Never can seem to get enough of Portmeirion

As demonstrated by my lovely assistant(aka wife Sharon) all of our work on the pineapples (see June post) has paid off!

This is one terrific CD . It was originally recorded in March of 1961 and released on CD sometime in the late 80’s .A combination of Lenord Bernsteins orginal music , Jhonny Richards jazz adaptation and Kenton’s Mellophonium period orchestra make this music brilliant! The liner notes say that of all the success Kenton’s West Side Story obtained, one event tops everything. During the mixing of the album the producers of the almost complete Film West Side Story paid a visit to see what was going on. They were astonished with this material saying “if we had only known “ As well as having a 28 week run on the Billboard charts in November of 1961 , this album won a Grammy award for Best Big Band Jazz recording of the year! IT has to be one of Kenton’s greatest recordings!

Meet Harlech (A castle in Wales) Positive proof that each of our 4 cats is slightly spoiled!

This is one of my very favorite Pubs in London. At the end of a quiet cobbled mews off Belgrave Square, the Star stands proud, head and shoulders above its neighbours. It was built in the early 19th century to cater for the domestic staff of the many great houses of Belgravia. The mews cottages were used for stabling horses and to accommodate the grooms and coachmen. Today they are more likely to house a millionaire than a servant. From the outside the Star probably hasn't changed that much, but inside the new social order has left its mark. The open bar would have been divided into many rooms, each one used according to ones status 'below stairs'. Now it is open and bright. There are two fireplaces in the largest room, with comfortable benches and scrubbed pine tables. The Star is a very popular pub, particularly at lunchtimes. There's a pleasant room upstairs which acts as an overflow dining room. Incidentally it's thought this room is where the Great Train Robbery was planned here. The food is simple but good quality, a typical menu includes sausages and mash, steaks, salads and freshly cut sandwiches. The Fuller's beers are very well kept, proven by its inclusion in the CamRA Good Beer Guide for the last 30 years. Some material taken from From Pubs.com

It has been almost a year. My not so new eating habits have been more than a diet for quite a while now. During this time I have lost over 45 pounds. The plan has a few components . First thing in the morning I weigh in. This simple act has kept focus on the goal. Another area is what I was eating. Label reading,reducing fat, less bread and processed food, switching to 1%milk etc etc. Then how much, just slow down and don’t keep stuffing your face. ButI haven’t been strict to the point of restricting eating out. I zig and zag . Go off as long as you return the next morning. An on the weekend anything goes. But on Monday, back to the watch! It has worked ,almost too well, as some are starting to ask if I have been sick. I am not sick I'm just Notso fat anymore!

In May of 1913 The premier of the Ballet The Rite Of Spring caused a riot in a theater in Paris. Igor Stravinsky had created the music to do precisely that. It set aside the notion that an ordinary interrelationship between melody,harmony and form was mandatory. Instead, texture, dynamics and rhythm were a focus. This,in part makes it extremely elemental and primitive. In addition, a great deal of its melodic material is based on folk songs .Folklore was a phenomenon during that time period and Stravinsky used the material to create the essence of primitive energy. Also its metric complexity ,changes, syncopation ,and odd phrase groupings create a mood of mystery. The total effect is most successful at shocking the listener even today almost 100 years later. It is quite a work!

I Visited my friend David Watson last Tuesday. If you remember he is an excellent Jazz musician. While there he played me some initial recordings from his Yet to be released Cd. It was recorded at the System Two Studios in New York. This promises to be something! check out the guys on the cd * David Watson Vocals* Mike LeDonne piano * Bob Cranshaw Bass He has played with Sonny Rollins Lee Morgan, Wes Montgomery, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Thelonious Monk, Jimmy Heath, James Moody, and Buddy Rich, as well as toured with George Shearing, Joe Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, and Oscar Peterson. Say no more! * Mickey Rocker Drums he has played with
Dizzy Gillespie ,Eddie Gomez ,Tommy Flanagan ,Jimmy Heath, Jerry Dodgion,Sonny Rollins , Alfred Lion , Milt Jackson, Randy Johnston, Duso Goykovich, Bobby Jones ,Horace Silver, Ray Brown , Joe Pass , Stanley Turrentine,McCoy Tyner ,Sarah Vaughan ,Harold Vick, Phil Woods ,Joe Williams,Cedar Walton, Zoot Sims, Donald Byrd , Randy Brecker,Ray Bryant, Benny Carter, Chick Corea ,Duke Pearson,Robert Schimmel, Shirley Scott, Junior Mance ,Blue Mitchell,Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald ,Frank Foster ,Thad Jones ,Pepper Adams ,Garnett Brown , George Gershwin, Gene Harris,Herbie Hancock,The Modern Jazz Quartet, The N.Y. Hardbop Quintet ,Joe Henderson,Bobby Hutcherson ,Nat Adderley, Gene Ammons Count Basie, Hank Jones , and more!

This is gonna be great! I will keep you posted for a release date

O'Donoghue's

This Pub is in Dublin Ireland and dates back to 1789. In 1934 it was acquired by The O'Donoghue family who were responsible for turning it into the world famous Institution that it is today.
Of course the most important bit is that you can have a pint of real Guinness here. Not what passes for Guinness in the U.S.but the real stuff! Indescribably delicious!

Special Stuff! This photograph was taken In Rome at sunset. Over the dome of St. Peters, there are three groups of swallows .At the time they were swirling and soaring. Acting as if they were controlled by some unseen power source. They carried on like that for almost an hour. Rome, St. Peters ,the sunset’s colors and these birds; Combined, truly special stuff!

The way it feels sometimes

I love British Pubs! Pub is a shortened term for public house. Some of them have existed for hundreds of years. I have visited one in Nottingham that is 1,000 years old! They have an endless array of interesting names ,building characteristics, delicious food and of course Beer! The Old Crown Inn is located in the small town of Hesket Newmarket. It is in Cumbria, which is in the lake district in Northern England. The Camra Good Beer guide contains reviews of 4,500 of the best pubs in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland , Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. So many, so little time ! Got to get Back there!

I was working on my CD’S the other day. You know,organizing cleaning etc etc. When I do this I put on my earphones and listen ,skipping around to a little bit of everything. As I was filing I noticed the Beatles white Album and loaded it . Listening, I could not get over how contemporary and fresh it sounded. After all it has been almost 40 years! . Maybe it was the earphones, but I was noticing all these little things that make this music remain vibrant after all these years. It is so well thought out and presented . It amazes me more and more how they did it! I guess this is another quality issue! This music has such honest emotional content. Maybe that is the key to its longevity. It will probably still be around long after lesser groups are on the scrap heap!