Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Amanda Nunes vs Miesha Tate

Here's the match video of Miesha Tate defending her UFC Bantamweight Championship against Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 last night in Las Vegas. Of course I'm sure you have all read that Amanda shockingly dethroned Miesha with a first round rear naked choke. I guess most thought it was an upset. But I have covered Amanda's career since before she came to the US and I may have been the first to interview her on this blog. She's a finisher. All but one of her wins have had finishes. She runs into problems when she doesn't finish because she lacks endurance. So if Amanda was going to win this fight, a first round finish was exactly how she would win. What Miesha needed to do was avoid the finish and win in the later rounds. That's why Miesha tried to keep away from her. But Amanda's first really good shot broke Miesha's nose. Unlike Sara McMann, Amanda won't let Miesha off the hook. She hammered Miesha enough that ref Herb Dean could have stopped the fight. But in a title fight, I agree with his decision to let it go. Amanda took Miesha's back and it ended with a rear naked choke. Congratulations to Amanda Nunes for winning the UFC Bantamweight Championship. Also congratulations to former UFC fighter and American Top Team head trainer Mike Brown and UFC fighter Nina Ansaroff who is Amanda's girlfriend and assists Brown. Now the trick is for Amanda to defend the title. Last night on Twitter, the immediate talk was for Amanda to face Ronda Rousey at the Madison Square Garden show in November. But I don't think Ronda will return until 2017. Other possibilities include Holly Holm if she wins her next fight. But the option that I like would have Amanda defend the title against Julianna Pena in Brazil. The fans there would go bonkers. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ramsey Lewis

Artist:Ramsey Lewis
Song:The In Crowd
Album:The Greatest Hits of Ramsey Lewis





Jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis scored a top five hit with The In Crowd in 1965. He has had a few other hits but that is the most memorable. He was born May 27, 1935 in Chicago. As a teen, he formed The Cleffs with bassist Eldee Young and drummer Red Holt and they would become The Ramsey Lewis Trio. They signed with Chess in 1956 and recorded for Argo. There's nothing unusual about their music. They are a standard jazz trio. Of course The In Crowd was a big hit for Dobie Gray in 1964. Lewis was in Washington, DC to record a live album at the Bohemian Caverns club May 1965. He was looking for a song he could perform on the show. He's sitting in a coffee shop and the waitress suggests The In Crowd and she plays it on the juke box. Ramsey writes an arrangement and the band records it at that night's show. After the album release, Leonard Chess calls Lewis and tells him The In Crowd is a hit. Lewis says great the album is selling well. Chess says it's bigger than that. We had to release it as a single. The In Crowd reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lewis also scored chart hits with Hang On Sloopy and Wade In The Water. Soon after this Young and Holt left and would later have success as Young Holt Unlimited. They were replaced by Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White. Of course White went on to form Earth Wind & Fire and this led to Lewis' other big hit Sun Goddess in 1974. This budget comp covers Lewis' Chess recordings. Of course Lewis is still around. But there's no question that The In Crowd set the stage for a long and distinguished career. Here's Ramsey Lewis performing The In Crowd as part of a medley at the 1980 Montreal Jazz Festival.

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Meiko Satomura vs Io Shirai

Here's the match video of Meiko Satomura defending her Sendai Girls World Championship against Io Shirai at the Sendai Girls 10th Anniversary show July 2 at the Niigata City Gymnasium. First of all, there's no way this belt was going to change hands on Meiko's home turf. And once you see all the belts that Io has already, she doesn't need any more hardware. The whole idea is to put on a great match. And that's exactly what they do. Meiko may not be who she used to be. But she can still rise to the occasion when it's necessary. Like all great matches, it starts out slowly. But it really picks up at the halfway mark. Io gets to land all her trademark moves like the rolling German suplex and the moonsault. But once Meiko kicks out of the moonsault, it's obvious that Meiko is winning. And a kick to the head followed by three death valley drivers, it's all over. Afterwards, Meiko thanks Io for doing the job. It's an entertaining match and I thing you will enjoy it.
Meiko Satomura (c) vs Io Shirai - (SENDAI 2016... by SenorLARIATO

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Tatiana Suarez vs Amanda Cooper

Here's the match video of Tatiana Suarez vs Amanda Cooper from last night's UFC show. This was the final of The Ultimate Fighter 23. I tried to watch the show. But it was terrible. And I thought most of the fighters weren't very good. Tatiana was the exception to that. She's from California. Amanda is from Michigan. It was clear for the start of this fight that Tatiana is more aggressive. That's one of the things I liked about her. She got a first round finish with a d'arce choke. It's pretty slick so be sure to check out the match. Enjoy the video!

Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs Claudia Gadelha

Here's the match video of Joanna Jedrzejczyk defending her UFC Strawweight Championship against Claudia Gadelha from last night's UFC show in Las Vegas. Of course this rivalry goes back to Joanna's Dec. 2014 split decision win over Claudia. The problem is that at some point, Claudia had to figure out why the decision go her way. And I don't think she did that. She needed to do more after takedowns. And now we are talking about five rounds so she has to pace herself. I thought Claudia won the first two rounds. But by the end of round two, she was out of gas and she never got it back. Joanna won the last three rounds. And in round four, she came very close to finishing Claudia. All three judges scored that round 10-8. So Joanna retains the title by unanimous decision. Joanna prepared for five rounds and Claudia did not. She blew it all in the first two rounds and got the crap beat out of her like all of Joanna's other opponents. Both got fight of the night bonuses. Afterwards, Joanna said she wants to fight on the Nov. MSG show in New York. Claudia was whining that she thought she won round three. Maybe she needs to look in the mirror for her problems. Enjoy the video!

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-George Michael

Artist:George Michael
Song:Faith
Album:Faith: Special Edition





First with the duo Wham! and then as a solo artist, George Michael was one of the biggest pop stars of the 80s. The 1987 album and single Faith were huge sellers worldwide. His decline was caused by bad personal behaviour and record company disputes. He was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou June 25, 1963 in the London suburb of East Finchley. His family moved to Redlett, Hertfordshire and he met future partner Andrew Ridgeley at school. Michael started out as a DJ and he had a ska band with Ridgeley and his brother. The two formed Wham! in 1981. They had a lot of success after signing with Columbia. But it became obvious that Columbia was more interested in Michael as a solo act especially after the 1984 hit Careless Whispers. So it was not surprising when Wham! split up in 1986. After Michael's duet with Aretha Franklin I Knew You Were Waiting topped the charts, Michael released the 1987 album Faith. Michael wrote and produced the album. The problem was the debut single I Want Your Sex was banned at a lot of places. It did well but the single Faith was more successful just because it wasn't banned. The album sold five million copies in the US and 25M worldwide. Faith is available on CD in a 2CD Special Edition with a CD of bonus tracks. You would think Michael would be happy with his success. But he told Columbia that for his 1990 album Listen Without Prejudice, there would be no videos and he refused to promote it. Apparently he wanted to be respected as a serious artiste. Though the album still sold eight million copies worldwide, it was the harbinger of things to come. He sued Columbia for not promoting the album. Eventually he got out of his contract and he signed with Virgin for the 1996 album Older. It did well in England but not in the US. There was also his 1998 arrest for lewd behaviour in Los Angeles. So that killed his career in North America. He continues to be successful in England. His most recent CD was a live CD released in 2014. But Michael's prima donna attitude with Sony and his legal problems with drugs and bad behaviour have probably cost him more than he would care to admit. There was recent rumours that he would tour but those were denied. Maybe he is retired. He doesn't need the money. Here's the video for Faith by George Michael.

