Wagner: "Tannhäuser" Overture / Nelsons · Berliner Philharmoniker

Mr. Tristano: 'Man of Mystery'

CLEVER, SEARCHING jazz remains difficult to grasp at times. However, if one opens up the mind then a person can achieve terrific enjoyment. The elegant blind jazz pianist, Lennie Tristano, is a super musicality human. His brash jazz of the late 40s and early 50s slashes toward us and we are mesmerized by the cascading, sly harmonic joys of the sounds. Mr. Tristano...a little later on....helped give energy to the "free jazz" movement. It is fun to comprehend the aggressive modernism of Mr. Lennie Tristano.

Peter O'Toole, A Great One Has Gone

SURPRISE SITUATION...It is a melancholy day. One of my favorite film actors, the legendary one, Peter O'Toole has passed. Of course so many remember his superb work in 'Lawrence of Arabia' but my favorite was the unusual work called 'My Favorite Year,' the movie that came out in the early 80s. The screen lit up tremendously when O'Toole came on to enter intensely into the story. We will all miss this creative, imaginative genius of a man.

Luther Allison, Powerhouse Music Man

BLUES GUYS are very unique. One fine Blues artist is the quite feisty one...Luther Allison. This man (born in Arkansas) made a super name for himelf on the Chicago scene. He did well with Motown, also.  I think one of his best numbers is the thoughtful song called, 'It Hurts Me Too.'

Joys of the Abstract Art Sphere

I LOVE ABSTRACT OR SO-CALLED MODERN ART. I have incredibly intensified my joy over the wildness of absract and surrealistic art.  In many ways I have gotten where I enjoy more and more the brash, bright colors of the mighty Wassily Kandinsky, Adolph Gottlieb and Salvador Dali. These men are fabulous in their perceptive artistic vision. The Kandinsky piece entitled, 'Yellow, Red and Blue, C. 1925' is a particular favorite of mine.

American H.

Looks like the new David O. Russell film, 'American Hustle' is going to be a great one. People in it like Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence really bolster the story. Hope it goes great guns.

Guitar 'Wildisms'

ANOTHER THING about Mr. Freddie King...I recall he got in many competing music battles with other famed Chicago guitar guys. Some thoughtful writers tagged this mode of wild music stuff, "gunslinging" and this tough-guy activity was exciting. F.K. was a strong and very emotional player. As the kids of now might say....the guy was "hot." Like the sinewy musicality of Otis Rush and Buddy Guy, the fellow by the name of Freddie King was a superman of a mod performer.