Water Cooler Jazz Weekend

Hope everybody gets a chance to check out the D.C. Jazz Festival this Labor Day Weekend.

I'd been thinking of a theme song for Washington Commanders Head Football Coach Dan Quinn his first go round in D.C. Of course there's the obvious: The Mighty Quinn.

But hey. This is Jazzfest weekend in D.C. And for DQ I figure Pick up the Pieces is just about perfect seeing as how that's exactly what he's doing here. 

I don't know if you noticed but Riggo posted over on his YouTube Channel MegaRiggins. Sounds like he's going to do some posting on the Commanders' season. I recently ran his Steve Sabol interview in the which he mentioned his acting exploits making note of his "emotional preparation". Sounds like Sanford Meisner. The best acting philosophy I ever came across was David Mamet's. His simple direct economy of motion principles would fit Riggo well. 

Somebody should have had Riggo in a Western. I could see him playing Captain Call in Lonesome Dove. Of course, I'd have to cast Joey T as Gus and Chris Cooley as Newt. Doc has to play Ranger Walker.

Kevin Sheehan and Thom Loverro were over on their podcast talking about Dan Quinn's "secret sauce". I expect that sauce is the NFL wanting to get Washington back into the swing of things. If the NFL wants D.C. back in the playoffs for economical reasons, they will be back in the playoffs.

Not that they would ever cheat. But if the League wants something it usually gets it.

As regards the final roster debate, there is no FINAL 53 Man Roster. Guys come and go the whole year. Some say the Washington Commanders Roster "blows". They have unknowns at receiver and offensive line. The secondary is a mystery. Disaster looms.

I expect their answer to secondary questions is Joe Whitt. Questions about the O-Line and receivers get answered with Jayden Daniels, the tight ends, and the running backs. I expect Kingsbury to involve the tight ends way more than we have seen in recent years. They won't be just chipping and fullbacking. They are going to actually score in the red zone this year. 

Jayden gets rid of the ball quick taking pressure off the O-Line and his run-pass psychological leverage on the defense is going to spring those no-name receivers free. He's also going to declutter the running game. That's why people are picking B-Rob in their fantasy leagues figuring he might have an Alfred Morris type season.

Even with Jayden compensating for the personnel weaknesses, it is going to be hard getting over .500. The defense so far has been weak against the pass. But the starters have been out most of preseason. What they have on defense won't be known until Kliff Kingsbury student Baker Mayfield looks it over week one.

I think there'll be a lot of shootout type ball games. That could mean a slide at the end of the year. And one and done in the playoffs, if any.

Still, I think one and done in the playoffs would be seen as a win for Dan Quinn and Adam Peters in their first year.

Eddie Lockjaw Davis

Brother Jack MacDuff Quartet

War -- Gypsy Man 

Musical Spheres of the Championship Years and 1991

Arguably the best overall team in the history of professional football in Washington, the 1991 Washington Redskins went 14-2 and won Super Bowl 26 beating Buffalo 37-24. 

The Year was a typical war and famine cavalcade. The Gulf War and the dissolution of the former Soviet Union were big headliners. 

The Mount Fuji Jazz Festival of 1991, the Frankfurt Jazz Festival, and the Bern Jazz Festival were among the year's Jazz Festivalia. Don't forget D.C.'s own Jazz Festival. When's the happening? August 28 thru September 1st. 

Here's Paul Carr and Sharon Clark two of the participants in this year's festival.

Some interesting hits from other genres:

Crazy by Seal

Urban Dance Squad --Deeper Shade of Soul

Silent Lucidity by Queensrÿche

Knockin on Heaven's Door by Guns N' Roses

Metallica Enter Sandman 

Some of the Flicks at the Movies then were:

The Doors

Silence of the Lambs 

Scenes from a Mall

La Femme Nikita 

Defending Your Life 

Truly Madly Deeply

City Slickers 

The Naked Gun 2.5: The Smell of Fear

Musical Spheres of the Championship Years and 1987

The year 1987 was a strike shortened year in the NFL. The big thing in Washington was The Replacements. Derisively called scabs. Magnificently, they defeated the mostly Real Cowboy Dallas Cowboys.

