JAZZ CD PICK OF THE WEEK - HORACE SILVER

This weeks Jazz CD Pick of the Week is one of the lesser known titles by jazz pianist Horace Silver. This gem is from 1972 and is titled In Pursuit of the 27th Man. Featuring Michael and Randy Brecker on horns this is one swingin' cd. Now I must admit that I am a big fan of Horace Silver and have never gone wrong with any of his cd's that I have picked up (currently 12 cd's and counting). Anyway, check this one out and I'm sure you will agree with my pick of the week.

THE HAT - A PASTRAMI AND CHILI CHEESE FRIES PLEASE

Yesterday I was in the mood for a pastrami sandwich. It had been quite a while since the wife and I had visited The Hat so off we went. Now I always order the pastrami sandwich except without mustard. What? Then I get the packets of the spicy mustard they keep on the counter and it is pure heaven. The wife craves the chili cheese fries and I usually help her to eat this mountain of food and it is a mountain of food (see photo). Anyway, if you haven't experienced The Hat, go check it out!

PLANET OF THE APES - THE BOX SET? Hmmm....

I like to browse the dvd section at Best Buy. As a matter of fact I was there yesterday after Amoeba. As I scanned the aisles to see what 's new I saw John Woo's Red Cliff (a great film) but only the single disc (U.S. version) and not the preferred 2 disc (International cut). Anyway, one item that has caught my eye the last several visits is Planet of the Apes - The Complete dvd Box Set. I think what also caught my eye was the price, only $38. Now I think I have seen all of these movies and this even includes the later ones where the apes are in suits and riding in limos HAHA! Anyway, this box set includes the following: Planet of the Apes (a true classic), Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest for the Planet of the Apes, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, Beneath the Planet of the Apes and a Bonus Disc with several misc. items. One day I just may pull the trigger and buy this and then subject the whole household to a marathon session of all of these ape movies. HAHA!

TIME FOR ANOTHER TRIP TO AMOEBA - WHAT? AGAIN?

Yes, you heard right! Time for another trip to my favorite music store, Amoeba Music in Hollywood. I mean really, can I guy ever have enough music? I think not! Anyway, I deployed the same strategy as my last visit. I showed up at my job in the morning, did a little work but more importantly I made sure that I was seen by all the bosses. "Hmmm... SAXOMAN is really dedicated to his job to be here on a Saturday", they must have thought. HAHA! Anyway, then it was off to Amoeba again. Once inside Amoeba it was like heaven with music everywhere. I even went upstairs to check out the dvd section. Very dangerous indeed! So I must say that I showed a little bit of restraint this time and "only" bought seven cd's. I picked up some Soul (Sly and The Family Stone, Stevie Wonder and Blue Magic), some Jazz (Horace Silver, Lee Morgan and Kenny Dorham) and some Afro-Beat (Fela Kuti). Anyway, another good trip to Amoeba! If you haven't been there check it out and get hip!

I'D RATHER BE AT A NEIL DIAMOND CONCERT - HUH?

HAHA! No, no.....don't you worry my many readers. SAXOMAN has not gone square on you. Here's the deal: I was sitting in traffic on my way home today and the car in front of my had "I'd Rather Be at a Neil Diamond Concert" on his license plate frame. So as I passed this car the sounds of Neil's "Sweet Caroline" echoed in my head all the way home. Nooooooo.....I think I'm gonna be sick. HAHA!

KLEENEX AND BOBBLEHEADS - HUH?

So what's the deal with Kleenex and bobbleheads you ask? I remember when I was in High School and my friend used to borrow his Mom's Buick on Friday and Saturday night. Now as we drove around the corner I told him to pull over. He looked at me with a what the hell look on his face. I then proceeded to grab his Mom's Kleenex box and Bobblehead German Shepherd that she proudly displayed in the back window of her car. My friend looked at me still with the what the hell look on his face. I then proceeded to explain to him that we can't be cruisin around to parties trying to look cool with that stuff in the back window. Jeez! What's the matter with him? Well as you can see, SAXOMAN had the presence to maintain his hipness even at an early age, unlike others. HAHA!

WHY DID YOU LOCK THE CAR?

Why did you lock the car? That's the question the wife asked me the other day as we got out of the car. Now it's not like we were in a bad area or that we were going to leave the car unattended. We were outside and we were going to be relatively close to the car at all times. So why did I lock the car? Well I had a half a burrito in the car that I had left over from an hour earlier and I'm sorry but I wasn't about to let anyone steal my burrito. I mean this just wasn't any burrito, this was a Combination Burrito (Enchilada Style) stuffed with carnitas and topped with a spicy green sauce and cheese. Sorry, but no way I'm letting someone steal my burrito! HAHA! Anyway, after I explained this the wife understood completely. At least I think she did.

