Libertarian Leanings

Summer Child

Take some time and listen to this one by Fourplay, recorded live at Blue Note Tokyo in 1991.

Sweet!

Southington Brass

On April 21st of this year the Southington Brass took a shot at the Guinness Book of World Records.  The goal was to put together an ensemble of 1200 trumpeters for a performance at Southington High School in Southington, Connecticut.  It turned out there were fewer than the 1200 needed, so the new world record was not to be.  They did put on a hell of performance, though.  Here it is.

Calling All Trumpeters

Wanna get into the Guinness Book of World Records?  Here’s your chance.  All you have to do is play the trumpet.   

Erik Semmel of Southington, Connecticut is organizing the Southington Brass Blast.  It's an attempt to beat the Guinness World Record for the Largest Trumpet Ensemble.  The date is April 21, 2012 in Southington Connecticut at noon.  High noon.

The current world record involving 1166 Bolivians was set in 2006.  Although this will be a hard record to beat, we can do it.  A registration form can be found here.  A poster that you can print and display prominently in your office, church, store, school, telephone pole, or board fence can be found here.  Let's spread the word.

Funds raised will be donated to three great causes that benefit kids and music education.  They are the Connecticut Music Educators Association, the SHS Band Backers, and the Mill Foundation for Kids. 

More importantly, though, this is the chance for you, a loved one, or a friend to go down in history and be enshrined forever in the Guinness Book of World Records.  Well, maybe not forever.  But you can be enshrined for a while in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Update:  This post will stay here at the top of the page for the next few weeks.

Elvis

Elvis recorded "My Baby Left Me" at the RCA Studios in New York in 1956.  It was not one of his big hits, but it was always a favorites of mine.

Hey Girl

In 1963 "Hey Girl" by Freddie Scott made it to number 10 on the charts.  It's one of those songs that got so little play on the oldies stations that I'd forgotten it even existed until I heard it on a juke box some 25 years later. 

It was surprising then, how hearing it again brought me right back to the summer of '63 and tobacco picking in Windsor, Connecticut. 

Windsor shade grown tobacco provided wrapper leaf for high quality cigars.  In 1961 shade grown tobacco made the silver screen in Parrish, filmed in Windsor with Troy Donahue and Connie Stevens.  Tobacco was big in the 60s, but since then almost all of the farms have been sold off to real estate developers. 

Venus

In 1959 "Venus" by Frankie Avalon spent five week at number one on the charts.  I was 12 and baseball was my passion.  But when I heard "Venus" on the radio I went out and blew my allowance on it.  It was one of my first 45rpm records, and it was a promise that the world offered passions beyond baseball. 

Baseball is still a passion, though.  Just to brag a bit, I batted .600 in the New Hampshire Over 50 Baseball League this year, although I have to admit, slow fielders were key to the achievement.  In a younger league my double to right field would have been a pop up to the second baseman.  We are none of us the players we once were, but we sure have a great time trying to be.  I love 'em all.

My Old School

Very cool guitar on this.

Via Power Line.

Michael Jackson

The immensely talented Michael Jackson has passed away at the early age of 50.  It was Diana Ross who first introduced Michael Jackson to the world as lead singer for the Jackson 5, and it was Ms. Ross who reintroduced him when he began his career as a solo star.  As I watched him on TV at that time I thought, what a great shortstop he'd be if ever decided to play baseball.  He was so incredibly graceful.   As it turned out, he did OK careerwise without having to take up the game. In fact I'd be greatly surprised if it ever comes out that he did get some chances play ball.  His entire life was spent as a celebrity superstar, carefully shielded from public view except for those times when he performed.  It's difficult to imagine what kind of childhood he was able to have, if any at all. Because of it, I never believed the accusations against him. I will always imagine Michael trying to enjoy the innocence of a childhood he never had.

Spending cool points

The Eagles have just released their first new album in over a decade, "Long Road Out of Eden."  Through Wal-Mart.  Exclusively. 

The good news is it's already sold more than a million copies.  The bad news -- it's costing them "cool points."

This isn't going down well in certain elite precincts. Music blogs accused the group of selling out, while a review in Rolling Stone opined that there is an "inevitable contradiction in buying a record that attacks corporate greed . . . from a superchain with a bleak record on employee rights and health care." A piece in the Boston Herald noted that "The deal will make the Eagles richer. But it could cost them cool points (if the aging rockers have any left)."