Jazz & Blues Lounge

I was a punk kid who was into Pink Floyd. What I really wanted to do was be on the radio. I thought I was going to be the next Howard Stern or, more likely, the next Steve and Garry (two Chicago radio legends). I had worked at the tiny AM station that my college, Webster University, has created first. It was known as WEBU AM 660 and you could pick pretty much any shift you wanted and play whatever the hell you wanted. This created a scattered program schedule and no one ever listened. …read more

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The modern world is rather amazing. You can carry an entire music store in your pocket these days. You can switch from rock to blues to jazz to country and then over the rap as fast as it takes you to thumb through your lists and songs on your iPod. Considering that, we here at b5media and those of us who write for the Music Channel wanted to provide you with a list of songs that we think you need to add to your iPod playlist and that we think you should add TODAY.
As far as I …read more

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I was doing some more noodling around online and found something that NPR has put together for your fledgling jazz folks out there.  You can click HERE for their “Basic Jazz Library.”  It appears to be a series of articles or blogs that goes back to 2005.  What struck me is that the first record on the list is Cannonball Adderly’s “Somethin’ Else” which is one of my all-time favorites
Cannonball was one of those guys who was all over the place during the 50s but not nearly enough people know his name.  They know Miles and they know Coltrane, Mingus …read more

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I love getting comments on this blog.  I never cease to stop learning from the people who take the time out of their busy day to comment on what I write.  I have written novels and I have written non-fiction books and there is nothing quite like running any kind of blog.  Blogs are so much more immediate, it’s like when I was in radio and would make a comment about the White Sox and get immediate phone calls from angry Cubs fans.
I love the recent comments for “joared” who left a few on recent posts.  I wanted to mention …read more

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The weekend is here and that means driving around a lot and listening to music in the car while running errands.  I love how attractive weekends look and I always think I am going to spend time relaxing and enjoying it.  Then, suddenly, I am running to the grocery store and doing laundry and other things.  Before I know it the weeked is over, I am still worn out from the week and I spent more time in my car than I did actually relaxing.
This is why I love my jazz collection.  Nothing helps keep me sane more than my …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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So, I have this book that was just published.  It’s called “Ghosts of St. Louis: the Lemp Mansion and Other Eerie Tales” and you should buy it if you love real-life ghost stories.  You can find it at Amazon.com and other book websites and it’s by Schiffer Publishing.
But anyway… since it is about haunted places in St. Louis, I had to come to St. Louis to try to promote the book.  I had a radio station appearance on a morning radio show scheduled along with a book signing at a local bookstore all set up.  I have to say, if …read more

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I had planned on trying to update you some what new jazz albums were coming out this week.  I found it nearly impossible to find that information.  Apparently I am also not on any music labels mailing list for new albums either.  Oh well, that may be my fault since I haven’t actually contacted any either.
So, I thought I would make a recommendation of a classic jazz album.  It kind of goes along with my little life story thing too.  It is the jazz album that changed my opinion of jazz.  It is the albume that made made me sit …read more

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