SJFS 2023 Night 1 recap May 18, 2023
Posted by Mike C. in Animation, Audio, Comedy, Health, Internet, Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Technology, Travel, TV, Video.add a comment
Friday, April 28, was the first of two nights for the 20th anniversary edition of Smooth Jazz for Scholars, hosted by keyboardist Jay Rowe in his hometown of Milford, Connecticut. The event, held on two nights since 2013, benefits the Milford Public Schools music department. It was the 19th SJFS overall (canceled by COVID in 2020 and ’21), my 15th overall, and 14th that I’ve seen it its entirety. (I only saw the first night in 2015 with that year’s WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony held the following afternoon back on Long Island.)
In the days and hours leading up to the Milford trip, I grew overwhelmed by the impending workload (photos and videos). I struggled to pack everything the afternoon of the 28th, having spent two hours editing most photos from the WCWP station dinner (for student and alumni staff) on the 26th. I didn’t want to go, but felt obligated to go because I didn’t want to back out of the commitment I’d made to Jay. I convinced myself this would be the last year. (SPOILER: It won’t be.)
I finally left house with my parents just before 2:00. We encountered traffic delays on I-95 in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Waze directed us through winding side streets in Westport. We were eventually directed back to I-95 in Bridgeport with little volume the rest of the way to Exit 36 in Milford (in New Haven County, if you’re wondering). Not knowing which would be the official hotel, we booked rooms at Hampton Inn a month or two earlier. Our rooms were on the second floor, facing opposite ends of the building. I chose the room facing the parking lot so I-95 traffic wouldn’t keep me awake.
After settling into our rooms, we went for dinner at Pasquale Pizza a short drive from the hotel. Since we were close to the hotel, I walked back after finishing my pasta. On the way, I passed a Gas & Go station:
That made me think of the Gasigo sequence in the “Heroboy” episode of Freakazoid! In the sequence, singing attendants delayed Freakazoid’s (Paul Rugg) attempt to reach the villain Gutierrez (Ricardo Montalban). They had to finish the jingle in Freak’s car. Watch:
The episode ended with the Gasigo attendants driving Gutierrez mad as they reprised their jingle:
South of Gas & Go was another gas station/convenience store: Cumberland Farms. I stopped in there to buy ice cream bars for dessert back in my room.
My friend Kelly drove down from Wallingford for the show and met me at my room door around 6:30. We hung out for a little while, then drove to the Parsons Complex. I had her stop at CVS on the way so I could buy a small notebook or pad for writing out the set list and side notes. I forgot to pack a notebook and my sleep mask. I got a cheap gray mask and stenographer pad (close enough), then went on to Parsons. We arrived close to 7:30, after the soundcheck, so the doors were open.
Before entering the Veterans Memorial Auditorium, I decided to take a chance on the 50/50 raffle. I took out my wallet from my coat’s right pocket and bought three tickets for $10. Little did I know I inadvertently knocked out my keys, and wouldn’t realize what happened until the next day. More on that in the Saturday post.
I got plenty of reassurance from Katherine Gilraine and Ron Hancox, my fellow photographers in the orchestra pit, along with friends like Jay Dobbins, Phyllis Abrams, and Robin Morin Stewart. I love what I do and I love the music. I shouldn’t put so much pressure on myself. I need to be present, enjoy myself, trust the process, and take my time. I don’t work for a media outlet. There is no deadline.