Mika Nagano to come out of retirement on Aug. 27 DEEP JEWELS show

Mika Nagano, Sachiko Fujimori

DEEP JEWELS has announced several matches for the Aug. 27 show at Differ Ariake. They are running it back to back with DEEP 77. The big news, if you want to call it that, is that Mika Nagano is coming out of retirement. She retired in Feb. 2014 to get married and she had a baby last year. it's been known for several months that she was going to return. Mika was always a big favourite of DEEP JEWELS matchmaker Shigeru Saeki. Because of her looks, there were always high hopes that college wrestler Mika would be that breakout women's MMA star in Japan. She turned out to be a disappointment with a 14-9 record. And unlike wine, MMA fighters don't get better with age. Her opponent is Sachiko Fujimori. She's 4-1 but her last fight was in Nov. 2015. So the rest of the card is filled with these DATE girls who are all models turned fighters. The fights include old lady Mina Kurobe vs Tomo Maesawa. They are bringing in German fighter Tanja Hoffman to face Nori DATE. Tanja is 5-4. She just won a match last month at Shooto Europe. Nori DATE is 1-3. Well, at least she won a fight. Other fights include Chinese fighter pan Hui (2-1) vs Renju DATE (0-2), Yuko Kiryu (2-2) vs 12 year old Karen DATE making her pro debut. Both of Kiryu's wins have been over DATE girls. Yukari Nabe vs Nao Date (both pro debuts) and Sayuri Yamaguchi (0-1) vs Ayumi Misaka (1-0). They also added a kickboxing match and there are more matches to be added. There are too many DATE girls for me.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chris Janson

Artist:Chris Janson
Song:Buy Me A Boat
Album:Buy Me A Boat





Chris Janson had success as a songwriter before scoring a top five country hit in 2015 with Buy Me A Boat. He was born Apr. 2, 1986 in Perryville, MO which is in Southeast Missouri. Janson moved to Nashville after graduating from high school. He recorded a couple of duets with Holly Williams on her 2009 album Here With Me. Then he signed with BNA Records and his debut single Til A Woman Comes Along charted. But when Sony folded BNA into Columbia Nashville in 2011, Janson left. He began to have success as a songwriter. He co-wrote the Tim McGraw hit Truck Yeah. Janson also played harmonica for Lee Brice. This led to a record deal with Keith Stegall's Bigger Picture Music Group. Janson released an EP and the single Better I Don't in 2013. But then Bigger Picture closed. Janson released the single Buy Me A Boat independently. When it started to get airplay in Nashville, Warner Bros. signed Janson and released Buy Me A Boat nationally. It reached #2 on the Country Singles chart. The album Buy Me A Boat was released Oct. 2015. Janson wrote the song with Chris DuBois who owns a publishing company with Brad Paisley. Paisley's other partner Brent Anderson produced the record. Janson also worked with Byron Gallimore on Buy Me A Boat. And Janson co-wrote all the songs on the album. Janson is currently touring to promote the album. It's likely he will record after the tour. Even if Janson doesn't make it as a recording artist, songwriting will keep him busy for a long time. Here's the video for Buy Me A Boat by Chris Janson.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The J. Geils Band

Artist:The J.Geils Band
Song:Centerfold
Album:Best Of





The J. Geils Band started out as blues rockers in the late 60s. They were a very popular live draw in the 70s. But the one thing missing was a big hit single. A record company switch and the addition of synthesizers made Centerfold a #1 hit in 1982. But conflict in the band split them up by 1985. They started out in Boston in the mid-60s as an acoustic blues trio with John Geils on vocals and guitar, Danny Klein on bass and Magic Dick (real name Richard Salwitz) on harmonica. They played Boston clubs as Snoopy and the Sopwith Camels while Geils went to school. Then they brought in singer Peter Wolf (real name Peter Blankenfeld) and drummer Stephen Jo Bladd. They were now The J. Geils Blues Band. Organist Seth Justman joined a year later. They signed with Atlantic records in 1970. Justman and Wolf wrote most of the songs. Though the band was a strong concert draw and their Atlantic albums sold well, they weren't able to score a hit single. So they switched from Atlantic to EMI America for the 1980 album Love Stinks. This marked a change in the band's music with Justman adding synthesizers as a nod to New Wave. The single Love Stinks reached the top 40. The 1981 album Freeze Frame did even better when the single Centerfold topped the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1982. But with Justman taking more control over the production and songwriting, this caused friction between Justman and Wolf. Wolf left to go solo in 1983. Justman took over as lead singer for the 1984 album You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd. But the album was unsuccessful and the J. Geils Band split up in 1985. This comp has hits from Atlantic and EMI. Wolf released his debut solo album in 1984. It did OK but his music has not sold well since then. Justman went into record production. He produced Debbie Harry's 1986 album Rockbird including the hit single French Kissin' In The USA. Geils opened a car restoration shop in Boston. Magic Dick plays a lot of blues cruises. The J. Geils Band reunited for a 1999 tour. They still tour. It's the original band except they hire a drummer for touring. But they haven't recorded. So now they are a nostalgia act. Here's the video for Centerfold by The J. Geils Band.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Joshua Bell

