#is Dan redoing efforts to start a show?

[breakingmllc]

Once Upon A Time There Was A Girl Who Really Loves Knitting And Dogs It Was Me The End Heart T Shirt

Yesterday was a Once Upon A Time There Was A Girl Who Really Loves Knitting And Dogs It Was Me The End Heart T Shirt busy day of meetings and airplane travel for peter and connor but last night peter took some time to share his thoughts on the passing of the great christopher lee christopher lee was the tallest actor I ever knew he was also by far the most literate when we first met in a los angeles studio where he was recording his lines as king haggard in the last unicorn he had just recorded haggard’s speech about his first sight of unicorns and I mentioned that it was probably my favorite speech in the book he immediately wanted to know well did I do it properly we can always redo it right here of course he’d handled the lines perfectly but writers and writers’ opinions about their work mattered intensely to christopher that same afternoon we discovered that between the two of us we we could call to mind just about all the lines of g k chesterton’s poem the rolling english road we also discovered a mutual need to hit the men’s room and my son dan in his mid teens at the time still has a very clear memory of christopher simultaneously peeing while declaiming in that voice which no one could ever keep from imitating after fifteen minutes with him before the roman came to rye or out to severn strode the rolling english drunkard made the rolling english road a reeling road a rolling road that rambled round the shire and after him the parson ran the sexton and the squire I leave it to the reader to imagine that voice in the tiled acoustics of a hollywood bathroom we met a second time in munich where the last unicorn was being dubbed into german most of my memories of that time and of chris lee have to do with books and authors he had known both j r r tolkien and a writer who mattered more to me t h white we had a long ongoing argument in munich about a chapter of the sword in the stone that appears in the english edition of the book but not in the american one he turned out to be right he usually was he never failed to mention the last unicorn as one of his very favorite books and as one of the movies he was most proud of having made indeed he left my whopperjawed as mark twain would have put it when we were being interviewed together on austrian television and he announced oh yes I simply couldn’t resist a chance to play king haggard one more time even in another language after all and he looked straight into the camera it’s the closest they’ll ever let me get to playing king lear the camera swung toward me to catch my stunned reaction and chris looked across the studio at me and winked but my most vivid memory chilling as it remains to this day has to do with the day that I and michael chase walker associate producer of the last unicorn and the one who really got the film made in the first place somehow found our way out to dachau I can’t now recall how we managed it considering that neither one of us spoke german and that you had to take both a subway and a bus to get there from the hotel where the crew were staying but we got there somehow and spent a good half of the day roaming with other tourists around a legendary concentration camp peering blindly into the huge crematoriums but staring with equal horror and fascination at the endless rows of filing cabinets containing every record of every human being who was ever imprisoned starved gassed or simply worked to death in this place michael and I grew quieter and quieter that afternoon until by the time we started back to munich we weren’t speaking at all I think we both felt that we might say anything in words again the first person we met in the hotel lobby was christopher he took one look at us and announced you’ve been to dachau we nodded without answering chris strode toward us looked all the way down from his six foot five inch altitude lowered his voice and inquired still smells doesn’t it with the end of world war ii christopher as a member of the special forces and whose five or six languages included fluent german had been assigned to hunt down and interrogate nazi war crminals and had been present at the liberation of dachau and yes the smell of death had undoubtedly faded somewhat since 1945 but it was still as real as michael and me wandering dazedly between the ovens and the filing system we just didn’t know what it was but christopher did and i’d know it again I never saw him again after munich though we spoke on the telephone a few times on the last occasion when I had called to wish him a happy 90th birthday I remember him assuring me that if by the time you come to make your live action version of your movie I have passed on do not let it concern you I have risen from the dead several times I know how it’s done he worked almost to the last as the real artists of every kind do they work to be working because that’s what they do and they die when they stop I always regarded him as the last of the great 19th century actors that bravura larger than life style went with him no modern rada trained performer would ever attempt it today nor should they it would inevitably come out parody however earnestly meant yet there was always more to christopher lee as an actor than dracula or the mummy or saruman or sherlock holmes for that matter though he was very proud of having played not only both holmes and watson but sherlock’s brother mycroft as well lord summerisle of the original the wicker man probably his favorite of his own movies is most likely closer to chris’s dark benignity than any other role he ever inhabited I believe this because lord summerisle sings a surprising amount in that movie and chris passionately loved singing if there is any such thing as an afterlife or reincarnation I truly hope no believe that christopher lee will return as a wagnerian opera singer if he hadn’t been considered too old in his 30s to be accepted for formal vocal training he might have been in his own eyes at least a happier more fulfilled man but we would have been deeply poorer for it and never have known. Wild horses have lived in the kisatchie national forest and fort polk for over 150 years now however despite public outcry and ongoing litigation the u s army is removing horses from fort polk with many of them ending up in a kill pen you can help save these historic horses by signing a petition below and by making a donation to our friends at the pegasus equine guardian association to fund its rescue fostering adoption efforts at. She needs the best emcee baby do you want me please say yes you do come tidy up my crib I can tell you wanna peace to jane fonda let’s play like honda trucks peace to you for makin big bucks time is upon us you’re the star I like it you rule my world like the vikings u were at the corner store paparottzi made a sighting finer than pizza and cool like lightening so stop hiding come inside baby im wating for you your so true wrote that in 4 mins what you think bro

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Seriously loving my new touch of nude lipstick I normally hate brown tones on me but this is the Once Upon A Time There Was A Girl Who Really Loves Knitting And Dogs It Was Me The End Heart T Shirt perfect nude brown that I think will now become my new go to can’t go wrong shade so moisturizing too but not too creamy where it’s slides around on your lips. In response to last week s tatoosday post we got so many tattoos from last unicorn fans around the world that it will take months to showcase all of them to help make things go slightly faster than that and because it s neat to compare and contrast we re going to make today a two tattoosday post take a look at these very different approaches to showing the human and unicorn versions of peter s classic character in one image ashley knight schroeder s tattoo is beautifully stylized I just got this done on saturday the last unicorn has touched my life and helped me through many a rough patch even my sons will watch with me and sing talk along to the movie rippy s tattoos did the work I have no idea who did the original design I saw it and feel in love would love to find the original artist brittni lynn martin and her artist phil meyers from california opted for classic heartfelt look this movie has been my favorite since I was little and is now my favorite book and I have a 3 year old daughter who also loves it and we watch it together so it’s been a huge part of my life so beautiful both of these. If your events calendar or feed is full of baby showers anxiety this is for you life is busy but gifting a new mom baby should be easy with our collection of cute coordinating outfit sets multi packs stress less shop bundles baby place See Other related products: Once Upon A Time There Was A Girl Who Really Loves Knitting And Dogs It Was Me The End Heart T Shirt

[johnsoedercc]

I wrote this profile of record producer extraordinaire and philanthropist Tommy LiPuma for The Plain Dealer, on the occasion of a Tri-C JazzFest salute to him that coincided with the “Modern American Masters: Highlights From the Gill and Tommy LiPuma Collection” exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The Art of Tommy LiPuma

By John Soeder published April 11, 2004, in The Plain Dealer

NEW YORK – Yes, he produced a chart-topping album for Barbra Streisand.

And yes, he also had a hand in Grammy-winning recordings by George Benson, Natalie Cole and Diana Krall.