With newfound confidence, I set up my equipment on the center-left portion of the orchestra pit below the stage. Production manager Kevin McCabe came on stage around 8:10 to welcome the audience and thank the sponsors:
Then, he introduced Jay Rowe, who read his statement in the program that marked Smooth Jazz for Scholars’ 20th anniversary:
Here is that message:
20 years of Smooth Jazz for Scholars!! I certainly did not think I would reach this milestone when I had the idea to start this event 20 years ago. Doing these shows helped me to become a better musician and play with some of my favorite musicians and people!! In some cases, I was playing alongside my musical heroes like Jeff Lorber, Alex Bugnon, David Benoit, Marc Antoine and Peter White, while watching newer artists like Vincent Ingala and Eric Darius become superstars and amazing entertainers. There have been losses along the way such as the passing of Jeff Golub, Chuck Loeb, Nick Colionne [fan page] and Rohn [“Ron”] Lawrence. These guys are missed terribly in our musical community and will never be forgotten. I have learned much about how important music is in people’s lives and have examined my own relationship with music. I still love playing and I am grateful that musical dreams can still come true in advancing middle age!! I truly hope that the youth of Milford, Connecticut – the town I grew up in and still love to live in – can experience the joy I have when playing music in whatever they pursue when they grow up. I also hope they can have the wonderful friendships that I have had through playing music. Thanks so much to Ken Navarro, Marion Meadows, Chieli Minucci [“key-ellie min-oo-chee”] and Nelson Rangell for being there for me at the very first Smooth Jazz for Scholars show that we played back in 2003 at Foran High School. It is very fitting to me that these artists perform for the first night of our 20th anniversary weekend. It has been a pleasure working with all of the artists who have played at Smooth Jazz for Scholars over the years at various festivals, clubs and events all over the world. Thanks to all of the fans of smooth jazz who have supported this show for all these years. You have been the reason to keep this going to support music education in our public schools inspiring the next generation of artists and music teachers!! Thanks to our sponsors: Barrett Outdoor Communications; Milford Bank; Dr. Anna Cutaia, Superintendent for Milford Public Schools; Amy Perras, Instructional Supervisor for Music, Art and Library Media; Kathy Bonetti, Communications Coordinator for Milford Public Schools; my mom Mia DiStasi; my wife Deborah Rowe; Kevin McCabe; WRTC; Mike Stacy at WRCH; Gregg Roche, former host of The Sunday Smooth Jazz Brunch on WRCH; Steve Butler, my favorite booking agent; everyone in this ad book (program), all of the wonderful fans of smooth jazz and the great artists performing at this year’s shows. Enjoy this year’s shows and stay tuned for next year when Smooth Jazz for Scholars becomes an adult at 21!!
Jay Rowe, 2023 Smooth Jazz for Scholars program
As Jay said, all four headliners from the first show in 2003 were present on the first night 20 years later!
…and Nelson Rangell:
Jay’s house band had percussion by Steve Scales:
Trever Somerville on drums:
Dave Anderson on bass:
Andy Abel on guitar:
And directing it all, Jay Rowe on keyboards:
(Updated with videos on 5/31. The soundcheck was part of the original post.)
SET LIST
1. Every Woman Every Man (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: Smooth Ride (2016) (earlier version of this post incorrectly credited song to Groove Reflections)
Featured musician: Jay Rowe (keyboards)
2. Midnight Dance (Jay Rowe)
Single
Featured musician: Jay Rowe (keyboards)
3. Ballerina (Special EFX)
Originally heard on: Just Like Magic (1990)
Featured musician: Chieli Minucci (electric guitar)
4. George Can’t Dance (Special EFX)
Originally heard on: Catwalk (1994)
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), Nelson Rangell (alto sax)
5. Gratitude (Nelson Rangell)
New and unrecorded (10/5/23 UPDATE: It has since been recorded and will debut as a single tomorrow.)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (alto sax), Chieli Minucci (acoustic guitar)
6. Smokin’ Joe (Nelson Rangell)
New and unrecorded; tribute to Joe Sample
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (alto sax), Jay Rowe (keyboards)
7. Smooth Sensation (Ken Navarro)
Originally heard on: Smooth Sensation (1997)
Featured musician: Ken Navarro (acoustic guitar)
8. When We Dance (Ken Navarro)
Originally heard on: Into the Light (2020)
Featured musician: Ken Navarro (acoustic guitar)
9. The Lift (Marion Meadows) (started in audience)
Originally heard on: Body Rhythm (1995)
Featured musician: Marion Meadows (soprano sax)
10. My Cherie Amour (Marion Meadows; Stevie Wonder cover)
Originally heard on: Body Rhythm (1995)
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Jay Rowe (keyboards)
11. Daybreak (Special EFX)
Originally heard on: Global Village (1992)
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci (acoustic/electric guitars), Jay Rowe (keyboards), Dave Anderson (bass)
12. Sonora (Nelson Rangell; Hampton Hawes cover)
Originally heard on: Destiny (1995); My American Songbook, Vol. 1 (2005)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (whistling/piccolo), Ken Navarro (acoustic guitar)
13. In the Sky Today (Ken Navarro)
Originally heard on: All the Way (2003)
Featured musicians: Ken Navarro (acoustic guitar), Nelson Rangell (alto sax), Steve Scales (percussion), Trever Somerville (drums)
14. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (Special EFX; The Allman Brothers Band cover)
Originally heard on: Twenty Twenty 2 (2022)
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), Ken Navarro (electric guitar), Jay Rowe (keyboards)
Ken posted video of the soundcheck:
15. Marcosinho (Marion Meadows; Dave Valentin cover)
Originally heard on: Whisper (2013)
Featured musician: Marion Meadows (soprano sax)
16. Romantica (Marion Meadows) (ended in audience)
Originally heard on: Player’s Club (2004)
Featured musician: Marion Meadows (soprano sax)
17 (Finale). What You Won’t Do for Love (Bobby Caldwell cover, tribute to the recently departed singer)
Featured musicians: Everyone, Carla Z (vocals)
Marion was part of Bobby’s live band.
