2022 Long Island Retro Gaming Expo recap August 21, 2022
Posted by Mike C. in Audio, Aviation, Books, Education, History, Internet, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Podcast, Travel, TV, Video, Video Games, Weather.Tags: Brett Weiss, CU podcast, ian ferguson, John Riggs, leonard herman, LI Retro, Long Island Retro Gaming Expo, pat contri, ralph baer, Video Games
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Part 1: Introduction
The Long Island Retro Gaming Expo‘s long-awaited return came on Friday, August 12, after a three-year COVID-caused absence. Yes, the expo was expanded to three days starting this year, running from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening. The venue was the same as always: the Cradle of Aviation Museum, situated along Museum Row in East Garden City on the former site of Mitchel Air Force Base.
The purported 2020 edition of LI Retro was announced in February of that year. I immediately bought a weekend pass (still just two days). Little did anyone know that the faraway disease then referred to as the Coronavirus would reach the United States a few weeks later. As COVID-19 spread and a pandemic grew, venues shut down and events were either canceled or postponed. LI Retro’s postponement came that May. 2020 tickets would be honored in ’21. UPLINK, a virtual expo, was scheduled in its place on August 8 and 9. Of course, I attended and wrote a recap.
Even as vaccines were rolled out going into 2021, the organizers felt it was too soon to resume. Thus, they postponed again to ’22; and again, tickets for the postponed years would be honored. Another edition of UPLINK was held virtually in February. I attended, but was overwhelmed by the amount of transcribing and note-taking I’d have to do for the panels I planned on watching. So, I abandoned the recap in favor of continued radio show production.
Last December, LI Retro held its first annual one-day Festival of Games. I was in and out within two hours after a photographic walking tour (similar to the one you’ll see later in this post), arcade game sampling, and buying games from vendors. There was a recap for that.
As August drew closer, a third day of LI Retro was introduced. I considered attending, but opted to stick to the weekend.
With a week to go, I feared I’d compulsively take too many photos, a habit that’s gotten out of hand (i.e. Memorial Day boat ride, June 18 Mets game). I only took 353 photos at another Mets game on August 10, but sure enough, I went overboard at LI Retro. To that end, this is the first post with photo galleries.
The bulk of my photos were shot with my DSLR, but I took supplemental photos with my iPhone.
I arrived at the Cradle of Aviation Museum at 10:06 AM on Saturday:
Within 15 minutes, I was inside. I walked to the box office and handed my ticket to the attendant in exchange for a badge. “Finally,” I told her, “after 2 1/2 years, I get to use this [ticket].” She handed me my badge and my adventure began.
Part 2: Panels
My first panel – after meeting and greeting, and photographing the vendor rooms, was by Brett Weiss. “I Survived the Video Game Crash of 1983” began at 11AM in Panel Room 2. I joined it in progress, grabbing a front row seat, but oddly holding back on photos.
Brett talked about his experiences with arcade games and home video game consoles from the second generation into the third, and how the rise of home computers played a role in the 1983 crash.
During the Q&A session at the end, I relayed (but didn’t ask, so I apologized) my video game experience growing up. I was a home (and school) computer guy, fluent with Apple II, and my sister and I received an NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) in February 1990, as the third home video game console generation gave way to the fourth.
The book in the last photo is the one I bought from Brett afterward.
After snacking on a protein bar, I entered the Main Theatre for Pat Contri and Ian Ferguson’s 12:30 PM panel. I spoke to Pat and Ian during my meet and greet session two hours earlier, reminding them that I met them in 2019 and immersed myself in content from Pat’s YouTube channel after buying (at their merchandise table) the four DVD sets of Pat the NES Punk and the book Ultimate Nintendo: Guide to the NES Library. I subsequently bought the SNES guide. I wrote reviews of each – NES, SNES. (And you can buy the DVDs and books here.) This year, I bought two stickers and a CU Podcast (Completely Unnecessary Podcast) t-shirt. It was the last large size they had. I said I’d probably get along swimmingly with Frank, Pat’s older friend from New Jersey who settled in San Diego before Pat and Ian made their respective moves there.
Pat and Ian’s panel was a live portion of their next episode of the CU Podcast. Before it started, and while I settled into my front row seat, the volunteer assigned to the theater asked them to “say something into the microphone” as a mic check. Ian jokingly parroted the request: “say something into the microphone.” I amusingly replied, “I knew you were gonna say that.”
Continuing from prior episodes, Pat and Ian criticzed Tommy Tallarico and his vaporware console that would have been (or could still be?) the Intellivision Amico. On display above them was the console’s leaked “fact book.” There will be audio and video, but first, the photos:
You can hear the panel-turned-podcast-episode here. My portion of the Q&A starts at 1:57:08, but I’ve clipped it here:
And this is a video excerpt from the panel – shot with the iPhone on the table – that was posted to Pat’s YouTube channel:
I was the voice at 16:44 saying that Sean Astin narrated a video game documentary. I was thinking of Video Games: The Movie, but a comment to the video said the fact sheet was referencing the later docuseries called Playing with Power: The Nintendo Story.
I liked Ian’s quaint pronunciation of wanton, “wonton” instead of “wantin’.”
Video of the Q&A portion:
My questions start at 18:26, “Tommy” starts at 25:13.
Theater guests had to exit on the third floor, so I bode my time by taking photos of the few console freeplay tables there. Then, I snapped pics for most of the second floor exhibits prior to the Axinn Air and Space Museum Hall entrance. I saved that for after the 2PM panel back in the theater.
In that 2PM panel, John Blue Riggs performed a live ROM hack of Super Mario Bros. for the NES, the first game I played in February 1990 via the Duck Hunt combo cart. With the right software, John imported tiles from whatever NES game ROMs the audience requested, and he altered the SMB code to altered the colors and text. Let the editing begin!
I spoke to John during the meet and greet, letting him know that like his son, I am on the autism spectrum, specifically with what used to be called Asperger Syndrome. While at his table, I bought a Sega Genesis ROM hack that put Scott Pilgrim from his titular video game in Streets of Rage 2. We posed for a photo, but when I got home, I was dismayed to find that my DSLR’s lens didn’t focus on us when his tablemate Dave took our photo. They graciously allowed a do-over with my iPhone Sunday morning.
Here is John’s aforementioned vlog of his LI Retro experience:
I’m in the vlog at 13:30, going through my DSLR camera roll before John’s panel. At 19:56, he and Dave ate at Friendly’s in nearby East Meadow. I ate there with my girlfriend Kelly during her visit in April.
After the panel, I photographed what I believed to be nearly every other nook and cranny of the freeplay and tournament areas. John saw much more than I did.
The last item on my Saturday agenda was to buy games from vendors. (See the end of part 4.)
The combination of excitement from earlier in the day and a loud block party somewhere south of my house kept me from relaxing and easing into sleep. I probably slept two to four hours, at best.
I arrived at day three of the Long Island Retro Gaming Expo at around 10:30 AM. I met Justin, Marshall, and Kieran from Cinemassacre/Screenwave Media (and bought Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie), got the second chance photo with Riggs, and hung out at Leonard Herman‘s table. I’ve known Lenny (to his friends and family) since meeting him at the 2018 LI Retro and then reviewing his video game history book, Phoenix IV. In 2019, I met his associate Jeff, and this year, I was honored to meet Patrick Wong and Mark W. Baer, the middle child of Dena and Ralph H. Baer, the inventor of videogames (one word). They’re all nice and friendly, and it was my pleasure buying Ralph’s book Videogames in the Beginning, and Kate Hannigan‘s biographical children’s book, Blips on a Screen. I will definitely read that to Leo F. Giblyn School students next March, another annual tradition of mine.
