News today that Herb Jeffries, once the featured singer with Duke Ellington's orchestra, has departed this world. One headline said he was "known for his luscious baritone," and his baritone was luscious, indeed. His best-known song was "Flamingo," and if you hit YouTube you can see a performance of it by Jeffries with Duke, including solos by Lawrence Brown and Johnny Hodges.
The headline also described Jeffries as an "African-American cowboy." It's true that he made movies for what was known as the "sepia market," movies with such titles as "Bronze Buckaroo" and "Harlem Rides the Range." But Jeffries's birth name was Umberto Valentino, his lineage was Irish, Ethiopian and Sicilian, and he looked Sicilian enough to hang out with the Corleones.
Herb Jeffries was one hundred years old.
"Flamingo--flying over the sea..."
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Monday, May 26, 2014
Miles & Teresa
May 26 is the birthday of both Teresa Stratas (Toronto, 1936) and Miles Davis (Alton, Illinois, 1926).
Pity they never recorded together. He would have been great on her Kurt Weill album.
The Old DeeJay.
Pity they never recorded together. He would have been great on her Kurt Weill album.
The Old DeeJay.
Friday, May 23, 2014
News--if not breaking, at least seriously cracked
Disturbing news for football fans--no, not the possibility of a CFL-Players Association dispute that threatens the 2014 season--much more serious, especially for those who remember and revere Regina's Taylor Field. As a further step toward the gentrification of football, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are going along with a plan for construction of a $278 million Mosaic Stadium, which includes--get this--a roof, designed "to quell the winds." Come on, wind has always been part of football in Regina. Football is (or was) a game meant to be played outdoors, in wind, rain, snow, heat wave, typhoon.
And a final note: try sneaking into Mosaic Stadium over a fence.
The University of Bucharest has produced what it calls "A Manual for the Advanced Study of Finnegan's Wake." In--and get this--one hundred and one volumes. The 26,000-page magnum opus is published by Contemporary Literature Press. We know you're eager to add this to your home library, and you're wondering what it will cost you. Answer: nothing. The announcement says "You can find us and download our books for free, including the full text of Finnegan's Wake." Internet addresses: http://editura.mttlc.ro/index.html and http://sandulescu.perso.monaco.mc/.
Finally, in the continuing sad destruction of the language, fewer and fewer people, whether in print or on air, seem to know the correct usage of "lay" and "lie." Broadway producer George Abbott knew. Still playing golf in his nineties, Abbott was on a course with his wife when he tripped and fell, face down, in a sand trap. "George," his anguished missus cried, "don't just lay there!" Abbott raised his head slightly, and said, "Lie there."
And a final note: try sneaking into Mosaic Stadium over a fence.
The University of Bucharest has produced what it calls "A Manual for the Advanced Study of Finnegan's Wake." In--and get this--one hundred and one volumes. The 26,000-page magnum opus is published by Contemporary Literature Press. We know you're eager to add this to your home library, and you're wondering what it will cost you. Answer: nothing. The announcement says "You can find us and download our books for free, including the full text of Finnegan's Wake." Internet addresses: http://editura.mttlc.ro/index.html and http://sandulescu.perso.monaco.mc/.
Finally, in the continuing sad destruction of the language, fewer and fewer people, whether in print or on air, seem to know the correct usage of "lay" and "lie." Broadway producer George Abbott knew. Still playing golf in his nineties, Abbott was on a course with his wife when he tripped and fell, face down, in a sand trap. "George," his anguished missus cried, "don't just lay there!" Abbott raised his head slightly, and said, "Lie there."
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Rubik Still Wins
This week marks the fortieth anniversary of the creation of Rubik's Cube. Forty years of trying, and we still haven't gotten it.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Queen Victoria: Two or Three Things You Should Know
It is Victoria Day, and while there are few of us left who remember that glorious day in 1837 when the 18-year-old Princess took the throne (which she then held for sixty-three years and seven months) there are celebrations (and a day off) throughout Canada and what is left of the British Empire.
In response to many queries, we now provide a few answers:
Q: What was Queen Victoria's family name?
A: D'Este.
Q: Was Queen Victoria musical?
A: Both she and Prince Albert were pianists and singers, and spent many a happy hour with Felix Mendelssohn. In her daily journal, the morning after Albert proposed marriage, Victoria wrote, "He sang to me some of his own compositions, which are beautiful, and he has a very fine voice. I also sang for him."
Q: Were her journals preserved?
A: The edited edition fills 111 volumes--one-third of what she wrote.
Q: Was she also a graphic artist?
A: She made some charming pencil sketches and watercolors.
Q: How tall was Queen Victoria?
A: At the beginning of her reign, four feet and eleven inches; at the end, four feet and seven inches. But she had added some inches horizontally.
Q: When she said "We are not amused," whom was she talking to and why?
A: Alexander Grantham Yorke was the unfortunate jester. Two stories: (a) He had been heard telling a joke considered unsuitable for the ladies of the court; (b--and more likely) He had been caught engaging in some monarchical mimicry.
Enjoy the parades. Watch for a tiny rotund lady wearing a crown.
In response to many queries, we now provide a few answers:
Q: What was Queen Victoria's family name?
A: D'Este.
Q: Was Queen Victoria musical?
A: Both she and Prince Albert were pianists and singers, and spent many a happy hour with Felix Mendelssohn. In her daily journal, the morning after Albert proposed marriage, Victoria wrote, "He sang to me some of his own compositions, which are beautiful, and he has a very fine voice. I also sang for him."
Q: Were her journals preserved?
A: The edited edition fills 111 volumes--one-third of what she wrote.
Q: Was she also a graphic artist?
A: She made some charming pencil sketches and watercolors.
Q: How tall was Queen Victoria?
A: At the beginning of her reign, four feet and eleven inches; at the end, four feet and seven inches. But she had added some inches horizontally.
Q: When she said "We are not amused," whom was she talking to and why?
A: Alexander Grantham Yorke was the unfortunate jester. Two stories: (a) He had been heard telling a joke considered unsuitable for the ladies of the court; (b--and more likely) He had been caught engaging in some monarchical mimicry.
Enjoy the parades. Watch for a tiny rotund lady wearing a crown.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Critter Sitter
Having successfully fulfilled a week as a Professional Goldfish Sitter, I have been besieged by requests for my services as a critter sitter. So far, I have respectfully declined offers of employment as a companion for the following:
-- Boa constrictors
-- California condors
-- Vampire bats
-- Ant farms
-- Black widow spiders
-- Flea circuses
But I worry about what Galen and Zoe might bring back from the San Diego Zoo. A postcard says they have become very fond of a howler monkey.
Friday, May 16, 2014
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