This part of the post is dedicated to photo galleries of the headliners. We start with Chieli Minucci on electric guitar:
Chieli on acoustic guitar:
Ken Navarro on acoustic guitar:
Ken on electric guitar for “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”:
Ken interacting with the band on “In the Sky Today”:
Marion Meadows starting in the audience for “The Lift”:
On stage:
Ending “Romantica” in the audience:
Nelson Rangell on alto sax:
Whistling on “Sonora”:
Whistling gave way to piccolo…
…and whistling while holding the piccolo:
Now, the house band, beginning with percussionist Steve Scales:
Drummer Trever Somerville:
Bassist Dave Anderson:
Andy Abel on acoustic guitar:
…and otherwise on electric:
Finally, Jay Rowe on keyboards (all but the first are from his “My Cherie Amour”):
On to medium and wide shots, beginning with Chieli and Nelson:
Chieli and Ken on “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”:
Ken and Nelson:
Nelson and Jay:
Marion and Jay:
Last in this section, Steve and Trever:
Why not give audience and photographer shots their own section?
Andrew James, Ron and Nydia Hancox 
Estella Taylor-Greene, Dolly Moye, Nydia Hancox, Jay Dobbins, Norma Rohadfox 
Another photo of the fab five in my camera’s sports mode. Jay Dobbins spotted me again.
When it came time for the raffles (between “…Elizabeth Reed” and “Marcosinho”), I forgot to only check my tickets for the 50/50 portion. I was needlessly exasperated when my numbers didn’t match what Jay Rowe called.
I was rightfully dismayed when I actually lost the 50/50, but at least my $10 went to a great cause. The winner was Steve, who graciously donated back $200 of his winnings.
The finale, “What You Won’t Do for Love,” featured vocals by Carla Z:
As I was packing up my camcorder – Panasonic HC-X1500 with VW-HU1 and Rode VideoMic GO II – and tripod – Magnus VT-300, Lisa Arpin approached me to say hello. We had met during Jay Rowe’s Tito Tuesdays livestreams on Facebook during the early months of COVID. Afterward, I put the speedlight on my camera – a Canon EOS R7 – for flash meet-and-greet photos. (I was close enough to the stage that the RF-S 18-150mm lens was all I needed.) Unfortunately, the flash and low ISO (100) darkened the background and washed out the foreground. So, I turned off the speedlight and had photos taken at the settings I used during the show: 1/100 second shutter speed and ISO 2500. Later in Adobe Photoshop Elements, I’d bump up the brightness and contrast. (I have regular Photoshop, but mostly use it for upscaling, PDF automation, and graphic design.)
The first photo is of Jay Dobbins and Andy Abel:
Andy and “Jay Squared” (Dobbins came up with that):
I wanted to get in one photo, which Andy’s sister Janet gladly took (the next day was her birthday):
Once more from the auditorium, me with Jay Dobbins and Steve Scales:
Out in the lobby, I missed a chance to catch up with Chieli Minucci, but was part of a conversation with Marion Meadows and Katherine Gilraine about a documentary he was working on.
