a movie without missing too much and a brief synopsis you can read in the bathroom to see what you are missing.

Here's the Avengers: Age of Ultron example given on the website -

You probably noticed it also tells you if there are any things worth hanging around for during the credits - a major deal in Marvel movies.

You probably wouldn't want to be opening the app during the movie, but you could look ahead of time to find opportune times to run out. We'll see how it works out this weekend when we go see the biggest blockbuster hit of 2016: Kung Fu Panda 3. Awesome!

March Madness?

As you know, at March Madness time, every website on the internet does its own quasi - March Madness:

Zimbio has a TV couples bracket with a Ross and Rachel Conference and a Sam and Diane Conference.

The One Ring had a bracket for characters from Lord of the Rings a couple of years ago. Best comments on the site: "It almost HAS to come down to a matchup between Gothmog the Balrog and William's Talking Purse. Am I right?" and "Say what you want about Sauron, but he was a job-creator - and an employee-creator."

Or from Chicago Inno, a very specialized bracket currently running to decide who is the best tech company of Chicago, with matchups like #1 Groupon vs. #16 Mobile Doorman and #4 Narrative Science vs. #13 Rippleshot. I'd probably have to go by the seeds on that one.

Last year, we highlighted the NPR vs PBS bracket run by WHYY in Philadelphia. In the final Mr. Rogers beat Peter Sagal to take home the trophy.

This year, for our younger demographic, we are highlighting 90's bands with UPROXX Sports' Most 90's Band March Madness Bracket. Here are the regions:


 

 
 

 

This is not exactly in my wheelhouse, so my voting would be somewhat arbitrary - like picking the third horse in the third race by the jockey colors. There are songs I like by Blues Traveler, Third Eye Blind, and BareNaked Ladies, but I couldn't give you a song from Collective Soul if my life depended on it, and they're a #2 seed. Voting has already begun - you can go here to vote if this moves you.

 Or, you can watch a local Chicago group, The Five Stairsteps, on Soul Train with one of my favorite songs of all time. Enjoy.


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