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(Johan Svendsen - Contemporary of Grieg, but less well known)

The music of Johan Svendsen has probably gotten more familiar to audiences now that it was say, 40 years ago. A contemporary of fellow Norwegian Edvard Grieg, he was most prominently known for his Romance for Violin and Orchestra and not a lot else.

After World War 2 the Society of Norwegian Composers sought to spread the word about Svendsen, and many other Norwegian composers for that matter. They issued a series of 78 discs through the Norwegian Office Of Cultural Relations, featuring a number of less familiar composers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, performed by some of the leading orchestras and performing bodies in Norway. The result was a fascinating set of discs which, sadly were not commercially available, even at the time of their release. They were destined for educational institutions and radio stations in an effort to promote culture and not garner sales.

One of those recordings was the 2nd Symphony of Johan Svendsen, with the Oslo Philharmonic conducted by their music director Odd Gruner-Hegge. Hegge had been music director of the orchestra in the late 1920's to early 1930s when he left and later resumed his association with the orchestra from 1945-1952. There is no actual date on the discs and no information regarding sessions. I am assuming it's 1946, but it could be as late as 1948. In any event, it's a rare fist recording of a seldom performed symphony played by an orchestra the composer was closely associated with.

Nice combination, if you ask me.

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(Stanley Turrentine - his classic collaboration with The Three Sounds in 1960)

One of my favorite albums, and certainly one of the greatest in the "late night" vein of Jazz is the classic collaboration between Stanley Turrentine and The Three Sounds. Blue Hour is the result of sessions recorded between July and December 1960. A seamless pairing between Gene Harris on Piano and Turrentine's tenor sax and backed by bassist Andrew Simpkins and Bill Dowdy on drums. Blue Hour has been reissued countless times and has recently come out in a special edition featuring the complete sessions, which is definitely worth checking out.

For now though, here is "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You".

Our Week of Mellow continues in fine form.

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(The Griller Quartet - together continuously from 1931-1963)

Another dive into the early Decca/London FFRR 78's tonight. This time from the legendary Griller String Quartet who had the distinction of being together without personnel changes or interruption from 1931-1963 - something of a record, and certainly a testimony to just how good this little band were.

In my earlier post a few weeks ago regarding the first sessions of this new recording technique, I mentioned it was primarily British orchestras or the occasional visiting European orchestra who were asked to participate in these sessions. It also extended to small performing groups, like the Grillers. And it was quickly realized the new technology was perfectly suited to the subtle nuances of a string quartet.

Unfortunately, most of these recordings never got reissued, even on lp. And it's only been in recent years that many of these performances have been issued on CD via companies like Dutton Laboratories. I think this performance has been reissued, but I'm going off my own 78's - so if there's a technical glitch, it's my fault and not theirs.

So this performance by the Grillers, recorded in 1947 features Mozart: String Quartet in G Major K. 387 (Spring).

I've been screaming here and on TV that it's up to the House to change the health-care bill as much as possible, even if it's happening in a conference-lite type setting. Rep. Raul Grijalva has been very vocal lately and now says the President needs to get involved.

"The president is having his listening sessions, right?" Grijalva asked rhetorically. "After all we've been through at some point the administration can not be neutral players in this process."

Noting that the President stands foursquare behind the Senate's proposal to tax so-called "Cadillac" insurance policies to raise money, Grijalva put it to him to weigh in on some of the House's priorities. "How do you weigh in on a national exchange? How do you weigh in on a public option? How do you weigh in on the anti-trust exemption?"

The public option is a non-starter at this point, and House leaders, progressives, and key chairmen are pushing the White House to support other priorities, including organizing insurance exchanges at a national level, moving the implementation date for major reforms forward by one year, and, at least, diminishing the impact of the Cadillac tax.

"Watching the fight is not enough," Grijalva said. "The pressure shifts to the White House now."

I received an email with a wrap up and pdf from Rep. Grijalva. Here's the entire document that the House has put together, called CPC Conference Comparison.

I continue to feel that the House language provides better solutions to a wide range of problems with our health care system, especially regarding the public option and the creation of a national insurance exchange. Those and many other unresolved issues, including affordability mechanisms and insurance company oversight, will be discussed thoroughly over the next few weeks. As those conversations take place, I look forward to promoting the same publicly supported, money-saving progressive agenda that I have championed since this process began.”

The attached list of policy priorities was recently sent to Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid and the White House.

I think the bill is not all that certain to pass at this point.

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Glenn Beck hosted one of his hourlong sessions before a studio audience talking about the role of heroes in American life. The consensus, both by Beck and his panelists, was that Americans no longer look up to their historic heroes the way they should. Instead, as Beck suggested, we have "Mao Tse Tung hanging in our White House."

Say again? Oh yeah -- the Obama administration is riddled with radical Marxist revolutionaries. Right. Tell that to progressives right now. Moron.

