Jazz & Blues Lounge

Well, folks and fellow Chicagoans, we have made it to yet another weekend.  I am planning on continuing to enjoy my Sad Salamanders CD and relaxing as much as possible.  I am also somewhat looking forward to the warmer weather that is predicted for this weekend.  I may actually be looking forward to the thunderstorms predicted for Sunday.  This is utterly unprecedented as I am terrified of thunderstorms.
So, thanks again, as always to WDCB radio for the information about jazz and blues music in and around Chicago for the weekend.   They are a public radio station, so I also encourage …read more

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If you have been keeping an eye on this blog, you will see that the Sad Salamanders sensation has started to grow.  Ok, well, I had one of the guys responsible for the group leave a comment and then a fan leave another comment.  Granted, the fan, for all I know, could be a relative of that particular band member, but considering it’s mostly my own family that has purchased all of the books I have published, who am I to argue?
I did want to give another push for this group.  I do ask you, as fans of jazz and …read more

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It is Wednesday and there is a fresh coating of snow on the groun here in the Windy City.  Of course, there is more predicted Thursday into Friday.  It is a sad and long and miserable winter when the weather reports have to go along with the reports of what is going on in and around town when it comes to the live music.  Still, I feel compelled to be honest with you about the weather if I am also going to be trying to convince you to visit Chicago to see some great music.
As always, a special thanks goes …read more

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Of course, a couple of days ago the movie stars all got together and congratulated themselves for a fine year in movies.  The best music went to the song “Falling Slowly” from the movie “Once.”  It’s a fine song, I have to say and I was hoping it would win over the five thousand songs from the movie “Enchanted.” 
 There wasn’t much in terms of great jazz music in the various movie scores during this past year.  There have been some great jazz soundtracks, however, but you have to dig a little bit into the past to find them.
Of course, Woody …read more

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It was my original intent to hunt down some video somewhere of the Sad Salamanders performing live.  Apparently such an animal does not, as yet, exist.  Guys, you need to get on that.  Start posting to YouTube or something, wouldja?  I spent the whole weekend grooving to your awesome CD “Cigarettes and Fishnets” and wanted to spread a little more cheer around the the public, and couldn’t.
So, I found THIS instead.  What is it?  Why nothing more than Miles Davis and the great John Coltrane performing “So What.”  I love that tune and the look of Miles Davis in his …read more

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A while back I wrote about a jazz group that had written me after finding the website.  They are a group that calls themselves “The Sad Salamanders.”  While their promotional stuff sounded great, that’s what promotional stuff is supposed to sound like.  One of their members, Scooter Pietsch, said he would be glad to send me a copy of their album, “Cigarettes and Fishnets.”
Well, the CD finally arrived and I have listened to it.  Folks, you need to get yourself a copy of “Cigarettes and Fishnets.”  Check them out at www.myspace.com/sadsalamander.  You can also check out www.scootermusic.com.
The CD cover is …read more

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I kind of feel bad talking about the Chicago weather all of the time on this blog.  This is a blog about jazz and blues, not a blog about weather.  I happen to be obsessed with weather (NO!, you must be saying, REALLY?) and I spend much of my time checking on weather, but that doesn’t mean I should unload on all of you here.
However, I do feel like I am a huge advocate for the city of Chicago.  Time and again, over and over, week after week, I stand on my little cyber tree-stump and yell about how any …read more

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If there is one way to get yourself mentioned in this particular blog, you just need to start sending me something.  It doesn’t even have to be fancy.  Just making my job easier by e-mailing me something so I don’t have to spend time researching topics is enough to make me grateful.  Does that make me a shill?
Yes.
The M Lounge has become my new favorite place even though I have yet to set foot in the place.  They send me regular updates now plus they always have a cool Thursday night event planned which makes my Thursday blog easier to …read more

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It is amazing the sheer number of new releases that come out in the jazz genre.  You wouldn’t think so.  Why?  Well, according to so many, jazz is not a popular genre and, therefore, somehow not relevant.  Needless to say, I disagree.
A great place to look for the latest releases in jazz, throughout the year, is AllAboutJazz.com.  Their list of new releases is truly staggering.  I can only hope to aspire to such a list.  I will settle for crediting them, pointing you to them, then “borrowing” some of the information they have there.
So, here are the new releases and …read more

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Ouch.  That’s all I have to say about this morning.  For those of you who are not in the Chicago area, you may not know that we have had one of the most brutal winters in almost thirty years.  It has been unbelievably cold followed by one big snow storm after another.  Normally, I love winter and I love fall, but this winter has gotten to me.  This morning, winter bit me back.
I was trying to get to my car.  Of course, walking anywhere around here means walking on what amount to glaciers.  Really, to walk here in Chicago you …read more

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