Running down the mile-long list of his accomplishments as a record producer and music industry executive, however, it’s easy to overlook one of Tommy LiPuma’s most truly remarkable achievements:

He made a Wham! fan out of Miles Davis.

The late, great jazz trumpeter visited LiPuma at home in the 1980s to discuss working together. LiPuma popped a cassette by the George Michael-fronted pop group of “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” fame into the stereo.

Davis “freaked out,” LiPuma says. “He loved it.”

Who knew?

LiPuma recounts the story over lunch at Sistina, his favorite Italian restaurant. It’s not open for lunch, mind you – unless you’re Tommy LiPuma, in which case you and a guest have the dining room all to yourselves on a snowy March afternoon.

Such are the perks when you’re chairman of the world’s largest jazz record company, Verve Music Group. LiPuma, a former Clevelander, has held the title since 1998.

He’ll be back in his hometown this week for the 25th annual Tri-C JazzFest. Benson, Krall, Dr. John, Joe Lovano, Jimmy Scott and others perform Saturday at Playhouse Square’s Allen Theatre in a salute to LiPuma, 67.

“I’m honored,” he says. “On the other hand, it makes you wonder: Are you coming toward the twilight of your career? Frankly, I feel I’m at the top of my game.”

LiPuma co-produced three albums for Davis, starting with 1986’s “Tutu.” It included a cover of “Perfect Way,” originally done by Scritti Politti, another 1980s pop act that LiPuma brought to the attention of Davis.

“He wasn’t what I call a jazz cop,” LiPuma says. “He loved all kinds of music.”

Ditto LiPuma. He wholeheartedly buys into the old Duke Ellington maxim: There are only two kinds of music – the good kind and the other kind.

LiPuma’s latest productions are albums by Al Jarreau and Krall.

Veteran vocalist Jarreau’s “Accentuate the Positive” is due in stores Tuesday, Aug. 3. LiPuma was behind the mixing board for two previous Jarreau releases, “Glow” (1976) and the live double album “Look to the Rainbow” (1977).

“He’s a brilliant producer,” says Jarreau, who performs Friday at the Allen Theatre as part of the JazzFest’s “Silver on Silver” salute to another LiPuma client, hard-bop pianist Horace Silver.

LiPuma has a knack for “knowing artists, knowing what they do, allowing them to do it and then pushing them where he thinks their strengths are — and beyond those strengths,” Jarreau says.

While working on his new album, Jarreau found himself scatting the melody of “Groovin’ High,” a Charlie Parker-Dizzy Gillespie chestnut: “Duh-dut, duh-dut-dut, bah-doo-bee-ooh-bee-ooh-duh-dut’ll-doo-day.…”

LiPuma’s ears pricked up. “Is there a lyric, Al?” he asked.

“Well, I’ve thought about doing a lyric for it,” Jarreau replied.

LiPuma encouraged him to go for it.

Jarreau did. The finished track turned out to be “one of my best efforts,” he says.

Krall’s new album, “The Girl in the Other Room,” comes out Tuesday, April 27. It features six songs co-written by the singer-pianist and her husband, rocker Elvis Costello.

LiPuma co-produced “The Girl in the Other Room” with Krall, whom he refers to as “my baby.” He has overseen seven of her eight albums.

“Tommy is my ears — he can hear things I can’t hear,” Krall said in a 2001 interview with The Plain Dealer. “He loves music, art, beauty and all the meaningful things in life, including really good wine.”

At Sistina, LiPuma orders a bowl of pasta. It arrives perfectly al dente and prepared, per his specifications, with cherry tomatoes. A seafood dish follows in short order.

“This is the branzino,” LiPuma says, digging into the Italian-style sea bass. “Delicious!”

Between sips of espresso in the afterglow of the meal, he’ll gladly tell you about working with ultradiva Streisand on “The Way We Were,” her 1974 No. 1 album: “She knows exactly what she wants.”

Or the truth behind “Weekend in L.A.,” singer-guitarist Benson’s 1977 live album: “It wasn’t really as live as it sounded…. We had to redo the vocals.”

Or the emotional experience of recording the title track of Cole’s 1991 “Unforgettable” album, a virtual duet between the singer and her late father, Nat “King” Cole: “When we did it, it stopped all of us in our tracks.”

Lawyers, accountants running the show

LiPuma lights up when he talks about music. But his mood turns somber when the conversation turns to the music business.

“The sooner corporate America gets out of it, the happier I’m going to be,” he says.

Verve Music Group is the parent company of four record labels: Verve, Impulse!, GRP (which LiPuma ran in the 1990s) and Blue Thumb (where LiPuma worked in the late ’60s and early ’70s with such acts as Dan Hicks and Dave Mason).

In addition to a catalog rich with jazz greats (Ellington, Count Basie, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, among others), the company’s current artist roster includes the likes of Krall, Jarreau, Benson, violinist Regina Carter and keyboardist Herbie Hancock.

Verve Music Group is a subsidiary of the world’s leading music company, Universal Music Group, which had revenues of $6 billion in 2003. Universal (itself a division of multinational media conglomerate Vivendi Universal) does not release specific financial data for its subsidiaries.

“The record business used to be basically a group of entrepreneurs … who made gut decisions and ran their own ships,” LiPuma says. “They didn’t have to worry about making their quarter or if Wall Street was going to give them its blessing. They were music people.

"Today, with a few exceptions, you have lawyers and accountants running the show. It’s very unfortunate.”

LiPuma has delegated the day-to-day responsibilities (read: headaches) of running Verve Music Group to his second-in-command, President and CEO Ron Goldstein.

“I handle the creative aspects,” LiPuma says. “When you make records, all you want is the right performance…. As a producer, everything is about waiting for the moment when the artist drops a magic take. One of the most important parts of my job is knowing when the moment happens.”

Magic has struck in the studio time and again for LiPuma, who has made more than 20 gold, platinum or multiplatinum records. He also has won three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year in 1976 for Benson’s smash “This Masquerade,” Album of the Year in 1991 for Cole’s “Unforgettable” and Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2002 for Krall’s “Live in Paris.”

The way he was: Cleveland roots

Born in Cleveland to Italian immigrants, LiPuma was the youngest of five children. His brothers, Joe and Henry, and sister Therese still live in the area; another sister, Josephine, died in 1984.

LiPuma’s family moved often when he was young, from Cleveland’s Kinsman neighborhood to University Heights to Warrensville Heights to Beachwood.

“The radio was always on in our house,” LiPuma says. “In those days, it was Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, Jo Stafford.

"Some way or another, I ended up where I ended up. But I’m a pop junkie. I love great pop music.

"By the time I was 18, I loved bebop — Charlie Parker, Horace Silver, all those guys. But it didn’t take away from my love for pop music.”

When he was 9, LiPuma developed osteomyelitis, a debilitating bone infection. He spent nearly three years laid up in bed.

“The radio became my friend,” he says. “I discovered the R&B station in those days, WJMO, and I started hearing Charles Brown, Louis Jordan, Nat Cole and Ruth Brown. I was a complete R&B nut by the time I was 12.

"Then I started playing saxophone…. I’ll never forget: The music teacher at Shaker Heights Junior High School gave me an F in music because I didn’t show up for a concert.”