Anyway, Beck apparently draws the line when it comes to the possibility, heaven forfend, Obama might be regarded as a hero:

Beck: I'm a big visual guy. And if you look at the way Barack Obama was imaged -- he was, as a savior. He was, as a -- you look at it now, anybody notice -- you watch the newspaper, and you watch the photos of him coming out of the White House, almost always, they'll have a shot of him with the seal of the President -- you notice that? And it almost looks like a halo. They'll take a shot from the side, and he's standing there, and it looks like a Russian icon!

He's talking about the photos of the president that have been shot for some time now whenever there's a press appearance at the White House. And it didn't start with Obama:

Indeed, if we're suddenly all worried about presidents being made out to be heroes, you have to wonder where Beck was when W. strutted out to his "Mission Accomplished" photo-op:

Now that's what I call an action hero.

Fortunately, Obama has spared us any codpiece appearances.

There literally is no end to the extent by which Republican politicians will lie, distort, and manufacture statements in their efforts to disrupt, deny, and destroy the Obama administration's attempts to govern. At today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on 9/11 trial, the Fort Hood shooter, and terrorism, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) decided to flip-flop on the designation of the Gitmo detainees. Are they "unlawful enemy combatants" or are they "prisoners of war"?

SESSIONS: The enemy, who could of been obliterated on the battlefield on one day, but was captured instead does not then become a common American criminal. They are first a prisoner of war, once they're captured. The laws of war say, as did Lincoln and Grant, that the prisoners will not be released when the war - until the war ends. How absurb is it to say that we will release people who plan to attack us again?

Sessions seems to be saying that because these detainees were captured by the military, they have become prisoners of war and should not be released - even if found not guilty or after serving a prison term (assuming less than a life sentence) - until the "war on terror" is over (which, under a Republican point of view, will never be over). But on the other hand, SecDef Don Rumsfeld and the other fun-loving bunch of Bushites were very firm about NOT calling them "prisoners of war" because they were not supposed to get rights under the Geneva Convention (or any other form of legal writs - see waterboarding, justification of).

In fact, as one of the commenters at the TPM post notes, there was public law developed to explicitly designate any non-US citizen who was accused of supporting terrorism or acting against the United States as a terrorist as being eligible for military commissions.

I thought like you until I read this, from the Military Commissions Act: "‘(e) Geneva Conventions Not Establishing Private Right of Action- No alien unprivileged enemy belligerent subject to trial by military commission under this chapter may invoke the Geneva Conventions as a basis for a private right of action."
See: here.

This discussion becomes quickly complex with legal passages as a debate over whether the military tribunals should take KSM or if the federal court system has adequate jurisdiction. But it's just so interesting how Republican politicians adroitly jump back and forth as to the question of the detainees' status to how it best fits their argument of the day - are we talking about Geneva convention rights, or are we talking about the process of legal courts?

And because I want to give credit to the interesting comments over at TPM, I will close with the following observations by the commenters:

"I guess when the Right/GOP can say, print (Palin's myth filled book), promote anything without any accountability by the Beltway Press, the GOP has no need for intellectually honest consistency in their claims."

"When did Sessions stop playing the banjo?"

UPDATE: Clarified the guilt point.

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(James Brown - Fulfilling a fantasy)

Everyone knows the voice of James Brown; you can't forget it and you can't mistake it for anyone else - that's a given.

But James Brown the instrumentalist - that's another story. In 1964 he was finally able to fulfill a lifelong dream and was signed by Smash Records to do an instrumental album featuring Brown on keyboards, backed by some of the best Jazz/Blues musicians in the country. No vocals.

The results baffled the fans at first. The first track issued in 1965 from those sessions "Evil" didn't chart. But Smash persisted and this track, Try Me, an instrumental version of his hit on King Records some years earlier, was a follow up single and it was a pretty good sized hit.

Needless to say - it is another unforgettable side of James Brown.

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(Skip Bifferty - same old story. One album, bunch of singles - on to other things)

It's almost beyond funny how many bands there were who got together, did one album, a bunch of singles and called it a day, or went off to other things. Skip Bifferty were no different.

They did release one great album in 1968 which went completely unnoticed in the States (I can't figure out why other than it was on RCA, which speaks volumes). They did a number of sessions for the BBC and had a decent modicum of popularity. But the vagaries of pop music being timeless, they lasted less than two years before packing it in and going their separate ways.

But they did leave this nice single - Man In Black.

Always nice to leave a place better than when you found it, right?

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(The Robins - a nice change of pace for an insane world . . sort of)

Not one of their better known or better selling singles, it's still a great track by this pioneering group. The Robins are synonymous with early rock n' roll and one of the best vocal groups to come out of that era.

"Out Of The Picture" was from a series of sessions the group cut in Los Angeles between late 1956 and early 1957 and was issued on Gene Norman's subsidiary label Whippett.

