WE'VE MOVED

This blog has officially moved. We are now located at http://musicasiancinemaandlifeingeneral.blogspot.com/

I felt the name and URL needed to change to reflect the current contents of the blog.

Please continue to follow me faithfully and read me with your morning coffee.

THE CINEMA 21 MOVIE THEATER

Back in the early 70's the place to go for all the latest blaxploitation movies (an upcoming blog topic) was The Cinema 21 movie theater in Pasadena, CA. Located on Washington Blvd. just west of Lake Ave. the Cinema 21 was the place to be! The admission price was only 50 cents to get in and you were guaranteed to see the latest and hippest flicks. Risking life and limb at times to see classic movies such as Shaft, Superfly, The Mack, Cotton Comes To Harlem, Across 110th Street, Black Caesar, Cleopatra Jones, Slaughter, Coffy, Hell Up In Harlem, Blacula, and many more, the Cinema 21 was an unforgettable experience.

The theater was patrolled by the short, buffed security guard you didn't want to mess with known as "No-Neck". He would constantly patrol the theater looking for trouble makers and would keep everyone in line by flashing his flashlight on you.

Sadly the Cinema 21 theater is now abandoned and severely neglected (see photo).

Maybe I should buy it and restore it to it's luxurious past? Well, it wasn't ever very luxurious and one of the main reason we used to go there was because it was the cheapest movie theater in town.

After the movies it was about a block and a half walk to Bill's Chicken. There we would get some serious fried chicken from Bill (who was usually pretty grumpy and always had the blues playing), pop some change in the jukebox and listen to Ball of Confusion or I Can't Get Next To You by The Temptations. From there it was a long walk home.......Ahhh, those were the days.

What? You say your not hip to blaxploitation movies? Have you been living in a bubble? Well check out the Soul Cinema site http://www.soulcinema.com/ to see what I'm talkin' about and get yourself hip!

NAME CHANGE

Because my blog covers and discusses all types of music you may have noticed that I have changed the name of my blog to reflect this. I will no longer be the Jazz, Asian Cinema, etc.... blog. I will now be known as the Music, Asian Cinema and Life In General blog.

My current web address may change as well to reflect this but don't worry my many readers. I will keep you updated as to what happens. Stay tuned...

SADDEST MOMENT OF ALL TIME IN MOVIE HISTORY

OK, for me the saddest moment of all time in movie history is from Rocky III when Rocky's trainer Mick dies. I know there are those that will think the saddest moment in the movies was when Spock died in one of the early Star Trek movies only to somehow come back to life (gimme a break, please!) but for me this is the one. I don't know what it is about this scene but every time I watch it I'm cryin' like a baby. Why just watching it again is bringing tears to my eyes. I....I......gotta go........whaaaaaaa!!!

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK - AZUMI

This weeks dvd pick of the week goes to the Japanese dvd titled Azumi.
Azumi is a female assassin on a deadly mission and will let no one get in her way. At one point of the film Azumi takes on 200 samurai in a blood soaked conclusion. This review is for the first Azumi however this movie did spawn a part two dvd that is also great as well. An action packed and blood spattered movie that you are sure to enjoy! Hey, have I ever steered you wrong before? Check out the trailer and see what I'm talkin' about!

A DAY AT VENICE BEACH

Because it was going to be a sweltering hot day in the city and everyone I know with a pool never invites me, I decided to spend the day at Venice Beach with my wife. I know.....I know......you're probably thinking "what? how can you go to the beach with the NBA playoffs starting and the Laker game on?" Well, I decided that since I will be sitting on my butt for the next 6 weeks watching basketball I could at least record the first game and spend the day at Venice Beach. So off I went.........
Some people I know have never been to Venice Beach and others either don't like it or are scared to go. I know there are homeless people and bums around but so what?
Me? I've been going to Venice Beach for years. Although there are many other beaches that are nicer, to me they are just sand and the ocean. At Venice you have all of the entertainment and all of the people selling things on the boardwalk. We typically get there in the morning and stroll the boardwalk, which takes over 2 hours. Then we have a bite to eat and head down to the beach. Yesterday I took my iPod and promptly dozed off as soon as I laid down. The photos below are not pictures that I took but are just an example of the sights down at Venice Beach. What? You say you've never been? Well go check it out and get hip!

LET THE NBA PLAYOFF'S BEGIN

Well after spending hours and hours sitting on my butt watching 82 regular season basketball games the regular season is finally over!
Now, the real season starts, the playoffs! I look forward to watching at least two games every single night and doing absolutely nothing productive! To me the NBA playoffs are truly exciting to watch with great games every night.

Being born and raised in the Southern California area I am a die hard Laker fan and bleed purple and gold so I will be rooting for my beloved Lakers to win it all. Will they? I don't know and have serious concerns about their lack of defense as well as the play of the bench players. I still believe though.....oh yes, I do believe so we'll shall see what happens.

Out

Here's some highlights of my Lakers in action. Enjoy!

