Kenny Clarke, Blanton & Monk... that's a helluva rhythm section.

Phew, no shit, now that you mention it.

Harold Arlen was born 100 years ago today. So many possible earworms: the thread-appropriate "That Old Black Magic" and "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)," both of which were on my Buffistamix; the board-appropriate "Ill Wind," which Darla sang at Caritas (I'll listen to Sinatra's version); or maybe Sinatra's "Get Happy" (Swing Easy) or "Blues in the Night" (Only the Lonely); or maybe Ray Charles singing "Over the Rainbow" (Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul... or better yet "Come Rain or Come Shine" from The Genius of Ray Charles; maybe I'll just listen to the whole Wizard of Oz soundtrack. Maybe Louis singing "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" or Lena singing "Stormy Weather" or Groucho telling us about "Lydia the Tattoed Lady." Or maybe I'll imagine being at Birdland in the late Fifties and Abbey Lincoln is singing "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe" just for me. Yeah, I like that one. Even if it entails Max Roach trying to kill me.

I've never had copy protection issues using iTunes, on any disc. The only times I run into those errors are with WMP.

xpost from natter...

New Yorkers, I'm going to be on the radio tomorrow.

Sounds of Blue with Bob Putignano
Wednesday 9:00A to 1:00P on 89.1 WFDU-Fm

I think I'm going to be on between 11:30 and noon East Coast time.

Which reminds me -- the book (but not you, sadly) -- got mentioned in Washington City Paper last week. Copying it here instead of linking because their link structure is bizarre:

Cashews Get Their Due

By Pamela Murray Winters

George Pelecanos is somewhat taken aback when asked to talk about his contribution to Lost in the Grooves: Scram’s Capricious Guide to the Music You Missed. “I got an e-mail from my agent a couple years ago,” says the Silver Spring–based writer. Scram, a magazine “dedicated to rooting out the cashews in the bridge mix of unpopular culture,” wanted him to write a piece about underappreciated music. “I just sent it. I never talked to them or anything,” he says. “Then this book shows up.”

Lost in the Grooves compiles essays—sometimes of just a few lines—about perennial critics’ darlings (the Go-Betweens’ 16 Lovers Lane), odd faves of odd people (Vivian Stanshall’s Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead), albums you weren’t supposed to like (Alvin and the Chipmunks’ The Alvin Show), and whatever else its writers—including locals Ken Barnes (USA Today, ’70s zines Flash and Fusion), and Vern Stoltz (Cannot Be Obsolete) and Memphis, Tenn.–based Washington City Paper contributor Andrew Earles—favor.

Pelecanos wrote about Curtis Mayfield’s 1973 Curtom release Back to the World. “I just picked a record that I thought was really underappreciated in its category, especially coming after Superfly.”

The overlooked disc “was of a time when people were making records that were sort of thematic,” says Pelecanos, and it’s easy to see why the crime novelist and story editor of HBO’s The Wire would relate to lines like these: “In these city streets—everywhere/You got to be careful/Where you move your feet, and how you part your hair.”

Pelecanos’ review ends with a shot at the dean of rock critics: “Robert Christgau gave this a ‘C.’ Another reason, in my opinion, to check it out.” Pelecanos is quick to point out that he has nothing against Christgau, but, he says, “I object to that kind of criticism....A guy, or a woman, sits in a dark room for a year and writes a book, and then someone blows it off with a D-minus or whatever.”

Pelecanos’ appreciation for music is almost as well-known as his novels, which chronicle a Washington far from filibusters and presidential coronations. The “tour music” section of his Web site offers a playlist much like that in Lost in the Grooves: When he hits the road to promote his new book, Drama City, in March, his CD wallet will be stocked with Slobberbone, Lalo Schifrin, the Isley Brothers, Iron + Wine, War, and Graham Parker. And his previous novel, Hard Revolution, featured a “soundtrack” CD given away at readings.

Next for Pelecanos, besides the book tour, is news on whether The Wire will be picked up for a fourth season. The future of the drama may be grim, given HBO Chair Chris Albrecht’s quip that “I have received a telegram from every viewer of The Wire—all 250 of them.” Perhaps Scram should cover unpopular TV in its next book.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone! Baby Abraham is doing ok. His mom & dad are very tired, though. To force this post on-topic, his favorite albums are Sigur Ros - (), Lee Scratch Perry - Upsetter in Dub, T. Monk - Brilliant Corners (but of course), and the Beach Boys - Sunflower/Surf's Up. He also seems to enjoy his daddy 'crooning' frog-voiced versions of Ray Charles songs, especially "That Lucky Old Sun."

A baby with impeccable taste.

That's such great news, Hayden. Also, Mrs. Hayden? Hot.

Here's the free mashup CD we got when we went to Bootie:

Michael Goes To San Francisco - Franz Ferdinand Vs. Electric Six Vs. Scott McKenzie
Shorty Wanna Feelgood - G-Unit Vs. Motley Crüe
Take Your Mama Fighting - Scissor Sisters Vs. Nickelback Vs. Elton John
Don't Mess With Orgasmatron - Eurythmics Vs. Avenue D Vs. Mousse T. Vs. Anthony Rother
It Takes Two To Kiss - Prince Vs. Rob Base & More!
Drop It Like It's A Whole Lotta Love - Snoop Dogg Vs. Led Zeppelin
Bigmouth Strikes Again (Electro Remix) - The Smiths Vs. Fake ID
Banquet Soul - Bloc Party Vs. Soft Cell
Shakedown My Heart - Taylor Dayne Vs. Shakedown
Kylie's Photograph - Kylie Minogue Vs. Gary Numan

Kylie's Photograph - Kylie Minogue Vs. Gary Numan

Ooooooh! Any chance you could rip a copy and make it available? Pleeeeease.

T. Monk - Brilliant Corners (but of course)

His name is Sphere, of course he likes Monk! And when he gets older you can tell him you named him after "Highway 61 Revisited."

Here's the free mashup CD we got when we went to Bootie

Mark Vidler, a.k.a. Go Home Productions was there last fall. He was interviewed by Brian Lehrer recently. The GHP website has a bunch of free mp3s. I especially like "Making Plans For Vinyl (Tweet vs XTC)" and "Girl Wants (To Say Goodbye To) Rock And Roll" (Christina Aguilera / Velvet Underground / The Communards). (The altered Loaded cover suggests a rude joke, namely "What's that smell?" You'll have to look to see what's wafting up from the subway.) I suspect Hayden will be interested in the Beach Boys / Wings mashup "I Just Wasn't Made For The Backseat Of My Car". Fun stuff.