Herbie Hancock - Kitchen Listening

Today I played some Herbie Hancock albums  starting off from his jazz fusion days with the 1973 Headhunters album and then Man-Child from 1975. I followed that with his Maiden Voyage album from 1965 and then closed with a live album from 1977.

I enjoyed this set of music very much and I've always had a fondness for Herbie Hancock and all of his permeations throughout his career as a solo artist and sideman for various other jazz musicians.

This set:

• Headhunters, 1973
• Man-Child, 1975
• Maiden Voyage, 1965
• V.S.O.P., 1977

Dinner @ Coles... Oktoberfest and a Walk

We went down to Coles for dinner tonight and they had their special Oktoberfest Menu. It was a treat. I had their Pork Schnitzel which included spatzle egg noodles, the special mushroom gravy, braised red cabbage. It was delicious. I also had a couple of hefeweizen beers on tap.

We sat and enjoyed our dinner.

Becky had a chicken caesar salad wrap.

We got there about 5:15 and stayed for a little over an hour. The place was jumping but it was a Friday evening.

We left our house a little early because we wanted to go for a walk down in that neighborhood before dinner. We parked in our usual spot on Bird Ave and instead of walking over to Elmwood Ave we went the opposite way down Bidwell Parkway and crossed Elmwood near Potomac. We walked over to Claremont Ave and followed it all the way up to Forrest Ave. It was a beautiful walk. Then Forrest over to Elmwood and then on to Cole's. 

House of Sand and Fog - A Novel

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III, 1999. Picked this book off a shelf in the house and started reading. Took a couple of weeks and finished it today. I enjoyed it. An interesting story with some incredible characters. This was the second book I've read from this author.

There's a film of this novel and I should probably check it out but couldn't find it streaming anywhere for free at this time.

Tom's Night Chill

This is Tom's Night Chill mix. I've started off this mix with some women jazz singers following the lead song from Dido. These are remixes of classic numbers and Tom really liked these tunes when I played them for him. They were part of the Verve Remixed series of albums.

Then this mix follows my usual assortment of late night chill groove remixes that includes lots of familiar tunes but the remix versions.

This is a lot of stuff that he would not be allowed to play on his stereo at home but he loved. His wife complained that the jazz mix I made for his visitation wake did not have Ella Fitzgerald and other female jazz singers but I specifically put together an instrumental mix of background music to be played while people gathered around talking. I specifically did not put any vocal songs on that mix. I wonder what she would think of this mix. Probably hate it like most everything else Tom loved.