This all culminated in the out-of-this-world Super Bowl 22 Championship.

Some music hits of the year:

Bad by Michael Jackson

Here I go Again on My Own Whitesnake

Shakedown, Bob Seger's theme song to Beverly Hills Cop II.

La Bamba by Los Lobos

I think We're Alone Now by Tiffany

Sweet Chid of Mine Guns and Roses

Father Figure by George Michael

It's the End of the World as We Know It by R.E.M.

In Da Movies Ahno fought a being from another world. He-Man fought Skeletor. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover do their first Lethal Weapon. Steve Martin did a take on Cyrano. A Great White Shark returns to eliminate vacationing humanity.

James Bond and Bigfoot were also back.

The Redskins too were back. Winning their second Super Bowl.

Musical Spheres of the Championship Years and 1972

The year 1972 was a great year in music and a great year for Washington NFL Football. 

The Washington Redskins won the NFC Championship beating their arch nemesis the Dallas Cowboys 26-3 before losing the Super Bowl to the undefeated Miami Dolphins. 

Like people say, whenever the Skins beat the Cowboys in the NFC Championship game, the Super Bowl always seemed like an afterthought.

The Watergate Scandal was born in 1972. Only Nixon could go to China. Fischer defeats Spassky. Here's Nixon schmoozing with George Allen parts 1 and 2. This is the game Tricky Dickie and Coach were apparently talking about.

My favorite song from 1972 is Johnny Nash's I Can See Clearly Now. If you hadn't known the background of Nash, you'd swear you could hear a dash of Reggae in the tune. Good ear. The Covers out there unfortunately seem to subtract the Reggae elements. Jimmy Cliff did a great rendition. It is time for an Orchestral Reggae treatment. Maybe one's already been done.

Some all-time great records were getting airplay in 1972. The reissued Nights in White Satin and November of '71's Stairway to Heaven.

You probably don't remember Mouth and MacNeal. They made a catchy little tune called How Do You Do which made Number 8 on Billboard. 

Man of La Mancha, the film version, came out in 1972. Johnny Mathis did a wonderful medley from the musical.

Morning Has Broken charted in '72, making number one Easy Listening. It was not a Cat Stevens original. Here's more on that story.

If you went to the movies in 1972, you could see Jeremiah Johnson, Superfly, Boxcar Bertha, the Poseidon Adventure, and my personal favorite, The Legend of Boggy Creek, Rated G.

Musical Spheres of the Championship Years and 1942

December 14th, 1942.

With the memory of 73-0 deeply fixed in their minds, the Washington Redskins captured the 1942 NFL Title, defeating the Monsters of the Midway, 14-6.

Smash hits musically at the time:

Every Night About this Time by The Ink Spots

Travlin Light by Billie Holiday and Paul Whiteman

Tangerine by Jimmy Dorsey, Bob Eberly, Helen O'Connell

A glimpse of some '42 hits by Hot Sounds.

Forty-two was Ray Flaherty's last year in D.C. When you say Washington's Hall of Fame Coach, people think Joe Gibbs. No, we had another one. Ray Flaherty. He gave George Preston Marshall what for. It was the braggart Marshall who was responsible for lighting a fire under those "crybaby" 1940 Chicago Bears goading George Halas and the Bears into knocking hell out the Redskins. When Marshall poked his nose into team business, Flaherty would bust his chops. Threaten to walk.

One wonders what Flaherty would have done to Dan Snyder.

Some flicks people went to: The Black Swan, Pride of the Yankees, and something called Casablanca. See Operation Torch.

