KOZ AND (ill) EFFECT!

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[This review originally appeared at Amazon.com back... whenever it appeared there.]

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SAXOPHONIC

by Dave Koz

released: 2003

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If a person thinks that this is great Jazz, it is only beKOZ they have never listened carefully to Louis Armstrong's mournful trumpet on Moon River; Joe Morello's qwazy, quirky drumming in Take Five; Ben Webster's deeply soulful tenor sax on Bye Bye Blackbird; or Irvin Fazola's far too brief but sweetly swingin' clarinet solo in Glenn Miller's Doin' The Jive.

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A friend of mine recently loaned SAXOPHONIC by Dave Koz to me, thinking that I would like it. I won't reveal the identity of Melanie Felson because it might embarrass her, but I returned her CD with a yellow Post-It note attached saying, "Hate is not strong enough a word."

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I managed to listen through THE SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND before deciding I would not subject myself to any more of this. Our individual karma applies the corrective measures to the transgressions in our lives as a natural consequence of cosmic law; self-flagellation is unnecessary!

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Here in the country's 5th largest megalopolis, we are devoid of high culture. Phoenicians believe that Taco Bell serves authentic ethnic cuisine, and that the library contains too many books and not enough DVDs. Our most highly esteemed artisans create those lucite-encased scorpion paperweights, and we are proud of the fact that we are the only state to feature Roadrunner on our Roadkill Menus. We don't have a LEGITIMATE Jazz station here, but there is 95.5 KYOT. (Get it? COYOTE! Only here in Phoenix are sports teams and radio stations named after scrawny, scavenging desert dogs!) If the F.C.C. ever banned Kenny G and Dave Koz from the airwaves, KYOT would be forced off-the-air.

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Comparing the muzak of Koz on SAXOPHONIC to Jazz is akin to comparing Kraft Velveeta to aged, Wisconsin cheddar; or Spam to a freshly sliced Easter ham! It's just processed, predigested, puerile puree! I can't find a single original or emotionally genuine phrase here; just mawkishness infested with synthesized drum and bass programming polished to a highly commercialized sheen, making it so slick that it slides off the CD player's spindle! This is "McJazz" at its unhealthiest.

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In the liner notes, Koz wrote, "My saxophone took me on quite a musical journey this time out -- from the sound of the underground clubs of Europe to the beats of American Hip-Hop." In other words: exactly what he thought would SELL! SELL! SELL!

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Nope, I'm not a Jazz Snob. I wouldn't deny this "music" its right to exist, nor its fans their right to listen and enjoy it. I would only hope that they would expand their musical horizons to discover more honest, heartfelt music.

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Suppose you're ready to move beyond KOZAK, but you are not sure you're ready for the challenging time signatures of a Dave Brubeck. I've got the perfect musical "bridge" for you -- The PAT METHENY GROUP! Pick up LETTER FROM HOME, STILL LIFE TALKING, or FIRST CIRCLE -- any one of these three. Trust me on this one! Put it into your car player and let it repeat over and over again for as long as it takes. 
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It may all sound alike initially, but on the day that you find yourself suddenly and unexpectedly whistling or humming the distinctive and wonderful melody of each musical piece, you'll know that you finally "got it!" Then you'll think: "Stephen T. McCarthy IS a blockhead, but he DID turn me on to some nice music!" Feel free to send yer gratitude in the form of a monetary donation to my Retirement Fund. No denomination too large!
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Cheerio, my good Brothers and Sisters. Cheerio!

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

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THE U.S.A. WILL BE CALLED ON THE CARPET FOR TITLE X!

