|
Dennis Burton, Post-Modernist painter,
hangs in New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, National
Gallery of Canada, alto sax player. Phone message:
“Dennis Burton. I love your CD man. I’ve been playing
it like, yesterday and this morning and like, yeah.
I like track nine a lot because of Pat’s solo but the
band sounds great. I really enjoyed it man. Thanks so
much, o.k.? Hey, wild. I had no idea you were so fucking
famous, man. Sorry about that. I like all the notes
you wrote, o.k.? I like everything about it. Even the
cover. Oh yeah, right. Goodbye. Love ya.”
Bill Hicks, session drummer, has recorded with
Diana Krall, Ingrid Jenson, Hugh Fraser, Tommy Banks,
David Gogo, Wonderbread. Phone message:
“Bill Hicks. Holy shit man. Hey, I listened to those
tracks last night on the uh, web site. Well, congratulations
brother it’s just uh, holy, it’s, it’s awesome man.
And uh listen, if you do love me like you say, you will
do me a favor and throw a CD, maybe you could throw
it on a bus and just put it COD and I can pick it up
at the bus station. I just gotta hear the other stuff.
I mean that’s almost more of a tease, those little 30-second
or minute clips there. But uh, anyways, it’s awesome
and the packaging looks really cool and uh hey. I don’t
see any reason why this can’t go really awesome and
uh open up a lot of opportunities so and uh, see ya
man.”
Linton Garner, world famous jazz pianist, has
recorded with and written for Dizzy Gillespie, Billy
Eckstine, Lester Young and Miles Davis.
“I listened to your new record last night and I liked
it. It’s a really good album, very strong. The arrangements
are great and to the point and the band is really cookin’.
You want to know what interested me the most? Your singing.
You can sing the blues. Incredible. You guys swing.”
Oren Breitman, Attorney at Law.
“I really like the new CD. Your voice sounds better
than on your old stuff. I don’t know, I guess it just
sounds more mature or something. Are you more mature?
You sure don’t act like it.”
Robyn McCorquodale, internationally known performer,
recording artist. Phone message:
“Hi. It’s happy feet calling. And, uh, yeah, that’s
how I feel. I have happy feet. You want my immediate
response? Well, what I felt the moment I heard the music
was like smiling and getting up on the dance floor and
dancing. And, um, it sounds great, Tom. I think the
other thing that I noticed immediately was just the
clarity in the music and that you didn’t have to struggle
to hear anything. I mean everything was right there.
The piano fills, the organ fills, the guitar fills,
the solos. It was just um, really clear and solid and
um, it sounds fantastic and um, makes me wanna get up
and dance and a yeah. I’d sure hire ya for a party.
Um, I don’t know what more to say other than yeah, it’s
a fantastic mix. You sound great and the singing is
wonderful. You sound like you’re having a blast and
like the whole band was just having one happy party
time. So that’s it. Sounds great. Bye.
Ok. Message number two. I also just wanted to mention
that uh, you know the package looks fantastic. The CD
looks great and you should be so proud of this because
it is really wonderful and you sound fantastic and I
love your happy scatting in ‘Boppin With the Blues’
and um, well…well done, Tom. I’m a big fan. Bye.
Dr. Alexander [Sascha] Levin, M.D., forensic psychiatrist,
expert witness. Phone message:
“Hello. Good morning. It’s a message Mr. Lavin from
Dr. Alexander Levin uh, and I would like to let you
know, Mr. Lavin, that I immensely enjoyed listening
your most recent record. I also would like to report
that as I been listening to it for the last month or
so I am uh, I feel that I would like to listen to it
more and more and uh, I’m trying to buy this record
for my colleagues because I’m sure that uh, it’s very
good music that many of my psychiatrist colleagues could
enjoy. Would you please let me know where I can buy
um, more of your uh, records. Thank you very much.
Storman Norman, Blues DJ, Classic Rock 101, Vancouver’s
#1 radio station.
