After getting my Grover Washington, Jr. albums out of the way, I spent today listening to Eric and Jeff’s works.  We’ll start with It’s Love, produced by Chuck Loeb.  Chuck was on all but one of the ten tracks, wrote one, and co-wrote two with Eric.  Jeff Lorber appeared on four and co-wrote one with Eric.  Russell Ferrante of Yellowjackets appeared on five and also co-wrote one with Eric.  Jimmy Haslip, formerly of Yellowjackets and currently of Jeff Lorber Fusion, played bass on four tracks.  Brian Culbertson co-wrote and appeared on the last track.  The tracks are as follows:
1. Get Here (Brenda Russell cover) (4:29)
2. In A Sentimental Mood (Duke Ellington cover) (5:20)
3. Can’t Buy Me Love (The Beatles cover) (5:49) – This is a radically different arrangement than the original.  I call it a Beatles bossa nova.
4. It’s Love (5:51)
5. Two In One (6:21) – This has what I consider the vintage Chuck Loeb sound, which makes sense since he wrote it.  I love the call and response in the latter part.  That will be a blast if it’s played live.
6. Costa Del Soul (5:20)
7. Babycakes (4:41)
8. Café Royale (6:00)
9. St. Moritz (5:25)
10. When I Found You (4:20)

And then there’s The Jeff Lorber Fusion’s Galaxy; not to be confused with Galaxian, the Fusion’s 1981 release.  In addition to new compositions, three original Fusion tunes and one Jeff solo tune are redone.  Eric Marienthal appears on nine tracks, Jimmy Haslip appears on seven.  The tracks:
1. Live Wire (7:03) – They start the album off with a bang here.
2. Big Brother (4:50)
3. Montserrat (4:58)
4. Singaraja (4:37) – Featuring Randy Brecker on trumpet
5. Galaxy (5:17)
6. City (4:29) – First heard on Wizard Island (1980).
7. Horace (5:34) – Dedicated to Horace Silver
8. The Samba (4:49) – First heard on Soft Space (1978).  The original led with Terry Layne on saxophone, but this time, sax is traded for Larry Koonse on guitar.  The percussion isn’t as wild as in ’78.
9. Rapids (4:26)
10. Wizard Island (4:50) – First heard on Wizard Island (1980).
11. The Underground (4:39) – First heard on Jeff’s long-awaited solo album (seven years after his last one), Worth Waiting For (1993).; featuring Randy Brecker on trumpet.  An album that started with a bang ended with one.

I love both albums.  They are superb from start to finish.  For approximately two listening hours, I was in heaven.  I wish more people from my generation appreciated this genre as much as I do.

I was first exposed to the late Grover Washington, Jr. in 1996, the year I began listening to what was then CD 101.9 (now FM News 101.9) here in New York.  “Mister Magic” was the first song I heard.  Then, there were “Take Five (Take Another Five)” and “Soulful Strut.”  In the early 200s, Before I wised up and bought physical CDs or digital MP3s (through iTunes or Amazon), I downloaded two of those songs through a free file-sharing program.

When my aunt moved to South Florida in 2003, she gave me a Grover compilation album.  I only listened to two songs on it: “Let It Flow (For Dr. J),” a tribute to Grover’s love of Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers, and “East River Drive,” a tribute to the Manhattan parkway otherwise known as the FDR Drive.

A few years ago, with the help of my friend Matt Marron’s TWC Classics site, a tribute to The Weather Channel, I learned of many more Grover songs that were used in the Local Forecasts in the 1980s.  They included “Winelight” and “Jet Stream.”

Finally, in December 2010, I took the big step and began my Grover Washington, Jr. collection of CDs.  I bought:

• Winelight (1980)
• Come Morning (1981)
• The Best Is Yet To Come (1982)
• Inside Moves (1984)
• Time Out Of Mind (1989)
• Next Exit (1992)
• Soulful Strut (1996)

That was it until a few nights ago after reading an online interview with Bob James (h/t Fourplay website cross-post).  Since I didn’t have Grover’s early albums in my collection yet, I didn’t think of this:

You were with CTI for a few years before your own project debuted. When did Creed Taylor interject and aid in the progression of things?

Well, I was working a lot with Creed at the time for CTI. But I was working primarily as an arranger and would play piano on other jazz artists’ records. After doing this for about two or three years, on a fairly stable basis, and being on the support staff for other artists like Grover Washington, finally Creed asked me if I wanted to do my own album. So of course I said yes. One ended up being my first [album] for CTI.

Bob appeared on Grover’s first five albums.  Saturday night, I bought the last two of those five and a few after that:

• Mister Magic (1974)
• Feels So Good (1975) (Amazon MP3s)
• A Secret Place (1976) (Amazon MP3s)
• Reed Seed (1978)
• Paradise (1979)
• Strawberry Moon (1987)

Some of the early stuff is a little too fusion-y for me, but still great.

Grover Washington, Jr. died in December 1999 at the age of 56.  His legacy lives on through his recordings, a generation of saxophonists inspired by him, and jazz fans like me.