LiPuma dropped out of school when he was 18, although he only made it through 10th grade. His illness had left him two grades behind his friends. “I felt out of place,” he says.

By then, he was earning $25 a night playing sax in local clubs.

His father, a barber, sent LiPuma to barber college and gave him a loan to buy a barbershop in the Keith Building on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. Among his customers were various radio disc jockeys, including future “American Top 40” host Casey Kasem, who used to work at the old WJW AM/850.

But LiPuma’s heart wasn’t into cutting hair. He leased the shop, packed his sax and hit the road for a year with a jazz combo.

Upon his return to Cleveland in 1960, LiPuma got a job as a record promoter with M.S. Distributors.

The following year, he was hired to do promotion for Liberty Records. He later transferred to the company’s music publishing division. LiPuma primarily was based in Los Angeles, although he briefly lived in New York in 1962 and relocated there permanently in 1984.

The first album he produced was “Comin’ Through,” the 1965 debut by an R&B group from Canton — the O’Jays.

Making hits, taking hits

He scored his first gold record one year later with the Sandpipers. The easy-listening trio’s Top 10 single “Guantanamera” was produced by LiPuma, who also recited the spoken-word bit in the middle of the tune: “I am a truthful man from the land of the palm trees… .”

He went on to work as a producer and A&R (artists and repertoire) executive for several other record companies, including A&M, Warner Bros. and Elektra. Along the way, LiPuma collaborated with a range of artists, from Dr. John to Michael Franks to Joe Sample.

Somebody once asked LiPuma how it felt to be the father of smooth jazz. He was mortified.

“I detest — de-test! — smooth jazz,” he says. “Shall I call it the height of mediocrity? Everything has become so predictable.

"The jazz community can blame itself for what ultimately ended up happening with jazz. Basically, it has gone nowhere.”

Some jazz purists blame LiPuma for his pop-savvy meddling — at least to hear him tell it.

“Critics like Gary Giddins hate my [expletive] guts,” LiPuma says. “They think I’m the Antichrist. [Giddins] referred to me as a hack.”

Giddins, former jazz critic for The Village Voice and the author of biographies of Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby and Charlie Parker, is widely regarded as a top jazz authority. (Even LiPuma says Giddins is “erudite.”)

Giddins gave his side of the story via e-mail last week.

“I don’t hate Tommy LiPuma’s ‘[expletive] guts,’ ” he wrote. “It is possible that I once referred to him as a hack, but I can’t recall the occasion and a global search of everything on my hard drive, dating back 20 years, turns up only one mention of his name.”

In a review of the 1997 JVC Jazz Festival, Giddins made a passing reference to LiPuma as “the record industry menace who specializes in convincing good musicians to play bad music.”

‘A rare breed’ and ‘a beautiful cat’

Tommy LiPuma — a “menace”? Jarreau scoffs at the notion.

LiPuma is “a rare breed,” Jarreau says. “Maybe a guy like Tommy is too nice for this industry.”

Sax player David Sanborn, on the bill for the JazzFest’s Silver tribute, has cut a couple of albums with LiPuma.

“You can always tell a Tommy LiPuma production,” Sanborn says. “He makes high-class, high-quality records…. He has the ability to make records with broad appeal, too.

"I don’t think there’s anything intrinsically wrong with a lot of people liking your music. If you’re doing something you don’t believe in, that’s another story. But I don’t think Tommy has ever done that. . . . He has a real passion for the music.”

LiPuma is “a beautiful cat,” says another music legend from Cleveland, jazz singer Jimmy Scott. His 1992 comeback album, “All the Way,” was produced by LiPuma.

“He knows his stuff,” Scott says. “If you have an idea and you talk it over with him, he’ll make it happen. He doesn’t limit his thoughts about the music.”

LiPuma doesn’t limit his interests to music, either.

Paintings by American Modernists usually fill his Park Avenue apartment, although for the time being, the walls are dotted with empty hooks. “Modern American Masters: Highlights From the Gill and Tommy LiPuma Collection” is on view through Sunday, July 18, at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The exhibition features works by some of LiPuma’s favorite artists (not of the recording variety), including Alfred Maurer, Marsden Hartley and Arnold Friedman.

Gill is LiPuma’s wife of 35 years. They have two grown daughters.

“I love art…. You’ve got structure, form, textures — the same things you have in music,” says LiPuma, recently elected a trustee of the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art.

“I’d like to be a private [art] dealer,” he says. “I also still enjoy making records. I don’t want to stop…. At this point, the last thing I’m thinking about is retirement.”

[johnsoedercma-blog]

For me, it doesn’t get any better than telling stories about people with a passion for the arts. I wrote this profile of record producer extraordinaire and philanthropist Tommy LiPuma for The Plain Dealer, on the occasion of a Tri-C JazzFest salute to him that coincided with the "Modern American Masters: Highlights From the Gill and Tommy LiPuma Collection" exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

The Art of Tommy LiPuma

By John Soeder published April 11, 2004, in The Plain Dealer

NEW YORK – Yes, he produced a chart-topping album for Barbra Streisand.

And yes, he also had a hand in Grammy-winning recordings by George Benson, Natalie Cole and Diana Krall.

Running down the mile-long list of his accomplishments as a record producer and music industry executive, however, it’s easy to overlook one of Tommy LiPuma’s most truly remarkable achievements:

He made a Wham! fan out of Miles Davis. 

The late, great jazz trumpeter visited LiPuma at home in the 1980s to discuss working together. LiPuma popped a cassette by the George Michael-fronted pop group of "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" fame into the stereo.

Davis "freaked out," LiPuma says. "He loved it."

Who knew?

LiPuma recounts the story over lunch at Sistina, his favorite Italian restaurant. It’s not open for lunch, mind you – unless you’re Tommy LiPuma, in which case you and a guest have the dining room all to yourselves on a snowy March afternoon.

Such are the perks when you’re chairman of the world’s largest jazz record company, Verve Music Group. LiPuma, a former Clevelander, has held the title since 1998.

He’ll be back in his hometown this week for the 25th annual Tri-C JazzFest. Benson, Krall, Dr. John, Joe Lovano, Jimmy Scott and others perform Saturday at Playhouse Square’s Allen Theatre in a salute to LiPuma, 67.

"I’m honored," he says. "On the other hand, it makes you wonder: Are you coming toward the twilight of your career? Frankly, I feel I’m at the top of my game."

LiPuma co-produced three albums for Davis, starting with 1986’s "Tutu." It included a cover of "Perfect Way," originally done by Scritti Politti, another 1980s pop act that LiPuma brought to the attention of Davis.

"He wasn’t what I call a jazz cop," LiPuma says. "He loved all kinds of music."

Ditto LiPuma. He wholeheartedly buys into the old Duke Ellington maxim: There are only two kinds of music – the good kind and the other kind.

LiPuma’s latest productions are albums by Al Jarreau and Krall.

Veteran vocalist Jarreau’s "Accentuate the Positive" is due in stores Tuesday, Aug. 3. LiPuma was behind the mixing board for two previous Jarreau releases, "Glow" (1976) and the live double album "Look to the Rainbow" (1977).

"He’s a brilliant producer," says Jarreau, who performs Friday at the Allen Theatre as part of the JazzFest’s "Silver on Silver" salute to another LiPuma client, hard-bop pianist Horace Silver.