Lenny and Mark’s panel was at 11:30 AM in Panel Room 2. Again, I sat in the front row. Lenny grew to be like a surrogate son to Ralph, and the brotherly love between he and Mark was on display throughout the panel, especially in the first two pics.
I linked to it in the gallery, but here again is Ralph and Bill Harrison’s 1969 Brown Box demo:
Part 3: Meet and greet photos
Lenny Herman and Mark Baer:
Patrick Wong:
Jeff, in his Pac-Man suit:
Brett Weiss:
Pat Contri and Ian Ferguson:
John Riggs:
The Cinemassacre/Screenwave Media crew, Justin and Marshall:
…and I met Kieran while browsing a vendor’s games:
You’ll see merchandise and games in the pickups portion of this recap.
Part 4: Touring the expo
Musical performance: 88bit (a.k.a. Rob Kovacs):
88bit was featured in John Riggs’s vlog.
The other performers were ConSoul, Retro & Chill, and Super Thrash Bros. (also in John’s vlog).
The line ahead of the cosplay contest, held Saturday at 3:30 PM in the Main Theatre:
High score challenges:
Just Dance 4 (to “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley):
Tournaments:
Game Boy Selfie Station with the Game Boy Camera and Printer:
Console freeplay:
Indie and homebrew games:
Arcade freeplay:
PC freeplay:
Before I left for home on Sunday, I tried out some console and arcade freeplay games, but not PC games. Maybe next year. The console games I played were Joust (Atari 7800), Sonic CD (Sega CD), Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo), and Virtua Tennis (Sega Dreamcast). The arcade games I attempted were Space Invaders, Arkanoid, NARC, VS. Hogan’s Alley, Ms. Pac-Man, and Mortal Kombat.
I even gave LJN Video Art a try. It was just as finicky as The Angry Video Game Nerd (James Rolfe) made it out to be.
I was pleasantly surprised to see a TV running the WeatherStar 4000 simulator, a tribute to The Weather Channel local forecasts/Local on the 8s in the 1990s (check TWC Classics for examples):
Vendor Room:
Vendor Room annex (“More Vendors”), also home to meet and greets (and the food court):
When I was finished taking photos on Saturday, I began making the rounds in the vendor room to pickup video games. I vowed not to spend more than $25 on a game, and with one exception, I honored my vow. I successfully haggled when necessary, paying $15 for $17 worth of games, $20 for $23 worth, and $30 for $33 worth. Otherwise, one vendor discounted $7 from my $132 total and another had a two for $10 deal if you bought two $6 games. The only game I bought priced above $25 was the Xbox port of The Simpsons: Hit & Run, which was $35. It was my last purchase before leaving on Saturday. My last two purchases on Sunday were Legacy of the Wizard and Rolling Thunder, both for NES.
I was satisfied with my pickups, which brings us to…
Part 5: Pickups
Saturday pickups:
Merchandise:
- Blips on a Screen by Kate Hannigan (writer) and Zachariah Ohora (illustrator)
- Videogames in the Beginning by Ralph H. Baer
- Streets of Rage 2: Scott Pilgrim (John Riggs Sega Genesis ROM hack)
- CU Podcast t-shirt (large)
- Pixel Pat sticker
- Ask Frank sticker
- The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987 by Brett Weiss
NES (Nintendo Entertainment System):
Super NES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System):
- Animaniacs
- Frank Thomas’ Big Hurt Baseball
- NCAA Basketball
- Super Caesars Palace
- Super R-Type
- Super Scope 6 (pack-in game for Super Scope light gun; someday, I’ll get that)
- MVP Baseball 2004
- NFL Blitz 20-03 (“twenty-oh-three”)
I’d wanted The Simpsons: Hit & Run ever since it was lauded in the Game Sack video on Simpsons games. (Click here to start at the relevant portion.) Epic Mickey was on my mind after seeing it on Friday in a 2017 Cygnus Destroyer video on his Top 10 Disney Games (link removed with channel in 2023). I didn’t think to check the condition of the discs before buying, and was disappointed to see their scuffed appearance on Saturday night. You’ll see below that Epic Mickey 2 was one of my Sunday pickups from a vendor that also had the original game. All discs at his booth were in pristine condition. I lamented my mistake from the day before, chalking it up to a lesson learned. This Nintendo link taught me a positive lesson on Sunday night: how to clean discs. Monday night, I took dampened part of a washcloth and wiped Epic Mickey from left to right, line by line, then did the same with a dry part of the washcloth. The game played flawlessly in my Wii U. Tuesday morning, I did the same to Hit & Run and had the same positive result in my Xbox 360. Hit & Run was more fun and intuitive to play than Epic Mickey.
Sunday pickups:
Merchandise:
I watched the AVGN movie in 2019 on Amazon Prime Video, but it was later delisted. Now, I own a Blu-ray copy. They can’t take that away from me.
NES:
Xbox:
Wii:
It may be a while before I get a Super Scope, but the Saturday after LI Retro, I bought a Wii Balance Board, Wii Fit U, and a Wii Fit U Fit Meter. Now, I can play all the Wii Fit games and track my steps.
Just as AVGN made Ikari Warriors infamous (outtakes), Wii Music’s bad reputation stems from the crazy demo at E3 2008. I almost bought still another infamous NES game, Deadly Towers, on the Saturday of the expo, but relented.
Part 6: Conclusion
All good things must come to an end, and my time at the 2022 Long Island Retro Gaming Expo ended at 2:05 PM on Sunday, August 14. I took two parting shots with my iPhone before riding home:
Thank you for making it to the end of my recap. I know there was a lot to process, and it was a labor of love to draft the post. Patience was required often as WordPress struggled to display the text I typed, presumably because of all the photos and captions.
Thank you to all the guests I met and reacquainted with, to the vendors I bought from, and my fellow attendees, like budding game designer Brandon.
Special thanks to the LI Retro organizers and volunteers, especially Ryan Shapiro. You were all friendly and highly accommodating. I greatly appreciate that.
Until next year, so long.
June 18 Mets-Marlins game photo slideshow August 7, 2022
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Internet, Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, Video.add a comment
Back on June 18, I traveled to Citi Field with my dad, his fellow members of Freeport Fire Department’s Truck 1, and their families. We had Promenade level tickets – left field side – to the New York Mets‘ 4:10 game against the Miami Marlins. The Mets won the game 3-2.
I brought my Nikon D5500 and superzoom lens to take photos from start to finish. I compulsively took over 700 photos, whittled down to 524 after several weeks of stop and go editing. (Having a weekly radio show limits my free time.) On top of that, I took eight photos with my iPhone 13 Pro as I walked along the Promenade to get a ReadyCARD prepaid debit card in the team store and use some of that money on a collectible bowl of Mister Softee. (Dad treated me to chicken fingers and fries before the game.) When I got home around 10PM – everyone else wanted to stop for pizza in Howard Beach – I cleaned the bowl with soap and water, soaking it overnight to get out the ice cream smell. I rinsed in the morning and the smell was gone. The bowl became my new pen and marker holder, as seen the morning of Tuesday, June 21:
I couldn’t possibly post all 532 photos I took at Citi Field, so I painstakingly combined them into a video slideshow on Friday and yesterday, complete with planes on their final approach to LaGuardia Airport. It’s 11 minutes and 11 seconds long.
Dad and I head back to Citi Field on Wednesday with my sister for a 1:10 game against the Cincinnati Reds. This time, we’re at field level on the first base side. I hope to take no more than 150 photos.