The 1950's were full of interesting things - not just Sputnik.

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For Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, white men deserve preferential treatment. Given his stated sympathies for the KKK, this is hardly surpising. But it is worth noting. In his opening statement, Sessions said, Sessions said:

I will not vote for — no senator should vote for — an individual nominated by any President who believes it is acceptable for a judge to allow their own personal background, gender, prejudices, or sympathies to sway their decision in favor of, or against, parties before the court.

(Emphasis supplied.) Yet, Sessions voted for Samuel Alito, who testified in his confirmation hearings that he does take his own personal background and sympathies into account as a judge.

Sessions demands preferential treatment for white men. He clearly applies a stricter standard to persons who are not white men. Given his history, this is hardly surprising. But it is also the perfect embodiment of the Republican philosophy.

h/t to Media Matters.

David Neiwert documents the irony of Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III accusing anyone of bigotry given his own checkered history. The question today is will Sessions continue his self defeating assault on Judge Sotomayor today?

I'll be live blogging the proceedings, both here and at Talk Left. NOTE: When I live blog, I do not provide stenography but instead comment on notable events (at least those things I find notable.) The live blog will be below the fold.

The answer is yes - Sessions calls her a bigot. Thank you Beauregard.

Here's a recap in video of Judge Sonia Sotomayor Confirmation hearing from Monday just in case you missed it. Don't forget to check C&L's Video Cafe on a daily basis because the team is posting a ton of videos there that we don't front page.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor Introduces Her Family Members

Senator Hatch Opening Statements Judge Sonia Sotomayor Hearing

Senator Feinstein Interrupted By Protester Judge Sotomayor Confirmation Hearing

Senator Sessions Opening Statements Judge Sonia Sotomayor Hearing

Judge Sotomayor No Republican Would Have Picked You! Senator Lindsey Graham

Senator Russ Feingold Defines "Judicial Activist" Judge Sonia Sotomayor Hearing

Jeff Sessions oblivious to the irony of calling Sotomayor 'prejudiced'

Judge Sotomayor's Opening Statement

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(Sorry - no photo this time. Use your imagination)

L.A. was a hotbed of activity in the 1960's as far as recording studios went. One of the biggest was Gold Star Recording Studios on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood. It wasn't huge, like Columbia Records studios up the street on Sunset, or Capitol on Vine, but it hosted some of the most famous sessions from the early days of rock to its eventual demise in 1983.

So when a studio had a reputation as the place to be, everybody had to record there - as if cutting a session at the same place The Who laid basic tracks down assured you of stardom.

Some cases that was true and others go under the heading of might've been's.

One such group was Limey & The Yanks, a local L.A. band who, like a lot of bands, were a fixture on the L.A. club scene and whose brush with fame consisted of a handful of singles for the Loma label between 1966 and 1967. The group featured Steve Cook (aka Limey) Bob Gay, Wally Downing and Darrell Devlin. They're classified under that great sub-heading "garage band" - those bands who had maybe one or two hits, were very raw. Technical proficiency that ranged from excellent to nonexistant and usually a band that played a lot of covers of other more established bands. Many went on to illustrious careers while others gave it up and went home.

This track "When I Come Home" is from a four song session the band did in 1966 at Gold Star. It's not clear if they were signed to Loma at the time or not - there's no indication on the tape box. But if you're familiar with them this will probably come as a pleasant discovery because it's not likely these tracks were issued. Certainly not issued in stereo as they are here.

So here's a little rarity to start your weekend off with.

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(Paul Butterfield with John Mayall - a sort of summit conference you could groove to)

I haven't seen this reissued anywhere, although I am probably wrong. But at the time (1967), it was only available in the UK, since there was a contractual problem with Butterfield's label (Elektra) and Mayall's (Decca UK). A four-track ep featuring a collaboration between John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers from England (with disputed reports of who played what during the sessions) and Paul Butterfield from Chicago (the town, not the band) - a sort of East Meets West.

The results were met with mixed results, due probably to inflated expectations these two were the be-all/end-all of white blues musicians which no amount of hype could justify, and the fact that the disc wasn't for export to the states. Instead, it was a good solid session with two giants of 60's blues and no pretense. Simple.

This cut "Riding on The L&N" is the second track off side one. Sounding fresh as ever.

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(Reagan's "shoe-in" set off more red flags than a May Day parade.)

A look back at another nomination for Supreme Court Justice. Robert Bork was President Reagan's pick to replace Lewis Powell. From the get-go the nomination was questioned, and when time came for Senate Confirmation hearings, Reagan's perceived shoe-in was quickly derailing.

Here are a series of news reports about the confirmation hearings with highlights of some of the days sessions from September 15 - October 2, 1987. I hope to run some of the hearings shortly as well as run reports on the outcome.

But here's a teaser for now.