It took three attempts to get a photo with Jay Rowe, his wife Deborah, and Nelson Rangell (sorry to all three of you):
The last photo of the night, taken by Kelly, was me with Kristin and Ken Navarro:
Ken acknowledged Kristin during the show before “When We Dance.” It was very nice to catch up with them. Ken spotted me in the orchestra pit while playing “Smooth Sensation,” saying hi to me during a rest. After the show, he climbed off stage to chat with me. I talked about how I’d be debuting tracks from Love is Everywhere on May 17 (last night) at the end of the second Three-of-a-Kind Showcase edition of Instrumental Invasion. Ken liked the concept.
Kelly dropped me off at Hampton Inn around midnight. I wrote the following back in my room (in the vein of what I wrote earlier in this recap):
I had a lot of apprehension and performance anxiety ahead of tonight, the first night of the 20th anniversary Smooth Jazz of Scholars. The thought of taking hundreds of photos and having to edit them all scared me. And yet, I was at the Parsons Complex in Milford and had a great time. No way will I give up what I do. It’s too much fun in the moment. That’s what should matter. I have to remind myself to be present. I can’t look ahead in fear. I have to enjoy myself and snap away. I’m beloved by all that know me, and that was true tonight.
Mike Chimeri, Facebook post, 4/29/23, 1:22 AM
Watching part of a Twitch livestream got me through the late night/early morning hours as I transferred photos and videos from their SD cards. Then, since I shoot RAW now, I imported all the photos into Adobe Lightroom, then exported them as JPGs and deleted the RAW files.
Before retiring for the night/morning, I edited the meet-and-greet photos to include in my all-is-well Facebook post. I was able to get a few hours of sleep before my body decided I’d had enough.
Instrumental Invasion, 5/10/23: Songs Recorded Live May 11, 2023
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, City Pop, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio.add a comment
The May 10 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was a two-day production. Talk breaks were recorded on March 13 with show mixing and a pickup on the 14th.
The playlist was created on March 7 and annotated on the 10th before going out to dinner for my mom’s birthday. The talk break script was drafted on the 11th and 12th.
This week and next week’s shows were conceived to make up for a lack of newly released music to play, but they were also fun to work on. This week, I expanded on the “almost live” theme from last May 25. There, only five songs were live recordings. Here, every song was a live recording, including Glenn Miller and the Army Air Force Band all the way back in 1943!
“Get Up!” by the Bob Mintzer Big Band was first played back on April 15, 2020, another theme show (music from 1985 and 2015).
This was the sixth show without a David Benoit song, but he did appear in “Weekend in Monaco” by The Rippingtons.
Click here to download this week’s aircheck MP3 or listen below:
Next week, six more Three-of-a-Kind Showcases!
Instrumental Invasion, 5/3/23 May 4, 2023
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Film, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, New Age, News, Personal, Radio, Travel.add a comment
The May 3 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was recorded entirely on March 8, the first one-day recording since February 1 for the third anniversary show (airing March 29). Pickups were recorded on the 8th (after principal recording) and 9th, with an additional pickup on April 17 after learning Ahmad Jamal had died.
The playlist was created on March 1, except for the last segment on the 4th. Annotations followed on the 6th and the talk break script was drafted on the 7th.
My “May the Third be with you” at the top of the show was a nod to Star Wars Day the next day (today). Playing off the franchise catchphrase “may the force be with you,” the greeting on May 4 is “May the Fourth be with you.” One May 5, I joked “Cinco de Mayo be with you” on social media.
I played two Casiopea songs, one from their second album and one from their latest. To that end, language and travel came up a lot.
The language part allowed me to recite words and names in their native dialect. Whole sentences were another matter, which is why I leaned on Google Translate for my Spanish description of “Del Corazón.” (I wrote this paragraph on March 9, a month before I started learning Japanese, as noted in last week’s post.)
The travel part was highlighted by “I Love New York” (from Casiopea’s Super Flight [transliterated Sūpāfuraito, per my talk break]), “Tappan Zee” (from Bob James‘s BJ4), and “Chattahoochee Field Day” (from Patrick O’Hearn‘s Eldorado).