Without further ado, the June 18 slideshow, set to the live version of “While the World Slowly Turns” by Brian Hughes:
As a bonus for those who made it to the end, here is the featured image (thumbnail):
2020-21 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony June 17, 2022
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Education, Internet, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Rock, Technology, Travel, Video.2 comments
Other Hall of Fame ceremony recaps: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
Video of the ceremony can be found at the end of this post.
It’s been three years since the last ceremony, but last Saturday, the WCWP Hall of Fame finally added five new inductees to its ranks. Due to delays by the COVID-19 pandemic, there were two sets of inductees:
- 2020: Alan Seltzer and Christina Kay (announced at Homecoming in 2019)
- 2021: Joe Manfredi, Jay Mirabile and Mike Chimeri
Yes, it’s true! I’d been dreaming of getting into the Hall of Fame for years and I got the dream fulfilling call last April.
Earlier this year, outgoing director of broadcasting Dan Cox reached out to the five of us for a ceremony date that worked for us. That date was Saturday, June 11. The venue ended up being the former LIU Post campus bookstore, now known as the Alumni and Employer Engagement Building…or it was, and now it’s Alumni Hall.
I reached out to friends and family, hoping they could attend. No matter how many turned out, I’d be happy.
I wore a suit and shirt combo that I picked out on Thursday with a tie that my mother Lisa bought with colors similar to those of LIU.
I may have been one of the inductees, but I still took photos and video when it wasn’t my turn. So, after dressing up, I packed up my DSLR camera, battery pack with a spare battery attached, camcorder, GoPro, and tripods to connect to them and my iPhone, which I would have brought anyway.
Once my sister Lauren arrived at noon, she, our mom, and dad Bill all left for campus. I was worried we’d be late after traffic was diverted away from the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway entrance on Alken Avenue in North Wantagh, but once we entered via Hicksville Road, we made great time, parking next to the Alumni Hall (I’ve settled on that name) at 12:40 (hey, like WGBB!).
Not wanting to unpack my camera yet, I took establishing exterior shots with my phone:
The ceremony began at 1:22:
The first 2020 inductee was Alan Seltzer, currently host of The Grooveyard on WCWP. He was inducted by Scott Perschke:
After each acceptance speech, guests were invited to share any stories. 2013 inductee Bernie Bernard had one about Alan, which he elaborated on: the story of the 1978 Dome Auditorium collapse. 
2019 inductee Lew Scharfberg talked about the collapse at his induction, and he shared his perspective again this year.
The second 2020 inductee was Christina Kay, now of WALK 97.5. She was inducted by Dan Cox:
Dan admitted in his induction speech that he considers her a second daughter. 
Christina’s table 
Yes, the plaque has a typo. It will be replaced. 
The storytellers following Christina’s speech were Charlie Moerler… 
Chris Maffei… 
Bernie Bernard… 
David North, Christina’s colleague at WALK 97.5 when he was a news anchor and reporter there… 
…and Will Bruner. 
Before moving on to the 2021 inductees, Dan Cox awarded the inaugural Art Beltrone Founders Award to Dan Casazza:
New director of broadcasting (or station manager, if you will) and 2019 inductee Pete Bellotti inducted two of the three 2021 inductees. First, Joe Manfredi, the station manager of Old Westbury Web Radio (OWWR) (listen here), serving nearby SUNY Old Westbury:
Joe acknowledged me in his speech, asking me to name some of the musicians I interviewed (over the phone) on The Mike Chimeri Show. The interviews can be found here, warts and all (meaning I’m hesitant to listen). 
There was also an anecdote about Karen Fiorelli’s news report blunder. 
Stories were shared by Dan Cox… 
Alana Leider, currently host of The Rockin’ Sunday Show on WCWP… 
Sandra Cerrone, a.k.a. DJ Sandra Dee, one of Joe’s Old Westbury Web Radio alumni… 
I love this camcorder vidcap. It’s like a Dean Martin Celebrity Roast cutaway. 6/18 UPDATE: While editing the video that I will add once complete, I noticed that this was really in reaction to a remark by… 
Joelle Desrosiers, another OWWR alumna… 
Joe Conte with an anecdote on unwittingly playing unedited songs… 
…and Mike Kinane, Joe’s OWWR colleague, and vice president of communications at SUNY Old Westbury. 
Dan reintroduced Pete to induct Jay Mirabile, longtime host of The Disco and Funk King Show (DFK for short):
Jay and his father Len 
Jay went beyond acknowledging me, inviting me to the podium to recall funny moments in early episodes of The Mike Chimeri Show. In those early days, Jay was my lead-in, and sometimes, I would acknowledge the last song of the show at the start of mine. The anecdote he relayed was how I quipped “wouldn’t you know it, they stopped” because his last song was “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” by McFadden & Whitehead. 
I thought he was going to mention the one where – channeling Jay Sherman’s boss Duke Phillips on The Critic – I began my show with “Jay, son, you’re a tough act to follow.” 
Upon leaving the podium, as I waved in thanks, Jay noted what great friends we are. 
This was my genuine reaction to the compliment. 
Story time. First, Christina Kay… 
Then, Charlie Moerler… 
Alana Leider… 
…and Joe Conte. 
Finally, it was my turn. I originally planned on my cousin Chris – C.W. Post Class of 2008 – inducting me, but he came down with COVID earlier in the week. His induction speech was partially complete and he offered to finish it and have Dan Cox read it on his behalf, but I declined and had Dan give his own speech:
LONG STORY: This is the first of the iPhone vidcaps. I foolishly recorded the entire ceremony from my table’s perspective when I’d have been better off recording my portion. Attempts to truncate the video and transfer to my computer via iCloud failed, even after upgrading to 50 GB of storage for 99 cents a month. The original mammoth video was still in the system and would need to be transferred with the edited version. This contributed to my insomnia Saturday night. Finally, late Sunday morning, I thought to download to my computer by connecting the phone to it with Dell Mobile Connect. It worked, but there was another hurdle. The raw MOV file wasn’t accepted by Adobe Premiere Elements 2020. Luckily, Wondershare Filmora accepted it and allowed me to convert it to an MP4, BUT I’d have to buy a subscription. $54 a year later, the video was converted, I loaded it into Premiere Elements, and extracted vidcaps. The absolute last hurdle involved correcting the wide-angle distortion in Photoshop Elements, and here we are. Anyway… 
In the center is Joan Yonke, LIU Post’s director of development, previously campus director of employer and alumni engagement. It was so great to see her there. I just wish I had thought to add her to my thank list. (More on that shortly.) 
Early in Dan’s induction, I asked my dad Bill to take photos with my camera. 
It’s time, as my table cheers me on! Besides Joan Yonke, going from left to right, there’s cousin Lisa Cassidy, my aunt Donna Dantes Chimeri (Chris’s mother), my mom Lisa’s friend Mandy Muldowney, Mom, Dad, Lori Downing, and Wendy Connelly. Mandy was the principal of Leo F. Giblyn School where Mom is a teaching assistant, and Wendy and Lori are (Lori retired in 2020) reading teachers at Giblyn. Interestingly, Aunt Donna (Post Class of 1998) knew Joe Manfredi’s father, also named Joe, but the elder Joe pronounced the last name “man-freedy” rather than “man-freddy.” 
Here I go! 
Mandy and Mom are taking photos and/or video. 
I made a two-page table in Microsoft Word of people to thank. I read from that with ad-libs here and there. 
My sister Lauren also shot video on her phone and shared vidcaps with me… 
Back to Dad’s photos with my camera… 
Joe Manfredi (the younger) kindly handled my camcorder during my speech. 