“You guys were the reason I got into it at all. I had
never seen a blues band before and there I was, in the
Kootenays and I was 18 and with my girl and we were
in love and you guys came on stage and that was it.
I love this new CD. It totally rocks. I’m singing along
with it. Yeah, the sound is outta sight. I really like
what you did with that Bobby Blue Bland tune and the
story that goes with it is right on. This is gettin’
played big time. You should send one to the Program
Director and the Music Director and there’s about six
other jocks around here that need copies.”
Eivind Henriksen, Blues DJ, Torød, Norway ...on mission
for the blues. Email:
“Hi Tom.
Had a listen at your WEB-site and the music sounded
GREAT. This kind of swing is suitable not only for Blue
Note but also for other "normal" shows. At
our Blue Note we play blues and other related music.
It's up to me and my co-pilot what to play. For two
hours every Friday (reruns on Mondays) we present every
aspect of the blues and roots music. From our listeners
we heard that the most appreciated kind of music is
the boogie/swing type. If you send me your CD, I will
be glad to play it.
I think you could play at the Notodden Blues festival,
www.bluesfest.no
, or Hell (actually a place in Norway!!) Booking at
hellbook@online.no.
Wish you luck.”
Randy Chance, Topanga Canyon California, composer,
guitarist, Hatha yoga instructor, tarot reader, webmaster,
minister. Email:
“Tom:
It occurs to me I never did let you know how deeply
impressed I was by your band's CD. Great work! Sorry
I took so long to get back to you on that.”
Rick Popp, Dance Trax International, Detroit, Michigan.
Email:
“I did get a chance to listen to the 4 tracks on the
web. They are all very danceable tempo and style wise.
I would like to hear the rest of the CD, so if you have
some available we would like to order 25 to start. If
you want me to contact and distribute to the other Social
Dance/Swing music companies I would be willing to do
that also. Several of them already buy music wholesale
from me.”
Kita the Red, singer, swing dancer,
organist, hockey player, blues fan, Montreal, Quebec.
Email:
“Hi Tom!
THANK YOU!!!
As you probably guessed, I got the CD today, and IT'S
AWESOME!!! Congrats to you and the rest (I don't have
to name them all, do I?) on such great work. I can't
imagine much that could be improved, but if you are
like me, you're probably very picky about every last
detail of musical work (this is what drives my organ
teacher nuts). I got it in the parking lot at school
when my mom picked me up, and the parking attendant
cracked up when he saw my reaction upon opening some
mysterious, flat, white package... Mouth open wide,
trying to tear open the tape (what was this? Extra strength
tape?) unsuccessfully.
Grabbing my mom's car keys (thank God she hadn't turned
on the car yet) and cutting them, cutting my finger
in the process, reading over a letter and staring at
a CD, mouth still wide open. Utters incromprehensible
(does that word exist?) sound, all the while getting
mad at her dad for not getting a car with a CD player
(I still had a piano-organ-voice lesson to go through
before I got home. i get out of school at 4:00 pm, with
the music stuff, I get home at 6:30). Mom grabs keys
back from me, and I get lectured to NEVER, NEVER do
that again. =)
I listened to it at home, and like I said, it's awesome!
Thank you also for the notes on each song, they were
very interesting. I never knew that you guys had such
cool stories behind the songs you do! I have one question
about a song that you guys did a long while ago. Is
there any such story behind "What've I been Drinkin"?
It's one of my faves because that's the one we use the
most at dance classes. That one and "Thirsty Ears".
Actually, ditto question for "Thirsty Ears".
I'll take it along the next time I go to the dance studio.
Actually I won't. Next time I go is tomorrow (Friday)
for a group lesson in Salsa, so no point brining it
in there. Besides Martin (my dance private dance instructor)
doesn't work on Fridays. I'll take it along on Monday
when I have my next private dance lesson, and I'll watch
for the look on his face =)
Well, I arrived at choir (yes, that Horde of Wild Monkeys).
