the 941

Ed. note: This piece, by Eric Snider, will appear in next week’s issue of Creative Loafing.

A couple of weeks ago, my brother in Seattle called and asked if I could recommend a few jazz CDs for his 20-year-old son who had expressed an interest. A starter kit, if you will.

I’ve had like requests many, many times over the years, and so it dawned on me: Why not publish one?
Here’s a 10-CD jazz primer designed to lure those curious about the genre into being, if not hooked, at least satisfied enough to continue a jazz quest. Being a jazzbo like me can be lonely these days, so the more folks I can recruit the better.

Before we get started, a few words about criteria. I didn’t attempt to cover all the bases in jazz history. The idea here is seduction through listenability, while offering a solid overview. I may love 1930s Duke Ellington, but to the uninitiated it tends to sound like music from old cartoons. Likewise, I dig Albert Ayler, but most people would hear it as squawky noise and want to plug their ears.

That said, this is no dumbed-down list. Most of the titles are recognized classics, and a few will pose a challenge, especially for those who like their music sensible and orderly.

There are many overlapping players on these discs, but I purposely limited artists to one title.

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue (Columbia/Sony, 1959)
This is always the first album I recommend to the jazz curious. The ultimate gateway drug — gorgeous, intimate and expansive at the same time. Kind of Blue is probably the most widely revered jazz record of all time, and for good reason. Simple, grabby melodic sketches give way to extended solos by one of the greatest lineups ever assembled, including Miles on trumpet, John Coltrane on tenor sax, Cannonball Adderley on alto sax and Bill Evans on piano. The music is dark and moody yet somehow comforting.

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THE GUY BEHIND THE GUY BEHIND THE GUY: Evan Michaels, left, poses for a shot with Sevendust drummer Morgan Rose

Ed. note: This piece, by Abby Weingarten, will appear in next week’s issue of Creative Loafing.

At 13, Evan Michaels hopped the PATH train from New Jersey to Manhattan, had his older buddies sneak him into shows at CBGB, and watched the glam rock scene evolve into grunge. The West Orange, N.J., native saw a pre-fame Nirvana showcase Bleach tracks at a Houston Street club, and an early Pearl Jam play as Green River. When Alice in Chains opened for Van Halen on the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge tour at Madison Square Garden, Michaels was stargazing from the stands.

“New York City was a great music scene to be a part of back then,” Michaels says. “It was like a dream for a teenager.”

Now 32, Michaels is living that dream. A thriving Sarasota businessman, he owns In Demand Talent, a full-service global booking agency, as well as its sister production company, Gulf Coast Concerts. In the last 10 years, from his college days in New England to his present career, Michaels has produced and promoted more than 300 shows worldwide.

He’s been known to fraternize with high-profile acts and keep celebrity contacts in his cell phone, and he’s built a priceless stockpile of autographs, posters, drumsticks and pictures. It’s like having an all-access backstage pass with no expiration date.

“Inside, there’s still that kid that’s really excited to be around music,” Michaels says. And these days, it actually makes him money.

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— Florida’s new minimum wage is set to go into effect tonight at midnight: The pay is getting bumped up from $6.79 to $7.21 an hour, which translates into an extra $16.80 over the course of a 40-hour work week. Generous!

— Imagine Charter School works to get its Manatee County facility open by next week.

— Suncoast hotels and eateries are actually reporting the ‘08 holidays weren’t as harsh as you might think.

— The latest Weasel of the Week from Clout 941. Host Ron Filipkowski goes after the sheriff’s department.

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Otter Creek Otter Mon
Jamaican Style Stout
Vermont, ABV ?

I feel compelled to experience all the goodness beer has to offer, from near ethereal to utter schlock. I tend to seek out vintage, extreme, or limited brews; the fleeting moments of beer-making. Enter the Otter Creek World Tour, a series of one time releases from Otter Creek/ Wolaver’s Brewing in Vermont.

According to Otter Creek’s website, “the brewery’s resident Otter travels the world in search of unique, interesting and unusual brewing styles. Whenever he finds something new and exciting, he teams up with Brewmaster Steve Parkes to produce Otter Creek’s interpretation of the world’s best beers” And I thought my job was cool.

Otter Creek’s Otter Mon is a colonial Jamaican delight, fermented with English ale yeast and raw cane sugar, British Goldings and new world Liberty hops, and barley roasted to Jamaican coffee-style perfection. After scouring the internet and making numerous phone calls, I still have no idea what the abv is for this beer. The flavors and sensations suggest the beer falls somewhere within the 7-8% range, but I’ve been fooled before.

Poured into a pint glass, the opaque brown body emits subtle aromas of coffee and bitter chocolate mixed with slight traces of alcohol. A crown of khaki colored head leaves impressive lacing for its diminutive size.

Initial flavors are deliciously bitter espresso with a slightly burnt, almost acidic crispness that adds a smoky tone to the drinking experience. The sugarcane presents itself as a mild boozy warmness, similar to good Jamaican rum, heating my nose, cheeks, and throat.

Since Otter Mon is brewed with cane sugar, I expected a slick, tongue coating mouthfeel, something like a black patent malt cough syrup. To my delightful surprise, the body was rather light, with very little carbonation. It reminds me of those weekend occasions when I put a little splash of dark liquor in my coffee instead of milk and sugar. Cheers!

-Bethany Sherwin

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The New York Times is reporting that 20th Century Fox will try to delay the release of Watchmen. Deadline Hollywood Daily has a statement from Warner Bros. on the lawsuit.