Speaking of John Patitucci and his Brooklyn project evoked memories of visiting my great-grandparents in Midwood. Here is a photo from one such trip:
Click here to download this week’s scoped aircheck or listen below:
8:35 AM UPDATE: Oh, I forgot I made a Don Sebesky reference. He died on Saturday.
Instrumental Invasion, 4/26/23 April 27, 2023
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Animation, Anime, Audio, City Pop, Education, History, Idol, Internet, Japanese, Jazz, Language, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, Technology, Travel, TV, Video, VTuber.add a comment
The April 26 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP went on the air at the end of the station dinner for students and alumni. The dinner was held at The View Grill, located off Long Island Sound in Glen Cove. I listened to much of the first hour during a ride home from my parents. Mom took a photo of Dad’s infotainment system while tuned to 88.1 FM:
3:47 PM UPDATE: Here’s a photo I took with my camera:
I caught the rest at home.
I have a lot to say, so I’ll get the scoped aircheck out of the way here:
The show’s playlist was created on February 24, annotated on the 27th and 28th, scripted on the 28th and March 1.
For the first time since December 7, I recorded out of sequence. Segments 6, 1, and 3 were recorded on March 2, followed by segments 2, 4, and 5 on March 3. I wanted to get the last segment out of the way because of the mammoth talk break that expounded on my city pop discovery, including excerpts of “4:00 A.M.” by Taeko Onuki and of the Caitlin Myers English version. My hunch was right, but I only managed to go 69 seconds over, plus another three seconds in the first segment where I first discussed city pop vis-à-vis Casiopea. I had little trouble compensating, completely making up for the overage over the last four segments without remixing.
After recording a quick pickup for the second segment on March 4, I redid the entire last talk break on the 5th. Taeko noted in a 2017 interview that Stuff drummer Chris Parker played on Sunshower, her precursor to Mignonne. Eric Gale was in Stuff. Maybe it was him. I bought a 2008 CD reissue of Mignonne on Amazon, planning on scanning the presumably Japanese liner notes once it arrived on March 6 and translating the text in the scan. Hedging my bets, the full talk break record said the soloist was Eric. Then, I did an alternate tack-on where I said it wasn’t. I played part of the solo in each.
Served me right for not noticing Discogs’ entry for Mignonne‘s 1989 CD reissue with its English credits. Nope, not Eric. It was Tsunehide Matsuki. I canceled the Amazon CD order, cited the Discogs ’89 CD credit, tacked that onto the earlier redos, and called it a night. I did one more pickup for this redo on March 7 because I was unsure of whether or not Caitlin Myers had more city pop adaptations in the pipeline. I did a separate pickup for the first segment on the 7th, with the precise Japanese transliteration of Casiopea, and a pickup for the top of hour 2.
For posterity, here was the original last talk break with all my nervous energy:
The redo where it was Eric Gale (and the Caitlin YouTube channel plug):
The redo tack-on where it wasn’t Eric:
Read about my early city pop journey in this blog post.
I’ll still include the relevant city pop videos, starting with the original “4:00 A.M.” by Taeko Onuki (or Ohnuki):
As Lou Monte would say (in “Lazy Mary”), the “British” version by Caitlin Myers (from the U.S.):
And T2norway‘s video about Casiopea:
[Removed on 5/3]
April 15 portion joined in progress:
Caitlin’s anime dubbing background inspired me to sign up with CrunchyRoll and watch select anime series. I started with the second season of Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club, featuring Caitlin as the introverted Shioriko Mifune, who slowly comes out of her shell as the season progresses. At first, I wondered “why the hell am I watching this?,” but by the third episode, I was hooked. So, now I can add idol/virtual idol to my diverse musical interests. (What I play on Instrumental Invasion remains my primary interest.) Incidentally, the English dub does not account for songs, meaning episodic numbers and the opening and closing themes are sung by the original seiyuu (Japanese voice actors).
On March 28, YouTube recommended a Ruri Ohama video, which led to a recommendation of a compilation video by JapanesePod101.com. After watching several of those compilations, I took the plunge by subscribing to the site itself and taking various courses. JapanesePod101.com is a division of the Franklin Square-based Innovative Language Learning. I always feel a sense of pride when I come across a Long Island-based company, past or present. Concurrently, I subscribed to Mochi real Japanese (Mochi Sensei) to learn Japanese from her videos. The teaching styles differ, but that’s okay.
