December 29, 2009

Cadenza - A passage usually towards end of a solo piece, where soloist plays alone in a skilled way (A chance to show off).
Here, the Cadenza is at the start.

A good history of West End Blues is on a tribute site.

December 28, 2009

In my music library is this four CD set of
early works by Armstrong.



Also, from the Ken Burns Jazz series. Both are
great to listen to after reading "Pops."



Manhattan - Why is life worth living ? Potato Head Blues is
one reason.

December 27, 2009

A Christmas gift of a 12 Pack of Heineken.
Not something I would buy, but it is not a bad beer.
Strong and good all the way, meaning the last dregs are still
pretty tasty.



David Elsewhere's Heineken commercial. Dude can move.



Liquid Dancing.

December 26, 2009

Not too many merchants on a rainy, day
after Christmas.



Never saw it so empty.



Only about fifteen stalls.



Tearing down the Holiday Village.



Barnes and Noble gift cards were put to use.
Every year I buy desk calendars at 50% off and give
them out at work. This year - seventeen - at about $90.

December 25, 2009

Started reading it, have to listen to some
of the songs mentioned.



My boys received books. I will, of course,
read them.



All about Lebron's High School team.



Received this as a gift DVD. Zombies are hot !



Looking forward to this one. I am a big fan of the
original Star Trek and missed seeing this one.



Had this one in the collection but this Special Edition
had a lot of interesting additional features..

December 20, 2009

Walk around after the storm.



Probably about 10 inches but over a foot
with wind and drifting.



Lots of scenic shots.



This tree had a lot of birds.



B-Ball court in the snow.

December 19, 2009

Not too crowded at 11:00 a.m.



The Holiday Market was much more crowded
last night.



Ventured out to the Queens Center Mall
during the blizzard. Surprisingly crowded.



Snow at night muffles the noise.
So quiet and beautiful.



Christmas shopping on Friday. First stop,
Grand Central. A quick visit to the Oyster Bar and then the
Holiday Market.



Lots of cute do-dads.



Then it's on to the Holiday Market at
Bryant Park.



They had an outdoor bar with a burning
wood heater.



Then it was to the Union Square Holiday Market,
Barnes and Noble, City Crab and a final stop at
Bed, Bath and Beyond in NOHO. Above is the Welcome
to NOHO sign.



It's a Kurosawa / Mifune festival. The storm outside
is blasting and I'm home-bound. I bought all
these films as gifts. I will watch them all before
Christmas. Is that wrong ? No one will ever know.



This one looks good.



Already seen this one. As good as it gets.



One without Mifune, but it looks real
interesting.



The only one not directed by Kurosawa.

December 13, 2009

Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) is on
TWC's free Movies on Demand. A classic. Henry Fonda as Frank
is worth watching. He is chilling.



Harmonica: And Frank?
Snaky: Frank sent us.
Harmonica: Did you bring a horse for me?
Snaky: Well... looks like we're...
[snickers]
Snaky: ...looks like we're shy one horse.
Harmonica: You brought two too many.

Snaky played by Jack Elam, Stony played by Woody Strode.
Woody was recently featured in a Sports Illustrated article
on breaking color barriers with Kenny Washington at UCLA and the NFL.

The third bandit, Knuckles, was Actor Al Mulock (also played a one-armed bandit in Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.) He committed suicide during shooting of the film by leaping from his hotel room in full costume.

The one-armed bandit talked too much.

December 12, 2009

Cold sunny day. Crowded at 11:00 a.m.



Pine smell everywhere.



The Beth's Farm ladies break out their
crazy hats.



Apples in the sun.



Holiday Market in full swing.



Purchased this for my brother. The NYT Review was mostly
positive. I will read it before Christmas - Is that cheating or re-gifting ?

Barnes and Noble knocked it down 30%, I am a member
and received 10% and I received an e-mail giving me
an additional 25%. $29.99 down to $13.49, not bad.



This is the time I start force-feeding myself Christmas
music to get in the mood. The Nutcracker is #1 on the list.




Starbucks Making Merry has a nice set of tracks:
1. Baby It's Cold Outside - Willie Nelson and Norah Jones
2. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town - Peggy Lee
3. Frosty the Snowman - Bing Crosby
4. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Barbra Streisand
5. Buon Natale (Merry Christmas to You) - Nat "King" Cole
6. White Christmas - Ella Fitzgerald
7. The Christmas Waltz - Frank Sinatra
8. My Favorite Things - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
9. Blue Christmas - Dean Martin
10. Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys
11. Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
12. Winter Wonderland - Doris Day
13. I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day - Harry Belafonte
14. I'd Like You for Christmas - Julie London
15. Silent Night - Richard Hawley



I really like the Willie Nelson / Norah Jones take
on Baby It's Cold Outside.

December 5, 2009

Cold rainy day. Picked up Blue Fish and Crab Cakes.



Lots of overpriced Christmas Trees and
wreaths. The Pine Smell throughout the Market
was wonderful.



The Holiday Market is open !



The Holiday Market was pretty crowded for a Rainy day.



Food abounds. One caveat, it is pricey. This guy sells
Burgers and meatballs. Elsewhere is Crepes, Bratwurst,
Soup , Cookies and Brownies.



A shrine to St. Elizabeth run by a nun.



New at Union Square: Tim Horton's. Nothing special as far
as I can tell. The brand is popular in Canada.






A guilty pleasure of mine is Survivor. I enjoy watching
the social interplay and the betrayals. This season is
one of the best ever and will be ending this month. I'm
rooting for the evil one, Russell Hantz. It is more likely he
will be eliminated before the final, but if he wins competitions
he will go all the way.