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK - SWING GIRLS

This weeks dvd pick of the week includes the two main topics of this blog: Jazz and Asian cinema (what a novel concept!). This dvd is from 2004 and is titled Swing Girls. This movie is about a group of Japanese girls who form a jazz band at school.
This is a hilarious movie that is definitely a lot of fun to watch and I must say I have watched it several times. Watch the ups and downs of the band as the girls skills progress and then the final conclusion, their performance in a jazz competition.
The video is part of the performance of the Swing Girls in action. Enjoy!

REGGAE CD PICK OF THE WEEK - GARNETT SILK - MUSIC IS THE ROD

This weeks reggae cd pick of the week goes to legendary reggae singer Garnet Silk with the double cd titled Music Is The Rod. This is a best of cd and contains most of the hits from the brief career of Garnet Silk. I had heard many reggae performers mention Garnet's influence but didn't get hip to him until fairly recently.
Garnet was known for his powerful and smooth voice. During the early 1990s he was hailed as a rising talent, but his career was cut short in 1994 when he died while attempting to save his mother while his house was on fire.
Go here to hear some audio samples of this great cd!
http://www.amazon.com/Reggae-Anthology-Music-Garnett-Silk/dp/B00066VTUI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1239493783&sr=8-1
View the video to hear a live performance by Garnet Silk with the ode to his mother titled Mama. Rest in peace Garnet Silk and may your music live on!

LATIN FUNK CD PICK OF THE WEEK - ILLYA KURYAKI

This weeks Latin funk cd pick of the week goes to Illya Kuryaki and The Valderramas with the cd titled Leche. Someone had hipped me to this cd one day and while browsing the bins at Amoeba I came across it. A mixture of funk, hip-hop and Latin, this is a must have for the fans of the funk! The cd I purchased even came with a black sleeve to cover the bare breasts on the cd cover (how silly). Anyway, this is a super funky cd that you are sure to dig. If you're not hip to it then give it a listen and get hip! Remember, it is my duty to hip you, my many listeners to these undiscovered gems.
http://www.amazon.com/Leche-Illya-Kuryaki-Valderramas/dp/B00000K1K3/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1239492188&sr=8-1

Or check out this video to see what I'm talkin' about!

JAZZ CD PICK OF THE WEEK - BOBBY HUTCHERSON - DIALOGUE

This weeks jazz cd pick of the week goes to Bobby Hutcherson with this 1965 release on the Blue Note lable titled Dialogue. Featuring an all star cast of Bobby on vibes and marimba, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Sam Rivers on tenor and soprano sax, bass clarinet and flute, Andrew Hill on piano, Richard Davis on bass and Joe Chambers on drums. A great recording that is a must have for any jazz lovers library.

Go to the link below to hear some audio clips of this cd or click the video to hear an entire cut from this cd. Dig it and get hip!

http://www.amazon.com/Dialogue-Rudy-Van-Gelder/dp/B000TRXMOU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1239392276&sr=8-1

TIME FOR ANOTHER TRIP TO CHINATOWN

Do I ever get tired of going to Chinatown in Los Angeles? No, as a matter of fact I don't!

Because I have unlimited free time on my hands (still) I decided it was time for another trip so I hopped the Gold Line train in Pasadena and there I was, Chinatown once again.

It felt like forever since my last visit but in reality it was probably only about two weeks ago.

I visited my favorite dvd stores and picked up a few Shaw Brothers bootleg dvd's (The Tea House and The Condemned) and also the latest action movie by renowned martial arts star Sammo Hung (Wush Shu - The Next Generation) all for $13 (what a deal!).

Anyway, look for reviews of these fine films soon on my blog! From there I headed over (by bus) to the Garment District and Santee Alley. It's like a whole different world there where salespeople are trying to sell you everything imaginable. Ya' gotta love those suits with the matching overcoats and hats. Too hip!

On a related note, I recently had an odd dream that I opened a movie theater in Chinatown where the now abandoned Little Joe's Italian Restaurant sits. Maybe this is a sign? an omen of my future? Who knows........only time will tell.

What does the photo shown have to do with my visit? Why absolutely nothing!

LOVE ALBUM OF THE DECADE (THE 70's) THE TEMPREES

My pick for the best love album of the 70's goes to the classic recording, Lovemen by The Temprees (pictured). Now I am sure there will be those that will argue that Blue Magic's debut release was better or that the Stylistics album was just as good but in my opinion this is the best love album of the 70's. This album is always a sure bet to seal the deal with the ladies if you know what I mean. Although this classic recording has not yet been released on cd, you can have all of the songs from this lp but will need to purchase two separate cd's to get all of these songs. These cd's are: The Best of The Temprees and The Temprees Dedicated to the One I love. This is the only way to get all of the songs from this album.

Anyway, check out these two cd's and you can say once again that I was right!

BACK TO BLOGGING

I'M BACK!!!! Well as most of my many readers have noticed my blogging has slowed down considerably this past week. This was due to most of my time being devoted to my downloading a ton of music and then having computer problems probably because of all of this downloading of free music. Anyway, after dumping my free virus protection (free doesn't always mean good) and going to a more reputable (I'm hoping!) virus protection, my problems may now be behind me. I had several issues installing my new virus protection and also had several on-line chats with India regarding my problems. I am hoping my problems are all fixed but for now only time will tell. Anyway, stay tuned for more blogging in the near future.