Yes, it seems Casablanca was a propaganda film. To drum up fervor for service. It is probably the best propaganda film. Though Mrs. Miniver would give it a run for the money. Mrs. Miniver was also 1942.

Nineteen Forty-Two was a time for choosing. A few months after the release of Casablanca and the detonation of Operation Torch, Ray Flaherty chose to leave the Washington Redskins for the war. 

Welcome back to the fight, Ray.

It was the first real punch America threw at the Bully, 1942 was.

Teaching the Band to Play

It was twenty years ago today. Sergeant Pepper taught the band play. 

Musing about supergroups and football. 

When you draft guys and bring them together for the first time it is a bit like supergrouping. You pick guys you think would be good together. Do some riffs. See what people can do in OTAs. Figure out what signature sounds the band will have. Then after OTAs and mini-camps, start writing some music scheming up the 2024 playbook.

Put the finishing touches on the concert material right after training camp. Hopefully go on a whirlwind tour during the season.

So when you try to evaluate the Washington Commanders it is to say the least a bit premature to make judgments. I don't think it is ever appropriate to judge guys. You put an artificial ceiling over their heads. That goes for everybody not just the young guys with their fluid brains and their virtual reality tutors. Even a veteran can surprise. And surprising football teams are a joy to behold.

Remember the Sgt. Pepper film where they put the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton together. Featuring the one and only Billy Shears, the central figure in the Paul is Dead alternate reality/conspiracy theory which was really the Beatles doing a Stanley Kubrick to create buzz. 

It was okay. But it wasn't the real Billy Shears was it? Billy was a Beatles creation, their attempt at Paperback Writing. The Beatles were creative geniuses. Never underestimate the extent of their playfullness.

I guess the equivalent of creating a phony narrative to sell records in football would be selling the defense on misdirection plays. Phony screens. Phony jets. Phony horror stories about bad practices. 

The worst supergroup I can think of would be the 2000 Washington Redskins, the 1999 Redskin version of Billy Shears. Snyder thought that was a supergroup. They sounded horrible.

I think the NFL banned phony injuries which must be the least enforceable rule they have because phony injuries are the go-to gimmick play at the end of games. Nobody throws a flag. 

Nobody threw a flag on Paul McCartney's phony injury. He's made millions and he's a Knight of the Realm.

Hopefully, Kingsbury and Whitt, like Lennon and McCartney, have a few good tunes up their sleeves getting this Commander Band ready to be a smash hit in 2024.

For now, the Coaches are teaching the band to play. It is mostly experimental music right now. But there is a glut of Commander Commentary. A ton of new people jawboning about Washington. 

I recommend the people on the sidebar for your edification and enjoyment.

 

Jazzed on the Newbies

JazzFest in New Orleans was this past weekend. WWOZ.ORG broadcasted it around the world. Some good stuff.

Toward the end of the Washington Commanders preseason, the D.C. Jazz Festival is taking place August 31 thru September 1. A good way to get jazzed up for the Season.

Here's the Howard University Jazz Ensemble Spring 2023 Concert.

Getting you ready for this weekend's cavalcade of Rookies at Commanders' Camp:

Keyshawn Johnson and Jayden Daniels. 

John Keim speaks with Johnny Newton's Coach.

The Sidewinder by Lee Morgan

Miles Davis

Rico From Street Scores gives you the rundown on Brandon Coleman. Brandon Coleman's Coach was on ABC7. One thing stuck out to me. Brandon played in the Air Raid at TCU. Might ease his transition a bit to Pro Ball. 

Well, because Kliff Kingsbury is an Air Raid Master who added a running game hemi.

A Darkhorse who is not really a darkhorse is Sam Hartman, coming to D.C. as a UDFA. Much has been made of his devilish good looks. So much so, the Broccolis are considering offering Sam the part of James Bond.

Just kidding.

Banjo Cogitations

Nothing is happening in the world of the Washington Commanders but rabid speculation about things that are never gonna happen. Shameless speculation.

Such as the below.