Tom's Night Chill

1. Dido - Here With Me (Chillin' With The Family Mix)
2. Ella Fitzgerald - Angel Eyes (Layo & Bushwacka Mix) 
3. Nina Simone - Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair (Jaffa Remix)
4. Billie Holiday - Don't Explain (Dzihan & Kamien Remix)
5. Sarah Vaughan - Summertime (UFO Remix)
6. Astrud Gilberto - Who Needs Forever? (Thievery Corporation Remix)
7. Royksoop - So Easy
8. Massive Attack - Teardrop
9. Groove Armada - Remember
10. Zero 7 - In The Waiting Line
11. Air - Kelly Watch The Stars
12. Alphawezen - Into The Stars
13. Easy Star All-Stars - The Great Gig In The Sky (Dubphonic Remix)
14. Bob Marley & The Wailers - No Woman No Cry (Ambient Dub Mix)
15. Carlos Santana & John McLaughan - A Love Supreme (Bill Laswell Remix)
16. Miles Davis - In A Silent Way (DJ Cam Remix)
17. Archie Shepp - Blues From Brother George Jackson (Mondo Grosso Next Wave Mix)
18. Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Mission Impossible (Charlus De La Salle Mix)
19. Curtis Mayfield - Freddie's Dead (Blaze Roots DJ Mix)
20. Laurie Anderson - O Superman (M.A.N.D.Y. Vs. Booka Shade Remix)
21. Anita O'Day - Sing, Sing, Sing (RSL Remix)
22. Carman McCrae - How Long Has This Been Going On (MJ Cole Remix)
23. Gotan Project - Last Tango In Paris
24. Meredith Monk - Dawn (DJ Spooky Remix)
25. Science Dept. and Erire - Breathe
26. Thievery Corporation - Lebanese Blonde
27. Feist - Mushaboom (Mocky Remix)
28. Terry Riley - In A Sea of C (DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid Remix)
29. Courtney Pine - Everyday Is Everyday (Malak-I Remix
30. Juan Carlos Formell - Agua Bendita (Thievery Corporation Remix)
31. Goldfrapp - Lovely Head
32. Tosca - Honey (Supatone 1 Dub)
33. Nina Simone - Feelin' Good (Joe Claussell Remix)
34. Billie Holiday - Billie's Blues (Daniel Y Remix)
35. Sarah Vaughan - Fever (Adam Freeland Remix)
36. Massive Attack - Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto Remix)
37. Britney Spears & Giorgio Moroder - Tom's Diner
38. Sia - Chandelier (Plastic Plates Remix)
39. Amiel - One Step Ahead
40. Easy Star All-Stars - Time (Groove Corporation Remix)
41. The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize? (Scott Hardkiss Floating In Space Remix)
42. Radiohead - Climbing Up The Walls (Zero 7 Remix)
43. Epic - Delorian
44. Boards of Canada - Roygbiv
45. Saint Etienne - Summerisle
46. Luna - Bonnie and Clyde (Clyde Barrow Version)
47. Susanne Sundfor - Fade Away (Maps Remix)
48. Kings of Convenience - The Weight Of My Words (Four Tet Remix)
49. Moby - God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters
50. Sigur Ros - Staralfur 

Hot Tuna - Kitchen Listening

Played some Hot Tuna today. Four of their early albums and the first two were live recordings. I didn't realize I had 15 of their albums in my collection. We both enjoyed having these albums playing on the stereo throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

Becky and I saw them perform at Asbury Hall about ten years ago. It was a wonderful concert. I also saw them in the early 1970's.

This set:

• Hot Tuna (Live), 1970
• First Pull Up, Then Pull Down (Live), 1971
• Burgers, 1972
• The Phosphorescent Rat, 1974

Chicken Soup

Earlier this week Becky made a dinner with chicken cutlets. Now the leftover cooked chicken is the basis for this wonderful chicken soup. A Fall special meal and a great way to use the leftovers. She made a great chicken stock too when she cooked the chicken earlier. She had this chicken soup in mind.

It was also great with that French peasant bread too.

Then we took a nice walk through the neighborhood.

Jupiter String Quartet

Last night was the first concert of the new Buffalo Chamber Music Society series. We enjoyed this concert very much. The Jupiter String Quartet performed tonight. We had seen them before in previous seasons. They started off with a Haydn piece that was spectacular and then an interesting early 20th century from Alan Berg which was very good. The final piece was from Schubert and a real crowd pleaser.

This string quartet is mostly a family affair. Two sisters, a husband and one other person.

After the concert there was a reception that included wine and very nice finger food catered by Olivers. We got home from the concert a lot later than we usually do throughout the season.

There were quite a few people we knew at the concert. We will miss the concert next month as we will be in Philly following Marisa's wedding. We're giving our tickets to Dave and Donna. 

Tom's Last Goodbye Mix

Tom's Last Goodbye Mix. This is another grieving mix I made that followed the previous Tom's Only Life mix I made last week based on an earlier mix I made following the death of my brother Tom in 2014. It is another four hours of song that make me think of my friend Tom and the many many hours we spent together listening to music.