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[This Review Originally Published On JULY 31, 2006.]
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AMERICAN LIFE LEAGUE
The Life Guide Series -- Vol. 4
"The Facts About Title X:
The Six Billion Dollar Scam"
by Judie Brown
copyright: 1997
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Although I'm not Catholic, through the years I have made monetary contributions to American Life League (ALL), a Catholic antiabortion organization which publishes quality literature in support of the pro-life movement. (One magazine in particular that would be beneficial to teens regardless of Christian denomination is called, 'REALITY CHECK.') Several years ago, ALL sent me Volumes 1-4 of their 'Life Guide Series' as a premium in appreciation for my years of support.
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Volume 4, 'THE FACTS ABOUT TITLE X: THE SIX BILLION DOLLAR SCAM' is dedicated "to all the innocent human beings who have fallen victim to U.S. Government population control programs. May God forgive our nation!"
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I feel that a better plea would be for wisdom and enlightenment, regardless of what means God must use to bring them about... even if it requires severe judgment and wrath upon our nation, which it surely deserves.
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This booklet of 82 pages was well worth reading as it made me aware of some IMPORTANT FACTS about Title X that I did not learn in my previous 45 years. I'll share some interesting facts with you that I gleaned from my reading:
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* WHAT WAS THE STATED PURPOSE OF THE TITLE X PROGRAM? Title X of the Public Health Service Act was passed first in 1970 and was called the Tydings Act. The argument in 1970 for passing this bill was that the bill was needed "to reduce the number of illegitimate births and the medical and psychological complications for both mother and child often resulting from them." [page 3]
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* HAS THE TITLE X PROGRAM ACHIEVED ITS STATED OBJECTIVES? According to the Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Reference Data Book and Guide to Sources, the rates of out-of-wedlock births among teenage girls (ages 15-19) in the United States are as follows:

1940: 5.8%
1950: 5.3%
1960: 7.0%
1970 (Title X funding for family planning begins): 22.4%
1980: 27.6%
1990: 38.1% (This booklet was published in 1997) [page 4]
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* WHERE DOES THE TITLE X MONEY GO? The recipients of Title X funds include state health departments, affiliates of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and other facilities that provide birth control counseling, birth control devices, health education services and sex education. School-based clinics, and off-campus clinics designed to provide counseling on matters relating to reproductive health also receive funding from Title X. [page 4]
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* TITLE X AND ABORTION: IS THERE REALLY A CONNECTION? There is. The program funds abortion -- thousands of abortions. Title X provides funding for chemical abortions as well as funding for organizations that promote abortion... An abortifacient is a chemical or a device that causes abortion in the first days or weeks of a human being's life in the womb. Title X provides funding for the provision of these birth control methods that act, at least partially, to abort. Therefore, Title X does fund abortion. [page 5]
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* Since 1970, Title X has gone through many revisions and amendments, but none have altered the underlying goal, which is clearly to serve the pro-population-control agenda of the organizations that benefit from the funding. Planned Parenthood is among the chief recipients of those taxpayer dollars. [page 10]
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* Contraceptive, generally, means a device (e.g., a condom) that prevents conception. For Planned Parenthood it is a euphemism for chemicals and devices that can cause abortions at very early stages in a preborn child's life (i.e., Birth Control Pill, IUD, Norplant, Depo-Provera and RU-486).
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* The National Longitudinal Study of Youth, 1988-1992, reports that by age 13, 8.6% of youth are sexually active; by age 14, 17.7%; by age 15, 31.2%; by age 16, 54.9%; and by age 17, 68.6% of youth are sexually active. [page 14]
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* The annual number of divorces has tripled from 393,000 in 1960 to 1.2 million today. [page 18]
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* "YOU DECIDE" -- When considering sexual involvement, Planned Parenthood tells adolescents, "[T]he only question is What's right for you? You decide... Don't borrow your decisions. Make up your own mind." (from 'Teen Sex? It's OK To Say No Way', No. 99, 5/84, published by Planned Parenthood Federation of America.) [page 19]
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* The U.S. Centers for Disease Control notes that 28.6% of teens had premarital sexual relations in 1970 and that this increased to 51.5% by 1988. [page 27]
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* GEORGE MOSBACKER: "From 1971 to 1981 there was a 306% increase in federal expenditures on family planning with a corresponding 48.3% increase in pregnancies and a 133% increase in abortions for women aged fifteen to nineteen... Those states with the highest expenditures on birth control ... showed the largest increases in abortions and illegitimate births between 1970 and 1979." [page 33]
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* CELIA DESCHIN: "If there is a teenage culture and if youth takes its cues from the peer group, it is a reflection on adults and their abdication of responsibility for setting standards and providing guidance to help young people adhere to those standards. To expect each and every adolescent to be able to do this for himself and by himself suggests a flight from reality. If then today's adolescents -- those known to be engaging in sexual activities premaritally -- see in sexual involvement a major area in which to find security, this should not be so surprising in light of the models of behavior presented to them by the mass media and what they observe around them." [page 35]
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* Planned Parenthood's own data indicate that, despite increased use of birth control devices, "both the number of illegal abortions and the number of unintended pregnancies are reported to be very high." This is obviously due to the failure rate of the devices and the fact that people, especially teenagers, will engage in sex more frequently if they think they are protected. With this increase in sexual activity comes a corresponding increase in abortions, sexually transmitted viruses, and other health problems. [page 50]
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The older I've gotten and the more politically and Spiritually aware I have become, the less respect I have for the government of my nation. And as I look around me, I'm forced to conclude that common sense in my countrymen is now so uncommon that it really should be valued more highly than any precious metal or gemstone. 
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It makes me so doggone angry that my government takes money from me in the form of taxes and turns it over to organizations that commit murder (and that's what it is, regardless of the fact that our supremely ungodly Supreme Court has declared it legal). Make no mistake about it people, there is a Supreme Being whose authority is superior to our Supreme Court and one day -- probably in the not too distant future -- our country will answer to Him for Title X.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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2017 Review Update:
I urge everyone -- no, in fact, I BEG everyone -- to take just 7 minutes out of their lives to click on and watch the following video...
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Tucker Carlson interviews Abby Johnson 
(former Planned Parenthood manager)
"We have monthly abortion quotas"
Link...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYW6hEsktYY
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WHEN YOU LOSE RESPECT FOR ONE LIFE, YOU LOSE RESPECT FOR ALL LIFE