Artist:Joshua Bell f/Frankie Moreno
song:Eleanor Rigby
Album:At Home with Friends




Violinist Joshua Bell is not the first classical musician to record a pop album. Sometimes things get slow in the classical music business. The 2009 album At Home With Friends came out of jam sessions Bell would have with usually bluegrass musicians. Bell and his producer Steven Epstein decided to record a pop album and it topped the classical music charts. Bell was born Dec. 9, 1967 in Bloomington, IN. Bell was a violin prodigy and at age 14 he appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra. After graduating from Indiana University, Bell moved to New York City and made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1985. He made his recording debut in 1988. He mostly recorded for London but he also recorded for Decca. Bell has also worked on several films, most notably the 1993 film The Red Violin. In 1999, Bell moved to Sony Classical and they had him record non-classical music including the 1999 album Gershwin Fantasy. Then he recorded the 2000 album Short Trip Home with bassist Edgar Meyer and bluegrass musicians Sam Bush and Mike Marshall followed by the 2001 album West Side Story. These were both top ten classical albums. And ever since, Bell has been a top selling classical artist. The idea to record the 2009 album At Home With Friends came out of musicians coming to Bell's apartment for jam sessions. Several of these musicians appear on the album including Meyer, Bush, Marshall and Chris Thile. the celebrity guests include Sting, Chris Botti, Josh Groban, Kristin Chenoweth along with film composers Dave Grusin and Marvin Hamlisch. Eleanor Rigby was recorded with piano and vocals by Las Vegas lounge singer Frankie Moreno. Bell continues to record and perform mostly classical music. But he did record a Christmas version of At Home With Friends in 2013 called Musical Gifts from Joshua Bell and Friends. His latest album is the soundtrack for the 2015 film Einstein's Light. Here's the video of Eleanor Rigby by Joshua Bell featuring Frankie Moreno.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Take 6

Artist:Take 6
Song:Biggest Part Of Me
Album:Greatest Hits





The vocal group Take 6 has had success in the gospel and smooth jazz markets mostly as album artists. They never had a big hit single though songs like Biggest Part Of Me crossed over to R&B. I would describe them as a contemporary version of The Persuasions leaning towards a jazz vibe. Take 6 started out at Oakwood College in Huntsville, AL in 1980. Claude McKnight (Brian McKnight's brother) formed an a capella gospel vocal quartet. They were rehearsing in a campus bathroom for an upcoming performance when Mark Kibble walked in. He joined them on stage that night. He invited Mervyn Warren to join and the group now called Alliance performed on campus for the next few years. Alvin Chea, Cedric Dent and David Thomas joined the group in 1985 and the group signed with Warner Bros. They had to change the group name for copyright reasons and they chose Take 6. Their debut album Take 6 was released in 1988 on the Warner Alliance gospel label. The album did very well on the gospel and jazz charts and it was certified Platinum. Take 6 never really had a hit single. When Warner Alliance was closed, Take 6 was moved to Reprise. The 1990 single I L-O-V-E U was a top 20 R&B hit. Warren left in 1991 to go into record production. He was replaced by Mark Kibble's brother Joey Kibble. With one exception, that's Take 6's current lineup. This cover of the Ambrosia hit Biggest Part Of Me was from the 1994 album Join The Band. McKnight and Chea wrote new lyrics to reflect their gospel viewpoint. The single crossed over to R&B and the album was certified Gold. Take 6 recorded for Reprise until 2002. This 1999 budget comp has all their hits. Take 6 just released a new CD Believe in March with veteran producer Ross Vannelli (Gino Vannelli's brother) and special guest Stevie Wonder on harmonica. And they are currently on tour. Here's the video for Biggest Part Of Me by Take 6.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

Artist:King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band
Song:New Orleans Stomp
Album:The Complete Set