“… WCWP, the one place [my aunt Robin Rose Brinegar, then-academic counselor at C.W. Post] didn’t know anyone, has had the biggest, the biggest impact on my life.” 
“… I will never forget WCWP. Thank you so much.” 
I put the thank list back in my shirt’s breast pocket and left the podium. 
Another wave… 
…and a handshake with Dad. The expression on my face is a nasty anxious habit. Seeing myself do that in my on-camera moments has me eager to overcome the habit. 
I asked, “Anyone got stories?” Jay Mirabile had one, or at least compliments. 
…as did 2015 inductee Bobby Guthenberg. 
One final round of applause from my table (and the elder Joe Manfredi)
Dan, with his time as director of broadcasting at an end, closed the ceremony with poignant, and pointed, remarks:
Speaking of WCWP’s uncertain future: “… Let’s not let college radio go away, because if it does, there’ll be one less safe space for our kids to be when they go to college. Thank you. Have a great day.” 
A standing ovation
With the ceremony complete, all that remained were the photo ops:
Mandy Muldowney, Donna Dantes (aunt), Lori Downing, Lisa Chimeri (mom), me, Lauren Chimeri (sister), Bill Chimeri (dad), Wendy Connelly, Lisa Cassidy 
Lauren had two photos taken with her phone… 
Joe Manfredi and his OWWR alumnae: Nikki Kallipozis, Arielle Mancebo, Sandra Cerrone, Joelle Desrosiers (Names added on 6/22 via this SUNY Old Westbury article) 
Me, Lori Downing, Bernie Bernard
During Bernie’s WBAB days, she spoke at Lori’s high school, vividly remembering that when Lori told her about it.
Scott Perschke and Alan Seltzer 
Me and Jay Mirabile 
Me, Alan, Jay 
Oop, rabbit ears! 
A candid shot 
Christina Kay and me 
Joe Conte, Karen Fiorelli, me, Joe Manfredi 
Joe, Christina, Jay, me 
Pete Bellotti and me 
This was supposed to be another one of me and Dan Cox, but I wanted to leave in Bernie, her sister Melissa, and Christina. 
The last photo before I left the building: Joe, Pete, Jay, me
As I left, Dan had everyone yell “goodbye” to me. I happily waved and walked out…except that I left my camera battery charger in an outlet. I realized my error halfway to Domenico’s of Levittown. I didn’t feel like going back to campus, so Pete returned it to me today. Still, I went ahead and bought new third-party batteries with a charger. The batteries I had were 6 1/2 years old, anyway.
Joining my family at Domenico’s were Wendy, Lori, and Aunt Donna. The lone photo I took there was of a toast:
Thank you to those that gave me congratulations cards and gifts:
Thus ends the recap. I am overwhelmed by all the support I received during and after the ceremony. Congratulations to Alan Seltzer, Christina Kay, Joe Manfredi, Jay Mirabile, and yours truly Mike Chimeri, the 2020 and ’21 classes of the WCWP Hall of Fame.
6/21 UPDATE: The video is now up. Chapters are included if you want to skip ahead or know what to expect. There is occasional coarse language and suggestive dialogue.
May 30 boat ride photos June 10, 2022
Posted by Mike C. in Aviation, Boating, Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
For those that aren’t connected with me on Facebook, I went on a long sightseeing ride on my dad Bill’s boat on Memorial Day afternoon.
My family and I took boat rides often when I was in my teens and early 20s, but I didn’t go on as often in subsequent years and hadn’t gone at all since my mid 20s. It’s been so long that the boat was docked at Al Grovers High & Dry Marina on South Main Street in Freeport rather than behind what was then Ehrhart’s and Ehrhart’s Clam House on Woodcleft Avenue.
Either way, the passengers aboard the boat were me, Bill, my mom Lisa, sister Lauren, aunt Robin, and Robin’s husband Allen. They were visiting from South Florida for a couple of days.
We arrived at Al Grovers just after 4:00 and left the dock within a few minutes.
Before I get to the main boat ride photos, here are all the planespotting ones:
CV4357 (Cargolux) from HKG (Hong Kong International Airport) to ANC (Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport) with stopover at JFK, B74N (LX-VCD), Landed at JFK 4:48 PM, Departed for ANC 11:09 PM, Landed at ANC 4:48 AM (10:48 AM ET) 
AZ3301 (ITA Airways, Operated by Delta Air Lines 667) to SLC (Salt Lake City International Airport), B73J (N876DN), Took off from JFK 4:48 PM, Landed at SLC 7:06 PM (9:06 PM ET) 
LY8734 (El Al, Operated by Operated by JetBlue Airways 669) to SJC (Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport), A320 (N658JB), Departed JFK 4:51 PM, Landed at SJC 8:26 PM (11:26 PM ET) 
DL182 (Delta Air Lines) to FCO (Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, Rome), B76W (N176DZ), Took off from JFK 5:04 PM, Landed at FCO 6:59 AM (12:59 AM ET) 
DE2017 (Condor) to FRA (Frankfurt Airport), B76W (D-ABUD), Took off from JFK 5:06 PM, Landed at FRA 6:07 AM (12:07 AM ET) 
AF23 (Air France) to CDG (Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris), B77W (F-GSQL), Took off from JFK 5:04 PM, Landed at CDG 5:50 AM (11:50 PM ET) 
Here, the Air France plane was low enough to see the tail number. 
B689 (JetBlue Airways) to SAN (San Diego International Airport), A32B (N989JT), Took off from JFK 5:14 PM, Landed at SAN 7:47 PM (10:47 PM ET) 
IB6250 (Iberia) to MAD (Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport), A333 (EC-MAA), Took off from JFK 5:21 PM, Landed at MAD 6:16 AM (12:16 AM ET) 
AA66 (American Airlines) to BCN (Barcelona-El Prat Airport), B772 (N785AN), Took off from JFK 5:26 PM, Landed at BCN 6:29 AM (12:29 AM ET) 
DL202 (Delta Air Lines) to ATH (Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, Athens), A333 (N809NW), Took off from JFK 5:46 PM, Landed at ATH 9:55 AM (2:55 AM ET) 
MU588 (China Eastern Airlines) to FOC (Changle International Airport, Fuzhou), B77W (B-2005), Took off from JFK 5:56 PM, Landed at FOC 9:16 PM (9:16 AM ET) 
MS986 (EgyptAir) to CAI (Cairo International Airport), B77W (SU-GDO), Took off from JFK 5:57 PM, Landed at CAI 9:52 AM (3:52 AM ET) 
I attempted to identify all the commercial aircraft for this post (and Facebook) on last Thursday evening, but gave up before I could identify these last four. You try matching take off time with the time of the photo. If only flight tracking websites considered take off time as departure time rather than the time a plane leaves the gate. 
I didn’t bother at all with the helicopters. 
Now, the main event. This first photo was taken just as Dad started the engines:
Meadowbrook State Parkway 
Cow Meadow Park 
I took many photos from this perspective. 
A closer look at Cow Meadow. This is the spot where I stood 11 years ago during a walk. It was one of the days I stayed at a family friend’s house following Tropical Storm Irene which knocked out power at my house in Wantagh. You can read about that experience here. 
The Freeport water tower 
The plane was too far away to identify. Besides that, I racked my brain trying to figure out where this was. With the help of Google Maps, I finally determined that it’s the corner of Hudson Avenue and Howard Avenue with The Anchorage on the left end. 
The other Freeport water tower 
The WGBB transmitter 
The southern tip of Woodcleft Avenue 
I’d get a better view of the Jones Beach water tower on the way back. 
