Today's HJ

For no apparent reason, the song My Boy Lollipop by Millie Small made the cut today. It's a real oldie, and probably one of the first times we all heard a SKA tune, but may not have known the existence of the genre. She covered the song in 1964.

Congratulations to the Red Sox. It proves that good chemistry can help win a championship--- and a very hefty payroll doesn't hurt either. I never saw an example of good chemistry when a team sucked and its players were lousy

Evidently, Melissa Joan Hart (of Sabrina the Teenage Witch fame) received death threats because she tweeted that she was going to vote. No big deal, right? Well she went on to predict that she was going to vote for Willard Romney and Paul Ryan. That's when somebody's temper flared. Social media is a bit of a slippery slope. If you have an opinion, you have a forum. But that forum can turn frienamous in a heartbeat.

I have a question. A recent poll revealed that on average,72% of respondents felt the country was on the "wrong track." How do you feel about that? If you're pinging back, describe your view of right and wrong tracks.

Can the Cubs ever win a championship in Wrigley Field?

Ever drink Ice Wine? Amazing
RIP Tadeus Mazowiecki
Did you buy the ending of DEXTER?
Does the Constitution still seem relevant to you?
Who led major league baseball in hits during the decade beginning 1990?
Is fracking causing sub continental disturbances (earthquakes)?

Had enough of me for another day? Thought so. Have a great weekend.

A couple of things

Is it me or do half the St. Louis Cardinals look like they should be on Duck Dynasty?

In a previous life, I was going to start a music blog and name it "hum job." You know, for no apparent reason, a song flies into your head and you can't make it go away. At least for awhile.

I'll give you the lyrics that started today's  HJ and see if you remember the song.
And he stirs his tea with councilors while discussing foreign trade.

On a scale of 1-10, how much civility do you witness on a daily basis?
Will you miss newspapers when they're gone?
Have you read the Federalist Papers?
How weird is it that Europe had it's Hurricane Sandy in the same time frame as last year?
What is the significance of the Cleveland Spiders?
Who does the best version of Orange Blossom Special?
What band have you been "jonesing" for?

See you tomorrow. Have a civil day.

Would you mind?

I just turned 64. Is that old? Sometimes my feet feel old- like after a a MOE. show when I've been on them for 3 hours. My mind is young, sometimes like a supercollider. I've decided that I don't want to be grumpy and withdrawn as I age. I have lots of things to share with you; politics, music, sports, current events and those random collider thoughts that will evoke a response or start a conversation. When I say shit, people piss their pants. Sometimes they get mad at me. Apparently though, things I say bring a next...

I named my company after a Grateful Dead song. It's 32 years old (my company) and it's still going pretty well. Maybe it will go furthur on up the road ( Sorry Phil and Jill). If I've learned anything, it's that people are worth it, even if they're different. I'm one of those. I am and so are you. So, let's see what happens. Would you mind?

I like to post

Post via email works too!!

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How many concerts did you attend due to these records?

Posted on October 1, 2013

How many moments were planned due to these records? I would love to find out how many people remember the actual concert that came from one of these records. I am sure we all have them?

How many concerts can you recall from this mix?

0.000000 0.000000

Eating a beef on wick .. heading to a great obscure 3 day concert scene.

It is a distinct privilege to share my love of music with you on these pages. Music

is literally a universal aspect of people’s lives. It evokes passion and relevance. I

have been listening and observing virtually all my life. I hope to share the mystery

and joy of it with you.

I have sketched out some areas of formatting for your dining and dancing

pleasure. Some columns may contain a personal story, “where were you (or

I) when…”? “Whatever happened to..?” Music travels mysteriously and when

people can hear music in their heads, that is truly a gift. Accordingly, one of

the subjects will be what we call “Humjobs.” Maybe as part of the ‘whatever

happened to’, will include a “ this morning , for no apparent reason, I thought

about ….” I might invite responses from you (if you wish) by writing a memorable

lyric and see if you can guess who wrote it or performed it. I am older so the time

span will stretch beyond half a century. We’ll all learn something and that’s a

good thing.

In an attempt to understand you better, I hope to entertain, inspire, evoke

memories and generally to gain a special place in your lives. Tell me if I did. Or tell

me I’m lame. Just as I respect, anyone who plays or performs music, that doesn’t

mean I’m a fan of their genre. I’ll try not to judge. We all get way too much of that

on a daily basis.

I’ll try to do all of this in 300 words or less. This should be fun. If you enjoy this

thing, tell the editors. Maybe they’ll let me do it more than once a month. If you

don’t, well that’s the other side of it. I look forward to engaging with you.

Posted on October 8, 2013 by garydavistheblindrev

Hey let’s start.

In what song would you find these words? We’re on the honor system. If you must google, you must.

“How is it that the life of a man–
Can be in the palm of some fool’s hand”?

Hint: It ain’t about Davey Moore.

Hail Hail Vibraphone

 

 

Hail Hail Vibraphone

Posted on October 9, 2013 by garydavistheblindrev

We saw an old friend perform last Friday night. Musical great,  Gary Burton was in the Chicago area for what he termed, a stop on his “70th birthday tour.”
Burton, a long time master on the “vibes” has a career spanning over 50 years. In that time he has played with (I think) thousands of incredible musicians in varying venues and genres. Seeing Burton, in my humble opinion  is viewing a legend. His latest “record” (I love musicians who still call new projects making a record) is entitled Guided Tour on Mack Avenue Records. The former alumni and Dean of Boston’s Berklee School of Music plays with Drummer Antonio Sanchez, Bassist, Scott Colley and 10 year veteran guitarist (though only the tender age of 25) Julian Lage in his latest lineup, The New Gary Burton Quartet.
It’s a rare pleasure to sit at a table and watch great music being made by what appears to be the disparate talents of four men. But great bandleaders have a way of distilling these elements into a tightly rehearsed and singular group identity. So it is with the NGBQ. Included in the set were generous bites from Guided Tour, but a great homage to a a fellow legend Keith Jarrett who Burton recorded the timeless Our Own Quiet Place, circa 1970.
These days I challenge my stamina, standing for 3 hours for Jam Shows and various Festivi. This was a thoroughly enjoyable evening of cerebral “longhair” music.  With another great, Herbie Hanccock in Chicago this weekend coming the viewers who love these great musicians and their work are blessed indeed.
My thanks to Burton. I probably own 20 of his more than 50 recordings and this was a great nostalgic night for me. Hope you investigate a little for yourselves. Turn down the lights, fall into your easy chair and hear for yourselves.