2016.09.08 A Magnificent Member

4-Players: J, K, W & G

Game: Tigris & Euphrates

Location: W

Choice: W

Game One:

Player	Points
J	20
K	20
G	19
W	19

Final Tally:

• J was declared this week's winner!

Game Notes:

• First time played for J
• Tiebreaker for First Place won by J
• J weakest 20, second weakest 21, third weakest 23 
• K weakest 20, second weakest 21, third weakest 22
• Tiebreaker for Third Place won by
• G weakest 19, second weakest 20
• W weakest 19, second weakest 19



Music Notes:

Dr. John: Gris-Gris (1968)
Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd: Jazz Samba (1962)
Thelonius Monk: Monk's Dream (1963)
Jeff Beck: Blow By Blow (1975)

2015-12-23 This is why we put up with johnny b goode

definitely not a donkey!

4-Players: K, W, G & Z
Game: Tigris and Euphrates
Location: W
Choice: Consensus

Game One:

Player	Points
G	11(12)
Z	11(11)
W	9
K	8

Final Tally:

G and Z were tied at the end of the game with eleven cubes in their smallest pile. G won the tie breaker having twelve in his next smallest pile. G was declared this week's winner.

Game Notes:

• First appearance of Z at ESBS
• First time Z plays T & E
• Time left at end allowed for a quick game of Dominion base (Village Square setup)
• Scores: K (28), Z (24), W (21), G (16)
• "Killer filler"
• "Winning is winning"

Music Notes:



Acid Jazz on the Rocks Vol 2 (1999)

[Notes from G] Enjoyable compilation from the Italian label Irma of then contemporary artists including Jestofunk







Jethro Tull: Stand Up (1969)

[Notes from AllMusic commenter MarkYorkel] Jethro Tull's second album saw Martin Barre on guitar replace Mick Abrahams who went off to form Blodwyn Pig. Barre would form a long partnership with Ian Anderson and Stand Up is one of their best albums. Glenn Cornick's bass playing is also outstanding. While Tull has had many fine bass players, Glenn Cornick is by far the best and his sound is unique and critical to the Tull vibe. Stand out cuts include "Back To The Family", "We Used To Know", "Nothing Is Easy" and "Look Into The Sun". Other notables included "Bouree" and "Fat Man". The signature Jethro Tull sound consisting of outstanding acoustic cuts and top shelf hard rock tunes make Stand Up an absolutely essential purchase. Original vinyl copies had the pop out Tull puppets, which are a must have for the serious collector.


Jethro Tull: This Was (1968)

[Notes from AllMusic] Jethro Tull was very much a blues band on their debut album, vaguely reminiscent of the Graham Bond Organization only more cohesive, and with greater commercial sense. The revelations about the group's roots on This Was -- which was recorded during the summer of 1968 -- can be astonishing, even 30 years after the fact. Original lead guitarist Mick Abrahams contributed to the songwriting and the singing, and his presence as a serious bluesman is felt throughout, often for the better: "Some Day the Sun Won't Shine for You," an Ian Anderson original that could just as easily be credited to Big Bill Broonzy or Robert Johnson; "Cat's Squirrel," Abrahams' big showcase, where he ventures into Eric Clapton territory; and "It's Breaking Me Up," which also features some pretty hot guitar from Abrahams. Roland Kirk's "Serenade to a Cuckoo" (the first song Anderson learned to play on flute), their jazziest track ever, is one of the best parts of the album. The drum solo on "Dharma for One" now seems like a mistake, but is understandable in the context of the time in which it was done. The one number here that everybody knows, "A Song for Jeffrey," almost pales amid these surroundings, but at the time it was a superb example of commercial psychedelic blues. This would be the last album of its kind by the group, as Abrahams' departure and the lure of more fertile inspiration tugged them toward English folk music.

