Sabres Close To Making The Playoffs, Again... They have been on a tear as of late and look to gain a playoff spot. Buffalo is only 2 points out as of last night, when the Sabres beat Vancouver! It's great timing that Ryan Miller is playing well again and Darcy's recent trade looks very good!
It was another frustrating end to yet another NHL season for our Buffalo Sabres!!! It was a fun run while it lasted I suppose. Bright spots: Marcus Foligno (son of former Sabre Mike Foligno), Nathan Gerbe (a totally frustrating player to face), Tyler Ennis (also a frustrating player to play against), and a few more... I never made it to a game this year, but probably saw at least 70 of their televised games. Lastly, they would not have won as many late season points as they did, if it weren't for Ryan Miller! "Better luck next year!" is pretty much a staple comment for most of us Western New York hockey and football fans!
How about those Sabres! They won a huge game last night in Washington, putting them above the The Caps and in the 8th and final playoff position. If the playoffs were today, Buffalo would have to play the Rangers in the first round. Jason Pominville's shorthanded goal was magnificent! Outside of Pittsburg, the Buffalo Sabres are the hottest team in the NHL! Let's hope they don't run out of gas, as sometimes teams spend a lot of energy making the playoffs and don't have enough gas in the tank to seal the deal. Let's Go BUF-FA-LO!!!
I'm totally enjoying having my program, Artistry in Jazz with Tom Pethic, back on the air again. I believe it's been close to 4 years since I've had the freedom to bring you this speciality jazz show. The last time AIJ airred, I was at Legends 990AM. Just to refresh your memory and mine, that's when I was paying $540 per week for a 3 hour show. I had to sell my own advertising. I had a sales team, but they were pretty much worthless. I'm glad I was folically challenged at the time (you know, hairless). I ended up losing $5,400 on this venture. If I had it to do over again, I most likely wouldn't have! However, there was a big void in my life. The void was not having a radio show. As you may recall, a particular station manager fired me for missing a meeting, three days shy of me being there 21 years. He informed me via e-mail. Isn't that a nice professional touch. This young buck was 8 years old when I did my first show at WGMC (October 18, 1982). However, you can't keep a good man down, cause I'M BACK!!! On a more upbeat note, I want to hip you to a special segment on AIJ (some weeks I play two different segments) called Reflections Of A Standard. This is a special where I play usually 3 to 5, sometimes 6 different renditions of a particular jazz standard, back-to-back. The various arrangements that are out there, make this segment an audience favorite. Because of time constraints, which most radio stations have, sometimes I have to interrupt the segment because of a scheduled break. I think you all know the deal! I also have a segment called The Early Worm Gets the Bird, where I feauture the music of alto king Charlie Parker. Basically, I give you The Bird for 15 minutes or so. (Please don't take this personally!) Long story, short, I hope you'll tune in every Saturday from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM.
Evidently, Sarah Palin is requesting a debate with President Barack Obama. This is one of the most wacked out things I've heard of in a while. I guess she is "a glutton for punishment!" The definition of this expression is: someone who seems to like working hard or doing things that most people would find unpleasant
I'm disgusted that teams such as the Saints have taken part in financial bounties, where a team member would collect money if he injured a particular player and knocked said player out of the game! Evidently other teams have fell to these depths, in the so-called name of winning...
It's very wrong that sax great Joe Romano was not inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame! He was only the lead alto in the big bands of Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis, Louie Bellson, Frank Capp, and Ken Peplowski. I guess that's not enough of a resume...
Enjoy this recent release on Challenge Records by traditional tenorist, Harry Allen. Rhythm On The River has a river theme and a supporting cast of bassist Joel Forbes, drummer Chuck Riggs, and cornetist Varren Vache. Allen swings harder than ever, but the highlight on this recording for me is the wonderful playing of Italian pianist Rossano Sportiello. Rossano is a very much in-demand pianist in the studio. Last year, Rossano put on quite the show at our beloved Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival's Jam Session, as he sported his prowess with stride-piano playing! Any time one can hear stride piano, it is truly a treat!