LiPuma has a knack for "knowing artists, knowing what they do, allowing them to do it and then pushing them where he thinks their strengths are — and beyond those strengths," Jarreau says.

While working on his new album, Jarreau found himself scatting the melody of "Groovin’ High," a Charlie Parker-Dizzy Gillespie chestnut: "Duh-dut, duh-dut-dut, bah-doo-bee-ooh-bee-ooh-duh-dut’ll-doo-day. . . ."

LiPuma’s ears pricked up. "Is there a lyric, Al?" he asked.

"Well, I’ve thought about doing a lyric for it," Jarreau replied.

LiPuma encouraged him to go for it.

Jarreau did. The finished track turned out to be "one of my best efforts," he says.

Krall’s new album, "The Girl in the Other Room," comes out Tuesday, April 27. It features six songs co-written by the singer-pianist and her husband, rocker Elvis Costello.

LiPuma co-produced "The Girl in the Other Room" with Krall, whom he refers to as "my baby." He has overseen seven of her eight albums.

"Tommy is my ears — he can hear things I can’t hear," Krall said in a 2001 interview with The Plain Dealer. "He loves music, art, beauty and all the meaningful things in life, including really good wine."

At Sistina, LiPuma orders a bowl of pasta. It arrives perfectly al dente and prepared, per his specifications, with cherry tomatoes. A seafood dish follows in short order.

"This is the branzino," LiPuma says, digging into the Italian-style sea bass. "Delicious!"

Between sips of espresso in the afterglow of the meal, he’ll gladly tell you about working with ultradiva Streisand on "The Way We Were," her 1974 No. 1 album: "She knows exactly what she wants."

Or the truth behind "Weekend in L.A.," singer-guitarist Benson’s 1977 live album: "It wasn’t really as live as it sounded. . . . We had to redo the vocals."

Or the emotional experience of recording the title track of Cole’s 1991 "Unforgettable" album, a virtual duet between the singer and her late father, Nat "King" Cole: "When we did it, it stopped all of us in our tracks."

Lawyers, accountants running the show

LiPuma lights up when he talks about music. But his mood turns somber when the conversation turns to the music business.

"The sooner corporate America gets out of it, the happier I’m going to be," he says.

Verve Music Group is the parent company of four record labels: Verve, Impulse!, GRP (which LiPuma ran in the 1990s) and Blue Thumb (where LiPuma worked in the late ’60s and early ’70s with such acts as Dan Hicks and Dave Mason).

In addition to a catalog rich with jazz greats (Ellington, Count Basie, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, among others), the company’s current artist roster includes the likes of Krall, Jarreau, Benson, violinist Regina Carter and keyboardist Herbie Hancock.

Verve Music Group is a subsidiary of the world’s leading music company, Universal Music Group, which had revenues of $6 billion in 2003. Universal (itself a division of multinational media conglomerate Vivendi Universal) does not release specific financial data for its subsidiaries.

"The record business used to be basically a group of entrepreneurs . . . who made gut decisions and ran their own ships," LiPuma says. "They didn’t have to worry about making their quarter or if Wall Street was going to give them its blessing. They were music people.

"Today, with a few exceptions, you have lawyers and accountants running the show. It’s very unfortunate."

LiPuma has delegated the day-to-day responsibilities (read: headaches) of running Verve Music Group to his second-in-command, President and CEO Ron Goldstein.

"I handle the creative aspects," LiPuma says. "When you make records, all you want is the right performance. . . . As a producer, everything is about waiting for the moment when the artist drops a magic take. One of the most important parts of my job is knowing when the moment happens."

Magic has struck in the studio time and again for LiPuma, who has made more than 20 gold, platinum or multiplatinum records. He also has won three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year in 1976 for Benson’s smash "This Masquerade," Album of the Year in 1991 for Cole’s "Unforgettable" and Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2002 for Krall’s "Live in Paris."

The way he was: Cleveland roots

Born in Cleveland to Italian immigrants, LiPuma was the youngest of five children. His brothers, Joe and Henry, and sister Therese still live in the area; another sister, Josephine, died in 1984.

LiPuma’s family moved often when he was young, from Cleveland’s Kinsman neighborhood to University Heights to Warrensville Heights to Beachwood.

"The radio was always on in our house," LiPuma says. "In those days, it was Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, Jo Stafford.

"Some way or another, I ended up where I ended up. But I’m a pop junkie. I love great pop music.

"By the time I was 18, I loved bebop — Charlie Parker, Horace Silver, all those guys. But it didn’t take away from my love for pop music."

When he was 9, LiPuma developed osteomyelitis, a debilitating bone infection. He spent nearly three years laid up in bed.

"The radio became my friend," he says. "I discovered the R&B station in those days, WJMO, and I started hearing Charles Brown, Louis Jordan, Nat Cole and Ruth Brown. I was a complete R&B nut by the time I was 12.

"Then I started playing saxophone. . . . I’ll never forget: The music teacher at Shaker Heights Junior High School gave me an F in music because I didn’t show up for a concert."

LiPuma dropped out of school when he was 18, although he only made it through 10th grade. His illness had left him two grades behind his friends. "I felt out of place," he says.

By then, he was earning $25 a night playing sax in local clubs.

His father, a barber, sent LiPuma to barber college and gave him a loan to buy a barbershop in the Keith Building on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. Among his customers were various radio disc jockeys, including future "American Top 40" host Casey Kasem, who used to work at the old WJW AM/850.

But LiPuma’s heart wasn’t into cutting hair. He leased the shop, packed his sax and hit the road for a year with a jazz combo.

Upon his return to Cleveland in 1960, LiPuma got a job as a record promoter with M.S. Distributors.

The following year, he was hired to do promotion for Liberty Records. He later transferred to the company’s music publishing division. LiPuma primarily was based in Los Angeles, although he briefly lived in New York in 1962 and relocated there permanently in 1984.

The first album he produced was "Comin’ Through," the 1965 debut by an R&B group from Canton — the O’Jays.

Making hits, taking hits

He scored his first gold record one year later with the Sandpipers. The easy-listening trio’s Top 10 single "Guantanamera" was produced by LiPuma, who also recited the spoken-word bit in the middle of the tune: "I am a truthful man from the land of the palm trees. . . ."

He went on to work as a producer and A&R (artists and repertoire) executive for several other record companies, including A&M, Warner Bros. and Elektra. Along the way, LiPuma collaborated with a range of artists, from Dr. John to Michael Franks to Joe Sample.

Somebody once asked LiPuma how it felt to be the father of smooth jazz. He was mortified.

"I detest — de-test! — smooth jazz," he says. "Shall I call it the height of mediocrity? Everything has become so predictable.

"The jazz community can blame itself for what ultimately ended up happening with jazz. Basically, it has gone nowhere."

Some jazz purists blame LiPuma for his pop-savvy meddling — at least to hear him tell it.

"Critics like Gary Giddins hate my [expletive] guts," LiPuma says. "They think I’m the Antichrist. [Giddins] referred to me as a hack."

Giddins, former jazz critic for The Village Voice and the author of biographies of Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby and Charlie Parker, is widely regarded as a top jazz authority. (Even LiPuma says Giddins is "erudite.")

Giddins gave his side of the story via e-mail last week.