I’d get a better view of this Loop Parkway bridge on the way back, as well, but here, you can make out Jones Beach Theater. 
Oceanside landfill 
Another plane approaching JFK runway 22L; One World Trade Center is visible on the left 
Bertha Drive in Baldwin Harbor 
The Golf Club at Middle Bay 
Huge waves! Thankfully, the wake from the passing boat didn’t affect my phone or camera. They were only slightly sprayed. Good thing I had lens wipes and a paper towel sheet. 
A closer look at the landfill 
Oceanside Park 
The north end of Long Beach… 
Looking north at Island ParkBarnum Island
Long Beach Bridge 
An LIRR train heading north on the Reynolds Channel Bascule Bridge 
Going under… 
No cars drove over heading this way. 
A closer look at the train bridge 
Pop’s Seafood Shack & Grill in Island Park 
The last car… 
One last look at the train bridge as we turn back for Al Grovers 
Back under the Long Beach Bridge… 
A car! 
Looking back, I saw the train bridge was up. 
Long Beach High School 
Lido Golf Club in Lido Beach 
Another look at the golf club 
A glimpse of Lido Boulevard 
Nassau University Medical Center (also visible in some photos before this one) 
The bridge before Loop Parkway’s western terminus 
Point Lookout… 
Fisherman’s Catch 
The eastern tip of Point Lookout 
Loop Parkway’s eastern terminus 
Another look at Point Lookout’s eastern tip 
Jones Bay Bridge on Meadowbrook Parkway 
Coast Guard station 
A clear view of the Jones Beach water tower 
Crossing Loop Parkway… 
Cars! 
Fundy Channel bridge 
A clear shot (cropped like the planespotting) of Meadowbrook Exit M9E (the M10 photo was also cropped) 
Cow Meadow Park again 
Another clear shot of a Meadowbrook sign 
Closer and clearer… 
And M9W! 
Freeport Industrial Park 
Almost there… 
Back at Al Grovers! 
Left at 4:04, returned at 6:57. That’s nearly a three-hour tour, but with better results than the SS Minnow.
I hope you enjoyed experiencing my boat ride through photos. Tomorrow, I go into the WCWP Hall of Fame. A photo and video recap will be up next Friday.
Travel photos to and from Milford May 13, 2022
Posted by Mike C. in Photography, Travel.add a comment
As previously noted, I took many photos while traveling with my dad Bill to and from Milford, Connecticut, for this year’s Smooth Jazz Scholars (recaps here and here), enough to get their own post. I was dissatisfied with the quality of the photos I took with my DSLR camera the week before while Kelly and I drove back from St. James. So, I decided to use my phone’s camera this time. Its image stabilization handles driving motion better than the vibration reduction on the DSLR lens.
Let’s hit the road.
Friday, April 29
Southern State Parkway west:
Cross Island Parkway north:
UBS Arena, home of the New York Islanders 
I-678 north, starting on the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge:
Hutchinson River Parkway north:
I-95 north in New York:
New Rochelle 
…and Connecticut:
Northbound Metro-North train 
A southbound train 
Titan Towers, WWE Headquarters 
Bass Pro Shops in Bridgeport 
Our exit
Hampton Inn Milford, as seen from the Plains Road intersection and parking lot:
I photographed judiciously on the way to Milford, but compulsively on the way back.
Sunday, May 1
Plains Road:
I-95 south in Connecticut, where I finally realized my phone had 2x optical zoom:
Heavy traffic due to an accident 
No further delays on I-95 
Titan Towers outside my dad’s mirror 
A quick look back north at the Stamford Marriott that I stayed at once, when I was a kid, while visiting nearby relatives with my parents and sister 
UBS Stamford Branch 
…and New York:
Hutchinson River Parkway south:
Bruckner Interchange
I-678 south into Queens:
Cross Island Parkway south:
The only other pocket of heavy traffic Dad and I encountered was as we approached Exit 30E.
Long Island Expressway (I-495) east:
…and last but not least, the Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway (NY 135):
For nearly a decade, my aunt Robin lived on Broadway in Bethpage, a block west of this exit. 
A blemish on the windshield obstructed the exit sign on the left. 
Last exit before home!
The loose ends from my trip are now all tied up. Thanks for reading any or all of my three posts from that three-day period.
SJFS 2022 Night 2 recap May 6, 2022
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Internet, Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, Technology, Travel, Video, Weather.add a comment
Updated with videos on 5/15.
Keyboardist Jay Rowe‘s 18th annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars (benefiting the Milford Public Schools music department) continued Saturday night with the second of two shows. Saturday’s headliners were Jeff Kashiwa (who made a surprise appearance late Friday), Alex Bugnon, and in his debut, Marcus Anderson. Alex appeared in place of Brian Simpson, who had to back out at some point after my promotional blog post in February. SJFS attendees last saw Alex on the first night in 2013.
Photos and the set list are on the way, but we start with the preamble.
I found it hard to sleep in my Hampton Inn hotel room on Friday night. Not only did I have photo editing on my mind, but intermittent trucks and motorcycles (or muscle cars) on I-95 made it hard to relax and drift into sleep. I didn’t mention this in the Friday recap, but I brought two pairs of foam ear plugs to wear on both nights. I got in the habit of wearing them or safety earmuffs at home to drown out loud or unsettling noises, like fireworks (sadly, not just on the Fourth of July) or high wind gusts that slam rain into my south and east-facing windows during coastal storms. I figured I should start wearing them at concerts; if only I had thought of that sooner. When I wore ear plugs at bedtime, I would lie on my back with a sleep mask on, attempting to sleep, or at least relax. That’s what I did Friday night into Saturday morning. There comes a point on sleepless nights where I give up and start my day. That point came around 5AM.
I’m a Mets fan, so I checked the MLB app on my phone (via Hilton Honors Wi-Fi) to see how they did while I was pre-occupied with SJFS. What?! A no-hitter against the Phillies?! That’s only the second one in team history! And a combined no-hitter, at that! Click here to read all about it (and watch videos).
I lifted weights in the fitness center, then went back in my room to do push-ups and whittle down the amount of photos from Friday night. I showered, got dressed, and brought my laptop and phone to the lobby for breakfast and potential mingling with fans or musicians. I didn’t see any musicians, but John and Theresa Monteverde were there, followed later by Mark and Phyllis Abrams, and Billy and Sandy Okumu. Diane and Richard were there, but we had forgotten about each other and didn’t reacquaint ourselves until Sunday morning.
For breakfast, I had two plates of French toast sticks with syrup, and two cups of apple juice to wash them down, followed later by two cups of hot chocolate. I mainly edited the road sign photos, but was able to start on photos from the show.
I went back to my room around 11AM and spent the next four hours editing the rest of Friday night’s photos and picking which ones to publicize. All the while, I listened to a few 2021 episodes of Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast. (Sadly, Gilbert died last month.)
I’m also a fan (and Patreon supporter) of the YouTube channel Technology Connections. Alec, the creator, recently posted the third of three (and a half) videos on heat pumps. Part three included a segment on the PTAC (packaged terminal air conditioner) and their use in hotels. This was the PTAC in my room:
It was set to cool when I checked in on Friday, but I switched to heat. I switched back to cool Saturday afternoon as the unfiltered sun warmed up the room. That’s when I realized the thin curtain in front of the light-blocking thick one is supposed to filter the sun rays.