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[This Review Originally Published On JULY 31, 2006.]
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AMERICAN LIFE LEAGUE
The Life Guide Series -- Vol. 3
"The Facts About Abortion"
by Judie Brown
copyright: 1998
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Although I'm not Catholic, through the years I have made monetary contributions to American Life League (ALL), a Catholic antiabortion organization which publishes quality literature in support of the pro-life movement. (One magazine in particular that would be beneficial to teens regardless of Christian denomination is called, 'REALITY CHECK.') Several years ago, ALL sent me Volumes 1-4 of their 'Life Guide Series' as a premium in appreciation for my years of support.
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Volume 3, 'THE FACTS ABOUT ABORTION' is dedicated "to every mother who welcomes God's blessing in the reality of His child within her."
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This booklet of 117 pages was well worth reading as it made me aware of some IMPORTANT FACTS about abortion that I did not learn in my previous 45 years. I am single; always have been single and -- looking like a corpulent bulldog with a glass eye and a nervous tic (pun alert!) -- I probably always will be single. And since my religious convictions exclude premarital sex, the information I found herein will not likely impact my lifestyle. But since it may be relevant to your circumstances, I'll share some interesting facts with you that I gleaned from my reading:
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* Sir A. William Liley said in 1977: "The baby or zygote with his cargo of genetic information is much more than a mere blueprint of a new human being. A blueprint is simply a plan, and does not include the machinery to fulfill that plan -- but a zygote does." [page 6]
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* Week 6 -- The brainwaves of this little boy [or girl] can be recorded. His [her] different muscles begin working together.
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Week 8 - His [her] fingers and toes are fairly well defined, and fingerprints, a unique and defining feature of every human being, are permanently engraved on his [her] skin. All of his [her] organs are present, complete, and functioning (except the lungs). Fifty percent of the abortions performed in America take place between now and Week 9. [page 8]
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* Month 4 -- Rapid eye movement (REM) can be recorded, indicating that he [she] is dreaming.
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There is no question that a unique human being exists from the moment fertilization occurs. If this little person is left undisturbed, he [she] will grow and flourish. [page 9]
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* Abortifacient birth control includes the Pill, Depo-Provera, Norplant, and the intrauterine device (IUD). Other methods of chemical abortion, also known as medical abortion, include: RU-486, methotrexate + misoprostol and the "morning-after-pill" -- a mega-dose of birth control pills designed to prevent implantaion of a newly-conceived child. [page 16]
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* Many of the methods of birth control that are most popular today (and those that are currently being developed, including the anti-pregnancy vaccine) do by chemical what surgical abortion does by instrument: they kill tiny boys and girls. They are not designed to protect a woman from pergnancy but are designed to eliminate the child if the child is conceived. [page 63]
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* It is clear that the U.S. Supreme Court, lower courts and most politicians view abortion only in terms of women's rights and as a matter of the ideology of political correctness. The reality of the child as a human being totally escapes most of them. We, the people of this nation, have allowed this to happen. We have failed to focus constantly on whose life is at stake when a mother seeks the abortion of her child. It is a serious mistake to expect the Supreme Court to reverse itself and hand down a ruling that would restore the basic moral and biological truth that it has ignored and distorted for more than 30 years. [page 31]
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* Dr. John F. Brennan wrote: I have delivered babies for over 50 years. I have never encountered a pregnancy where an abortion would have "saved the life of the mother." [page 36]
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* Choosing to do what is wrong is not choice. It is license ... The pro-aborts who cry "keep the government out of the bedroom" are the same ones who got the government in. [page 58]
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* One human being's rights should stop short of threatening the rights of another. That is why no woman should have the right to abortion -- an act that kills a human being. The preborn baby is not part of the mother's body; he or she should not be devalued because of where he or she lives. [page 61]
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* Dr. Albert Schweitzer devoted his life to Africans afflicted with leprosy. He taught that when you lose respect for one life, you lose respect for all life. It appears he was correct. [page 66]
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* There is strong evidence that having an abortion can increase the risk of breast cancer, especially if the woman's first pregnancy is aborted. [page 70]
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* Expectant mothers who have had previous abortions have a 200 percent increased risk of miscarriage. [page 71]
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* The claim of 5,000 to 10,000 deaths per year from illegal abortion in the 1960's is totally false. Dr. Bernard Nathanson, a physician, former abortionist, founder of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League and author of 'ABORTING AMERICA' wrote: "In 1967... the federal government listed only 160 deaths from illegal abortion. In 1972, the total was only 39 deaths ... hardly an overwhelming rate." [page 72]
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* The California Medical Association ... said less than three years before Roe v. Wade ... "The result has been a curious avoidance of the scientific fact, which everyone really knows, that human life begins at conception and is continuous whether intra- or extra-uterine until death." [page 96]
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* Lost in most of the Roe and Doe decisions is the object of abortion -- the preborn child. While the Court refers to a pregnant woman as a "mother", it refers to the baby in the womb as "the developing young" or "potential life." [page 94]
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And that reminds me of one of my own observations of many years ago (which so impressed my Brother when I mentioned it to him). When a woman who was looking forward to motherhood loses a child in miscarriage, she always loses the "baby". You would never ever say to her, "I'm so sorry about the loss of your fetus". And yet political correctness dictates that we refrain from saying that a woman aborted her "baby" -- suddenly the baby is referred to as a mere "fetus". It's odd (and very sad) how that works, isn't it?
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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THE LATIN WORD FOR BABY IS...

