This Incredible Heat

THIS HEAT IS SO STRONG!  I have never seen stuff like this!  Help Us Lord!

The Greatness of Athens, GA

ATHENS, GA is so great!  Wonderful music town....WOW!  Aint that the truth....B52s, R.E.M.  and all kinds of other good groups.  I remember going with some friends many moons ago to a medium-sized venue out on the edge of Athens....Lord....They Had marvelous music....And when I was there it happened there was a big group of men and women from the North Georgia Mountains.  They put on a great buck dancing performance.  What a fabulous place, Athens, GA is! Georgia Theater and UGA and wonderful thinkers and artists...Athens is a fascinating place!

Jimmy Smith: His Jazz Is Remarkable

JIMMY SMITH made my afternoon happy.  I enjoyed so much diggin' Jimmy Smith and his jazz organ version of 'Mack The Knife.'  What a great jazz performance by this thoughtful, provocative musician. Hey!......Let's Blow Our Jazz Horns For The Great Man....The Incomparable Mr. Jimmy Smith.

The Ronettes....Magical People

THE RONETTES and their great song 'Be My Baby' made me feel so good today.  It is amazing because when you hear this magical music you really want to hurry up and dance.  This is a fine and delightfully feisty day.  Oh....YEAH!  Hey...C'mon...Let's Rock Out On All Our Fun Time Keyboards!

'Dancing' Number Hits The Spot

MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS music helped energize me today.  I listened again to the huge classic "Dancing In The Streets.'  This number brought back so many terrific memories.  Fun experiences.

Charlie Sheen's Got a Fine New Venue

CHARLIE SHEEN'S NEW SHOW really made me happy last night.  Watched the thing on the mighty FX Channel and it was a real delight.  The writing was so clever and feisty.  Also, the acting on the part of Charlie Sheen and his associates was so marvelous.  This kind of special comedy is a delightful television experience.  I am so happy for Charlie Sheen and friends.

Cool Music Is So Much Fun

COOLING OFF WITH WEST COAST JAZZ is loads of fun.  The temp is wildly hot now and so I listened to Art Pepper jazz, grand West Coast stuff.  It really helped me out.  Art Pepper has COOL SOUNDS.

Protect Us From Rough Weather...PLEASE!

WEATHER NEWS CULTURE can be daunting.  We are all shook about the storm going on in Florida and the southern portions of Georgia.  We are hoping and praying things calm and we get some peace going in our lives.  Help us, Lord!

More Ideas on Hank Mobley

EVEN THOUGH HANK MOBLEY had a whole lot of competition from men like John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, the guy Hank Mobley was still able to come across with a very distinctive tenor saxophone voice.  Starting in his late adolescent years, Mobley managed to build quite a following for himself.  His work on the articulate album 'Soul Station' still knocks me out.  His sound is very robust and passionate and that makes his brand of jazz interesting, indeed.

Weird Economy Culture Stuff Happening

WHAT IS HAPPENING with our very strange economy culture in this country right now? There is no clearly defined economic thrust going on.  There is a lack of coherent thinking.  Every time things get a wee bit better and the Dow manages to creep up then the very next day the bizarre Dow takes an horrendous nose dive again.  This kind of unusual frenzy in economic cultural tailspins is rather maddening kind of like listening to strange John Cage music or reading an Anthony Burgess literary work.

'Rock of Ages' Odd Film Story

THE NEW 'Rock of Ages'  film is rather odd.  I don't know why so many critics blasted this movie.  It is not super but the thing is really not bad for what it is....kind of a rollicking piece of entertainment filmdom. The fun performance of Julianne Hough is charming.  The feisty Alec Baldwin is so cool.  Also the wily Tom C. does a rather nice acting job.  Let's all give this film a chance. 

A Big Happy Father's Day!

 HAPPY FATHER"S DAY 2012!  It is Father's Day tomorrow and we all remember our Dads or  Daddies or Fathers, as some say.  Who are these human beings?  They are men with many layers of personalities.  I know my Daddy was a vigorous, hard-working man all his life having gone through the Depression and WWII.  Later when I got in the Air Force I remember the unusual look in his eyes when he learned I was going overseas.  It is complicated being a Daddy.  Do many of us recall the odd "hip" things we said to our Dads or do we like me recall the powerful and so emotional times with our Dads.  I remember sitting with my Dad in his Assisted Care Home and it was just after my Mother passed away.  I remember on that same strange night when I heard the sounds of him crying and trying to pray to his God who meant so much to him.  Many people do not realize how many dimensions there are in a man's personality....But one thing is for sure no matter what has happened or how unusual ....all these men are our Dads and as my Dad said one time about his Father (My Grandfather) "He was my Hero!"  God Bless All Our Fathers on this Beautiful and So Meaningful Time in our lives this thing we call FATHER'S DAY!

Culture of The Techs Is Articulate And Engaging

I DID WINDOW SHOPPING today in in one of my favorite malls.  I was again blown away by all the brand new tech gadgetry I encountered.  The American culture is becoming more and more crazily advanced with all this fresh technology revolution.  Fellows like Steve Jobs, Paul Allen and Mr Bill Gates have done so much to enrich and jazz up our lives.  It is invigorating this living in the joyous sphere of mod tech wunderkins and brilliant individualists.