My girlfriend Kelly, dad Bill, and I had dinner at Gusto Trattoria, half a block from the hotel. It was there that self-doubt and performance anxiety set in. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to function at the auditorium because of my lack of sleep and that I’d compulsively end up taking as many photos as Friday night (around 400 before whittling). Somewhere in between, I managed to eat a piece of bread and bowl of Rigatoni Bolognese. Upon returning to my room after dinner, I lied down and took deep breaths. By 7PM (about an hour after dinner), I felt calm enough to get out of bed and go with Kelly to the Veterans Memorial Auditorium at Parsons Complex. Obviously, the sound check was over before we arrived because we saw attendees filing in.
I took an establishing shot of the auditorium with my phone before going in:
The second of my 2020 tickets was honored upon entrance and I went back to the same spot in the orchestra pit as Friday night to set up. I comprised with fellow photographers Katherine Gilraine and Ron Hancox to situate my camcorder (which recorded flawlessly on this night) (5/15 UPDATE: four videos are posted below) in a spot further back so the two of them had more room to maneuver during the show. I only had to move it out during a solo on the penultimate song of the night (one of the videos below). Fun fact (as Alec would say): this month marks ten years since I entered the world of DSLR cameras after Katherine recommended I switch to one.
While waiting, Jay Dobbins introduced me to someone I had met on Facebook through Jay Rowe’s weekly Tito Tuesday livestreams on Facebook (here’s one of the last streams to date). It was Robin Morin Stewart. After a pleasant conversation, Jay D. took our picture:
I also recognized Judy Raphael and spoke to her, but forgot to get a picture.
And of course, I saw the rest of my friends that I had seen Friday night and/or Saturday morning in the hotel dining area.
At some point before showtime, I got my second wind. I didn’t feel the least bit overtired or overwhelmed.
Saturday’s set began at 8PM with another enthusiastic introduction by Kevin McCabe of Jumpstart Jazz Productions:
Music director Jay Rowe led the house band on keyboards:
Andy Abel on guitar:
Dave Livolsi on bass:
Trever Somerville on drums:
…and percussion by Tony Cintron:
The headliners were Jeff Kashiwa on tenor sax and NuRAD (seen on tenor):
Alex Bugnon on keyboards:
…and Marcus Anderson on alto sax and flute (seen on alto):
SET LIST
1. I’ll Love You Later (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: Groove Reflections (2021)
Featured musician: Jay Rowe (keyboards)
2. There She Goes (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: Groove Reflections (2021)
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards), Andy Abel (guitar)
3. Starlight Kisses (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: Groove Reflections (2021)
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards), Jeff Kashiwa (tenor sax)
4. Slow Turn (Jeff Kashiwa)
Originally heard on: Sunrise (2021)
Featured musicians: Jeff Kashiwa (NuRAD/tenor sax), Andy Abel (guitar)
The NuRAD is an EWI (electronic wind instrument) that can be paired with a phone or tablet. Jeff paired his with his phone. 5/9 UPDATE: Jeff said in a Facebook post sharing one of my photos that it was “triggering [his] iPhone with the Korg iMono/Poly Patchman library.”
5. The Night is Young (Jeff Kashiwa)
Originally heard on: Sunrise (2021)
Featured musician: Jeff Kashiwa (tenor sax)
6. The Pecan Tree (Joe Sample cover) (Alex Bugnon)
Featured musician: Alex Bugnon (keyboards)
Jay didn’t play on any of Alex’s songs. Coincidentally, I played the original Joe Sample version of “The Pecan Tree” on last Wednesday’s Instrumental Invasion.
7. Harlem on My Mind (Alex Bugnon)
Originally heard on: Tales from the Bright Side (1995)
Featured musician: Alex Bugnon (keyboards)
8. Will Power (Marcus Anderson)
Originally heard on: Limited Edition (2017)
Featured musician: Marcus Anderson (alto sax/flute at the end)
9. Soul Ties (Marcus Anderson)
Originally heard on: Reverse (2022)
Featured musician: Marcus Anderson (alto sax)
10. Jay Rowe/Alex Bugnon duet: Poinciana/107 Degrees in the Shade
Originally heard on: 107 Degrees in the Shade (1991) (second song only)
Jay and Alex played the same medley in their 2013 duet. “Poinciana” is a jazz standard popularized by Ahmad Jamal on his album of the same name.
11. Night Groove (Alex Bugnon)
Originally heard on: Soul Purpose (2001)
Featured musician: Alex Bugnon (keyboards)
12. Understanding (Marcus Anderson)
Originally heard on: Limited Edition (2017)
Featured musicians: Marcus Anderson (alto sax), Jay Rowe (keyboards), Andy Abel (guitar)
13. Let It Ride (Jeff Kashiwa)
Originally heard on: Let It Ride (2012)
Featured musicians: Jeff Kashiwa (tenor sax), Dave Livolsi (bass), Tony Cintron (percussion), Jay Rowe (keyboards)
Jeff noted that Let It Ride was inspired by 1960s and ’70s music, and the performance of the title track here exemplified the ’70s part. Dave’s solo was based (no pun intended) on “For the Love of Money” by The O’Jays (1973), while Jay based his on “People Make the World Go Round” by The Stylistics (1972) and “Riders on the Storm” by The Doors (1971). The ’70s influence carried into the finale.
14 (Finale). Love and Happiness (Al Green cover)
Featured musicians: Everyone but Alex Bugnon
Trever Somerville and Tony Cintron traded places on drums and percussion midway through, and Trever even sang vocals! He left the percussion kit behind at the end (I neglected to take photos) and just sang next to Tony. These were the only surprises of the show, which went quicker than Friday night.
Here are groups of pictures by artist, starting with Jeff Kashiwa on tenor sax:
Jeff on NuRAD for “Slow Turn”:
Alex Bugnon:
Pitch wheel fun… 
Marcus Anderson on alto sax:
Marcus on flute at the end of “Will Power”:
Jay Rowe:
Andy Abel:
More photos of Andy and Tony await us in the finale section.
Dave Livolsi:
Trever Somerville:
Tony Cintron:
Marcus and Andy:
Marcus and Dave:
Marcus and Jay:
Jeff and Jay:
The last note of “Let It Ride”:
Jay and Alex’s duet:
The finale: “Love and Happiness”:
The last note 
The end! 
Jay named all performers… 
“I’m Jay Rowe! Thank you all so much! It was a pleasure to do this this weekend…” 
“…and stay tuned for next year when Smooth Jazz for Scholars turns 20 ’cause it’s gonna be big! So, tell all your friends who missed it tonight they missed a great show. We’ll see you next year, and wherever else we’re playin’. …” 
“I’m gonna be tourin’ with Acoustic Alchemy this summer, so I hope to see you out with them. Thank you.” 
“Jay Rowe!”
All that remained was meeting and greeting, starting with me and Alex Bugnon:
Me and Marcus Anderson:
Jeff Kashiwa with my photography buddies Katherine Gilraine and Ron Hancox:
Just the three of us:
Back in the lobby, Marcus Anderson with Steve Lewis:
Johnnie “Butch” Brooks and Dolly Moye, whose birthday was on Sunday:
…and finally, me and Dolly:
Thanks to Jay Dobbins and Steve Lewis for taking photos of me. Jay also took this selfie with me:
Friday night, Kelly and I left for the hotel at 11:30, but Saturday, the departure time was 10:45. After transferring the photos and video to my laptop via a handy USB 3.0 SD card reader, I took melatonin and went to sleep. After five hours of successful sleep early Sunday morning, I noticed daylight peaking through the edge of the curtains and opted to wake up for the day. (The Mets lost Saturday’s game, but won on Sunday night while I was getting ten hours of sleep.)