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[This Review Originally Published On JULY 31, 2006.]
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AMERICAN LIFE LEAGUE
The Life Guide Series -- Vol. 2
"The Facts About Birth Control"
by Judie Brown
copyright: 1997
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Although I'm not Catholic, through the years I have made monetary contributions to American Life League (ALL), a Catholic antiabortion organization which publishes quality literature in support of the pro-life movement. (One magazine in particular that would be beneficial to teens regardless of Christian denomination is called, 'REALITY CHECK.') Several years ago, ALL sent me Volumes 1-4 of their 'Life Guide Series' as a premium in appreciation for my years of support.
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Volume 2, 'THE FACTS ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL' is dedicated: "To all those who have been deceived by the birth control movement and victimized by the sexual revolutionaries of our day.".
This booklet of 74 pages was well worth reading as it made me aware of some IMPORTANT FACTS about birth control that I did not learn in my previous 45 years. I am single, I always have been single (and since the "lady" seems to be extinct in my country), I probably always will be single. And also since my religious convictions exclude premarital sex, the information I found herein will not likely impact my lifestyle. But since it may be relevant to your circumstances, I'll share some interesting facts with you that I gleaned from my reading:
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* In 1970, the federal government authorized and funded the first government birth control program. Shortly thereafter, in 1973, the Supreme Court struck down all laws prohibiting abortion. It was clear that the proponents of birth control had won the cultural argument. No longer would people have to worry about the moral implications of acting against nature, because the government was in charge of the question. [page 5]
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* Over the last 30 years, for example, the number of known venereal diseases has grown from 5 to 50. The divorce rate has skyrocketed. The number of out-of-wedlock pregnancies has risen, and in America alone, there are more than one million surgical abortions each year. In addition, millions of unseen abortions occur because of the ways in which certain types of birth control actually work. [page 5]
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* True contraceptives never cause abortions. The only true contraceptives are condoms, diaphragms and spermicides. [page 8]
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* Birth Control: An action taken to control the onset of pregnancy -- or to control the outcome, if pregnancy does occur, by ending the pregnancy before the baby is born. The Pill, the IUD and other methods act not only against pregnancy but also against the newly-conceived baby. [page 9]
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* Far from being a check to the sexual revolution, contraception is the fuel that facilitated the beginning of the sexual revolution and enables it to continue to rage. In the past, many men and women refrained from illicit sexual unions simply because they were not prepared for the responsibilities of parenthood. But once a fairly reliable contraceptive appeared on the scene, the barrier to sex outside the confines of marriage fell. The connection between sex and love also fell quickly. [page 13]
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* Fertilizaton: A person begins the first day of his or her life within the mother's body. At this point the 23 chromosomes carried by the sperm and the 23 chromosomes carried by the egg combine to form a new one-cell human being, or human embryo, containing 46 chromosomes. The new person is called a human zygote. Each of the 46 chromosomes is composed of genes, or units of DNA, that contains all of the genetic information of the new person. No genetic information is either gained or lost. The zygote is already genetically an individual human being and a "he" or a "she." [page 20]
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* Oral contraceptives work in three different ways. They:

