Plagiarism? Not on Amazon! Yeah, right.

Something does not seem right in the land of Ammy. A long time and respected reviewer appears to have succumbed to laziness. Either that or is possibly exercising the sincerest form of flattery. An example:

One more example, same text and different product. It's not suspiciously like plagiarism yet - just appears to be laziness.

This is what makes it highly suspect:

Amazon's response?

Hello Mike,

I've read the reviews you provided and I understand your concerns. In their current format, the reviews don't violate our posted guidelines.

You can provide feedback about this review by voting or commenting on it. To vote, click the "Yes" or "No" buttons next to "Was this review helpful to you?"To comment, click the Comments link at the bottom of the review.

We try to encourage our customers to give their honest opinions on our products while staying within our guidelines. Sharing pieces of information available on the internet is not outside our guidelines.

In point of fact it does violate their guidelines. Specifically, "Inappropriate content:
• Other people's material (this includes excessive quoting)"

Go figure.

My daily musings

I have been thinking about selling off both of my Kustom tube amps and replacing them with this combo tube amp: Fender Super-Champ X2 HD and matched cab: Fender Sc112 Enclosure

Stay tuned.

Spicing up my life (Part II)

My last batch of spices, briefly discussed in Part I, started in North Africa and wandered over to East Africa's horn. My next batch of spices is moving basically east to Southern India with a side trip to France and then following the trail through the Mediterranean.

Let's start in France. It's no secret that I love France - the food, wine and especially the cheeses. However, as a jazz musician one cannot help but to love the country that gave refuge to some of our national treasures - the musicians who invented the only true American art form - when they were being victimized at home because of the color of their skin. But I digress. The first spice blend is Quatre 'Épices. While the name means four spices this particular blend contains a bit more: Cumin, Brown Mustard, Fenugreek, Curry Leaf, Black Pepper, Turmeric, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Cayenne, Clove, Onion, Garlic, Himalayan Sea Salt. The traditional blend from France contains pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. So, this is not truly authentic, but still has the general essence of French spices.

I intend to use this mix for soups and perhaps fish.

Next up - and still in the Mediterranean - is this Shepherd Herb Mix. The spices are interesting in that you can clearly see how some were borrowed from herbes de Provence blends, but with a Persian twist as well. Indeed, this is a true Mediterranean blend that is facing eastwards, so it's a perfect blend of herbs to use as a milestone on our culinary trek to Southern India. The spices and herbs are (Lemon Peel, Lavender Flowers, Spearmint, Basil, Sage, Rosemary, Fennel, Black Peppercorn, Parsley, Thyme, Marjoram, Oregano, Himalayan Salt, Onion and Garlic.

Again, this blend is perfect for soups, stews, seafood and - if you eat it - meat. Mixed with olive oil it is a perfect dipping sauce, and with a touch of vinegar would make a great dressing too.

Nest stop: Iran ... Persia ... and the home of one of my favorite world cuisines. This spice mix is called Adwiya, or more accurately, Advieh. Sprinkled over rice it greatly enhances the flavor, and it is perfect for stews. Looking at the ingredients you just know this has a lot of uses in other cuisines: Red & Pink Rose Petals, Sweet Cinnamon, Lemon Zest, Cumin, Coriander, Orange Zest, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Black Peppercorn and Himalayan Salt. I am going to use it lightly in this pumpkin soup recipe when I get around to making it.

While I am at it I want to share a source of Iranian saffron that I recently came across. This is of the highest quality and is vastly superior to the Spanish saffron you come across in supermarkets.

For some excellent information about how to properly use saffron, plus other useful information visit this web site.

We are new almost at the end of our journey: Afghanistan, which is nestled between Iran and Pakistan. This Afghan spice blend intrigues me. I have never tried it, but plan to have fun tweaking some of my Mediterranean recipes by substituting this for some of the spice blends I normally use. Ingredients are: Black Peppercorn, Cumin, Turmeric, Coriander Seed, Cardamom Seed, Green Cardamom, Sweet Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Nigella, Clove and Himalayan Salt.