Joe "King" Oliver is an important jazz pioneer mainly because Louis Armstrong was in his band. Oliver's own music isn't as compelling. But some of his songs are jazz standards. Armstrong always gave Oliver full credit for helping him. These 1923 recordings are essential. Oliver was born Dec. 19, 1881 in Aben, LA but he grew up in New Orleans. He started out playing trombone and then switched to cornet. He played in local bands in the 10s. But his most significant band at the time was probably with trombonist Kid Ory. And it was Ory who named him King Oliver. The band was very popular but racism forced Oliver to move with his family to Chicago in 1918. There he worked with guys like clarinetist Lawrence Duhe and bassist Bill Johnson. For a while they moved to San Francisco. But they moved back to Chicago in 1922. And this is when King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band was formed with Louis Armstrong on cornet, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Honore Dutrey on trombone, Lil Hardin on piano, William Manuel Johnson on bass and Baby Dodds on drums. This band recorded for Columbia's race label Okeh in 1923. Of course the key figures were Armstrong and his wife Hardin and Johnny Dodds who would go on to revolutionize jazz with the Hot 7 and Hot 5 recordings in 1927. But King Oliver is where it started. New Orleans Stomp was recorded Oct. 16, 1923 in Chicago. It was written by Louis Armstrong and Lil Hardin and probably arranged by Hardin and she would go on to arrange many of Armstrong's recordings. Ed Atkins was the trombonist on this session and Johnny St. Cyr payed banjo as he would on many of Armstrong's recordings. It's fairly typical of Oliver's recordings as individual solos hadn't become common yet. This 2CD comp covers the 1923 recordings. Armstrong would record New Orleans Stomp with Johnny Dodds in 1927 on Vocalion. Armstrong was under contract to Okeh at the time so he was being a bad boy. And then Armstrong added lyrics to New Orleans Stomp for the 1959 album Satchmo Plays King Oliver on Audio Fidelity. But it wasn't on the album. It was released years later and it does turn up on CD. After Armstrong left Oliver's band, Oliver attempted to continue with Henry "Red" Allen. But health problems caused by gum disease forced Oliver into retirement and he died on Apr. 10, 1938 at age 52. Obviously King Oliver is forgotten today but his importance in Louis Armstrong's career should be remembered. Here's a video for New Orleans Stomp by King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band.

Alfredo Rodriguez concert review

Last night I went to see Cuban jazz pianist Alfredo Rodriguez at The Jazz Bistro in downtown Toronto as part of the Toronto Jazz Festival. I wasn't planning to attend any of this year's concerts until this one was announced after the rest of the schedule was announced. There is a big problem with the Toronto Jazz Festival as it currently stands and that is program director Josh Grossman's insistence on bringing in non-jazz artists like Sarah McLauchlan and KC & The Sunshine Band. After the latter was announced as the opening night free concert, the controversy erupted to the point where the CBC did a piece on this last week. We don't see this same problem for either the Ottawa or Montreal jazz festivals. And Grossman's defense is not compelling. He thinks bringing in KC draws attention when all it does is attract anger from jazz fans. Maybe they should stop calling it a jazz festival. But maybe sponsor TD Bank won't sponsor it. But I think it is disgraceful that during the festival, jazz musicians Kamasai Washington and Melody Gardot played the Danforth Music Hall and not the Toronto Jazz Festival. The Jazz Bistro is not an ideal venue for a concert because it's a restaurant. And a restaurant has to turn over paying customers. That's why the tickets were inexpensive and they were giving away comps. They are expecting you to eat there. It's too expensive for me. That being said, I enjoyed Rodriguez' brief solo concert. If you haven't heard him, Rodriguez should remind you of pianists like Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Michel Camilo or Chucho Valdez. He records for Mack Avenue Records and his latest CD Tocororo was released in March. I enjoyed his music enough that I will go see him again if he performs at a suitable venue. Maybe it's time for local jazz fans to organize and get rid of Josh Grossman. Because this is not a jazz festival anymore.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Sonny Rollins

