The "Maharajah of the Keyboard"

Click here for the BBC article including Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, President Sarkozy of France; quotes from Basie and Ellington and also mentions that he was the first living Canadian to be pictured on a stamp.

Diana Krall said Oscar Peterson had been "the reason I became a jazz pianist".

"We all know he was the greatest living jazz pianist after Art Tatum," she said.

"That's my person I looked up to most in my whole life who also happened to be Canadian."

My vibes to Diana and everyone who loved Oscar Peterson. He seemed like a sweet guy offstage, judging from all the honors he received around the world.

Sir John Dankworth: "He was a wonderful player, prodigious technique, fantastic ideas and a very humble man."

CBC Photo Gallery

NHL Highlights with Bad Metal

This is a nice melding of sports, music and web-based video, so I felt it was worth including, from a technical point of view. Revolution Mother is kinda weak (even though I wouldn't say that to their faces!).

Turn off the sound and play it with a band you like. Looks like old highlights though, which makes it pretty irrelevant, news-wise. Maybe they should use newer highlights and better songs, but I'm sure someone thought of that already. They do a nice job with editing and the band and song get excellent exposure with this feature. It's also prominently on NHL.com.

Actually now that I see that they record for Cement Shoes Records, I am willing to give Revolution Mother more of a chance. Aren't you?

Farewell Paul Yeskel and Oscar Peterson

I was driving in upstate New York the other day and a number popped into my head. I couldn't remember who it belonged to. It was 679-9111. If you are reading this post about Paul Yeskel, you might recognize that number. I just realized it was his, with deja vu/weird memories induced by having just read that he died yesterday in his sleep at 56 from undetermined causes. I'm very sorry to hear this news and send my sympathy his brother Dave and the rest of the family. I worked (but mostly hung at events) with both of them over the years, most recently last year's Who concert at Madison Square Garden and the wonderful Island Records reunion Patrick Jordan and Julie Sherwood threw last March. He was a classic rock guy and that's about the best thing you can be.

The songs are played out because they are good and Paul Yeskel helped get a lot of good songs played. I wonder if anyone reading this can name a few he promoted with a story or two. Radio promotion is a dying art and Paul Yeskel was great at it. Good offspring with the Syndicate kids and the legendary Kim White especially. Respect and farewell to Paul Yeskel and Oscar Peterson, who obviously had something to do with music too.

I feel like when I saw Oscar Peterson he was smiling a lot. I saw him at Steppingstone Park in Great Neck and maybe on Blue Note's 50th at Carnegie Hall. He played so many shows, so many notes. Pretty mind boggling to think of all those people, the joy he brought. It had to have been mostly through live shows but Oscar Peterson must have had some big albums too. I'm glad I got to see him. He played very, very fast with a lot of melody and taste. And he had the classic name of Oscar.

Mitt Romney's a Nappy Headed* Ho

Hats off to the Concord Monitor for writing an incendiary, attention-grabbing editorial of non-endorsement about Mitt Romney.

"If you were building a Republican presidential candidate from a kit, imagine what pieces you might use: an athletic build, ramrod posture, Reaganesque hair, a charismatic speaking style and a crisp dark suit. You'd add a beautiful wife and family, a wildly successful business career and just enough executive government experience. You'd pour in some old GOP bromides - spending cuts and lower taxes - plus some new positions for 2008: anti-immigrant rhetoric and a focus on faith.

Add it all up and you get Mitt Romney, a disquieting figure who sure looks like the next president and most surely must be stopped." (Concord Monitor editorial, 12/23/07)

I think James Brown was right, hair and teeth are important for performers.

Who had better hair, Reagan or Romney? I'd say the Gipper, because at least it was a contemporary style for him. A lot of women say John Edwards has good hair, and hopefully he'll get a legitimate shot at the title. I agree with his "Two Americas" rap, but I consider myself a Hillary Clinton supporter. I have voted for her before and she's presently in the lead, so it's hard to get fully on the Edwards bandwagon with Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt when there isn't one (yet).

Do we know anyone who roots for Mitt Romney? The Red Sox made him their Governor, I know that much.

* - compared to "Dutch" Reagan that is.

Creole Mustard & JazzFest 2008

A little shot of this mustard on left got me thinking about the Crescent City and that isn't bad (except for the part starring "Katrina's Kolossal Klowns" W, Brownie, Chertoff, et al).

O the humanity indeed.

I haven't ventured that deeply into Zatarain's page but I'm sure it has some wonderful recipes. I have been fortunate to catch a couple of demonstrations in their booths at JazzFest, such as grilled oysters or crawfish. Here is the link to the Creole Mustard page. I don't think it's all-natural but it's good.

A few artists I've seen there before with excellent results have already been announced -- Frankie Beverly & Maze, Tim McGraw and The Neville Brothers.

This past spring, I was at the inaugural Coachella Stage Coach fest with the Sirius Outlaw Country crew, and it will definitely be another major event in its second year too. But JazzFest is one of a kind. I look forward to the announcement of the complete 2008 lineup, but in the meantime, check out some Zatarain's with me, and listen to the incredible WWOZ the Sound of New Orleans.