Tom's Last Goodbye Mix

1. Last Goodbye - Jeff Buckley
2. Drowning In Your Tears - The Rembrandts
3. Sweet Surrender - Sarah McLachlan
4. Goodbye - Emmylou Harris
5. Speed of the Sound of Loneliness - Nanci Griffith
6. Volcano - Damien Rice
7. I Don't Know Why - Shawn Colvin
8. Into Temptation - Crowded House
9. Try - Blue Rodeo
10. Everytime You Go Away - Paul Young
11. Moments In Love - Art of Noise
12. The Hurting - Tears For Fears
13. Walking On A Wire - Richard & Linda Thompson
14. Levi Stubb's Tears - Billy Bragg
15. Quiet Heart - The Go-Betweens
16. Lorelei - The Pogues
17. Book of Days - Enya
18. Winter - Tori Amos
19. I'll Stand By You - Pretenders
20. Only A Broken Heart - Tom Petty
21. Ballad of Big Nothing - Elliot Smith
22. Here With Me - Dido
23. Lullaby - Shawn Mullins
24. Stars All Seem To Weep - Beth Orton
25. Tears Are In Your Eyes - Yo La Tengo
26. Blue - The Thorns
27. The Scientist - Coldplay
28. Bring It On - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
29. Days - David Bowie
30. I Want To Die - Rick Bain & The Genius Position
31. Something To Talk About - Badly Drawn Boy
32. Rapture (Sweet Rapture) - A. A. Bondy
33. Holocaust - Son Volt
34. Lived In Bars - Cat Power
35. If You Want Me - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
36. In Vain or True - Fistful of Mercy
37. Poison & Wine - The Civil Wars
38. In The Hearts of Men - First Aid Kit
39. All Night - Tyler Ramsey
40. Song For Zula - Phosphorescent
41. Myth - Beach House
42. Dear Friend - Jonathan Wilson
43. One Day - Sharon Van Etten
44. (I'm Gonna) Fly Away - The Acorn
45. Tomorrow - Espers
46. Wordless Chorus - My Morning Jacket
47. Venus - Air
48. Sweethearts on Parade - M. Ward
49. The Last High - The Dandy Warhols
50. Destiny - Zero 7
51. Everything In Its Right Place - Radiohead
52. Autumn Shade - The Vines
53. NYC - Interpol
54. Crazy - Afghan Whigs
55. Mellow Doubt - Teenage Fanclub
56. Is It Like Today? - World Party
57. If I Should Fall Behind - Bruce Sringsteen
58. Losing My Religion - R.E.M.

Squeaky Wheel 40th Anniversary Party

Tonight after our dinner at Kostas we went over to the Squeaky Wheel 40th Anniversary Party at the Tri-Main Center. There was a nice crowd although it was early in the evening. We saw a lot of old friends and colleagues from when I was on the board of directors of Squeaky Wheel in the 1990's. I was involved in getting them on the internet in the early days and conducted internet/website workshops for them at the time.

There was a lot going on at this anniversary party including a DJ and dance room, walls of posters, flyers and photos from over the years, a popcorn snack room, and lots of other activities. 

We hung around for about an hour and a half before heading home which of course was just a few minutes away.

Dinner @ Kostas

We had a nice dinner tonight at Kostas. This was the first time just the two of us we went there in many years. Lately we have gone with Katie and the kids when they come to town because they always want to go there for a meal. We had just been there in June for lunch with the kids.

This has always been one of our favorite places to eat and especially as a Greek restaurant. We loved taking our kids there when they were little. Long before we had kids we were also regulars at Kostas. It was located down the street on the same block of Hertel as Becky's family owned art store where we both worked in the 80's. We had lunch there often and also stopped in after work a lot for dinner. Katie and Todd spent a lot of time at Kostas during their teenage years in the area.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner tonight and I had one of my usual Kostas dinners that included chicken souvlaki salad. I probably would have had a side order of Greek potatoes too but Becky had ordered a BLT sandwich which included fries which we shared. Next time I'll get those Greek potatoes and some of their great rice pudding too. We didn't want to eat deserts too because we were heading over to the Squeaky Wheel anniversary party afterwards and their would be snacks there too.