RonF

Rooster, Are all men potential rapists? Sure they are. You think not? The fact is, rapists come in all shapes, sizes, ages and colors and they come from every imaginable background. That's what I was saying.

Tell that to the guy who said Kobe doesn't fit the "profile" of a rapist. I was listening to a sports talk program today and Kobe's early statement was brought up. He said to reporters before the charges were filed, "You know me. I wouldn't do anything like that." The upshot was that NOBODY knows who Kobe Bryant is. Not even his teammates. An article in Newsweek says that Kobe used to shower and dress in a seperate area from the rest of the team. The guy is strange.

Yes, women do falsely accuse men of rape but statistically it is rare. It's important to remember that rape is an act of violence. A young woman should be able to be in a man's hotel room at any hour of the day without being raped or threatened with rape. To argue the "she was asking for it" defense does nothing but reveal an ignorance about rape. Many men feel it is "their right" to have sex if a woman, foolishly or not, chooses to be alone with him. Mike Tyson is the text book. His way of thinking was, "If you're here. I'm taking it." Of course, it's easier to imagine an animal like Tyson raping, but don't forget, the majority of sexual assault happens between two people who know each other. Family members and educated, all american, polite young men all rape. From abusive dating relationships in high school to commonplace unreported date rape in college, many men still don't understand that when a woman says no, he has to stop. It's perfectly logical to me and it has been shown to be the case that celebrities and specifically celebrity athletes, by and large, don't get it. We'll see what happens with Kobe. Personally, I don't believe him.

For those of you who are old enough to have teenaged daughters, you'd no doubt bristle at the automatic presumption that this young girl is out to seek fame and fortune. You'd also know by now that sexual assault is rampant in this society - most of it never reported. This trial and Kobe's "defense" will merely insure that many more young women will be afraid to report rape and assault because of the price they'll have to pay in the media and the courtroom. Bryant's lawyer is one of the best and most aggressive in Colorado if not the country. She'll rip this young girl to shreds. Ugly times ahead.

Albert King- Born Under A Bad Sign B)

Pop Up Stopper is annoying, no doubt. So, should just Ad Aware be sufficient? I'm WAY ignorant!

We won't have TOO much fun if you don't! Take it easy. B)

Are you guys talking about Ad-Aware 6, the free version? And, I've heard people talk about Pop-Up Stopper. Anyone know about this program?

I agree. I knew Joan Osborne could sing but she made a believer out of me in this film. BTW, her latest cd, How Sweet It Is has some more powerful singing of some great soul tracks. Just my opinion but I thought Ben Harper was a poor choice for the Temptations songs and I couldn't figure out why Meshell Ndegeocello (?) was even there. I'd like Chaka Khan singing Row Your Boat. Pipes! B)

Denver TV is all over this story. I didn't read the article above, but - Kobe flew into Vail on the 4th with his wife and baby and posted a $25,000 bond. The charges have been sealed by a judge for the time being. If there's any truth to the story, it's not about looks or money, it's about arrogance and Kobe has plenty of that.

Jim, From I Love You Paris...What about LA Breakdown? Sends chills everytime.

Thanks Jim. Glad to know the reason for this. Hate hearing it. On her new album May The Music Never End, on Verve, Mesterhazy plays piano on all but I think two songs. A co-worker and I were wondering aloud about why she wasn't playing. And I wasn't aware that her long time bass player George Ables passed away (last year?) Ed Howard is playing bass on this new cd, with Steve Wiilliams on drums. It's a great record. Sure hope it won't be her last.

When my daughter was about 5 years old, she used to sing the Folgers coffee jingle: The best part of wakin' up Is soldiers in your car.

Fresh Air runs at 6 PM out here....just wrapped up. Good interview Chris! Fascinating! Only problem was - it was too damned short!

I wonder if anyone, but particularly from the Chicago area, has heard Jackie Allen. Her new cd on A440 Music Group The Men In My Life is excellent. A fresh contemporary sound but she can really deliver a song and tell a story with the best of them. John Moulder is her guitarist and does some incredible work. Chicago's Kurt Elling sings duet on one track and Orbert Davis plays wonderful trumpet. The "men" are those whose musical performances helped shape her musical direction. Songs range from Paul Simon's Still Crazy to Chick Corea's Spain to Jobim's Dindi to Sting's Tea in The Sahara. Worth a listen!

I agree about the impressive musician line-up. Scofield usually plays with the best. I'm just tired of the direction John's been pursuing for the last several projects. I've heard that jazz radio is getting a little disenchanted with it too.

Sounds like a horrible time! Welcome back.

Poor weizen's waging a conservative war practically all by himself. Catesta usually rides shotgun but he's been AWOL, hasn't he?

A brief change of topic. Chris, what's up these days with The Story of Jazz? Still available on VHS? How about DVD?

Way to go Templejazz. How does that old line go? I know you're going to make MILLIONS.................... ........of fries. Good luck!

I agree. The Latin feel is there on several tracks. Tastey percussion and lots of B3! B)

Incredible! The intimidator! I'll bet they stopped making noise. B)

Hey davef, I don't want to sound uncivil but I got dibs on the letter F around here.

One more reason why MaxJazz has become such a fine label....bringing Jessica Williams into the spotlight. Finally getting the recognition she deserves. I really like Alone, Moose. A lot! And, you would also enjoy This Side Up, her trio release on MaxJazz last year - with Ray Drummond and Victor Lewis. It has 8 of her wonderful compositions plus a killer version of Rahsaan Roland Kirk's Theme For The Eulipians. B)

Ed, Dianne and her quartet was in our area last year and mezmorized the audience. She's received some bad raps in recent years because of her song selection and musical direction but The Calling, Trib to Sarah is superb. And so is The Grand Encounter. On the heels of two grammys in a row for best female jazz vocal performance, she was also named creative chair for the Los Angeles Philmarmonic last year. One of my favorite jazz singers. She has a new cd coming out in August I believe.