Home Articles posted by ekkarn (Page 83)

Don’t Talk to Strangers (Keye Street Series # 3) – Amanda Kyle Williams

So I wasn’t really sure about Amanda Kyle Williams Keye Street series after book one TheStranger You Seek, But I liked the book enough to move onto book two in the series Stranger in the Room. In that book, as Keye and Atlanta Police Detective Aaron Rauser chased the Wishbone Killer, and I became a fan of Keye Street. Now after reading Don’t Talk to Strangers Keye Street has joined Alex Kava’s Maggie O’Dell, Carol O’Connell‘s Kathleen Mallory and Tess Gerritsen‘s Jane Rizzoli, among my favorite female protagonists! Read More

Jimmy Cobb – The Original Mob

Jazz  drummer Jimmy Cobb turns 86 years young today, January 20, 2015! Cobb is best known for his time with Miles Davis, during which  he played on  Davis’ Kind of Blue (1959), which is considered by many to be “the quintessential jazz record”.  Cobb was a member of Miles’ rhythm section that included: Wynton Kelly on piano and Paul Chambers on bass.  Cobb is the last surviving player from that session. Cobb also play on other Miles Davis albums including:  Sketches of Spain,Someday My Prince Will Come, Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall, In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete, and briefly on Porgy and Bess and Sorcerer.
I will always remember Jimmy Cobb,  along with Kelly and Chambers for their work with Wes Montgomery.  Cobb played on the following albums with Wes Montgomery…..
Full House (Riverside, 1962)
Boss Guitar (Riverside, 1963)
Guitar on the Go (Riverside, 1963)
The Alternative Wes Montgomery (Riverside, 1963)
Smokin’ at the Half Note (Verve, 1965)
Smokin’ Guitar (Verve, 1965)
Willow Weep for Me (Verve, 1969)
For the longest time Willow Weep for Me was my favorite Wes Montgomery album and probably still is, but after discovering Full House and Smokin’ at the Blue Note those albums aren’t far behind!!
Jimmy Cobb also played on six releases from John Coltrane and nine discs from the great Wynton Kelly. My favorite of Kelly’s is Kelly Blue, but in fairness to the other eight albums, I have not listened to any of them extensively!  Here’s some of the other jazz greats that Cobb has worked with through the years! Read More

Book-Ed – 2015 Reading Challenge Plans

Ok so I’ve never participated in an online Reading Challenge, but after looking at various blogs it looks like a pretty great idea so I’m in! Here are the Challenges I will be participating in, along with the TBR Pile Reading Challenge. Here are the Reading Challenges with the links and sign-ups, aliong with my plans for the number of books I will read. I have also included a breakdown of where the books will come from, so that I can meet the TBR Pile Reading Challenge! Read More

Unreal City – Il Paese Del Tramonto – Great Italian Prog Rock!

Last night I was checking out the New Progressive Rock releases at New Prog Releases. One of the albums of interest to me was Il Paese Del Tramonto (Country of Sunset) from an Italian Progressive Rock band Unreal City.  Their music was classified as Symphonic and since I have enjoyed other symphonic prog bands, I figured I’d like these guys. I figured right I put the album on while I was multi-tasking or as I like to call it ADDing! I was watching the football game, reading and listening! It didn’t take long to for the voices of Phil Simms and Jim Nantz to take a backseat to the keyboards Emanuele Tarasconi and Francsca Zantta’s guitar! (the decision was aided by the uncompetitive nature of the game, between the Colts and Pats! Ido believe, Unreal City would have lost out to the Packers and Seahawks!). Anyway I loved the album and today it became the soundtrack for my drive out Street Road to pick up my replacement hearing aid at Costco.  Listening to the album in greater detail only brought out the great keyboard and guitar work on the album, solidifying my opinion that this is a great album!! Read More

Unreal City – Il Paese Del Tramonto – Great Italian Prog Rock!

Last night I was checking out the New Progressive Rock releases at New Prog Releases. One of the albums of interest to me was Il Paese Del Tramonto (Country of Sunset) from an Italian Progressive Rock band Unreal City.  Their music was classified as Symphonic and since I have enjoyed other symphonic prog bands, I figured I’d like these guys. I figured right I put the album on while I was multi-tasking or as I like to call it ADDing! I was watching the football game, reading and listening! It didn’t take long to for the voices of Phil Simms and Jim Nantz to take a backseat to the keyboards Emanuele Tarasconi and Francsca Zantta’s guitar! (the decision was aided by the uncompetitive nature of the game, between the Colts and Pats! Ido believe, Unreal City would have lost out to the Packers and Seahawks!). Anyway I loved the album and today it became the soundtrack for my drive out Street Road to pick up my replacement hearing aid at Costco.  Listening to the album in greater detail only brought out the great keyboard and guitar work on the album, solidifying my opinion that this is a great album!! Read More

The Monkey’s Raincoat – Robert Crais (Elvis Cole #1)

Robert Crais began the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series in 1987 with the release of The Monkey’s Raincoat. Since then Crais has written fourteen more novels featuring the two members of  Elvis’ detective agency. I have read seven of the novels, starting with 1993’s release Free Fall (Book #4) and ending with Book #11 Chasing Darkness in 2008. (I missed No 6 Sunset Express released in 1996). I also missed books 1,2 and 3! Don’t ask me why!. Read More

A New Year – A New Approach monthly planning of books to read? Oh My!

A little after the beginning of January, I was exploring various book blogs and came across a blog where the writer was introducing the books that she was going to read for the month. The books were all laid out a and very artfully photographed. Aside from the very attractive picture, I was intrigued by the idea of actually saying these are th books that I am going to read this month!! See being an ADD kind of guy, I do kinda set out to read certain book, and then, well, I get distracted by another book  and off I go and the books that I planned to read, go back to the library unread!! Read More

CARPE LIBRUM TBR PILE CHALLENGE 2015 ! I signed up!

So I haven’t made any New Year’s Resolutions yet, because like many people I don’t think they work. You make the resolutions stick to them in January and by February you’re back to being your old self. What I want to do is to take my time look at where I want to go, how I want to improve myself and then make monthly type goals ala The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. One thing I do know that I want to do is improve this blog…one way to do that I think is to make it more personal. More about me and what I’m doing as far the books I’m reading and the music I have listened to. I’ve browsed around other book blogs to see what they do and I have gotten a few ideas. I want to continue following and reading several blogs to get additional ideas. Read More