Every grain

of sand

An exotic love ritual for orchestra

I meant to post this record before Christmas but never got time to write it up. PAGAN FESTIVAL fits the holidays, doesn’t it?

PAGAN FESTIVAL: AN EXOTIC LOVE RITUAL FOR ORCHESTRA was Columbia’s exotica cash-in. It’s a terrific record that sounds like a soundtrack for a jungle movie. Which makes sense, composer Dominic Frontiere was a legendary jazz accordionist hoping to get soundtrack work from the studios.

After this LP, he did soundtracks for The Outer Limits, The F.B.I. and The Rat Patrol. His greatest hit is probably the theme from “Hang ‘Em High” which was a hit for Booker T & The MGs. Frontiere later wrote & arranged songs for Chicago and The Tubes too.

“Temple Of Suicide” is the best song on PAGAN FESTIVAL, “Moon Goddess” is a close second. I like the background vocals.

I’m not sure where I got this record. I’ve had it for years. It's got a shiny silver cover but it's still ugly.

Roy Montgomery’s TEMPLE IV album usually comes out after after I play this one.

Doing it to death

R.I.P. Godfather.

James Brown is among the top 5 most important popular musicians of the last century. Except for Dylan or Neil Young, Brown's records are on my player more that anybody else's. I'll miss him.

While the shepherds

watched their flocks

Spoiling the surprise

A few weeks ago, a woman came into Sunburst Records looking for someone that could digitize some old 78s for her. She wanted to have a 4 disc set of Basil Rathbone narrating "Peter & The Wolf" put on CD so she could give them to her kids as Christmas presents. It's a family tradition for them to listen to it. One thing led to another and I ended up doing the job for her. If you live near Huntsville and any of this sounds like your family, sorry if I ruined the surprise. Tell your mom that I hope she has a Merry Christmas!

The island of misfit songs

These are songs that I've tried to use on Christmas tapes & CDs for years. For various reasons, they've never made it.

1. Great record but kept off by Kurt Wagner's fccin' language.
2. Not really Christmasy and it only works at the end of the disc.
3. Funny but kinda obscure and no fun explaining the joke to people that don't get it.
4. Only good once per year.

But all are worth hearing. Better than that Bing Crosby/David Bowie song anyway. I hate that song.

All four of these bands are from the South. I wonder if that means anything?

Signs of Christmas

Here's this year's holiday CD! Enjoy it! Play it at parties! Play it at work! There's something to annoy everybody!

Thank you

music lovers

It's about that time

Christmas music that doesn't stink! Much.

Here's a CD of holiday songs that I made in 2002. It's pretty good. Enjoy it! And check back in a few days for more.

A plan

revised

This is a mean old world

to live in all by yourself

I was born to love you

you were born to tear my heart apart

Bring the boys home

bring them back alive

R.I.P.

Ahmet Ertugen

R.I.P.

Peter Boyle

OK, you get ten percent off in the suit

As a comic today no one mentions,
Godfrey Cambridge, back then, broke conventions.
He would bravely address
Why our country's a mess.
And the source of his laughs? Racial tensions.
- Chris J. Strolin

Godfrey Cambridge grew up in Nova Scotia and was studying medicine at Hofstra University when he started appearing in student theatre productions. Soon Cambridge was appearing on Broadway. Spots on the Jack Paar show led to Cambridge becoming a successful nightclub comedian.

Cambridge went to Hollywood next and appeared in classics like THE PRESIDENT’S ANALYST, Melvin Van Peebles’ THE WATERMELON MAN and playing Gravedigger Jones in COTTON COMES TO HARLEM. He also appeared in one of the best Night Gallery episodes, playing Jackie Slater in the Make Me Laugh episode.

In 1977, Cambridge was cast to play Idi Amin in VICTORY AT ENTEBBE. As filming started, Godfrey Cambridge had a heart attack and died. He was 43.

This album was still sealed when I found it at the Rescue Mission. I’ve never understood how people can have a record and not open it. It might be good, you’ll never know if you don’t play the thing. This one is good. Godfrey Cambridge was a funny guy, more political than Bill Cosby was but not angry or shrill. This LP came out in 1968, right after Cambridge finished filming in THE PRESIDENT’S ANALYST.

Don't put off today for tomorrow

for tomorrow may never be

R.I.P.

Jay McShann

Consumer alert

The Ka-Nives have a new LP out on Lance Rock Records. Limited to 300 copies, get one before it's gone. It's good.

Happy birthday

Tom Waits!

Cool jazz From Holland

OK, I admit that I bought this one mostly because of the great cover cartoon of a jazz band playing in a wooden shoe. The music is good too. Two songs each by three bands that I’ve never heard of. It was worth fifty cents. The Stido Alstrom Trio has the best name of the three. Best songs too.

The 10” record came out in 1956 on Epic records. Was there a big jazz scene in Holland back then? Was Epic trying to cash in on by selling records to soldiers that missed Dutch jazz when they came home from Europe?

Happy birthday

Pete Buck!

Happy birthday

Little Richard!

R.I.P.

Mariska Veres

Here's more (If you speak Dutch)

I want to live

(so God can use me)