1) prevent ovulation (release of an egg from the ovary);
2) cause changes in the cervical mucus, which block or slow the travel of the sperm; and
3) prevent implantation of the newly conceived baby into the lining of the mother's womb, thus causing an abortion. [page 23]
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* While more than 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce, it is very rare for spouses using Natural Family Planning to divorce (2 to 5 percent). [page 48]
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* Call it a fetus if you will. Just don't forget that "fetus" is the Latin word for "baby". [page 73]
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While I obviously find the use of abortifacients repugnant and would urge only the use of "true contraceptives" (i.e., condoms, diaphragms and spermicides), I must state that I oppose the Catholic dogma against the use of true contraceptives within a marriage as stated on page 70: "The first universal legislation by a Pope against contraception, contained in the Decretals of Gregory IX (4.5.7) contained Si conditiones; it declared null any marriage entered into with a condition of avoiding children."
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It states on page 50 that, "We must, as human beings and children of God, be aware of the illicit practices promoted in a society that has lost its moral compass. How can we expect more from the younger generation than we have given them when we have consciously taken moral absolutes away from them?" No argument from me on THAT point.
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One cannot put a price on the information in this booklet, particularly if it saves the life of an unborn child and/or prevents the ruination of a girl's youth.
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Dr. William Lynch, who taught Ob-Gyn at Tufts Medical College... never wearied of reminding not only his students and his patients but anyone else who would listen to him that "It takes ten years to know what a new discovery will do for you and it takes twenty years to find out what it will do TO you." [page 72] That's a very perceptive observation. It's now been 33 years since abortion was declared a legally acceptable form of murder in the so-called "civilized" United States, and it's been about 43 years since "The Pill" helped usher in "The Sexual Revolution." Take a good look around you and see what these loveless things have done TO us. To quote Warren Zevon: "It Ain't That Pretty At All."
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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THE FACTS OF LIFE: Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