[Removed on 5/3]
Back to what I wrote on March 3:
Ever since I watched Cronkite Remembers on DVD in the 2000s, I’ve had the introductory narration to Walter Cronkite‘s You Are There in my head. “We Were There” by Jazz Funk Soul always jogs my memory, but I never thought to play it on Instrumental Invasion until this show. The way I did the talk-up is how I’ve said the title to myself.
“Knee Deep in Rio” by Maynard Ferguson and Big Bop Nouveau was the song I moved from last week after realizing I wrongly placed it in the 1985-97 segment.
Robben Ford‘s “Magic Sam” was originally played on October 19 before I knew of the eponymous blues musician. Back then, I assumed it was about a magician, and I said that he “disappeared” as Jay Mirabile’s liner played on the fade out.
Tomorrow, I travel to Milford, Connecticut, to attend and photograph Smooth Jazz for Scholars. Wish me luck.
6:11 PM UPDATE: [Removed on 5/3]
Instrumental Invasion, 4/19/23 April 20, 2023
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, Sports.add a comment
The April 19 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was another 4-2 recording with four segments recorded on February 25 and two (plus pickups) the next day, on the 26th.
The playlist was created on February 11, but tweaked on the 13th when I inadvertently put a 1998 song in the first 1985-97 segment. That song will be part of next week’s show. Annotations started on February 14, but weren’t completed until the 22nd. The talk break script was drafted on the 21st and 24th.
There were three retreads, all from 2020:
- David Benoit‘s cover of “Eye of the Tiger” dates back to May 20, but I had more background information on the original this time. I also referenced my WGBB past, since I was introduced to the song in the mid ’90s by Halftime Howie on his high school sports-centered radio show, and I was his lead-in late in The Instrumental Invasion‘s run. When I promoted the show on Facebook yesterday, David complimented me for playing this song. “Wow that’s a real oldie! Going back to the AVI days!” After I said I’d digitized it from a Waves of Raves cassette, he added “very cool!” I told him “I appreciate that.”
- Jeff Lorber‘s cover of “Ain’t Nobody” was recycled from October 7, with more background info.
- “Unified” by Brian Simpson and Steve Oliver was first played 156 weeks ago (another of those) – April 22. Once again, I referenced the home remodeling contractor‘s harmonious jingle. I thought about playing the jingle, going so far as clipping from a commercial on Unified’s YouTube channel. Fearing legal action, I held back. After all, WCWP staff were recently warned against references to Michael Buffer’s iconic (but trademarked) catchphrase.
Click here to download this week’s scoped aircheck or listen below:
And why not post the Unified jingle?
Instrumental Invasion, 4/12/23 April 13, 2023
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Astronomy, Audio, City Pop, Computer, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, Sci-Fi, Technology, Video, Video Games.add a comment
The April 12 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was recorded entirely on February 22, the day after my city pop journey began.
The playlist was created February 8, except for the last segment on the 10th. Annotations started on February 14 and finished on the 15th. The talk break script was drafted on the 21st.
This is the third week in a row with two Chick Corea songs, and second where the first song was followed by an Earl Klugh song.
I expanded my Maynard Ferguson collection with three of his latest albums, debuting this week. Maynard and Will Donato covered different songs with the same title: “I’ll Be Around.” One was the Alec Wilder standard, the other by The Spinners. Of course, last week, I played two versions of the same song: “Sunrise” by Chet Atkins.
Fourplay‘s “Aniversario” was originally played on December 30, 2020, and Najee‘s “Bounce” was first heard on August 10, 2022.
I had the opposite problem of last week, ending up two minutes and 30 seconds under after five segments! Thus, I filled the void with an extra song and reworked the final talk break. That song was David Murray’s 8-Bit Keys arrangement of “The Unknown Planet” by John Keating (or Johnny Keating), as adapted by Rob Hubbard for the video game Warhawk. In my haste, I forgot I played a Cedar Walton song (“The Early Generation”) in the first segment that featured Freddie Hubbard, so I didn’t emphasize Rob’s first name. Here is the accompanying 8-Bit Keys video:
The plan worked too well and I had to give back five seconds in the fourth segment. Either way, the last segment was the longest I’ve ever produced: 20 minutes and 45 seconds, breaking the old record set on January 4.
