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Have a happy and joyous Easter!
All posts by William Carbone
Earth Day – April 22, 2011
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From EarthDay.Org:
Earth Day 2011: A Billion Acts of Green®
“Earth Day is here! This year, Earth Day’s theme is themed after A Billion Acts of Green: our people-powered campaign to generate a billion acts of environmental service and advocacy before Rio +20. Check out the cool new Billion Acts of Green Facebook app on http://apps.facebook.com/billionactsofgreen” read more…
Don’t mean to toot my own horn, but in the 60s I worked in the scrap/recycling business. In the 70s my gallery sold all handcrafted metalwork, some pieces created from recycled scrap metal, old square nails etc. In the mid-80s The LasVegasBuffetclub’s fleet RV sported a 12″ x 12″ solar panel that powered a small TV at night. It was wired to a motorcycle battery. Las Vegas was the perfect place for solar – Mega Sunshine.
Full Moon – Sunday 17th April 2011 – 100% Full at 7:44 P.M. Las Vegas time
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From Western Washington University:
“American Indians gave names to each of the full moons to keep track of the passing year. The names are associated with the entire month until the next full moon occurs. Since a lunar month averages 29 days, the dates of the moons change from year to year. Here are titles most closely associated with calendar months.”
Click the link to see the full list of titles.
BACK EAST
From the Abenaki (Northeast, Maine) people, the name for April’s Moon is “sogalikas” or “sugar maker moon.”
OUT WEST
The Zuni (Southwest, New Mexico) word for April’s Moon is “li’dekwakkya lana” or “great sand storm (moon.)”
From The Old Farmer’s Almanac, “The • Full Pink Moon – April – This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.”
The Old Farmer’s Almanac Full Moon Facts
Great site for Full Moon information.
Visit the main pages of LasVegasBuffetClub.Com
I’m In Love With This SONG Video
by I’m in love with this video, and the song it’s wrapped around. The song is “I’VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN” by Cole Porter – Nelson Riddle’s arrangement and sung by, The Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra – the Patron Saint of Italianesque Americana.
It’s the first time I’ve expierienced this cut with a video. There’s a smoke’n horn section at the bridge? And a photo of a bridge at the bridge. Sinatra’s versions of this song are pure (black) magic. The contrast of volume levels help make this song one of the best ever recorded. The long, loud 3/4 of the way in crescendo / trombone solo is ridiculous.
from Richard Williams -The Guardian,
Wednesday 4 February 2004 02.57 GMT
“Nowadays the idea of a trombone solo igniting a great pop record might seem quaint. But there was nothing quaint about the solo halfway through Frank Sinatra’s classic version of I’ve Got You Under My Skin, with which Milt Bernhart, who [] died of heart failure aged 77, created something as electrifying in its time as anything devised by Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton in a later generation.
Recorded on January 12 1956, during one of five sessions that produced the album Songs For Swingin’ Lovers, I Got You Under My Skin is one of Sinatra’s finest performances. Nelson Riddle’s arrangement propels Cole Porter’s song at an easy, finger-snapping medium tempo, introduced by the unorthodox combination of a bass clarinet riff with celeste punctuation.”
“Sinatra, a month past his 40th birthday and at the height of his powers, delivers the first verse with a devil-may-care sexiness. For the instrumental interlude, Riddle creates a 12-bar ramp by juxtaposing syncopated trombone figures with sustained high notes in the violins, building a crescendo whose tension is thrillingly released by the sudden blaze of trumpets which launches Bernhart’s solo. In a mere eight bars, his rampaging brassiness lifts the song to a new level of intensity, providing a counterpoint of Dionysian ecstasy to the singer’s Apollonian self- control.”
The video, uploaded to YouTube by utubeLyrics102, is pretty much just a slideshow of romantic photographs of lovers, from very young to very old. Constant slow panning of the photographs creates a sense of drama and cinematic movement. 50s chicks in tight American jeans holding on to their men. Old folks watching boats (that are) in their slips. Black and White photographs of lovers in that first embrace. The exact moment that you fell in love. Is there anything better. And that iconic Kiss photo, snapped in Times Square just after WW ll ended. Pure, beautiful Americana! Lover’s embracing under bridges and on sidewalks. This is a well-crafted video that is completely respectful to Frank Sinatra’s vocal rendition of the song. I’ll do some research later on – about who put this video together. It’s a damn good job. He/she has been in love.
The music is empowered by Sinatra’s presence. It was recorded at a time when the US was as sweet as Apple Pie. Frank Sinatra was living beyond the American Dream, mega-large. All that excitement, success, high-life-living and magic is captured in the recordings.
Mandaly Bay Sleep & Eat Deal
by I received this in an email and thought I’d pass it on.
*All Day Buffet includes Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and must be used on the same day. Only valid for two (2) days of trip and not valid on arrival day. Maximum 2 All Day Buffets per stay.
Rates are subject to change and restricted dates apply. This offer is non-transferable, subject to availability, and may not be used in conjunction with any other MGM Resorts International property offers, including slot tournaments, giveaways, holidays, convention periods and special events. Rates are not intended for guests attending a convention at Mandalay Bay and will be modified to contracted group rate. All prices subject to tax and/or applicable handling fees. Room rates are based on single or double occupancy, additional guest charge of $30 per person, per night unless age 14 or under. Maximum of 4 guests per room. Our resort fee provides you access to select hotel amenities. A daily charge of $18 plus tax will be added to your room account. You must be 21 years of age or older. Mandalay Bay reserves the right to cancel or modify this promotion at its discretion and without prior notice. Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino promotes responsible gaming. If you or someone you know has a problem gaming responsibly, please contact the 24 hour Problem Gamblers HelpLine at 800.522.4700.Mandalay Bay reserves all rights.