I didn’t lift weights until I got home, but I did do push-ups in my room Sunday morning before going to the lobby for breakfast. All my rowdy friends, to paraphrase Hank Williams Jr., were there, including Jay Rowe. French toast sticks weren’t available, so I ate four sausages and two blueberry muffins with two lemon-lime seltzer cans that I brought and stored in my room’s mini fridge. Before returning to the room to pack up and leave, I got a selfie with the Monteverde, Abrams, and Okumu couples:
I saved photo editing for Monday and Tuesday, followed by drafting this post and the one before it on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Dad and I checked out around 10:30 and got home by 12:25. I took tons of photos on the road to and from Milford, but those will get their own post next week. Until then, thank you for reading the recaps of both nights of the 18th annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars. As Jay Rowe noted, next year will be the 20th anniversary, but 19th annual. I hope to be there. Thank you to Jay and everyone involved in putting SJFS together each year.
SJFS 2022 Night 1 recap May 6, 2022
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Health, Internet, Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, Travel.add a comment
Updated with videos on 5/15.
After a two-year absence due to COVID-19, keyboardist Jay Rowe‘s 18th annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars (benefiting the Milford Public Schools music department) finally happened!
It’s a good thing I didn’t throw away my 2020 tickets because they were honored on both nights.
As noted in my promotion back in February, this was the first SJFS without Rohn Lawrence on guitar in the house band and Nick Colionne as a potential headliner. We lost Rohn to COVID on December 30 and Nick on January 1. This year’s SJFS was dedicated to their memory.
The first night’s headliners were Peter White, Nelson Rangell, and Marion Meadows, plus three surprise guests! More on them later in the recap. Now, the preamble:
I had been in the habit of going to sleep early and waking up early, but last week, I tried to train my body to stay up and wake up later so I could not only chronicle both nights of SJFS, but attend the WCWP station dinner on Thursday night.
I awoke Friday morning after only six hours of sleep and carried out my typical morning activities: exercise, cereal for breakfast, and treadmill running (and showering after, of course). Nowadays, I watch streaming content on my phone while I run rather than listen to music or audiobooks. With this run, I totaled 180 miles in a month for only the third time (July 2018, April 2020)!
Next on the agenda, packing up for the trip to Milford, Connecticut (“a small city with a big heart“), with my dad Bill. I had an hour or so left until our 12:30 departure, so I edited the photos from the station dinner and posted them to Facebook. I finished just in time, then checked to make sure I packed everything I wanted to.
It took about two hours to reach Milford’s Hampton Inn, the official hotel of this year’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars, as it has been most of the time. I photographed road signs on the way, but I’m saving those photos and the ones from the return trip for a later post.
Upon arrival, Dad and I went back out to Big Y World Class Market a block southeast of the hotel to replace expired shampoo and mouthwash, and buy snacks to make up for the ones I forgot to pack at home. We were briefly back at Hampton Inn before going to dinner (and dessert for me) at Applebee’s up Boston Post Road in neighboring Orange. Marion Meadows was checking in as I walked through the lobby, so we spoke briefly. I returned one more time before the show to relax and wait for my girlfriend Kelly to pick me up at 6:30. On the way out this time, I saw members of the LIU Sharks baseball team! I’ve been at the hotel with college athletic teams before, but not a team from my alma mater! They were in town for a three-game series against the Sacred Heart Pioneers (ironically, LIU Post’s team name before the One LIU unification). Sacred Heart won the first two games, but LIU avoided the sweep Sunday. I would see players in the lobby again on Saturday and Sunday mornings, letting some know on Saturday that I was an alum and had a weekly radio show.
Okay, we’re almost up to the first night of SJFS.
Kelly and I waited in her SUV until we saw the line of attendees file in to the Veterans Memorial Auditorium at the Parsons Complex. The line began to move at 7:15, so in we went.
After having my ticket checked, I set up my equipment in the orchestra pit and mingled with my fellow photographers Katherine Gilraine and Ron Hancox, Jay Dobbins, Dolly Moye, Estella Greene, Billy and Sandy Okumu, Ron’s wife Nydia, and Jay Rowe’s mother Mia DiStasi. I was elated to see all of them in person after so long. I only wish photographer KT Jones was still with us. (He succumbed to cancer in late February.)
The auditorium interior underwent an upgrade between 2019 and 2022. Monitors were set up throughout the lobby. Most cycled through a slideshow of images from past Smooth Jazz for Scholars, including pictures with Rohn Lawrence, Nick Colionne, or both of them. Two monitors had an overhead view of the stage. The sound system, lighting, and seating were all improved.
Friday night’s set began at 8:15, an hour after the auditorium doors opened. Kevin McCabe of Jumpstart Jazz Productions enthusiastically welcomed us back:
I simultaneously recorded the show (mostly for private use) (5/15 UPDATE: exceptions below) with my recently-acquired professional 4K camcorder (and detachable handle unit). Four minutes into Kevin’s spiel, a system error occurred and I had to turn the camcorder off and back on. After that, no problems. It recorded two hours and 32 minutes continuously; no starting a new file every 20 minutes like my previous camcorder.
As for the photos, I have the same DSLR camera but with a superzoom lens I bought last year. No more switching between 18-140 mm (18-55 before that) and 55-300 mm. I have one lens to rule them all.
Here are the photos! The house band was led by Jay Rowe on keyboards:
Andy Abel on electric and acoustic guitar (seen on electric):
Dave Livolsi on bass:
Trever Somerville on drums:
…and percussion by Tony Cintron:
(If you’re wondering, Steve Scales is alive and well.)
The headliners were Peter White on acoustic guitar and harmonica (seen on guitar):
Marion Meadows on soprano sax:
…and Nelson Rangell on alto sax, flute, piccolo, whistling, and vocal percussion (seen on alto):
SET LIST
1. East Coast West Coast (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: Red Hot & Smooth (2006)
Featured musician: Jay Rowe (keyboards)
2. Smooth Ride (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: Smooth Ride (2016)
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards), Peter White (guitar)
3. Promenade/Could It Be I’m Falling in Love (The Spinners cover) (Peter White)
Originally heard on: Promenade (1993)/Reflections (1994)
Featured musicians: Peter White (guitar), surprise guest Vincent Ingala! (tenor sax) (watch him surprise the audience)
Peter introduced “Promenade” with the “-naid” pronunciation, not “-nahd,” as I’ve been saying all these years.
4. Here We Go (Peter White)
Originally heard on: Here We Go (2012)
Featured musicians: Peter White (guitar), Nelson Rangell (alto sax)
I’d been dreaming about this collaboration ever since I heard David Sanborn on the original.
5. Vonetta (Earl Klugh cover) (Nelson Rangell)
Originally heard on: Soul to Souls (2006)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (flute), Andy Abel (guitar)
6. Body Rhythm (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: Body Rhythm (1995)
Featured musician: Marion Meadows (soprano sax)
As usual, Marion began this song in the audience, working his way to the stage.
7. Treasures (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: In Deep (2002)
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Andy Abel (guitar), Jay Rowe (keyboards)
Andy channeled the spirit of Rohn Lawrence on his solo.
8. Caravan of Dreams (Peter White)
Originally heard on: Caravan of Dreams (1996)
Featured musicians: Peter White (guitar), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax)
9. Peaceful (Peter White)
Originally heard on: Music for STARLUX Airlines (2019)
Featured musicians: Peter White (guitar/harmonica), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax)
10. Marcosinho (Dave Grusin composition for flautist Dave Valentin) (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: Whisper (2013)
Featured musician: Marion Meadows (soprano sax)
A harmonica-like filter was applied to Marion’s sax for his solo intro.
