ONOFFON

[onoffon]

Thanks for saying that, Nomi!!!!I feel like I'm swimming upstream most of the time but I know the cultural importance of this project speaks volumes...So many people support what I'm doing here - I know it's just a matter of time.And the positive PR for the individuals that help bring this to fruition is immeasureable.Thanks again for your continued support!

[onoffon]

Quote:If anyone happens to be in the Orange County area this weekend, I'm playing with my cover band on Friday and Saturday at -Chaser's Lounge 2765 N Orange Olive Rd Orange, CA 92865 714-637-6530We'll be on from 9:00 pm to 1:30 am. Come on down - we'll have a blast!!!!!!Hey everyone in SoCal - it's that time again!!!! Yes - every third weekend of each month, I kick out the jams at Chaser's Lounge!There's no cover and if you mention you know the bass player, they tar and feather you and run you out of town on a rail... Can't have more fun than that, eh? See you there....

[onoffon]

Quote:If anyone happens to be in the Orange County area this weekend, I'm playing with my cover band on Friday and Saturday at -Chaser's Lounge 2765 N Orange Olive Rd Orange, CA 92865 714-637-6530We'll be on from 9:00 pm to 1:30 am. Come on down - we'll have a blast!!!!!!I can't believe another month has passed - it's time for me to pack it up and head on down to the OC... It's the third weekend of June, which means Friday and Saturday night at Chaser's Lounge!There's no cover so there's no excuse... I like to think of us as a 'tribute' band. It's just that we play individual tributes to all the bands we do covers of... It's not easy sounding like John Paul Jones, Flea, Nikki Sixx, Adam Clayton, Jack Bruce, Michael Anthony, Robert DeLeo, Nick Oliveri, John Deacon, and Nate Mendel all within the context of one set...

[onoffon]

Quote:That's what you call niche marketing!!!! Excellent work, Von. So after the film is released and the museum built, what will you do with all your free time?You're one funny girl, Nomi!!!! Well.... part of the plans for the museum is that it will contain a live performance facility that will be equiped to broadcast jazz concerts over the internet. So, even though the mainstream music industry cares little for innovative musicians, we will create a unique venue that will specifically highlight the continuing evolution of jazz, and other forms of musical creativity, on the west coast.That means ONOFFON will have a place to play for as long as we can still play our instruments... Not only that, after my father's documentary is complete, I intend to continue producing films that feature the musicians from that era that displayed instrumental virtuosity and innovated the artform. While I struggle forward in my quest to finance this film, I have my next film already in its earliest stages of planning...There will be no free time that I can see...

[onoffon]

This is pretty cool - I just found this in a search engine, looking for Harry Babasin links -WFIU: Night Lights - The Nocturne Records Storyhttp://www.indiana.edu/~wfiu/nl_063007-nocturne.htmIt's an hour long radio broadcast, hosted by David Brent Johnson, produced at Indiana University, that was aired June 30, 2007, and archived here -WFIU: Night Lights - Archiveshttp://www.indiana.edu/~wfiu/nl_archives.htmIt's a streaming RealAudio file. It tells the story of the creation of my father's Nocturne Record label, in partnership with drummer Roy Harte, and the existence of the west coast schools of jazz, quoting my father from articles from various DownBeat Magazine articles.It's always so cool to find something like this that I had nothing to do with, though they took the Nocturne pic from my website, and I would have dearly loved to hear him pronounce my father's name correctly...Still, it's just good to see and hear the history books and archives continuing to be rewritten to include my father's contributions to jazz...

[onoffon]

Hey everyone - I've been gone for a while - a family vacation/research trip. I came back with a couple of gems -The first, is a 1940, first edition printing of a book called "Adventuring with Anatolia College", written by it's President Emeritus (at that time), George E. White. It's a detailed history of Anatolia College, from it's first embodiment in Marsovan, in north central Asia Minor in Turkey, and its relocation to Macedonia, dating from 1886-1936. It speaks of the events leading up to the Armenian genocide and the aftermath. It also lists each year of Anatolia College Alumni, graduating in Marsovan from 1887-1919. Two of my relatives are listed - Class of 1895 - Vahan Simon Babasinian, who in 1904, earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Brown University, and my grandfather in the Class of 1905, Yervant Harutune Babasinian, who escaped in 1915, settling in Texas and becoming a respected dentist in Vernon, outside of Dallas.The second is also a book, a 1971, second edition printing of the American Cinema Editors "Anniversary Book". It honors all the A.C.E. film editors throughout their organization. On page 161, is a great page dedicated to my other grandfather, Russell F. Schoengarth, starting his career in film back in 1926, working for Universal Pictures as an editor for more than 40 years with 130+ films to his credits. Such films as My Man Godfrey, The Glenn Miller Story, Come September, Midnight Lace, The Looters, and The Benny Goodman Story. In later years, he also did the Mr. Lucky and Peter Gunn television series'. Most of the Ma & Pa Kettle's (including The Egg & I), a few Francis the Talking Mule's, and a handful of Abbott & Costello Meets... are among his filmography as well.I also found a couple of original Nocturne LPs that are EXTREMELY difficult to find. Nocturne #4 was a pianist and vocalist, Conley Graves, and #5 was an album by Earl "Fatha" Hines. They are both in near mint condition and really are very important parts of the complete Nocturne Records story...Some other very cool things are in the works...