Click here to download this week’s scoped aircheck or listen below:
Instrumental Invasion, 4/5/23 April 6, 2023
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio.add a comment
The April 5 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was recorded on February 19 (four segments) and 20 (two segments). Pickups were recorded on the 20th and 22nd.
The playlist was created hour by hour on February 3 and 4. Annotations didn’t come until February 14 and the talk break script was drafted on the 18th. I made two one-minute timing errors that escaped my eye until recording, a combined two minutes over. As the playlist PDF shows, I was able to break even after much maneuvering.
“Sign of the Times” by Bob James was first played on June 2, 2021, and “Drive Time” by David Benoit was recycled from the second Wednesday night show – April 8, 2020, 156 weeks ago.
Click here to download this week’s scoped aircheck or listen below:
Instrumental Invasion, 3/29/23: Third Anniversary March 30, 2023
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, Weather.add a comment
The March 29 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP marked three years since my Wednesday night premiere! The show was recorded entirely on February 1. Pickups were recorded on the 1st, 2nd, and 9th (after learning Burt Bacharach had died). Thus, I’d recorded three shows in four days, my fastest output since recording the first six shows on consecutive days in March 2020.
The playlist was created on January 21, a day after the two prior shows (March 15, March 22), and annotated on January 25 and 26. The talk break script was drafted January 28.
I padded out the last talk break of the show with more information regarding the midnight sun while back-selling the Ahmad Jamal version of “Midnight Sun.” With 33 seconds left to fill, I redid the third segment’s talk breaks at a slower pace and swapped the short Jeff Kroll liner in the first segment for the longer “smile, Mike!” liner. I reinstated the short liner a week later to compensate for the Burt Bacharach acknowledgment.
Following in the tradition of anniversary shows past (first, second), the hour 1 format was 1984 and earlier – with songs from 1967 to ’83 – and hour 2’s format was ’85 to ’97 – with songs running the gamut, just like last year.
The underlying theme was songs with April in the title, seeing how the Wednesday night premiere aired April 1, 2020. It was the second week in a row with a version of “April Fools” by John Favicchia.
Click here to download this week’s scoped aircheck or listen below:
8:35 AM UPDATE: Whoops! I left in an error. April 1 is Saturday, not Friday.
Audiobooking 8 March 24, 2023
Posted by Mike C. in Animation, Audiobooks, Basketball, Comedy, Film, Game Shows, Golf, History, Media, Music, News, Personal, Podcast, Politics, Radio, Rock, Sports, Technology, Theatre, TV, Video Games.add a comment
It’s time for the annual “audiobooking” post. Most are visible in the thumbnail, but here are all the audiobooks (with links) that I’ve listened to on Audible since post #7 last year:
- Thanks a Lot, Mr. Kibblewhite: My Story by Roger Daltrey
- All About Me! My Remarkable Life in Show Business by Mel Brooks
- The Kid Stays in the Picture by Robert Evans (1930-2019)
- Killing the Killers: The Secret War Against Terrorists by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard (read by Robert Petkoff)
- I Am C-3PO: The Inside Story by Anthony Daniels with J.J. Abrams (foreword written and read by J.J., otherwise read by Anthony; “th” pronounced like a “t”)
- Out of the Corner: A Memoir by Jennifer Grey
- Directed by James Burrows: Five Decades of Stories from the Legendary Director of Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace, and More; written by James Burrows with Eddy Friedfeld (foreword by Glen and Les Charles, read by Danny Campbell; otherwise read by Jimmy) – previously referenced on 9/14/22 Instrumental Invasion
- Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra Peterson (“cassahndra”)
- Priceless Memories by Bob Barker with Digby Diehl (read by Bob; credits read by Robert Petkoff!) – I already have this as a CD set, but I wanted the Audible treatment
- Cheech is Not My Real Name…But Don’t Call Me Chong! by Cheech Marin
- May You Live in Interesting Times: A Memoir by Laraine Newman – previously referenced on 12/7/22 Instrumental Invasion
- Laugh Lines: My Life Helping Funny People Be Funnier by Alan Zweibel (foreword written and read by Billy Crystal, otherwise read by Alan)
