“Old Folks” is a popular song from 1938 composed by Willard Robison with lyrics by Dedette Lee Hill. It is about an old man nicknamed “Old Folks” who was a Civil War vet (perhaps). It was a hit for several people in 1938, among them Bing Crosby. Benny Goodman perfomed it on the radio around that time, as did Fats Waller. Tenor saxophonist Don ( Read more... )

Thanks to my pal Tyler, I've long been familiar with Dizzy Gillespie's version of "On the Sunny Side of the Street" that he did with the two Sonnys: Rollins and Stitt. What I didn't realize is that the tune had been in his book for awhile and that there are other recordings of him doing it. Today on Bird Flight I heard (more or less) the same ( Read more... )

All I think about is the Corona virus (and the llorona virus, which causes unontrolable weeping). I wake up in the morning and start thinking of the Corona virus. I think about it all day, and eventually go to bed, but somehow I manage to avoid dreaming about it. So, I’m gonna take a break and not think about it so much. We’ll see how that works ( Read more... )

I was in Florida for a conference and had no time to prepare the radio show like I usually do. So I just grabbed a huge stack of CDs and winged it, the irregular past tense of that verb I assume is wung. I wung it. I think it turned out alright. Unless I am quarantined for Corona virus or dead already,I'll be back on the air this Sunday, with my ( Read more... )

By my calculations, today is the 61st day of the year, and it’s the 61st day that I have worn blue jeans. I don’t even think about it, I just put them on in the morning. But, actually I do think about it, because if I didn’t think about it, how could I be writing this right now? I also have two jean jackets, which are both a little tattered, maybe ( Read more... )

When we were kids in the seventies there was a radio station, if my memory serves me, coming out of Gaylord (MI). The format was easy listening, but their slogan was “warm and friendly.” As we drove in the big old station station wagon, my dad would put on the “warm and friendly.” “No dad! Not the warm and friendly!!!" He just wanted to get our ( Read more... )

In case of fire, do not use elevators, use stairs, unless otherwise instructed. No smoking or littering. No radio playing, unless otherwise instructed. Please flush toilet after each use, except when the train is in the station. Onward Christian Soldiers, Workers of the World unite. We have nothing to lose but our lives. Glory be to the Father ( Read more... )

GURU: Butterfly, I will speak to you today in riddles, sort of ( Read more... )

Dictionary Johnson was of the opinion that everything we do we do merely to pass the time. That would include reading, writing, playing music, knitting, doing crossword puzzles, watching television and browsing the internet. I once imagined a hierarchy of activities to pass the time: reading great books being superior to watching reality TV shows, ( Read more... )

Back in the eighties, when I was a student at Michigan State, I used to go on dates with Nilofer Chapkhanawalla to a movie theater called The Odéon, in the Frandor shopping center, right on the line between Lansing and East Lansing. It was the place to go if you wanted to see independent films or foreign flicks rather than the usual Hollywood ( Read more... )