[onoffon]

About two weeks ago, I met with and was interviewed by a journalist, Ishkhan Jinbashian, who writes for The Armenian Reporter, a prominent Armenian newspaper that has international circulation, from Glendale, CA to Switzerland. He was blown away by the story of my father and the film project and published a story about my father and my struggle to make the documentary. As well as being printed and at many newsstands, there is also an online version that is available in downloadable .PDF files. For those of you interested enough to read it, you have to go to their homepage -http://www.armenianreporteronline.com/ Then, you hit the "ACCESS" button in the lower left hand corner to be taken to the mainpage. You want the August 4, 2007 issue. Hit the PDF link and open 'Section C - Arts & Culture'. Here is the opening paragraph -"Rediscovering the miracle of West Coast JazzThe story of Harry Babasinby Ishkhan JinbashianInventor of coolYears before “The Girl from Ipanema,” Harry Babasin helped create the Bossa Nova soundThe space in Von Babasin’s living room seems rather inadequate for his drive – let alone his towering figure. On a glum Los Angeles morning in July, he picks out an LP record from a neatly organized bookcase row of albums. It’s an extremely rare 10-inch record featuring the music of his late father, Harry Babasin. As Von talks about the album at approximately the pace of a tommy gun, his demeanor is that of a boy permanently let loose in a toy store. There is also veneration in his voice. It comes from a deep, joyous, almost spiritual appreciation for extraordinary music, which ultimately animates his determination to help publicly honor his father’s legacy on the one hand, and that of West Coast Jazz on the other."It was very gracious of Ishkhan and the editors at the Armenian Reporter to take such an interest in my father's story - I can't thank them enough.

[johnnydean1]

Quote:Von, What a wonderful mission you're on. Do any of your kids play bass yet? Because great musicians run in families the same way great athletes do.steveHave you heard James Jamerson's son!!!???

[sgs4u]

Quote:Have you heard James Jamerson's son!!!??? JD, are you Jamerson's illegitimate love child? I wonder. Has he been involved in anything I might have heard? Ray Brown must have had kids too. But I have listened to Von's band, and Von, you're a stunning bassist! As with the many excellent musicians I've been lucky enough to work with, I thank you for getting so damn good, 'cause it makes my own life better. Music will always be a special language to communicate with. All this focusing on forwards, deals, credits... wreaks havoc with my mental state. Playing music in a band, or alone with a singer, even just listening to music - is my place of worship. That must be why I do so terribly with Taxi. There's very little instant gratification. I don't think I'll ever be a focused - "just the facts," kind of guy.

[onoffon]

Well.... this is an interesting development. Not about any of my projects - but about this board.When this board was first set up, the view counter would turn over at 4,000. That happened twice during the existence of this ONOFFON SSP thread. Now, that has changed since the board was recently updated. I knew this because the counter continued above 4,000 for the first time ever. I was anticipating when there might be a cutoff and it would turn over again - I thought possibly at 10,000.Now, something very curious has occurred. Last night, when I visited this board, the view counter read, 9,440 views.This morning, it now reads 1,442!What could this mean? Did the counter turn over at 10,000? Does that mean this thread received more than 2,000 views overnight? If that's true, then we've received 19,442 views of this thread and it would appear that many more people are learning of Harry Babasin and, of course, ONOFFON....On the other hand, if it's simply a computer glitch, then I'm all giddy for nothing... Either way, I sincerely thank the good people at TAXI for allowing me to be a part of this community and hosting my "Blog" here on the TAXI boards. This is the closest thing to a blog I've ever taken part in and the support from so many Taxians has been truly wonderful...Here's to the journey...