- Hello, Molly! A Memoir by Molly Shannon with Sean Wilsey (read by Molly)
- I’m Still a 10-Year-Old Boy: Revised and Edited by Nancy Cartwright – includes audio clips, notably of voice over lessons with Daws Butler
- Wish It Lasted Forever: Life with the Larry Bird Celtics by Dan Shaughnessy – Dan did impressions of Bird and various players when reading their quotes. His Bill Walton impression inspired me to pick up…
- Back from the Dead: Searching for the Sound, Shining the Light, and Throwing It Down by Bill Walton
- Killing the Legends: The Lethal Danger of Celebrity by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard (read by Robert Petkoff) – chronicles the lives and final days of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and Muhammad Ali
- Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me by Ralph Macchio
- Where’s My Fortunate Cookie? My Psychic, Psurrealistic Pstory by The Firesign Theatre‘s Phil Proctor with Brad Schreiber (read by Phil) – includes clips from various Firesign recordings, updates exclusive to the audiobook via Phil’s podcast
- Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
- I Must Say: My Humble Life as a Comedy Legend by Martin Short – includes Marty as his many characters, rendition of his Christmas party song with Marc Shaiman
- A Life in Parts by Brian Cranston
- The Gospel According to Luke by Steve Lukather with Paul Rees (read by Luke with exclusive ad-libs)
- Face the Music: A Life Exposed by Paul Stanley
- I got halfway through an audiobook by a New Jersey-based musician and actor who was part of a long-running HBO drama. Then, the author launched into a long political dissertation. I returned my credit and moved on to…
- Disrupting the Game: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo by Reggie Fils-Aimé (“feese-ah-may”) – main audiobook is followed by off-the-cuff conversion with video game journalist Geoff Keighley
- I only lasted five minutes or so on an audiobook about the media until it became clear this would mostly contain interview excerpts from the author’s podcast. So, I returned that credit.
- Straight Shooter: A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes by Stephen A. Smith
- So Help Me Golf: Why We Love the Game by Rick Reilly – a collection of golf-themed essays
That’s a total of 27 audiobooks (two co-written by O’Reilly, one wholly by Reilly), plus two returns. Everything from I’m a Still a 10-Year-Old Boy through Face the Music was purchased in October while Audible steeply discounted their catalog. Since then, I only use Audible credits on audiobooks over $14.95, the monthly membership fee. Of course, if I buy three credits for $35.88, then I’ll buy anything over $11.96.
Next year’s “audiobooking” post will be the ninth overall, but the tenth anniversary. Until then, happy listening.
5/26/24 UPDATE: I can no longer commit time to these “Audiobooking” blog posts. So, last year’s eighth post is the final post. Thank you for following my journey through audiobooks over the past decade.
Instrumental Invasion, 3/22/23 March 23, 2023
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Football, History, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, Sports, TV.add a comment
The March 22 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was recorded one hour per day on January 30 (after completing last week’s show) and 31. Pickups were recorded on the 31st and February 1.
The playlist was created alongside last week’s on January 20, annotations followed on the 25th, and the talk break script was drafted on the 27th.
Key January 31 pickups were for the Gregg Karukas song I played. I didn’t realize my mistake until putting “Soul Secrets” into Adobe Audition and seeing its shorter duration. “Secret Smile” was the song I wanted, and it had radically different credits. So, I fixed the annotations and script. I also recycled Jeff Kroll’s “smile, Mike!” from the earlier liner. That liner led into “Behind the Rain” by Herb Alpert. This time, I didn’t even bother guessing who played what, but I challenge you to listen and not think of slow-motion NFL highlights narrated by John Facenda.
Another notable pickup padded out hour 2’s second segment, ad-libbing January 20 tidbits that I left in the annotations, but didn’t put back in the script.
This was only the fifth show in 155 without a song by David Benoit. Like the other four times, he will be back next week.
Click here to download this week’s scoped aircheck or listen below:
MikeChimeri.com 