Artist:Sonny Rollins f/John Coltrane
Song:Tenor Madness
Album:Jazz Showcase





Tenor Madness is one of tenor sax legend Sonny Rollins' most significant compositions. It has become a jazz standard since Rollins recorded it in 1956. But it's also significant because it's the only time Rollins recorded with another sax legend John Coltrane. Of course they knew each other and both guys were under contract to Prestige Records. But somehow Prestige owner Bob Weinstock only managed to have the two record one song together. Coltrane does not appear on the rest of the 1956 album Tenor Madness. After spending a couple of years in jail for armed robbery in the early 50s, Rollins recovered from his drug addiction in 1955. Before that he was in The Miles Davis Quintet for a brief time. It doesn't look like he recorded with that band. After rehab, Rollins joined The Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet and Coltrane replaced Rollins in the Davis band. Well, we all know how successful that was. After Brown and pianist Richie Powell died in a June 1956 car crash, Rollins began to record more as a leader. Tenor Madness was his first album of this very productive period for Rollins. The band on Tenor Madness is The Miles Davis Quintet minus Davis. It's Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. These guys along with Coltrane had just finished recording sessions with Davis at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in New Jersey. Weinstock asked them if they would come back in a couple of weeks and record with Rollins. So they appear on the entire album but Coltrane only appeared on the song Tenor Madness. At the time, Coltrane was struggling with heroin addiction so he might have been ill or in and out of rehab at the time. Of course it's a classic with the dueling saxes. But Coltrane left Prestige so they never recorded together again. The album Tenor Madness is available as a budget CD. But because Coltrane is only on the one song, I think it's a good way to sample Rollins' Prestige recordings at a budget price. Concord now owns the Prestige recordings and this budget CD Jazz Showcase is part of a series. It's a great and inexpensive intro to Rollins. And Tenor Madness is a significant piece of jazz history. Here's a video for Tenor Madness by Sonny Rollins featuring John Coltrane.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Deniece Williams

Artist:Deniece Williams
Song:Let's Hear It For the Boy
Album:The Best Of Deniece Williams: Gonna Take A Miracle




The 1984 chart topper Let's Hear It For The Boy was the biggest solo hit for Deniece Williams. Not long after, Deniece quit secular music for gospel and she still sings gospel today. She was born June Deciece Chandler June 3, 1950 in Gary, IN. She grew up singing in church with her mom. Deniece attended Morgan State University in Baltimore with plans to become a nurse. But she was still interested in music. She was influenced by Carmen McRae, Nancy Wilson and especially Minnie Riperton. Her cousin John Harris was a valet for Stevie Wonder and he introduced them and she was hired as a backup singer. She tired of touring after a few years and left in 1975. She signed with Columbia Records and Maurice White and Charles Stepney of Earth Wind & Fire. Her first hit single was Free in 1976. Then she recorded the single Too Much, Too Little, Too Late with Johnny Mathis in 1978. The song was a surprise #1 hit mainly because Mathis hadn't had a hit in years. So the two recorded an album together. Deniece returned to her solo career. She had always recorded one gospel song on each album. But by 1980, she was considering leaving secular music for gospel permanently. She continued to have hits like the 1982 top ten hit It's Gonna Take A Miracle. George Duke produced a few songs on her 1983 album I'm So Proud. So Deniece decided to work with Duke on her next album. Dean Pitchford was a songwriter best known for the 1980 hit Fame. He wrote the screenplay and the music for the 1984 film Footloose. Let's Hear It For The Boy was written with Tom Snow. They pitched it to Deniece and she decided to record it. It topped the charts. The soundtrack for Footloose was a huge success. But the song also appeared on her 1984 album Let's Hear It For The Boy. While still recording for Columbia, she recorded the 1986 gospel album So Glad I Know for Sparrow Records. The producer on that album Brad Westering started producing her Columbia albums. This led to Deniece leaving Columbia for MCA after her late 80s albums were unsuccessful. But she only recorded one album for MCA and she left secular music for gospel. You can get all her Columbia hits on this budget comp. In recent years, Deniece Williams has surfaced occasionally. She last recorded an album in 2007. But she still tours and I guess she's an 80s nostalgia act at this point. Here's the video for Let's Hear It For The Boy by Deniece Williams.