The pre-rebrand press release has more:

…
On January 1, 2012, Long Island University—one of the largest and most comprehensive private universities in the nation—will rebrand itself as LIU. A bold and greatly simplified logo will be introduced. This effort represents a “double rebranding” for the University, because simultaneous with the launch, the names of LIU’s six campuses will receive shorter, more telegraphic designations, uniting them under the new LIU brand, making them more modern and memorable in a Facebook and Twitter world. For example: the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University will be referred to as LIU Post.
…

LIU Post is just another thing to get used to in 2012.  Before long, it will roll off the tongue and the old habit of referring to “C.W. Post” will be broken.

Ken Navarro rang in 2012 by releasing his new solo acoustic guitar album, “The Test of Time,” on his website.  The street date is March 20, but if you can’t wait, and I sure couldn’t, you can buy through his website.  Since it arrived in the mail two days ago, I’ve listened intently to the album’s twelve tracks, classic songs that truly stand “The Test of Time.”

The tracks (original artist in italics):
1. Imagine (John Lennon) (5:11)
2. Little Martha (The Allman Brothers Band) (3:56)
3. Just Like A Woman/Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands (Bob Dylan) (6:09)
4. Message In A Bottle (The Police) (4:37)
5. Eight Days A Week/Ticket to Ride/Day Tripper (The Beatles) (4:37) – As I listened to this, I found myself impersonating the Beatles on select lyrics, namely on “Day Tripper”
6. The Days of Wine and Roses (Henry Mancini) (5:03)
7. Wichita Lineman (Glen Campbell) (4:26)
8. Letter From Home (Pat Metheny Group) (2:41)
9. Caroline No (The Beach Boys) (2:42)
10. Europa (Santana) (6:57)

I got my first taste of “Letter From Home” and “Europa” at last year’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert in Milford, Connecticut.

Bonus Tracks:
11. Bach BWV 998 (J.S. Bach) (3:28)
12. When You Wish Upon A Star (Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket) (3:15) – This was originally heard in the Disney classic Pinocchio, but since 1987 (following Super Bowl XXI), it’s used in the post-Super Bowl (and other major sports championships) ad for Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts.  You’ve just finished listening to “The Test of Time.”  What are you going to do next?  I’m going to Disney World!

The description on the album’s webpage is apt: it’s a “Ken Navarro masterpiece” from start to finish.

2/1 UPDATE: “Message In A Bottle” music video:

This explains why Long Island Bus was using buses from the New York City Bus fleet in its last weeks.  The new buses–those added in the last few years where the seats in the back are elevated–were being redone.

Your Bus Service is Becoming NICE

Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) is the new name of the bus system in Nassau County. The system will no longer be called LI Bus. The new name commemorates the transition from the bus service being part of the regional MTA to being managed by Nassau County and its operating partner Veolia Transportation. Nassau County and Veolia Transportation are committed to providing a well-managed, high-quality bus service available to citizens.

Use Your MetroCard on NICE Bus!

We are delighted to announce that starting January 1st, 2012 and going foward, NICE Bus will continue to accept MetroCard ®. It will function in the same way it always has.

NICE buses accept coins and all types of MetroCard ®, the fare card issued by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

You can learn more about the MetroCard ® at the MTA website, http://www.mta.info/metrocard/, including the Reduced-Fare program for qualified riders, fare discounts available and where to buy MetroCard ®.

For information and fares about the Long Island Rail Road, visit http://www.mta.info/lirr/about/TicketInfo/. …

The routes and schedules haven’t changed much, if at all.  So, have a NICE day and many more days to come.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 8,300 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report (link removed).

Why did I remove the link?  It drastically slowed down my browser (Firefox) and repeatedly crashed it.  I’m finishing this post in Internet Explorer.  Here’s the text I copied and pasted, saving in multiple drafts between crashes:

Crunchy numbers

More from Newsday (subscription needed):

… [T]he MTA ironed out details of a “memorandum of understanding” with Nassau that will allow the bus system to continue using the MetroCard fare payment system.  Under the agreement, the MTA will receive 1.75 cents per MetroCard swipe.  The agreement also will allow for free transfers between NICE bus and MTA subways or buses.  [Incoming NICE chief executive Michael Setzer] called the agreement “a big win for both MTA and NICE riders.”

Also, according to the NICE website, the routes and schedules will remain the same.

I’m ready to make NICE, starting next Sunday, New Year’s Day 2012.

I am pleased to announce that next year’s Smooth Jazz For Scholars show featuring Paul Taylor, Nick Colionne, Chieli Minucci, Nelson Rangell and Shilts will be held May 5, 2012 at the Parsons Complex [auditorium] located at 70 West River Street Milford, CT. 06460.  Tickets are now on sale for $40 each and the first 200 tickets sold will be reserved seating.  Tickets can be purchased by sending a check or money order payable to Smooth Jazz For Scholars Inc. to P.O. Box 3723 Milford, CT. 06460.

This will be my sixth year in attendance.

Here is how the 2011 show went.