"I don’t hate Tommy LiPuma’s ‘[expletive] guts,’ " he wrote. "It is possible that I once referred to him as a hack, but I can’t recall the occasion and a global search of everything on my hard drive, dating back 20 years, turns up only one mention of his name."

In a review of the 1997 JVC Jazz Festival, Giddins made a passing reference to LiPuma as "the record industry menace who specializes in convincing good musicians to play bad music."

‘A rare breed’ and ‘a beautiful cat’

Tommy LiPuma — a "menace"? Jarreau scoffs at the notion.

LiPuma is "a rare breed," Jarreau says. "Maybe a guy like Tommy is too nice for this industry."

Sax player David Sanborn, on the bill for the JazzFest’s Silver tribute, has cut a couple of albums with LiPuma.

"You can always tell a Tommy LiPuma production," Sanborn says. "He makes high-class, high-quality records. . . . He has the ability to make records with broad appeal, too.

"I don’t think there’s anything intrinsically wrong with a lot of people liking your music. If you’re doing something you don’t believe in, that’s another story. But I don’t think Tommy has ever done that. . . . He has a real passion for the music."

LiPuma is "a beautiful cat," says another music legend from Cleveland, jazz singer Jimmy Scott. His 1992 comeback album, "All the Way," was produced by LiPuma.

"He knows his stuff," Scott says. "If you have an idea and you talk it over with him, he’ll make it happen. He doesn’t limit his thoughts about the music."

LiPuma doesn’t limit his interests to music, either.

Paintings by American Modernists usually fill his Park Avenue apartment, although for the time being, the walls are dotted with empty hooks. "Modern American Masters: Highlights From the Gill and Tommy LiPuma Collection" is on view through Sunday, July 18, at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The exhibition features works by some of LiPuma’s favorite artists (not of the recording variety), including Alfred Maurer, Marsden Hartley and Arnold Friedman.

Gill is LiPuma’s wife of 35 years. They have two grown daughters.

"I love art. . . . You’ve got structure, form, textures — the same things you have in music," says LiPuma, recently elected a trustee of the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art.

"I’d like to be a private [art] dealer," he says. "I also still enjoy making records. I don’t want to stop. . . . At this point, the last thing I’m thinking about is retirement."

[jobsearchtips02]

How Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Trump family invests its billions

Donald Trump and his household.

Brendan McDermid/Reuters.

President Donald Trump’s niece Mary L. Trump is publishing a book in which she’ll expose she dripped family tax files to The New York Times, The Daily Beast reported

President Donald Trump‘s net worth is estimated to be $2.1 billion, according to Forbes

Combine that with the reported private net worths of the Trump kids, and the entire Trump family could be worth more than $3 billion.

The examination exposed that Trump isn’t a self-made guy, but had his father bolster his failing businesses in the 1990 s with hundreds of millions of dollars.

Trump’s net worth is currently estimated to be $2.1 billion— down an estimated $1 billion because the pandemic.

And that’s not to point out the private net worths of his adult children: a reported $150 to $300 million for Eric Trump; a reported $200 million for Donald Trump Jr.; and a reported $600,000 for Tiffany Trump, according to Cheat Sheet

Integrated, that means the whole Trump household‘s fortune could exceed an estimated $3 billion.

From expensive penthouses and costly education to high-end shopping and a full-on air travel fleet, here’s how they drop their millions and billions.

Donald Trump’s net worth is currently approximated to be $2.1 billion– down about $1 billion since the pandemic started.

Pool/Getty Images.

Source: Forbes

According to his executive branch personnel public monetary disclosure report, he made anywhere from $597,396,914 to $667,811,903 between January 2016 and spring 2017.

Ian MacNicol/Getty Images.

Source: Business Insider, Center for Accountable Politics

About $42 million of Trump’s wealth originates from his brand services– Trump Hotel Management & Licensing Service and Trump Product Licensing, and $38 million originates from his hospitality holdings.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he boards Air Force One for travel to Pennsylvania from Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on August 13,2019

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters.

Source: Forbes

And $455 million of his net worth consists of cash, trophies, individual assets– $160 million is money and liquid possessions specifically, according to Forbes.

AP Images.

Source: Forbes

Prior to he was elected, Trump spent $66 million of his own cash on his governmental project, according to campaign financing disclosures taken a look at by Reuters.

Republican governmental candidate Donald Trump speaks throughout a campaign rally, Friday, Nov. 4, 2016, in Hershey, Pa.

Associated Press/Evan Vucci.

Source: Fortune

Trump typically took a trip throughout his campaign using his huge aircraft fleet. He apparently purchased a Boeing 727 for $8 million back then, which he then replaced in 2010 with a Boeing 757 that he reportedly purchased from Microsoft’s Paul Allen for $100 million.

AP.

According to the New York Times, it burns fuel at a rate of countless dollars an hour.

Source: The New York City Times

He also owns a Cessna jet, which reportedly deserved $153 million new and had a resale worth of $3.2 million in 2016.

John Locher/AP Images.

Source: The New York Times

And that’s not to discuss his 3 Sikorsky helicopters. Secondhand Sikorsky S-76 s usually cost $5 million to $7 million– not counting the approximated $750,000 Trump spent redoing the interior of his latest purchase, which involved 24- karat gold-plated hardware.

Scott Halleran/Getty Images.

Source: The New York City Times, CNBC

Collectively, Trump’s two-airplane, three-helicopter fleet is valued at $32 million.

Matthew Busch/Getty Images.

Source: Forbes

Trump also has a collection for the road.

Scott Olson/Getty Images.

Source: The Washington Post

Trump has an affinity for Brioni matches, which vary from $5,250 to $6,900 While the brand name supplied him with matches during “The Apprentice,” he began spending for them during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Scott Olson/Getty Images.

Source: Organisation of Fashion

Melania also has a taste for expensive style.

Alex Wong/Getty Images.

Source: Cheat Sheet, Cheat Sheet

She’s also put on more casual and affordable clothes on numerous events, such as Converse, which retail for less than $50

Andrew Harnik/Shutterstock.

Source: Service Insider

To finish her look, Melania has her own makeup artist, Nicole Bryl, who when informed United States Weekly of Melania’s strategies to have a “glam room” in the White House. She also has a hairdresser who makes home calls and journeys with her.

U.S. very first woman Melania Trump shows up in the Rose Garden to speak at the White Home May 7, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images/Win McNamee.

Source: Cheat Sheet

Melania has said that she’s a full-time mommy which she refuses to invest cash on a nanny. In 2013, she informed ABC News that she gowns her child, Barron, in fits and hydrates him with her brand name’s Caviar Complex C6 moisturizer. He was 7 years old at the time.

First girl Melania Trump and Barron Trump walk to board Marine One on the South Yard of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017, in Washington.

Associated Press/Evan Vucci.

Source: Organisation Expert, ABC News

In New York, Barron was participating in Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, which cost $40,000 a year. He now goes to St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Maryland, which likewise costs $40,000 a year.

Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

Source: Cheat Sheet, The Washington Post, CNN

The 3 of them lived in the $54 million penthouse in Trump Tower in New york city prior to moving into the White House. Trump reportedly has said the penthouse is 33,000 square feet, however city records suggest that it’s in fact 10,996 square feet.