Two more matches added to Invicta FC 18 prelims

As expected, Invicta added a couple of prelims to Invicta FC 18 July 29 in Kansas City. The first match will have Bantamweight Aspen Ladd facing Jessica Hoy. Aspen is 21 years old from Folsom, CA. Her record is 3-0. I have liked what I have seen from her so far. But I think it's time to move her up the card a little bit. She needs to fight a higher competition level. Jessica is from Bellingham, WA. She won her only fight but she's unproven. Maybe Aspen's camp want to bring her along slowly. The second fight will have Atomweight Tessa Simpson vs Simona Soukupova. Tessa is from Austin, TX. Her record is 4-1 but that's since 2009. Her last fight was a win over the Japanese fighter Sarami at a PXC show in Guam. That was after a three year break. Despite the Russian name, Simona is a Brit. I've seen her before. Her record is 5-3-1. She was on an Invicta show in 2003 but she's nothing special. And she's 39 years old. She's too old to be a prospect. Several fans on Twitter asked me about Invicta matchmaking. In the end, it comes down to money. It's a lot cheaper to bring in two Brazilian teammates with heavily padded records than to bring in one more qualified fighter from Europe. They are more concerned about saving a few bucks than bringing in top fighters. Here's the one thing you need to remember about Invicta. If a fighter signs with UFC, Bellator or WSOF, those contracts are exclusive. The fighter can't go anywhere else. Invicta contracts are non-exclusive. They aren't worth the paper they are printed on. So it's easy to toss them around like they mean something when they actually mean nothing. They don't have to fulfill the contract because it's not exclusive. They can sign a fighter to a multi fight contract and then "see ya" after one fight. And they've done this to fighters. Multi fight non-exclusive contracts are a dog and pony show intended to fool fans and fighters. They are unnecessary.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Hugh Masekela

Artist:Hugh Masekela
Song:Grazing In The Grass
Album:Grazing In The Grass





South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela topped the charts with Grazing In The Grass in 1968. Though it was a surprise hit and Masekela is perceived as a one hit wonder, some of his other singles did chart and he's still around at 77 years old. He was born Apr. 4, 1939 in Witbank, South Africa. He learned to play piano as a child. After watching Kirk Douglas play Bix Beiderbecke in the 1950 film Young Man With A Horn, his high school chaplain gave Masekela a trumpet. Then he started playing in local bands. With Apartheid in South Africa, things were brutal for black musicians and many of them left the country. In 1960, British musician John Dankworth brought Masekela to England. He studied at London's Guildhall School of Music. Then he came to the US and Harry Belafonte got Masekela into the Manhattan School of Music in New York. He also married Miriam Makeba who toured with Belafonte. They divorced two years later. After recording for Mercury and MGM, Masekela signed with UNI Records. After he charted with his cover of Up, Up and Away, Masekela recorded the 1968 album The Promise of a Future. The album was produced by Crusaders producer Stewart Levine. The story goes that UNI exec Russ Regan thought the album was too short. So Grazing In The Grass was added almost as an afterthought. Masekela wrote the song with an actor friend Philemon Hou. Surprisingly, Grazing In The Grass topped the charts. Musicians on the album were Al Abreu on sax, Bill Henderson on piano, Henry Franklin on bass and Chuck Carter on drums. Of course Friends Of Distinction leader Harry Elston wrote lyrics for Grazing In The Grass and it was a big hit for them. Masekela has recorded for many labels and he's still active at 77 years old. Probably his most high profile gig was touring with Paul Simon in the 80s. Masekela's son Sal Masekela works for ESPN and the two produced short films about South Africa to go along with ESPN's coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. You can get Hugh Masekela's original recording of Grazing In The Grass on this budget comp from Verve's European label Jazzclub. Beware of rerecorded versions. It looks like he is currently touring Europe. Here's Hugh Masekela performing Grazing In The Grass with an all star band of Stevie Wonder on harmonica, Jimmy Heath on sax, George Duke on piano, Lionel Loueke on guitar, Christian McBride on bass and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums at the United Nations for International Jazz Day Apr. 30, 2012.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Duke Ellington and Count Basie

Artist:Duke Ellington and Count Basie
Song:Segue In C
Album:First Time! The Count Meets The Duke