© 2011 MGM Resorts International™. All rights reserved.
[WHOA, THOSE EXTRA CHARGES ADD UP DON’T THEY!]
Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson
by Originally posted March 20, 2011
When I was playing in the recording industry in LA in the 60s, Fender bass-man Ron Brown would speak animatedly about fellow bass player James Jamerson who was recording albums for “Little” Stevie Wonder, among others, at the time. Ron showed me a couple of licks and I was pretty much hooked.
Over the years I could almost always pick out Jamerson’s erratic, yet perfect bass lines. Soon he became the “star” regardless of who was up front on a record. More and more I realized how important this cat was to the music. All those Motown hits like: “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” by the Four Tops; “Dancing in the Street,” by Martha and the Vandellas; “I Was Made to Love Her,” by Stevie Wonder; and “You Can’t Hurry Love,” by the Supremes, and countless others were standout hits greatly due to the excellence of Jamerson’s bass lines, which were in the background – but were they? He played the bass like it was a lead instrument, and he had the stuff to do it. My contention is that Jamerson’s bass lines were the preconscious, so to speak, “hooks” that helped these records soar to great heights. In other words, while the listener was focused on a voice or lead instrument or whatever, these soul-nudging “background” notes were registering on a different level, nevertheless, they were registering. This is not to take anything at all away from the other artists’ abilities, bet they would agree with me.
I’ve often tried to describe his playing like this: He would go up when you expected a note to go down, and would do just the opposite of what a hundred other guys would do.
When you were sitting in a Deuce Coup at the drive-in or cruising down Colorado Boulevard and that song came on that switched on your night in that indescribable way, chances are very good that James Jamerson was driving the music that night in a way that only he could. Thanks Mr. J.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame says it best:
“One of the unsung heroes of the Motown sound, James Jamerson was described by Motown founder Berry Gordy as “a genius on the bass…and incredible improviser in the studio and somebody I always wanted on my sessions.” He was the anchor of the in-house group at Motown dubbed the Funk Brothers. Though few among the record-buying public ever never knew Jamerson by name, they were well-acquainted with his work, which included the bass lines on such Motown classics as “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” by the Four Tops; “Dancing in the Street,” by Martha and the Vandellas; “I Was Made …” read more from The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame…
“Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson” is the title of a book to which there is a link at the R&RHOF website.
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, 27 February 1932 – 23 March 2011
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Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE (27 February 1932 – 23 March 2011), also known as Liz Taylor, was an English-American actress. A former child star, she grew to be known for her acting talent and beauty, as well as her Hollywood lifestyle, including many marriages. Taylor was considered one of the great actresses of Hollywood’s golden age. The American Film Institute named Taylor seventh on its Female Legends list more from WIKI
BEEF AND GUINNESS PIE
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This recipe originates from County Tipperary, Ireland (according to SAVEUR’S, Food for the Holidays issue – Winter, 2004.) A hearty Snow/Rainy-day-comfort-food-treat, this savory beef-pie will beckon you back to the fridge at 1:00 AM, and again at breakfast time. Purchase, at least, two 6-packs of Guinness Stout for 6-8 guests.
Start early – allow 5-6 hours, from start to serving. Thaw pastry 1/2 hour before meat-mixture is done.
Serves 6-8 continue the recipe on the LasVegasBuffetClub’s Recipe page
Happy St. Pats day Patty…
Time Out: Joe Morello, July 17, 1928 – March 12, 2011
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Legendary drummer Joe Morello passed away March 12, 2011. Known best for his stop-n-go 5/4 time drumming for the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s mega-monster hit “TAKE FIVE,” (1959) “left the stage” at 82.
From the New York Time’s obituary:
“Joseph A. Morello was born in Springfield, Mass., on July 17, 1928. Sight-impaired from an early age, he took up the violin at 6 and performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor with the Boston Symphony Orchestra three years later. According to a biography on his Web site, Mr. Morello gave up the violin for drums at 15, after meeting his idol, the violinist Jascha Heifetz.”
Apparently Morello felt that he would never be able to achieve “that sound.” “Time Out” refers to the title of the 1959 record album containing arguably the tastiest instrumental jazz/pop tune of the century, “Take Five.” – LVBC
Listen to Joe Morello’s drumming on LasVegasBuffetClub’s YouTube page
Official Joe Morello Website
Visit the main pages of LasVegasBuffetClub.Com
Is Denver’s Kirk Montgomery headed for the Big Time
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This very affable entertainment news dude on Denver’s TV 9 evening News, in my opinion, will be the next entertainment “star” from Denver. He’s already touched the big-time with some TV & Movie stuff. I wanted to go on record saying that this cat is a sure bet. I’ve been meaning to write this for some time now…
I’ve never seen him act in a movie – so what? Just watching him on the tube unveils his extreme character. Don’t take this in the wrong way but this guy could be another Disney character unto himself. My opinion is that that is where he should be. Listening Disney? I know you are! He’s that good. He has the ability to change from a handsome Entertainment TV Guy into a character that is as cute as a bathtub, rubber-duck.