Renoir Represents A Vibrant And Meaningful New Energy

Great art from Renoir has a tendency to heal all our worn-out souls.  We all need esthetic boosts to keep our strident adrenaline going well.  Feisty art is a fabulous nutrient for producing a more creative and happily terrific lifestyle.  In our Saturdays and Sundays we need grand art experiences to propel us past the modicum of ho-hum living.  It is good to be alive!

Sax with air of mystery

TENOR MAN who creates good mystery sounds. The guy I am referring to is the style tenor man named Hank Mobley.  I needed some strong and really vivid jazz today so I listened to Hank Mobley and groip working out on a tune called 'Hi Voltage.'  It was just perfect....Mr. Mobley was a fine big boss tenor stylist on this one and the clever trumpet work of Blue Mitchell packed plenty of power, also.

Andy Warhol Has Art That Swings Beautifully

ANDY WARHOL has a form of Pop Art that has so much good kick.  His soup cans and famous people and other unique bits of subject matter can slyly overwhelm us.  I believe Andy Warhol produces art forms that are so dynamic and infused with modernism that they are glorious.

Ben Stiller....A Super Talent

BEN STILLER had a good interview on Kelly Ripa's show this morning.  The comic wit of Ben Stiller and his wry and clever father Jerry Stiller is so engaging.  The comedic films of Ben Stiller have always been favorites of mine.  Today on K. Ripa's show Mr.Stiller showed once again his stylish and sophisticated brand of verbal repartee that is vigorously beguiling.

Hank Mobley...Brilliant Artistry Fellow

LIKE A. CALDER"S ART (SHOWN HERE)  Jazz horn men are wonderful...especially the sax guys!  This us quite true of the soulful tenor guys.


TENOR SAXOPHONE IS A MARVELOUS INSTRUMENT! And the big, lyrical horn of the incredible Hank Mobley is terrific.  This man who was born in Eastman, Ga. and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey did superior musical work.  I especially love his performances on the albums, 'Roll Call' and 'Soul Station.'  His super playing and his writing skill has now commanded a lot of tremendous respect. 

Healing Rains

THE HEALING RAINS today are so welcome by me.  Our culture needs refreshing...And the fervent naturalism of lovely rain reminds me of poignant John Coltrane solo work. Elusive weather modes prove quite fascinating.

Honoring Mr. Ron Taylor

TONIGHT WE HONOR A GREAT MAN!  This is an interesting day because this evening at Manuel's on the mighty North Avenue in Atlanta we all honor the great Atlanta journalist, Mr. Ron Taylor.  Last Thursday, Ron Taylor passed and all of us grieve.  We miss his incredible sense of style, his tremendous writing and editing.  The man was a wonderful  soul in the pantheon of Georgia journalism  He came out of the marvelous North Georgia town of Summerville and went to the University of Georgia.  He did awesome work there on The Red and Black, the college paper.  Later, he went on to Atlanta and became one of the top men of The Atlanta Journal.  This man, Mr. Ron Taylor, was my friend.  He was a great soul, a fellow with a great laugh, grand style and most importantly he had a terrific PASSION that he brought to all his endeavors.  He was a GREAT ONE!

Green Bean Casseroles Rock

VEGETABLES FIRE UP MY SOUL.  I had a lot of delicious vegetables yesterday.  The synapses of my brain felt so good. I thrilled with the feisty taste of a big green casserole.  Listened to Buddy Guy music, too. Lately, I  love vegetables more and more.

Ron Taylor, A Brilliant Journalist Has Passed

A GREAT JOURNALIST HAS PASSED.  This past week a fine man and also a true friend of mine left us. I am speaking of Ron Taylor, a remarkable journalist of The Atlanta Community and also a man with a great soul.  I first met Ron in Athens, Ga.  That day years ago was a turning point in my life.  Ron's smile and his engaging laughter were such fun to be around.  He had a vigorous, zest about his writing and indeed his words were brilliant. Tears are in my eyes about the passing of a tremendous human being, Mr. Ron Taylor.

The Grand Art of Vincent Van Gogh

IN THE PAST MINUTES I have been enjoying some grand art.  I have studied a wry and intense painting of Vincent Van Gogh called 'Sunflowers.'  Somehow Vincent Van Gogh speaks to me in a brilliant way.  In Van Gogh there burns a flame of erudite sensitive artistry that overwhelms all the people who take the time to really study this individual's work.  One time long ago a friend of mine looked at me askance for using the word individual but if truth be told the person did not realize that when I used the term individual it is a word that contains muli-layers of human emotion. To speak vividly, I must say that like some essayists like Bazin and others I enjoy the ardent emotionalism that a man like Vincent Van Gogh brings to his artistic vision. Many aesthetic values are espoused in so many concept areas like  the work of the sleek soul of photographer Henri-Cartier Bresson and there are other elegant souls in the creative arena also, witness the enchanting work of Federico Fellini with his strong film of genius 'La Dolce Vita.' But getting back to Van Gogh, the fellow captures the essence of a brand of art that is vigorous and intoxicating.  The man is not just a stylist he is a great soul.