This week’s DVD releases: Rope of Silicon runs down Paramount’s new Blu-Ray titles, including the Patrick Swayze stupid-face fest, Ghost; Tom Cruise going vroom vroom with Nicole Kidman in Days of Thunder; Event Horizon and The Truman Show.

Q: Who’s the most reviled movie critic? A: Ben Lyons. He’s so hated (and with good reason), that CriticWatch’s Erik Childress has a blog dedicated to using Lyons’s own words against him:

Is it possible that New York publicists have a poster of Ben Lyons in their office with the slogan that reads “Put critics in a theater full of people laughing with free tickets and one of them may laugh too?” What if the Bedtime Stories crowd was laughing at Ben Lyons laughing? Or just Ben Lyons? I guarantee he’s produced more unintentional laugh lines than Sandler & Co. did this year. Take for example:

“I think the live-action family film is a lost art nowadays with so many CGI computer generated films for kids who see a live-action film that plays to the wonder of imagination and takes us on these adventures and has funny lines from Russell Brand that the older audiences will enjoy. There’s lots of that throughout this film.”

In the Spirit of Samuel L. Jackson, whose film (one of the very worst of the year) somehow gets a “rent it” from Mankiewicz, I believe I speak for everyone when I say…

“ENGLISH MOTHERFUCKER, DO YOU SPEAK IT!!!???”

FirstShowing.net lists its 19 Best Movies That You Didn’t See. It’s so dead-on, it’s almost like they wrote it specifically to me.

USA Today has pics from this summer’s Transformers sequel. We now know there will be robots, military personnel investigating mysterious blue thingies, pyramids, explosions and Shia LaBeouf doing what he does best — running for his life with something in his hand (this time it’s Megan Fox).

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Ok y’all, I know that Christmas is over, but there’s still time to eke out a little holiday spirit. After running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to finish our pre- and post-holiday activities, you probably don’t want to spend 4 1/2 hours baking these sugar cookies. But surely you have an extra two minutes to make these cute little Marshmallow Snowmen? Do this with your kids as you pack away the decorations until next year, as a final, tasty, easy hurrah to send off the season. I bet you will get a smile outta someone!

Read on for instructions. (more…)

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Ed. note: This post comes courtesy Alex Pickett.

What’s the newest tactic the U.S. is using to gain converts in the War on Terror? Not waterboarding — that’s old news. Bombing weddings? Oh, that’s sooo 2002. And blasting Britney Spears is just tacky.

No, the newest arsenal the CIA is using to persuade rogue nations to turn in terrorists is none other than Viagra.

And, as this Washington Post story reports, it seems to be working:

The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift.

Four blue pills. Viagra.

“Take one of these. You’ll love it,” the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam.

The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes — followed by a request for more pills.

(Photo Credit: Gaetan Lee/Flickr)

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Ed. note: This post comes courtesy Alex Pickett.

Think there’s a Michael Vick living next door to you? Have you noticed roosters with spikes on their feet coming from your Ybor City neighbor’s house?

Well, the state of Florida now has an animal fighting tip line, and it could net you a handsome reward.

From the Florida Attorney General’s press release:

Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that Floridians can now report animal fighting and be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000 by calling The Humane Society of the United States’ animal fighting tip line at 877-TIP-HSUS (847-4787). The toll-free tip line was first established in Georgia by The HSUS and Atlanta-based corporate security firm Norred & Associates Inc. Because of its success, and with the support of Florida’s Attorney General, the tip line has been expanded to help combat dogfighting and cockfighting in Florida.

(Photo Credit: phooky/flickr)

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Ed. note: This post comes courtesy Alex Pickett.

Have you ever wondered if your significant other was lying to you over the phone? Or if your parents really did send your Christmas gift in the mail over a month ago? How about figuring out whether that kid across the street really did egg your house on Halloween?

What if there was a way you could carry a polygraph test with you at all times?

You know where this is going.

I present to you the Agile Lie Detector application for iPhone. This software turns your iPhone into a virtual polygraph by using voice stress analysis. And from what some users say, it actually seems to work. For only $7.99!

Get it here.

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No matter how hard we might try, family gatherings and holiday season don’t always add up to joyous — or even peaceful — experiences. But when the Trucks clan joined forces for their Soul Stew Revival bash at Tampa Theatre on Monday, a near capacity crowd of around 1,400 witnessed domestic bliss at its finest. The jubilant vibe, marked by expert musicianship, permeated the ancient venue. If the rumors are true about the historic movie house being haunted, even the ghosts must have been grinning.

The gnat’s-ass-tight gang of musicians mesmerized with gorgeous executions of the timeworn tension-and-release dynamic. It’s a God-send rooted in the churches of the Deep South, one that was sold with aplomb to the secular world by the likes of Ray Charles, James Brown and Aretha Franklin. The Allman Brothers Band, Derek Trucks’ chief employer, then expanded the sonic presentation with Kind of Blue-indebted jazz elements in the late 1960s. Decades later, the holy tradition thrives, coming together wonderfully Monday night at Tampa Theatre.

Trucks, a 29-year-old slide guitar master, and his band, were joined by his soul singing (and pretty damn good ax player herself) wife Susan Tedeschi for an awesomely old-school R&B revue goosed with jam band touches. A three-man horn section, two drummers (one being Derek’s younger bro Duane), a percussionist, bassist and keyboardist who doubled as a flautist for one number (think Astral Weeks and save the Jethro Tull jokes) filled the stage. The formidable ensemble, which featured members of Tedeschi’s and Trucks’ individual bands, melded terrifically.

Photo of Tedeschi and Trucks, from a previous performance, courtesy of Flickr.

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