The week that was, the week to come

First, it's gonna be a great week coming up, starting with Santa Fe and The Fat City Horns this Monday night at The Palms. Then starting Wednesday March 19th we got Ricky Peterson and "Side Guys" through Saturday night at Salute Lounge in The Palazzo.

In Ricky's own words:

"The Side Guys" consists of yours truly and members from the David Sanborn Band. We're playing in Las Vegas at the Palazzo Hotel in the "Salute" Lounge. March 19-22 we'll be featuring St. Paul Peterson on Bass and vocals and a host of suprise guests. April 10-11from 9 PM to whenever! The fun will continue! Nicky Moroch on Guitar, Richard Patterson on Bass, Gene Lake on Drums and Me on Keys. Joey Finger and Howard Arthur are hangin' too. We have such a great time doing this because you never know who will show up. There are so many wonderful musicians in Vegas that pop in and sit in with us and you really never know who is in town doing a concert or whatever! They now know that this thing is happening and usually show up to listen or to play. It's a riot. Members of Geno Vanelli's band, Wayne Brady, Rocky Robbins, Larry Bragg, Tower of Power and Bett Midler's musicians just to name a few. Killin'!!

Oh, yeah!

OK, A RETROSPECTIVE: OVERNIGHT MUSIC SENSATION

So, on Monday the story broke about the Governor of NY, Eliot Spitzer, and what just had to be the most expensive Bootie Call this side of Kobie Bryant. Well, his thermonuclearly hypocritical ass is toast, and by now the butt of more jokes than Britney Spears, Bill Clinton, Paris Hilton, and George Bush combined. Leno, Letterman, Stewart, Colbert, and Kimmel could have furloughed all of their writers; the punch lines have been writing themselves.

And, it's been a PhotoShop bonanza as well. Below, just a couple of pics from a contest that the NY Daily News ran this week, LOL!

Now, it turns out that his last -- and professionally fatal -- boink ($4,300!) is this 22 year old chick from Jersey, "Kristen" (one Ashley Alexandra Dupré). She has a MySpace page, on which she touts her dreams of making it as a singer.

Well, NY Radio Station Z100 immediately and opportunistically put her tune "What We Want" in rotation (it's on her MySpace if you wanna hear it), and her MySpace page got something like 5 million hits the other day.

Is this a great country or what?

Estimates are that her song downloads have netted her (or someone) in excess of $200,000 just since the story broke. Wow.

All I can say is, honey welcome to the music bidness. You're fixin' to learn about ways to get screwed that you never even dreamed of.

NOW, BACK TO SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE

How about some Al Jarreau?



Yikes. Freddie Washington on bass, Steve Gadd on tubs. Yummie.

BTW- don't forget to tune into Ric & Jackie's great Sunday morning 97.1 The Point Jazz Show tomorrow (online streaming link over in the links column).