There is too much hype on these QBs people say Washington is going to draft. Can they bear that much load? I'd much prefer a QB without a lot of hype. Sam didn't have a lot of hype. He didn't break. 

Hype breaks people. Breakability is a key concept. 

I don't like people getting down on Marcus Mariota. A lot of QBs do their best work post-30. He's already loaded down with the typical NFL you can't play garbage. A lot of NFL analysts have concrete blocks for brains. Loosen up fellas. Let's not put the guy in prison already. We're not even in mini-camp yet.

I'd like to see them trade Randall Cunningham to the Vikings in exchange for more picks. Randall Cunningham is who Herm Edwards says Jayden Daniels is. Not Robert Griffin III. Edwards is right. Jayden didn't miss much time. And Cunningham was reasonably durable given his playing style. 

That 15-1 Vikings team would have beaten the Broncos in the Super Bowl. When Vikings fans look at Jayden they probably remember that touchdown-crazed Vikings squad. 

So I think the Vikings can be stripped of their dignity. Still haunted by what could have been with Randall and Randy Moss, I expect Vikings ownership would be gullible enough to cough up a couple picks. A couple players. A bowl of Grandma's chili.

And instead of the three overloaded QBs people say we have to pick, I'd prefer a QB, maybe two, with not a lot of weight on their shoulders. Some pro-style experience. Some raw talent. None of the Flash Gordon expectations that will almost certainly cause one or two of the holy trinity to crash and burn.

J.J. McCarthy AND Joe Milton.

Space Banjo is an interesting sound. Check them out.

Wichita Lineman

This song is one a lot of bands like to cover. And if you got a good guitar player you want to showcase its this or maybe Wilson Pickett's version of Hey Jude that will do the trick.

Bobby Pierce did a nice job on it. It was included on his album Introducing Bobby Pierce.

Recently the Black Pumas took a shot at it and did pretty good.

Some guitar instructors use Wichita Lineman in their lessons. I like Glen Campbell's version but I'm always up for new renditions.

Here's Songwriting Legend Jimmy Webb holding court on his masterpiece.

The Free Agency Waiting Room

A lot of guys looking at a change of venue in the "League" this week. Might be a good time for some mood music.

Here's one from The Little River Band.

Wilson Pickett did a rendition of Hey Jude with Duane Allman that was just mind-blowing. Certainly enough to inspire guys to the Super Bowl.

Is it enough to help the transition from thirty years of nothingness to a year of somethingness? I don't know.

I guess like Brandon Victor Dixon, Commanders fans have a little heaven on their minds.

God Is Not Dead

You might be looking for a song evocative of the feeling of your prayers being answered as a Washington D.C. football fan with the passing of the Snyder regime into the mists of infamy.

Or just a good dose of Gospel Nostalgia.

Either way, as an accompaniment to the managerial cogitations of the new Commanders contingent, take a listen to Dr. C.J. Johnson's refutation of the notion that the Divinity is Dead. A sentiment longtime sufferers of football in our nation's Capitol were tempted to share. But then came electric good news. 

Here Dr. Johnson dispenses a passionate rebuke. Shoe stomping Grace of the thunderous kind.

Now and forever.

Ole Buttermilk Sky

The 78Prof has a huge archive of old vinyl spins. This one is Ole Buttermilk Sky by Kay Kyser.

The78Prof: Ole Buttermilk Sky Kay Kyser

Once upon a time.

A Little Mood Music for Memorizing Your Playbook

This is String of Pearls. Try to remember when you hear the Modern Swing Bands at your fave D.C. venue.

From GreekCallas

We had a show locally in Charlottesville played every Sunday on AM Radio. So being on Amplitude Modulation you know you get that extra frizz almost like a vinyl record makes on an old Victrola. That was a beautiful show. Good for reading the Sunday papers. 

Swing Music is coming back with new interpretations. New renditions. Sort of like our beloved Commanders.