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Overcast ~ High: 43°F ~ Low: 25°F Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012 |
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Guinea pig votesPosted Tuesday, February 7, at 4:39 PM The presidential primary election is not likely to make history for voter turnout -- unless perhaps for the lack of. But in Saline County, this election will be remembered as the first time touch-screen voting machines were available at polling places...
For his 72nd birthday (Sunday, Dec. 25), I wish I could give Bob James a particular gift that is too big to wrap and certainly beyond my power to give: I would like to untether his reputation from the "smooth jazz" label that is so often applied to his work...
Agenda for meeting: Jazz it up! There will be a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 5, in the Marshall Public Library meeting room. The subject: Creating a jazz festival in Marshall. Why? July 28 "red dog" posted a comment on The Marshall Democrat-News website responding to the news that Marshall Cinema would close in a few weeks:...
Four hands, two people, one keyboard. Bob James' latest recording is a small dance across an ivory stage as he and Keiko Matsui together create a rich, beautiful sound. "Altair and Vega" seems to be fusion of classical piano with sparkles throughout of jazz-influenced improvisation. It moves between catchy, lilting melodies and powerful, moving passages...
Can the Girl Scout cabin be saved? The Girl Scout cabin at Indian Foothills Park is in some danger of being lost, as Marshall Democrat-News staff writer Sarah Reed reported yesterday. It might be tempting at first glance to assign "good guy" and "bad guy" labels for those involved in the use and care of the cabin, but I hope everyone resists jumping to those kinds of conclusions. ...
Dress right On Facebook yesterday an acquaintance posted a timely quote: "There is no bad weather, just inappropriate clothing." He allowed as how that was a good observation, having just returned from a run during which "the rain started to harden as I arrived home."...
Another Valley football great is lost Thomas "Tim" Wright died in March. Mr. Wright has not lived in the area for some time, but there might be a few Missouri Valley College football fans who remember him. He graduated from Valley in 1952 and played under famed MVC football coach Volney Ashford...
The best cities have fertile sidewalks -- such fertile sidewalks that musicians sprout from street corners and entertain passersby for hours, filling the air with music. This observation is from a previous life when I traveled often. I've been to places like New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Ann Arbor, Minneapolis, Denver, Pittsburgh, Nashville and more...
Zookeeper seeks lonely musical instruments I'm looking for lonely musical instruments -- specfically, an abandoned banjo or a dusty fiddle or a guitar that's been in exile in the back of the closet under a pile of old clothes for years. Why? When I lived in Champaign, Ill., a group of musicians the public library hosted an instrument petting zoo. It was just like a regular petting zoo, but instead of kitties and puppies, chickens and goats, they had banjos and bongos, fiddles and drums...
"When I see all the faces of these people -- they're loving the music, and I get to hear the bands I love -- it's perfect." --Jill Murray, organizer of the Bear Creek Blues Festival Jill is describing what it's like when nearly a year of planning and promoting and arranging millions of details is done, and the event is unfolding, the music filling hearts and moving feet. ...
Marshall is jazz (But what kind of jazz?) Since we started planning the first Bob James Jazz Festival, I've been wondering what most people think of these days when they think of jazz. As we talk to people about the festival, many are excited that great jazz performers are coming to town. But some have said they aren't interested. They say they just don't like jazz. That's fair enough. Everyone has preferences and there is no kind of music on the planet that appeals to everyone...
A post at The Commercial Appeal reports on the results of the 32nd annual Blues Music Awards. The Mannish Boys, with Marshall's own Willie J. Campbell on bass, are not listed among the winners. The band was nominated in three categories and its drummer, Jimi Bott, in one...
RIP Career Ladder & Saline County High Career Ladder is dead. Saline County High School is gone, absorbed into Marshall High School. The two programs were prized by teachers, students, administrators and, yes, the members of the school board, who made the gut-wrenching decision to end funding for both...
Music makes life better. Art makes life better. And when music and art come together, the results is often an experience that is better than better (to indulge in a wee bit of hyperbole). Marshall Philharmonic Orchestra patrons know what I mean. And so do Bob James fans...
The Bob James Jazz Festival was conceived as a concert but built around a clinic. Here's why: The event is intended to do more than honor Marshall native Bob James' accomplishments as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the past half century and provide the community with some fine music. ...
It's been a while since I reminded everyone why my blog is called "Safety Net." It's because stories -- even important stories -- fall through the cracks all the time. If something doesn't get written up within a day or two of the event, new deadlines loom and demand attention. And the more time passes, the less likely the neglected story will see the light of day...
More detail on the city administrator issue (Update 10 a.m. Feb. 10) While it's inaccurate -- as some people have claimed -- to say that Connie Latimer has no experience, it's fair to ask whether her experience is sufficient to qualify her for the job of city administrator. Because she has been a public official for years, there's a good deal of evidence for community members to examine. We've created a webpage that links to all the news stories she's mentioned in for the past nearly 10 years (which is as far back as our web archives go)...
What's become of PahloArt? The art center has always closed during the winter months because heating the whole building on South Brunswick Avenue in Marshall was prohibitively expensive. But this year, the building is closed and there is a "for sale" sign out front...
The continuing saga of print v. web On Friday, Jan. 14, Costra Nostra posted this comment on The Marshall Democrat-News website: "The online version of the Democrat News has much less content available than your print version, obviously so as to get readers to pay for your printed content. ...
Put away your verbal scatterguns A few months ago, I started enforcing our posting policy more strictly, attempting to weed out more comments that include personal attacks or insults and unverifiable information that could be unfairly damaging to individuals or businesses. I can't claim to have been perfect, but I have made an effort...
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Eric Crump is the editor of The Marshall Democrat-News. He's listening to Bob James right now.
Hot topics Guinea pig votes(0 ~ 12:40 PM, Feb 7)
Happy birthday, Bob James
Agenda for meeting: Jazz it up!
Dancing on the keyboard: The latest from Bob James
Dress right
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