As I have said in the past, when Duke Ellington's career was revived in the late 50s, one of the things he decided to do was record with other jazz legends. After all, he wasn't getting any younger. This included albums with Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane and Charles Mingus. Of course in Ellington's heyday of the 40s, Count Basie was considered to be Ellington's greatest rival. I don't think there was ever a real rivalry between the two. It seems like any rivalry was fan motivated. Both bands were outstanding but they had different styles. But when First Time! was recorded, the two bands did work together. You can clearly hear this on Segue In C which was written by Basie sax player Frank Wess and the Basie band first recorded it on the 1959 album Chairman Of The Board. Basie and Ellington both solo on the song. And I think Wess and trombonist Benny Powell also solo. But the integration is seamless. You won't know that there are two bands on this album. It could have been a big mess but it isn't. Columbia wanted to call the album Battle Royal after the Ellington song that leads off the album. But Basie balked at the album title as he thought the recording session was very genial. So obviously Basie didn't think there was a rivalry. In 1999, Sony released First Time! with several bonus tracks. These are mostly alternate takes but there are a couple of songs that weren't on the original album. And it's available as a budget CD. It's a must for Ellington and Basie fans. Here's a video of Segue In C by Duke Elington and Count Basie.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ronny Jordan

Artist:Ronny Jordan
Song:After Hours
Album:The Essential Guide To Jazz




Guitarist Ronny Jordan was successful mostly in his native England in the 90s in Smooth Jazz and also in Acid Jazz. Unfortunately his most popular album is out of print. He was born Robert Simpson Nov. 29, 1962 in London, England. His father was a preacher so he grew up singing in church. In the 80s, he got interested in jazz. Jordan was a self taught guitarist influenced by Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery and Grant Green. When hip hop took off, he wanted to mix it with jazz. This got him a record deal with Island's 4th & Broadway label. The Antidote was his debut CD in 1992. Jordan's cover of the Erskine Hawkins jazz standard After Hours was probably the first song to get noticed by hip hop fans. His cover of Miles Davis' So What also did well. A couple of tracks featured rapper IG. Other musicians included Philip Bent on flute, Joe Bashorun on piano, Arnie Somogyi on bass and Longsy D on drums. Unfortunately The Antidote is out of print but you can get After Hours on this 3CD various artists comp intended for beginners. Jordan also appeared on Guru's Jazzmatazz and this set him up for success on the jazz charts. Jordan recorded four albums for Island and he also recorded for Blue Note and N-Coded. Jordan had plans for new music when he died on Jan. 13, 2014 at age 51. Here's a video of After Hours by Ronny Jordan.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs

Artist:Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs
Song:Sugar Shack
Album:Top Hits of the Sixties: Amazing Hits





Sugar Shack topped the charts for five weeks in 1963. It might seem like a one hit wonder. But The Fireballs had a long history and they even scored another top ten hit with Bottle Of Wine in 1967. The Fireballs were the house band for Norman Petty in Clovis, NM. Of course as many fans are aware, this is where Buddy Holly recorded all his hits. The Fireballs recorded their own records and would back up other acts. They got the name from the Jerry Lee Lewis hit Great Balls Of Fire. The original 1958 lineup was Chuck Tharp on lead vocals, George Tomsco on lead guitar, Dan Trammell on rhythm guitar, Stan Lark on bass and Eric Budd on bass. They charted with Torquay and Bulldog in 1959 and Quite A Party in 1961. Then Tharp, Trammell and Budd left The Fireballs. They were replaced by Jimmy Gilmer on piano and vocals and Doug Roberts on drums. Gilmer was already working at Petty as a studio musician and he had released a single on Decca in 1959. Petty signed The Fireballs to Dot Records. Sugar Shack was the first single released as Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs. It topped the charts for five weeks in 1963. The song was written by Keith McCormack of The String-A-Longs who had success recording for Petty. The catchy organ riff was played on a Hammond Solovox. Petty would release some records as Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs, some as The Fireballs and even some as just Jimmy Gilmer. But they were all recorded by The Fireballs. Most of their singles didn't chart except for the 1963 top 20 hit Daisy Petal Pickin'. Sugar Shack is still a memorable song and you can get it on this various artists comp from Collectables. And Ace Records has released The Fireballs recordings through a deal with Petty's estate. Of course like a lot of bands, The Fireballs were killed by the British Invasion. They returned to the charts with the 1968 top ten cover of Tom Paxton's Bottle Of Wine on Atco Records. By this time, Gilmer had left The Fireballs to become a producer in Nashville. The Fireballs are still around led by Tomsco and Gilmer. Sugar Shack has had a long life. Here's Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs performing Sugar Shack 1968.