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[This Review Originally Published On JULY 31, 2006.]
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AMERICAN LIFE LEAGUE
The Life Guide Series -- Vol. 1
"The Facts Of Life"
by Judie Brown
copyright: 1998
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Although I'm not Catholic, through the years I have made monetary contributions to American Life League (ALL), a Catholic antiabortion organization which publishes quality literature in support of the Pro-Life movement. (One magazine in particular that would be beneficial to teens regardless of Christian denomination is called, 'REALITY CHECK.') Several years ago, ALL sent me Volumes 1-4 of their 'Life Guide Series' as a premium in appreciation for my years of support.
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Volume 1, 'THE FACTS OF LIFE' was evidently written with young adults in mind, though anyone might benefit from reading it. The primary goal of 'THE FACTS OF LIFE' is to explain the process of fetal development, with a focus on illustrating why "fertilization" MUST be considered the point at which human life begins. Promoting chastity in a world that has gone sexually mad is another purpose for this 80-page booklet's publication.
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Some of the information I found most enlightening:
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* At the moment you were conceived, the information contained in one single strand of your DNA held as much information as 33 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica. [page 3]
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* From the moment when the sperm makes contact with the ovum ... all subsequent development to birth of a living newborn is a fait accompli. That is to say, after the initial contact of sperm and egg there is no subsequent moment or stage which is held in arbitration or abeyance by the mother, or the embryo, or the fetus. Nor is a second contribution, a signal or trigger, needed from the male in order to continue and complete full development to birth. [page 19]
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* A world-famous geneticist, Dr. Jerome Lejeune, the man who discovered the extra chromosome 21 which causes Down Syndrome, once said that "If a fertilized egg is not of itself a full human being, it could not become a man, because something would have to be added to it, and we know that this is impossible." [page 19]
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* There are no two people on this earth who are exactly the same; every human being has his own unique "bar code", and that bar code is present at fertilization. [page 24]
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* WEEK 8 - His fingers and toes are fairly well defined, and fingerprints, a unique and defining feature of every human being, are permanently engraved on his skin ... Fifty percent of the abortions performed in America take place between now and Week 9. [page 26]
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* MONTH 4 - This little baby's heart is pumping six gallons of blood every day ... Rapid eye movement (REM) can be recorded, indicating that he is dreaming. [page 26]
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* The decision to abort is a criminal act against the laws of nature. [page 33]
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'THE FACTS OF LIFE' contains an Appendix A, B, and C, which are brief essays addressing interrelated topics. I felt that the first one on chastity by Ronald Lawler was rather mundane, although the second one on chastity by Mary Beth Bonacci, and Appendix C on The Connection Between Contraception And Abortion by Janet E. Smith had some very interesting ideas to share -- even though I part ways with Smith in her denouncing contraception in marriage. And by contraception, I mean the use of condoms, diaphragms, and spermicides ONLY! Naturally, I oppose the use of the other types of "contraceptives" which are in actuality abortifacients. (More on that in Volume 2, 'THE FACTS ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL'.)
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One cannot put a price on the information in this booklet, particularly if it saves the life of an unborn child and/or prevents the ruination of a girl's youth. If your choice is to buy this at full price or do without it, I'd say make the purchase, though I'd first recommend you try to acquire a used copy at a discount.
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The one statement made by Lawler in Appendix A which really got my attention was this: "Our world suffers in countless ways from its lust. It will return to wiser ways when it can bear its pain no more."
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Of course, our world suffers in countless ways from more than just lust; there's other forms of selfishness and egotism, materialism, ignorance, and more. Lawler is right: Only when the world can bear these pains no longer will it collectively turn back to God. Although I firmly believe that we are quickly nearing the end of God's patience.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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“UHP! I’M AN IDIOT.”