CASH FOR CLUNKERS

Now I don't know about the rest of you but I thought the Cash for Clunkers program was a pretty good idea. I mean you could get rid of an old gas guzzler and get $4,500 to boot! This was probably much more than you could sell the clunker for and was also a way to get some of these older cars off the road while stimulating new car sales. Now I actually looked into this program because my car is getting older by the day and is also resembling a clunker more and more. Now I didn't have the income to buy a new car due to my extended vacation (unemployment) but I still thought this program was worth a look. So what do I find out? Well it appears my old clunker gets better gas mileage than specified by this program. Oh well, I guess my clunker will continue to live on, and on, and on.....

REST IN PEACE - WILLIE DAVIS (L.A. DODGERS)

Former L.A. Dodger great, Willie Davis has just passed away at the age of 69. Now let me tell you that Willie Davis played a major part in the success of the Dodgers in the 60's and their winning of the World Series titles in 1963 and '65 as well as the National League pennant in '66. Now believe it or not I was lucky enough to see Willie play in person several times and even had his photo (along with many other Dodger greats) on my bedroom wall, all courtesy of the local 76 gas station. Willie Davis won three Gold Gloves and also set a team record with a 31-game hitting streak. Davis was also known as "3-Dog" for his uniform number and his blistering speed on the bases. Here's a photo of Willie leaping high over the fence in the 1966 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles to rob Boog Powell of a home run. Rest in peace Willie. You will be missed.

GETTING MY EAR PIERCED

About 15 years ago I decided to get my ear pierced. What? Yep, I don't know what got into me or if it was just a fad or a sign of the times. Anyway, as the wife and I were at Venice Beach one afternoon I said "I'm getting my ear pierced". My wife said "What the hell?" So I find a little place that has one of those piercing guns and BAM it was done. My little ear was now pierced. I now officially had a trainer stud installed in my earlobe. I can tell you that my ear was red for the rest of the afternoon as we walked the Venice boardwalk. HAHA!
So after the one month of the training stud I finally graduated to a gold hoop. Now I can tell you that installing this hoop was a royal pain for me and I don't think I wore it very often at all. Anyway, I quickly got bored with this silly fad and would never consider wearing an earring ever again. Anyway, that's the short lived story of my pierced ear.

REST IN PEACE - RON BANKS OF THE DRAMATICS

The music industry has lost another one. Ron Banks (lower right) of the legendary R&B soul group The Dramatics has died of a heart attack at a very young 58 years old. Banks was the member of the group with the silky smooth falsetto voice. The Dramatics were responsible for such hit records as "In The Rain," "Get Up And Get Down," and many other classics. Now I have been a big Dramatics fan since their very first album came out and currently own six of their cd's. Here are The Dramatics performing their version of Me and Mrs. Jones on Soul Train. Check it out and rest in peace Ron Banks!

SAXOMAN'S 2010 OSCAR PICKS

Yes it's that time of year again. Time for SAXOMAN's long awaited 2010 Oscar picks. Now being a lover of the cinema I have seen all but three of the movies that have been nominated for Best Picture. I can honestly say that I don't like the fact that there are now ten movies eligible for Best Picture instead of the traditional five. I think this dilutes the category a little bit. Although I enjoyed Avatar and Up, I really don't think these belong in the Best Picture category. Just my humble opinion. Now I know that The Hurt Locker is the favorite for Best Picture but I am going to go out on a limb. So with that being said here are SAXOMAN's Oscar picks:

• Best Picture: Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. Now I know this is a risky pick and probably won't win, but it is still my pick for Best Picture.
• Best Actor: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart although I haven't seen this.
• Best Actress: Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia
• Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds
• Best Supporting Actres: This one I have no clue about but I'll take a wild guess and go with Mo'Nique for Precious.
• Best Director: Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds. As you all know I am a big Tarantino fan.
• Best Foreign Language Film: I can tell you that this household is rooting strongly for the film from Peru titled The Milk of Sorrow.

Anyway, that's my picks. Good luck to everyone. We shall see how I do. Either way it will be an enjoyable evening!

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK - VENGEANCE

Another winner from Director Johnnie To. This weeks DVD Pick of the Week is titled Vengeance and is another action packed film from Hong Kong. Released in 2009, Vengeance tells the story of Francois Costello, a French assassin (turned-chef) whose daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren are all murdered by a gang of triads. Costello heads to Hong Kong to embark on a violent quest for revenge, enlisting the aid of three hit men. Another action packed movie from Johnnie To and SAXOMAN recommended. Although yet to be released in the U.S. as always, SAXOMAN has recently obtained this dvd on yet another visit to Chinatown. Check out the trailer for this fine film. Enjoy!