Mark Lennihan/AP Photos.

Source: Forbes

The Trumps also have real estate in sunnier climates– like their private island home, Le Chateau Des Palmiers, in St. Martin, worth $13 million.

Le Chateau Des Palmiers.

Google Maps.

Source: Business Expert

Then there are the two houses in Sterling, Virginia, worth a collective $1.5 million– and 3 Palm Beach homes, worth a cumulative $25 million.

Palm Beach.

pisaphotography/Shutterstock.

Source: Business Insider

However more of Trump’s wealth lies outside his personal real-estate portfolio. About $1.2 billion of Trump’s net worth includes his industrial property, and $148 million includes residential realty.

The Trump International Hotel is seen on March 22, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images.

Source: Forbes

And After That there’s the $217 million he owns in golf courses and clubs, from the US to Scotland and Ireland.

Trump at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester in2006

Goshorn/Media Punch by means of AP.

Source: Forbes

That includes the $170 million Mar-A-Lago, a 17- acre estate in Palm Beach that Trump apparently bought for $10 million. It has 58 bed rooms, 33 restrooms, 12 fireplaces, and 3 air-raid shelter.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

Source: Service Insider, Forbes

An affinity genuine estate runs in the Trump family. Kid Eric Trump and his better half Lara reportedly have two homes– a $2 million apartment or condo in Trump Parc East and a home in Westchester, Town and Country reported in 2016.

Frank Franklin II/AP Photos.

Source: Town & Nation

Like his brother, Donald Trump Jr. also has property in Manhattan. He bought two apartment or condos at the Sovereign for $1.5 million and $1.125 million, reported Town & Country. The publication speculated that he combined the 2 homes.

Donald Trump Jr.

Sue Ogrocki/AP.

Source: Town & Nation

Both bros are big video game hunters, which can be really costly. A 14- day white rhino hunt can cost $66,790

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

Source: Cheat Sheet, U.S.A. Today

On The Other Hand, Ivanka Trump is busy constructing her own empire. More than $5 million came from the Ivanka Trump Brand, more than $2.5 million from the Trump Company, and almost $800,000 for book and TV work.

Andrew Harnik/Shutterstock.

Source: CNN

The combined assets of Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner are worth a minimum of $207 million, but they might surpass $762 million, according to the documents.

Manuel Balce Ceneta/Shutterstock.

Source: CNN

That includes a $25 million art collection.

Ivanka and Jared’s art collection not imagined.

r.nagy/ Shutterstock.

Source: CNN

As soon as Trump settled in the White House, Ivanka and Jared transferred to Washington DC, where they’re supposedly renting a $5.5 million home in the upscale Kalorama area. They also have a four-bedroom penthouse at Trump Park Avenue.

Pool/Getty Images.

Source: Cheat Sheet, Town & Nation, New York City Times

Like her stepmother, Ivanka likewise steps out in a mix of high-end and fast fashion, from a $6,280 Oscar de la Renta dress and coat to an $870 Roksanda dress and a $35 Victoria Beckham for Target gown.

Pool/Getty Images.

Source: Cheat Sheet

Tiffany Trump’s schooling was always spent for by Donald Trump, according to a source who spoke to People Publication. She attended the University of Pennsylvania for undergrad and graduated in 2020 from Georgetown Law School, which costs upwards of $60,000 a year.

Alex Wong/Getty Images.

Source: People, Cheat Sheet, The Washington Post, Georgetown Law School

When she’s not in school, Tiffany spends money vacationing, from an Italian luxury yacht trip and Budapest expedition to summer seasons in Southampton and check outs to The Bahamas.

ZGPhotography/Shutterstock.

Source: Cheat Sheet

She’s been spotted wearing $725 Aquazarra shoes and has actually used couture designer Daniel Basso– whose dress can cost thousands of dollars– to formal events a number of times.

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images.

Source: Teenager Vogue, Cheat Sheet

There’s debate on the degree of Trump’s humanitarian efforts, but in 2009, he and Melania contributed $5,000 to $9,999 to the Authorities Athletic League of New York City City. He also contributed $1 countless his own cash to Typhoon Harvey relief in 2017.

President Donald Trump (R) and very first lady Melania Trump walk across the South Lawn before leaving the White House July 25, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump is taking a trip to Ohio to take part in a ‘salute to American heroes’ and a ‘Make America Great Again Rally.’.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

Source: The New Yorker, GOBanking Rates, The Washington Post

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[cloudwomensquarterly]

For the love of Tucson: Creating a desert oasis to combat climate change By Jana Stormont

Article republished with permission of the author. When I first moved to Tucson, it rained almost every day during monsoon season. I remember waiting for it to cool off in the evening so we could take the little ones to the pool. Inevitably we would watch from the car as a storm swept by. Then we would enjoy the most luminous sunsets as we swam - storm clouds catching the brilliant hues of the setting sun. That was the beginning of my love affair with this stunning desert. But it wasn’t until I witnessed the ravages of record heat and sparse rain on our own little monsoon garden that my heart became totally invested in fighting the effects of climate change on our desert town.

I've often pondered how climate change would affect Tucson.  Nobody knows exactly.  But, from what I've learned, climate change often seems to intensify the extreme weather of a particular area. In that case, Tucson would continue to experience rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and more severe flash floods. That means even more flood damage as storms further erode the banks of hard, dried river beds.

The desert will eventually return to its natural state with or without us. But if we don't stop savaging the earth for profit, Tucson could become a stark, barren desert. If we don't change our ways now, even our iconic saguaros won't be able to survive the scorching heat.

I sometimes wonder what will become of my little house after finally paying off my mortgage. If temperatures continue to rise, would my boys still want to live here? Would they even be able to sell the house if they decided to leave? That's one reason I'm dedicated to finding ways to lessen the impact of climate change on our town or at least find ways to live here comfortably.

Anyone who is paying attention knows we need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and curb our wasteful consumer lifestyle if we want to stave off climate change. But for Tucson to be more resilient, we need to learn to responsibly use the resources the desert has to offer: the power of the sun, native flora and fauna, and our seasonal rainwater.

We can start by implementing solar power to keep our air-conditioners running and planting native shade trees to cool our neighborhoods. But to be really sustainable we need to start living in harmony with the desert. No, I'm not talking about living off the land like the Hohokam before us. I'm not talking about giving up all of our modern conveniences. (Most of them can be adapted or retrofitted to be more environmentally sound.) I'm talking about restoring as much of the desert habitat as possible in an urban environment. I'm envisioning our neighborhoods as desert oases with edible forests of native plants and desert rain gardens with drought-tolerant heritage crops. You've probably seen some lush desert landscaping or cool community gardens popping up around town. That's what inspired Dan and I to plant our own edible forest irrigated with rainwater and greywater and to start experimenting with drought-tolerant crops. We are working towards food security.

How do we transition Tucson into a healthy urban desert oasis? The first step is embracing the nature of the desert we inhabit. Stop trying to force it into something it's not. Stop bulldozing it and paving it over for perpetual development. Shut off the sprinklers that water those little patches of grass in front of businesses. Sorry, manicured lawns don't belong in the desert - native plants do. We need to rethink our perception of tidy xeriscape landscaping and stop suffocating our native vegetation with plastic and mounds of gravel. Why on earth are we raking up all that great organic matter that could be nourishing our soil and allowing the rainwater to sink in?