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BOSSA NOVA FOR LOVERS
by Various Artists
released: 2003
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The last time I went home to Los Angeles -- (You remember, I told you THAT story in my review for the Huffy Good Vibrations Men's 24-Inch Cruiser Bike. Are you paying attention here, or not?) -- I called the BITTER BROTHERS and arranged a “Bitter Breakfast.” That’s a meeting where a bunch of us macho fellas -- er, I mean, “Men” -- get together to blow off steam over quiche and champagne. Uhm, that is, over Huevos Rancheros and strong, black coffee. (Let’s be honest, the “blowing off steam” part could just as easily be called “Male Gossip”, but... well, you know, I’ve faked a pretty good masculine facade for myself up to this point, and I’d hate to see it all go to ruin now.)
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So, me an’ my Bitter Bros were expressing our bitterness at The Sidewalk Café on Venice Beach one morning (perhaps the definitive “L.A. Experience”) and observing the Frisbee-catching dogs, the rays-catching one-eighth dressed roller-skating babes, and the usual Carnival of Human Freaks parading on the boardwalk past the Café, when I noticed this young cat playing some pretty fancy guitar over yonder. My soul emptied of its bitterness, and my glass emptied of its champa-- er... my cup emptied of its coffee -- I went to talk to the young cat and learned that he was a Russian bloke named VADIM, and I bought one of his self-produced compact discs. 
[“Vadim #1”; vadimrecords at yahoo dot com, or (310) 801-4212]
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Well, I eventually just went crazy for track three: “Bossa-Nova”. And having heard the term about a godzillion times (that’s a lot!), I decided I simply must find out just what BOSSA NOVA really is. So I did an internet search and what I learned is that I have been in love with Bossa Nova music for pretty much my entire life without ever knowing it. 
{*He’s a tad slow, folks, but give him four and a half decades and he’ll figure it out.*}
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You see, as a young kid in the early and mid-1960s, when the Bossa Nova craze was at its zenith, my Grandpa used to play it around his house. My Ma had an 8-Track tape (yeah, I’m bitter AND old, OK?!) containing the gorgeously haunting song “The Shadow Of Your Smile”. I loved it, and the song still makes me think of her. Wait a second...  
 {*Macho fellas don't get teary-eyed, Stephen!*} ... 
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Sorry. OK, where was I? ... Oh, yeah. ... Then later, in my mid-20s, I owned the classic Jazz album “Getz/Gilberto” on Licorice Pizza (that’s LP, not 8-Track!) and I played the hell out of it (well, I would have if there had been any hell in it), falling in love with the beautiful saudade in Astrud Gilberto’s voice. (Saudade? Look it up on Wackypedia.) Only Karen Carpenter’s voice was infused with more, and -- in my opinion -- the standard ballads by Bobby Darin are the only example of Saudade in a male voice. (Despite the jocular exterior, my entire life is one of Saudade, but I don’t know you well enough to tell you more.)
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Then love came to me again in the form of Pat Metheny’s three brilliant Brazilian-influenced albums, “The First Circle”, “Still Life Talking”, and “Letter From Home”. About the same time, I owned a Cannonball Adderley album that included “Clouds” and “Morning Of The Carnival” and they were my favorite cuts, but I couldn’t have told you why exactly. I also loved Vince Guaraldi’s “Cast Your Fate To The Wind” from his “Jazz Impressions Of Black Orpheus” album, but the Bossa Nova connection eluded me. And when my Good Friend Melanie gave me Angelique Kidjo’s “Black Ivory Soul” recording, I loved it immediately from the first few notes down to the very last ones, and I rarely embrace new music that quickly. But I still hadn’t made the Bossa Nova Connection. 
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It took a Russian cat playing Brazilian music on a California beach to make this American dude finally realize that the thread running through it all has always been Bossa Nova, and that Bossa Nova is the thing I dig! Hey, it required only 43 years for me to piece it all together -- I’m just a mental dynamo! 
{*“Uhp! He’s an idiot.”*}
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So, I just bought “BOSSA NOVA FOR LOVERS”, and here’s my assessment of each of its 16 tracks:
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1. VIVO SONHANDO: Classic! I remember this one from my Getz/Gilberto album. Stan was one of the first major Jazz cats I got into.
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2. WAVE: Wow! I’ve just learned that Antonio Carlos Jobim is the musician who transformed Samba into Bossa Nova.
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3. THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE: [Sniffle! Sniffle!] I want Astrud to sing this one at my funeral.
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4. CORCOVADO: Not the version from the Getz/Gilberto set, but nice guitar from Almeida, and Getz really plays that tenor sax! 
{*Yeah, but can he pitch?*}
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5. MY FOOLISH HEART: Marry me, Astrud! I promise I can learn to behave myself!
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6. AMOR EM PAZ: Sheesh! Talk about Saudade. Love it!
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7. MISTY ROSES: Makes me misty. Astrud, play Misty for me.
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8. DESAFINADO: Jobim is the Boss of Nova.
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9. SO NICE (SUMMER SAMBA): Oh, gee, I swear, I melt. One of my very favorite tracks. Too short! More! More!
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10. WINTER MOON: “Winter” warms my heart. “Great Getz!”
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11. INSENSATEZ: Well, let’s face it, along with “The Girl From Ipanema”, this is the face of Bossa Nova.
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12. DINDI: Astrud sings. What else ya need to know?
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13. BAHIA: Cool!
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14. THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA: I prefer the version with Getz and Astrud, of course, but great melody regardless.
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15. O GRANDE AMOR: Beautiful!
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16. MEDITATION: I dunno. Let me contemplate it further.
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I see that I used the word “love” seven times in this review. I don’t ordinarily use that kind of language, but the collection IS called “BOSSA NOVA FOR LOVERS”, and I guess I’m a lover after all. 
{*Nah. He’s an idiot.*}
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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