The Grateful Dead: Dick's Picks, Vol 10, Disc 3 (2000 - recorded: 1977)

 

[Notes from G] Fantastic entry in the Dick's series, this time featuring a show recorded on home turf Winterland Arena (San Francisco) on December 29, 1977. Overall a great year for dead shows and this release is no exception. We listened to the last disc which included the encore from Dec 29th and a selection of tunes (killer filler) from the following night's show. Check out the track list to see why I chose that particular disc:

 

Encore:

1. "Terrapin Station" (Hunter, Garcia) – 10:29
2. "Johnny B. Goode" (Berry) – 4:36

Bonus tracks -- 12/30/77

1. "Estimated Prophet" (Barlow, Weir) – 10:46
2. "Eyes of the World" (Hunter, Garcia) – 15:25
3. "St. Stephen" (Hunter, Garcia, Phil Lesh) – 9:18
4. "Sugar Magnolia" (Hunter, Weir) – 9:53

2015-12-10 Love Me Two Times



If you say it in a Shrek voice, it never gets old. Does it, Donkey?



4 Players: M, G, K & W
Game: Tigris & Euphrates
Location: W
Choice: G


Game One:

Player	Points
M	10
W	9
K	8
G	7

Game Notes:

• M's first game of T&E; K's second
• The game ended early but with not enough time for a second game so we played a quick game of Dominion without M who acted responsibly and went home. We enjoyed the pretzel sticks he left behind. Thank you M!
• G had whipped up a custom set of 10 cards all from the Dark Ages expansion.
• Name of the deck: Trash Ahoy and it features Rats, Market Square, Death Cart and other combo friendly cards
• Score: G 40 K 36 W 29
• Xmas game day proposed as Dec 27, 3 - 11pm possibly at Sc's, possibly involving Uber



link to deck by OttawaGray on Dominion Deck Builder



Music Notes:

Herbie Hancock: Headhunters (1973)

M was strangely unfamiliar with the best jazz album of 1974 (Billboard). Bringing the synthesizer to the forefront with a rock solid fast-paced funky groove providing finger tapping goodness, this album represented a turning point for HH and for jazz fusion by effectively spearheading jazz-funk.

Beastie Boys: Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (2011)

Enjoyed in Si's absence. Fresh beats from some what would be their last album.

Quantic Soul Orchestra: Stampede (2003)

Soul/Funk grooves from some contemporary masters

Frank Zappa: Apostrophe (1974)

Amazingly, this was his 18th and highest charting album. Not hard to see why, strong musicianship with some naughty lyrics. Check out the intro to this amazing track: Uncle Remus for proof of some of the beautiful songwriting on display. Or how about the title track, featuring Jack Bruce? It's an amazing instrumental piece that rips the listener right out of the previous track and totally satisfies all those primal rock and roll urges. Definitely a more rock flavoured FZ album compared to some of his more jazz-oriented material. And certainly one of the silliest and regrettable in terms of lyrical content.

2015-12-03 Tigris and you're 'fraidy

The King arrives in Babylon, passing through the azure gates, while
in the foreground a priestess pours a libation. (original art by Stephen Walshart)

4 Players: G, Sc, W, K
Game: Tigris & Euphrates
Location: W
Choice: W

Guess who got the donkey?

Game One:

Player	Points
Sc	7
G	6
K	5
W	3

Game Notes:

• Game ended early but not early enough to start a second game
• K had to work so he left while the rest of us played a quick 3-player game of vanilla Dominion
• Scores: G 46, W 39, Sc 23

Music Notes:

9Lazy9: Paradise Blown (1994)

[Notes by G] We all enjoyed the funky downtempo acid jazz. This the first album by the band. Apparently former metal heads on  a genre bending trip. Features the single: Black Jesus

9Lazy9: Sweet Jones (2003)

[Notes by G] We were lazy and let W's iTunes keep playing into the next album. Once we realized what had happened, we decided to keep listening as we were all enjoying it.

Jerry Garcia: Way After Midnight (recorded 1980, released 2004)

[Notes by G] A bonus CD that came with After Midnight: Kean College. Recorded over two nights: 2/29/1980 and 3/1/1980. Five songs all covers but one. Features: Dear Prudence (The Beatles), When I Paint My Masterpiece (Dylan & The Band) and a stunning Deal (Jerry by way of Charlie Poole).