Noooo!

One of the biggest concerns of living in the desert is having a reliable source of water.  Right now Tucson depends on CAP water. A whole coal-powered generating plant was built to run the pumps that push our water 336 miles uphill from the Colorado River. Unfortunately, that source isn't sustainable. As droughts continue, there will be more competition for that diminishing water supply.

The good news is that there is enough annual rainfall to supply every Tucsonan's water needs - if we harvest the stormwater. We need to redo our flood control infrastructure so water isn't directed to the streets to evaporate on its way out of town. But we don't have to wait for the city or county to approve expensive infrastructure improvements. We can all incorporate rainwater harvesting features that keep the water in our yards to irrigate our native landscapes, edible forests, and drought tolerant gardens.

Diverting roof water to mulch covered catchment basins not only conserves water but helps to restore our aquifers as well. If you wanna see how it's done, you can tour Watershed Management Group's Living Lab and Learning Center. Using a combination of cisterns and earthworks, WMGharvests enough rainwater to meet all of their needs - including irrigating some fruit trees! But more important are their efforts to restore Tucson's aquifers and get our rivers flowing again.

Underground cistern at WMG's living lab

By returning our yards to a more natural state that allows rainwater to sink in, our hope is that it will replenish the Tucson basin and get the rivers flowing year around.

But I have an even greater vision!

If we could get everyone on board, we might even be able to restore the riparian habitats by the rivers. We could install green infrastructure and drywells throughout the city. We could all use earthworks to sink in more of the stormwater in our yards, schools, churches, business properties, and empty lots. That would slow down the rush of water before it gets to the rivers and washes. Then the county could stop bulldozing the native vegetation in our washes for flood control. That native vegetation would act as a sponge allowing flood waters to sink in! There would be less flood damage so we would save money. (Extreme weather costs Tucson and Pima Country $9,449,667 a year.)

Just imagine! If we could stop development in our floodplains, we could see the return of the great mesquite bosques or stands of sycamore, willow, cottonwoods, ash, and black walnut trees that once hugged the flowing Santa Cruz. The riparian habitat would attract more birds and other wildlife to Tucson. Arizona is already a bird lover’s paradise with ecotourism contributing to our $21.2 billion tourist industry. Imagine Tucson becoming the hub of ecotourism!

This may seem impossible with our current "development is progress" mentality. But consider this - the city has plans to relocate family homes and businesses to widen Broadway. That is going in the wrong direction if we want Tucson to be sustainable. It encourages the growth of our car culture that accelerates climate change.

What is your vision for Tucson?  Would you like to ride your bike along a flowing river surrounded by twisty mesquite? Pick a fig from the orchard in the park? Watch hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators flutter around desert shrubs in a traffic median? Snack on some yummy edible weeds? Stop by a neighborhood garden stand for some freshly harvested salad fixin's? Wouldn't it be cool if a local farmer grew drought tolerant heritage white wheat and amaranth by the Santa Cruz River to be milled right here in Tucson and baked into healthy bread in Tucson's own native grains bakery?

That's me holding a bag of freshly milled mesquite flour.

I have a dream. I believe Tucson can be self-sustaining if we reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, cut down on waste, restore our desert flora and fauna, and use the desert's resources responsibly.  Instead of polluting our water by mining coal, we can use one of the desert's most abundant resources - the sun! Why not power our vehicles, homes, and businesses with solar? We can retrofit our older houses and business buildings to conserve energy and water. We can have neighborhood micro food parks with safe bike and walking paths. We can make Tucson THE ecotourism destination by attracting more birds and wildlife to our urban desert.

Brad Lancaster shows how a curb cut lets in street water to irrigate mesquite trees.

We already have a great community working to make Tucson more sustainable: Sustainable Tucson, Feeding Tucson, Community Water Coalition, Sonora Environmental Research Institute,Sonoran Institute, Watershed Management Group, Tucson Water, the 2030 District,Local First, Zero Waste Tucson,UA Compost Cats, Desert Harvesters,Iskashitaa Refugee Network, Arizona Master Naturalists, The Sierra Club, Tucson Audubon Society, Mission Garden, Trees for Tucson, Native Seeds/SEARCH, the Pima County Seed Library, Living Streets Alliance, the U of A,the Desert Museum, and theCommunity Food Bank's Community Gardens. Several schools like Manzo Elementary and Changemaker High have gardens and there are already a number of neighborhood gardens.

The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality is working on a manual for better green infrastructure. The City of Tucson and Pima County have pledged to fight climate change.

Let's work together for a sustainable future for Tucson!  

See more at Sustainable Living Tucson

Jana Segal Stormont is a screenwriter and activist-blogger.

[itsworn]

1957 Chevy Bel Air Goes From Daily Driver To Full Show

There is an unwritten rule in magazine land that once you’ve had your car in print, the likelihood of having it featured in the same publication a second time is pretty slim. The thing about rules is that they are made to be broken, so we’re going to do some rules breaking with Dan Swisher’s ’57 Chevy. His car first graced the pages of Super Chevy back in the dark ages of film and dial-up modems. It was featured in the April 2000 issue dedicated to Tri-Fives. If you still have that one stashed away somewhere, crack it open and you’ll be able to read about his car up to that point. If you don’t, we’re about to fill you in on all the details.

We’ll start the Swisher Chevy saga, or “Swish” as he is called by all his buddies, at the very beginning, back to 1966 when he was still in high school. Setting him back a cool $300, the ’57 would be the first of many automotive purchases he would make over the years. Dressed in Tropical Turquoise and Ivory White with a 283 and a three-speed on the floor, it was an unmolested original car with some miles on the odometer. After graduation, he enlisted in the Air Force and the ’57 served as daily transportation at all the bases he was stationed at.

During a stint in the Boston area, the roads surrounding the air base were a hotbed of street racing, something that Swish fancied. He developed a real taste for it and it served as the impetus for some tweaking on the car. In an effort to be competitive with the locals, he recalls, “a couple of fellows from California that were stationed with me and were really into racing said, ‘Let’s do a job on her.’ They made a few calls back home and the next thing you know, I had a modified 283 bored 30-over, 202 heads, a ’62 Corvette fuelie cam with solid lifters, a four-speed, and a four-barrel double-pumper. She was a ’57 on steroids!” From that point forward, it started leading a double life as daily transportation and weekend warrior. The original paint also gave way to a shade of Autumn Brown, which was eventually replaced by Jade Green.

Upon his return to civilian life, the ’57’s double duty continued. During the week it was used to tool around town and on the weekend it saw street racing duty. Swish took particular pleasure in hunting down and beating up on Fords. He notes, “I mainly looked for 289 hi-po Mustangs because at the time they were the ‘in’ cars.” With the passage of time, he acquired a 1931 Ford pickup that went under the knife and was turned into a street rod, and that became the object of his affection. He freely admits, “It’s sad to say but the ’57 ended up sitting for a few years.”