11. Suede (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: Player’s Club (2004)
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Andy Abel (guitar)
12. Geopolitics (Nelson Rangell)
Featured musician: Nelson Rangell (alto sax)
13. Sonora (Hampton Hawes cover) (Nelson Rangell)
Originally heard on: Destiny (1995) (alto sax), My American Songbook, Vol. 1 (2005)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (whistling/piccolo/vocal percussion), Peter White (guitar)
14. Muff (John Tropea cover) (Nelson Rangell)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (alto sax), surprise guest Jeff Kashiwa! (tenor sax)
Jeff headlined Saturday’s set, but he played on “Muff” and the finale.
15 (Finale). I Wish (Stevie Wonder cover)
Featured musicians: Everyone
Arti Dixson sat in for Trever Somerville on drums.
Here are groups of pictures by artist, starting with Peter White:
The last three are of Peter on harmonica. 
Marion Meadows:
Nelson Rangell on alto sax (during “Geopolitics”):
Nelson on flute for “Vonetta”:
…and “Sonora”: whistling, piccolo, whistling with the piccolo in his hand, vocal percussion:
Nelson watches Peter’s “Sonora” solo 
Vocal percussion (“schick-schicka”) 
The end of the song 
A standing ovation! (contrast-corrected camcorder vidcap)
Surprise guest Vincent Ingala:
Surprise guest Jeff Kashiwa:
Jay Rowe (during “Treasures”):
Andy Abel:
Andy played acoustic on “Marcosinho.” 
Dave Livolsi:
Trever Somerville:
Tony Cintron:
Peter and Jay:
Peter and Nelson on “Here We Go”:
Peter and Vincent:
A wide shot during “Geopolitics”:
…and “Vonetta”:
Nelson and Jeff:
The finale: “I Wish”:
Arti Dixson took over on drums for the finale. 
The last note… 
The end! 
After naming all the musicians on the stage: “I’m Jay Rowe! Thanks so much for comin’! For those of you who are comin’ tomorrow night, see you tomorrow night! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for a great night!” 
It was a great night, but it wasn’t over yet. There was meeting and greeting to do; photos with musicians, friends, and musician friends.
First, a photo with Peter White, who I hadn’t seen since the Dave Koz 20th Anniversary Christmas show at Tilles Center in December 2017:
Next, me with Nelson and Jay Rowe:
Jay Dobbins introduced me to Andy Abel and Tony Cintron. I complimented both of them on their work that night. Andy complimented me on noticing a flaw at the end of the title track on Jay Rowe’s Groove Reflections album and I told him I liked his guitar work on Jessy J‘s new album, Blue. He had plenty of insight on the recording process for the tracks with him, Jay, Trever, and Dave Anderson. (Dave couldn’t make it this year because he was performing with Chieli Minucci at the Tarrytown Jazz Forum on both nights, an engagement booked before SJFS was announced in February. That’s also why Chieli couldn’t make it.)
I took a photo of Jay Dobbins, Marion, Andy, and Tony:
Then, I had Jay take one of me and Marion:
I said my goodbyes and Kelly drove me back to the Hampton Inn. Click here to read about what happened before, during, and after Saturday’s show. I’ll leave you with a photo of Billy and Sandy Okumu, and Mark and Phyllis Abrams:
April 22 parkway photos April 26, 2022
Posted by Mike C. in Aviation, Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
This post contains photos taken along Veterans Memorial Highway (Vets Highway) and four New York State Parkways while returning from a trip to St. James last Friday.
First, a photo of Breeze Airways flight MXY427 seconds after takeoff from Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) bound for Norfolk International Airport (ORF) in Virginia:
Now for the photos on the road, starting on NY 347 just before its concurrence with Vets Highway (NY 454):
…which quickly transitioned to the Sagtikos State Parkway:
And finally, the Southern State Parkway from exit 41S to 30S:
I’ll have a longer trip to and from Milford, Connecticut, Friday and Sunday as Smooth Jazz for Scholars returns Friday and Saturday nights. The next blog post will be the weekly Instrumental Invasion recap and the posts after that will recap SJFS.
Instrumental Invasion, 4/20/22 April 21, 2022
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Comedy, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Travel, TV, Video.add a comment
The April 20 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP was recorded on March 1 (four segments) and 2 (two segments), the latter occurring before my guest reading stint. Pickups were recorded on the 4th, 8th, and 24th.
The playlist was created on February 26, but not annotated until the 28th, after which the talk break script was drafted.
I forgot to plug the video of “Angela” by the Bob James Trio that was recorded as they recorded:
The session was recorded as video and the Dolby Atmos audio from it was extracted for MQA-CD players. The version of “Angela” you heard on the show was ripped from the CD with regular audio, which is good enough for me.
Coincidentally, the day I started recording this show, Ken Levine (“la-vyne”) wrote a remembrance of Taxi, the series for which Bob wrote the theme. Ken and his writing partner David Isaacs went on to work with some of the Taxi staff – such as the Charles Brothers and Jim Burrows – on Cheers and its spin-off Frasier.
The Shilts anecdote after playing “All Grown Up” referred to his May 2012 show at Houndstooth Pub. Last night was the first time I mentioned the prank.
A few days before the show aired, I finally learned how to properly say Maynard Ferguson‘s first name: “may-nard,” not “-nerd” like for football players Brad and Don. Unfortunately, it was too late to correct the mistake, but rest assured it won’t happen again.
Click here to download the aircheck MP3 or listen below:
Instrumental Invasion, 3/30/22 March 31, 2022
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Game Shows, History, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, TV, Video.add a comment
The March 30 Instrumental Invasion on WCWP marked two years since my Wednesday night premiere. The show was recorded one hour per day on February 5 and 6 with a pickup on the 7th.
The playlist was created on February 3 and annotated on the 4th. The script was drafted on the morning of the 5th.
As on the first anniversary show last year, the first hour format was 1984 and earlier, with songs released between 1963 and 1980, and the second hour format was 1985 to ’95, with songs running the gamut.
The talk breaks for the first two segments were wordy enough that I resorted to short liners and had to hurry the third talk break of the second segment, removing tidbits about Wes Montgomery‘s Goin’ Out of My Head album. The other four segments required padding with extra liners, starting songs after a talk break, or fading them up (not out) early.
“Feels So Good” by Chuck Mangione finally aired in its entirety after getting cut off by automation in the first show.
“Give It One” by Maynard Ferguson led off the show, as I had bought a compilation CD of Maynard’s three M.F. Horn studio albums days before recording. I’ve been aware of the song since I downloaded an MP3 in the mid 2000s upon learning it was used as the theme to the 1974 pilot episodes of Wheel of Fortune. I incorrectly thought it was made for the show. The first part of the song reminds me an interchange on I-95 in Miami because I was looking at a photo of it while listening. When my travels took me past what’s known as the Midtown Interchange in March 2019, I took a photo of my own:
Thanks to a video slideshow I made for my family of the trip, including my cousin’s wedding, the new photo also makes me think of “Gods of Brazil” by Alison Brown. And speaking of Brazil, I was glad to talk about Iguazu Falls after playing the misspelled “Iguassu Falls” by Jeff Lorber.
Getting back to “Give It One,” trumpeter Eric Miyashiro, once part of Maynard’s big band, posted a great arrangement on YouTube back in October, featuring a solo by fellow Maynard alum Wayne Bergeron, then by him. Enjoy:
5/12 UPDATE: I learned in thanks to this interview with Eric that Maynard’s name was pronounced as it looks, not “may-nerd.”
As for the second anniversary edition of Instrumental Invasion, click here to download the aircheck MP3 or listen below:
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