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Jackie McLean, 1932 - 2006

"I'll Keep Loving You" - Jackie McLean: "1. I'll Keep Loving You - Jackie McLean

Rest in peace, my good friend.


"

A Find at Applause

Went browsing through the used section at Applause, one of the finest jazz stores ever. Found this little gem - it's not out of print or anything like that, but the guy at the counter said he never sees it come back as a return. I understand why - look at the lineup - Bill Evans, Roy Haynes, Eric Dolphy, Paul Chambers and Freddie Hubbard, backing Oliver Nelson. Now, Oliver isn't a slouch, but on paper it might look like he's playing out of his league. On the contrary, he can go head to head with each of these cats, and the results are smoking.

My favorite recent find online is The Suicide Commandos Make A Record. Out of print, they were doing in the Twin Cities what the Ramones were doing, before the Ramones were doing it - they were legends before their time. Find at http://endlessmike101.blogspot.com/

Maybe I need to change the title

My daily music site routine for the past year or so has been fairly static, and I while I knew there were perhaps horizons I was missing, but only in the last week have I realized how crazy it is out on the web. I've used Napster and Kazaa, and I subscribe to eMusic and Rhapsody. And I purchase way more on a monthly basis than I reasonably can listen to. But the availability of music online I have witnessed recently is truly breathtaking. Blogs (most courtesy of blogspot) with links to hundreds of albums uploaded for anyone to access for free. They certainly are fun to look through, but it's troubling. The first sites of this kind I found specialized in vintage albums that had not yet seen release on CD. Cool - compilations of blaxploitation soundtracks, obscure French psych, Japanese electronica from the 50's. It was stuff you can't find anywhere. But now many more sites put up new releases - you can get the Arctic Monkeys release on several sites, and their release isn't coming stateside for three weeks. I don't know how the music industry will sustain such a mass giveaway/takeaway.

Second surgery averted!

I haven't updated this in a while - Leö's first surgery was successful, but doctors were concerned about his ability to keep his heart beating on its own, and they thought a pacemaker was required. This morning Leö was prepped and ready to have his shiny new Medtronic brand pacemaker inserted into him. He played with it for several minutes before the surgeons took it away from him. They put in a breathing tube, and the cardiac surgeon had the scalpel at Leö's chest, ready to dig in, when he decided one last time, to check his sinus rhythm. And Gosh darn it, if his heart didn't take over and beat on its own this time. They'd never seen anything like this before - the heartbeat correcting right at surgery. Which is great - we'd rather he not need the assistance. The surgeons were happy too, as they were able to then make their mid-morning martini appointment.

Off The Ventilator!

Leö is slowly gaining strength and improving. He's off the ventilator - yeah! He's eating breast milk again. He's not puffy anymore - just look.


The family in the station next to us had some friends come visit yesterday, and they gave the family's baby girl a "prayer dog," a stuffed animal they had prayed over to watch over the girl during her stay. These nice people had another dog, which they gave to Leö. It was a very giving gesture. Plus it makes for a cute photo.

We're still watching his heartbeat, and hopeful he won't need a pacemaker. We will know by Tuesday what needs to happen.

Surgery Update

Today was a fairly routine day for Leo. The doctors removed his chest tubes early this morning, and he was incredibly puffy from retaining great amounts of fluids over the past several hours. They put him on an extra diuretic to help along the process of getting rid of that Pillsbury Doughboy look. He's still on the respirator, which they plan to extubate tomorrow, and he still requires the use of the pacemaker. Our hope is that his timing will get retrained so he'll fire in the right sequence on his own and not need one prmanantly implanted. If that happens, though, it's a minor challenge compared to what he just endured.

We'd like to express a heartfelt 'thank you' and 'God Bless' to all who have been so supportive and helpful with their kind thoughts and words over the past few weeks. It has all been welcomed and appreciated in our family.

In the meantime, we wanted to share a few pictures with you from the past couple days.

Here's Leo before being weighed in before surgery.


With Mom, checking his blood pressure.


Here he is in the PICU after surgery.


Political Revolutionary Jack.


Will at the play area.

A Happy New Year

Hi, It's been nothing short of a whirlwind past week. Unbelievable how it's flown by, but there is something great to show for it. Leö's surgery was yesterday, and it was successful. He is currently in the pediatric intensive care area at Children's Hospital, and is recovering nicely. Brenda got some rest last night, and is hopefully as relieved as I am to have this past few days finished.

We brought Leö in for his preop appointment on Friday, and they took labs and x-rays and gave him the okay for surgery yesterday. And he was quite ready - in fact, he seemed like a different kid yesterday (Tuesday) when we brought him in to the clinic, as he was alert and perky in a manner I'd never seen before. He was cooing, and playful, really developing a personality. It was wonderful, but not the kind of attachment I want to develop moments before handing him off to nurses who will prep him for open heart surgery. But we knew we were placing him in good hands.

So Brenda and I played the fun waiting game. It was nice, Mom and my sister Jen had the boys, so we had a chance to reflect and be together during this moment. And then Brenda's folks showed up, right before the cardiologist and cardiac surgeon arrived to tell us the surgery had been completed and Leö was in recovery. Yeah!

Mom got us a digital camera for Christmas, and I've taken more pictures than I care to count with it - as soon as Brenda brings the cables (I forgot them at home), I'll post some pics of the little guy before and after.