I dunno what my brother put in the pot when he cooked
our supper, but something must have done the work of
a brick falling ten stories right onto my head. I accepted
to play another church service on the 27th of May this
year. Right before my exams... Oh Dear...
Once again, I think this is getting a little too long
(I tend to do that. Sorry), and it's pretty late anyway,
so...
Take Care, once again Thank You!!!!
Kita
Owen Coppin, technical engineer at CFMI, city hall
employee. Email:
Tom. Thanks very much for sending a copy for me through
CFMI. In my day job during the week I work at city hall
and I had your CD running as soon as Jake is off the
air in the morning. I love it. Great rendering of Good
Rockin Tonight and Flip Flop and Fly but they are all
great. My favorite off CD seems to change with re-listening,
which is a good sign as it doesn't become stale. It
is a great CD! (and I really do love the nostalgia picture
on the cover - it adds to a forties/fifties flavor).
Good luck with it - I'm sure Norman will keep plugging
it each week. Cheers!
Bill Kolter, musician, booking agent, hotel owner.
Phone message:
This album, in my opinion, is absolutely fantastic!
It is the best you ever had and it should go a long
way. I think you got a real winner on your hands. This
is just great! I played drums for all my life and I
tell you,
those musicians are something else. So really, really
happy for you.
Wilf Chipman, Chairman of Interspace Research, cold
fusion physicist. Phone message:
Great CD...I enjoyed it very much. It's very, very well
mixed. I really appreciated the attention put into the
mix.
Tim Holek, writer and reviewer for Blues on Stage
Magazine. Email:
I know what you mean by happy music and couldn't agree
more with you...I have always thought that horns belong
in a blues band and they help to lighten things up and
create a party feel... anyway; the horns add a joyous
sound that (as you mention) is much needed in today's
music.
Gerry O'Day, Program Director of Z 95 radio.
Email:
Finally went thru the CD on the weekend. As we are gold
based I will be adding Flip Flop and Fly to freshen
the mix up. I will also put a prompt on the jocks music
sheets making them aware of the new CD for their ad-libs.
I've also mentioned your gig at the Yale coming up as
well. Nice to hear you still putting out great material
that folks can have a cold one and dance to! Gee, when
will you be a boy band like N'Sync or have to look like
Britney Spears to get some attention? It's good to know
some people have principles still. Tom, keep Boppin
with the Blues !
Mildred Lavin, Ph.D., Professor at University of
Iowa [retired], writer, my mom. Phone message:
Hello Tom? This is your mom. I'm listening to and reading
all the liner notes. They're a real education. It's
a whole history of all your work for almost 30 years
[laugh]. Anyhow, I'm enjoying it. And when we talk I'll
make um, some points, I've underscored some things here
that you might like. But very nice tribute to Linton
Garner. And the whole thing is very impressive. I hope
you have a huge success with it and sell millions [laugh].
OK. Talk to you later. Bye Tom.
Family of Fans in Detroit [anonymous by request].
Email:
Received my order yesterday and I can't tell you the
fun WE had with all the CD's. Myself (45) and my two
sons 14 and 10 spent the night listening to all and
we had a ball. With the kind of music available today
and the messages it sends I am so pleased that my sons
enjoy your music as mush as I do.
How I heard of you it is kind of funny. My good friend
is a large music collector and he found "Thirsty Ears"
at a trade show here in Detroit many years ago. He called
my late one night and says you have got to hear this,
so the next hour was spent listening to the album over
the phone. From that point I have been a fan.
Thanks Again. Family of Fans in Detroit
Kjell Andressen, Blues DJ, Radio Holstebro, Denmark.
Email:
Have got the new CD. Thank you very much for some fantastic
music. It`s really great this album and you can be sure
that I'll use it so you can expect playlist soon.
Linda N., Educational Administrator, Mom, Vancouver
Island. Email:
I LOVE your new album; thank you SO much for that, and
for the musical ecstasy you've created for so many,
many years. Just keeps getting better and better and
better all the time.
|