Over that time span he owned four other street rods while the Chevy sat dormant, but you never forget your first love. Swish recounts, “One night I was sitting there in front of the TV bored out of my mind, so I went into the basement and began staring at her, and she stared back and said, it’s my turn.” Before the night was over, he had the entire rear quarter stripped of paint. In the span of a week, the car was down to a bare body and frame. After many months at the body shop getting some cosmetic enhancements, the old girl returned wearing a fresh coat of Frog Eyed Pearl Green. Swish got her all back together, and from that point on she was a show queen. He did many shows and won numerous awards. Even Johnny Lightning hit him up to do a die-cast replica of the ’57, which culminated with the shoot for Super Chevy in 2000.

After it appeared in the magazine, he continued to show the car for a number of years, but you can only bring the same thing to the table so many times before it gets old, and it started to get old and dated. By 2002 he was looking for a change. He explains, “I connected with a fellow who wanted to redo the car. In short, it was a total disaster.” This guy was filled with good intentions and made promises he ultimately could not deliver on. The end result was a hatchet job that needed to be fixed. Swish then hooked up with Ralph O’Neal to try and repair some of the carnage. Working out of his home shop, Ralph fabricated a new rear frame section that incorporated new mounting points to support the 1966 Jaguar IRS housing.

The next chapter came about at the 2002 Detroit Autorama. At the show, Swish met up with Scott Schneckloth, owner of Sniks Rod & Custom in Manly, Iowa. After some back and forth negotiations, he commissioned Scott to fix the remaining damage inflicted by the original shop, while also updating the rest of ’57. For the next four years, he set out to reimagine the Chevy. The end result is a deceptive treat. At first glance it all appears rather stock until you start looking at the details. While the hood cutouts for the Weber stacks are unmistakable, if you’ve not been indoctrinated into the Tri-Five visual lingo, you might miss the 3 inches added to the back of the hood. That increase in length was the result of the cowl being removed and a custom recessed one fabricated, which pushed the hood line back to the windshield. The fenders were also lengthened 3 inches to accommodate the new hood dimensions. As you move farther back, other items were massaged. The door handles were shaved and the quarter-panel inserts deleted. The changes weren’t confined only to the topside.

The underside of the car also saw extensive modifications. Scott cut out all the original sheetmetal and replaced it with custom-fabricated pieces for a clean, smooth look. That was in part achieved by cleverly hiding all the structural reinforcements inside the car. The body was channeled 3 inches over the frame and the front suspension converted to a tubular A-arm and coilover spring configuration. The front bumper was a new one-piece unit that was being offered by Danchuk at the time, so that was integrated into the front clip, while the rear bumper had a 2-inch chop to bring it in tighter to the body. By the time he was ready to lay down the DuPont Teal Pearl paint, the only panel that remained stock was the roof—everything else had been tweaked. Even the deleted quarter-panel inserts were painted on.

Under the hood is the real kicker. You would think that with all the daily miles logged and the countless street racing duels over the years that the original engine would be a distant memory. Incredibly, the original 283 block is still in place. Punched 30-over and capped with a set of 202 heads, it still retains the Corvette fuelie camshaft and solid lifter configuration that he used on the street. Since the ’57 was being groomed for all-out show duty, the heads were molded to the block and every surface ground smooth. They were then painted to match the exterior of the car. The Weber intake was given a special treatment. It was ground smooth and chrome-plated, while the Weber carburetors that adorn it were gold-plated. Backing the 283 is an M21 four-speed that received the same treatment as the block, with all the surfaces ground smooth and then cloaked with a bath of paint. The Jaguar IRS was equally treated to a mix of chrome, paint, and gold.

As the car came together, it needed an interior that would complement all the custom exterior work. For that task, Swish sent the ’57 to Hot Rod Fabrication in Denton, Maryland. Jeff Sholes, who was working there at the time, was responsible for crafting the new interior. The front and rear seats, along with all the door panels were custom-fabricated and then covered in a number of shades of leather, along with numerous handcrafted decorative metal trim pieces. The overhead console is also a custom piece that houses all the switches for the power windows. A mix of original instruments and AutoMeter gauges keeps Swish informed, while a Billet Specialties wheel covers the steering duties. The leather theme also carried over into the trunk, which was tastefully finished.

Deciding on the rolling stock was another choice that depended heavily on a key stylistic element within the overall design of the ’57. Swish decided to carry the visual element from the steering wheel over to the rolling stock. Billet Specialties SLC75 wheels measuring 18×7.5 (front) and 20×8.5 (rear) were his choice to visually tie the two together. They were wrapped in BFGoodrich g-Force T/A tires 245/40R18 (front) and 255/35R20 (rear).

For Swish, the journey with this ’57 has spanned over a half-century and he isn’t shy about telling you that since it was reborn it has become a trailer queen. If you do ask him why, you’d better be prepared to hear how this car served its master faithfully for many decades. The old girl has never looked better and all this cosmetic surgery ensures she can go the distance for another half-century.

The post 1957 Chevy Bel Air Goes From Daily Driver To Full Show appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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[thingsininternettk-blog]

Toyota uses open-source software in new approach to in-car tech

Toyota Motor Corp on Wednesday said the infotainment arrangement of its patched up Camry vehicle to be sold in the United States will keep running on a Linux-based, open-source innovation stage as it tries to stay aware of tech firms in creating programming for autos.

With the Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) framework in a pillar show, Toyota plans to have the adaptability to redo its product, while it would likewise keep client information that could somehow or another be caught via CarPlay from Apple Inc or Android Auto from Alphabet Inc's Google - applications which empower clients to get to cell phone information through vehicle infotainment frameworks.

Toyota is among 10 worldwide automakers working with providers and innovation organizations to mutually assemble AGL, an essential, open-source stage for vehicle applications which automakers can tweak, disposing of the need to code frameworks starting from the earliest stage for every vehicle display.

Building up the stage in a joint effort with Mazda Motor Corp, Suzuki Motor Corp, Daimler AG and others will lessen improvement time and costs, Toyota stated, and make an industry standard stage to work in-vehicle highlights including music and route applications.

The stage can likewise be utilized to bolster future propelled advancements, including self-driving capacities and associated auto administrations.

"It's exceptionally important to diminish the overhead of duplication work among our providers so they can invest more energy to make new things instead of keeping up fragmentary codes," said Kenichi Murata, bunch administrator of Connected Strategy and Planning at Toyota.

Autos commonly require more than 100 million lines of PC code as automakers pack however much innovation as could be expected to draw in purchasers.

To such an extent that coding has turned into an inexorably lumbering some portion of vehicle improvement, which takes years, contrasted and the minor months it takes for tech firms to create applications.

Also, the procedure requires consistent refreshing to stay aware of innovation improvements and which brings about dissimilar interfaces between automaker's items.

The most recent Camry car to be propelled in coming months will utilize AGL to work its suite of in-vehicle applications, and the Japanese automaker said it wanted to grow the stage to other Toyota and Lexus vehicles in North America and somewhere else.

Around 70 percent of the working stage for the most recent framework comprises of generally non specific coding, while the rest of the 30 percent was tweaked for the Camry, Murata said.

Right now, automakers make vehicles perfect with CarPlay and Android Auto. While this empowers clients to interface cell phones to autos, Dan Cauchy, general director of car at the Linux Foundation, said it makes it troublesome for automakers to have control over modifying their stages.

"It comes down to an automaker needing to tweak their working stage to their preferring and not hosting a third gathering directing what the applications will be for the vehicle," he said.

"A considerable measure of automakers need that control."