This journey started in France and will end in India, but with a French influence. The blend is called Vadouvan, sometimes spelled Vaudouvan or Vadavan. It is a Southern Indian spice blend with a French influence from Pondicherry on the southeastern coast of India.

The ingredients are Cumin, Brown Mustard, Fenugreek, Curry Leaf, Black Pepper, Turmeric, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Cayenne, Clove, Organic Onion, Organic Garlic and Himalayan Salt. This blend is uncharacteristically mild for Southern India. I am new to this blend, but have been mining this web site for recipes and ideas.

I am sure I there will be a Part III to this series. Stay tuned. ,,

Spicing up my life

Treasures from North Africa and even the Horn to change up my eating routine a little. Most of my meals are based on (or inspired by) Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine with a touch of Indian and other Asian influences.

My newest batch of spices is going to augment those. Indeed, the North African ones are still from the Mediterranean region, and while the Ethiopian spices are from the Horn on the other coast, somehow they all fit together.

First up is Chermoula

This blend consists of very fresh and aromatic spices that are mixed in authentic proportions. I am going to use this on a side of salmon and will start by mixing one and a half tablespoons of this blend into a puree of a cup each of fresh cilantro and parsley, a few garlic cloves and three tablespoons of olive oil. I'll spread this paste in both sides of your fish and let sit in the refrigerator overnight. I do not own a tagine, so my strategy is to prepare it en papillote using parchment paper.

The next spice coming is harissa paste

This one I am probably not going to share unless my guests are adventurous and love spicy fare. This is not for folks who like a touch of Tabasco or jalapenos. This paste is up there with habeneros for heat, but imparts wonderful flavors that you would never obtain from anything made with that pepper.

I have some specific plans for the Ethiopian Berberé

I'll confess that I am more familiar with North African cuisine than dishes from the Horn (although I have spent time on both Kenya and Somalia many decades ago.)

The one recipe in which this excels is in simlins - a common dish from the US South that is made of squash and onions. The authentic recipe calls for fatback as the base, but I do not eat meat, so I make mine with olive oil. I layer yellow squash and onions sprinkled with salt and pepper for the traditional way. However, I eliminate the salt and pepper and use this instead (in much smaller amounts because it does not take much). I cook over a low heat - uncovered - for two hours and the results are fantastic.

My inspiration for using this mix stem from my late grandmother's habit of sprinkling nutmeg over the traditional way before serving. This blend takes that to a whole new level.

The final spice is the essence of Moroccan and North African cuisine: Ras El Hanout

There are so many uses for this spice that I cannot begin to list them all. Suffice to say that it will add an authentic touch to any Sicilian dish, and is essential to Moroccan dishes.

I am pondering one of these - still on the fence, but if I were a betting man I would bet this is my next purchase: a Moroccan tagine

Goldratt's Theory of Constraints: A Systems Approach to Continuous Improvement

The best book on ToC that I have come across: Goldratt's Theory of Constraints: A Systems Approach to Continuous Improvement

Leedy Capri/Fiesta Kit

Please click on each image for a larger view. Shots are grouped to focus on an individual drum or to show contrasts.

Kit Background

Acquired from original owner. Initial claim was early 1960s (62), but conflicting claim of late 50s as well. The original owner claim is not in dispute, but the dates are. This kit is in interesting sizes for a circa 1962 kit: 22x14, 13x9 and 16x16 with a 14x5.5 Shelly Manne model snare drum.

Bass Drum

These shots show the main flaws in the finish and condition of the hardware. The shell seems to be solid with no issues, and like the other drums appears to me mahogany/poplar/mahogany with maple reinforcement rings:

Snare Drum

The finish is vivid and the hoops are definitely chrome over brass. This drum needs to be cleaned up, but plays beautifully. The second photo showing the snares depicts the snares untensioned. I did not tune or tweak it, and when I tested it out the sound was startlingly beautiful. There are touches of corrosion on some metal parts, like the throw handle, but the shell looked perfect (this is a Shelly Manne model).

Toms

The rack and floor toms have no real flaws that I could detect during a cursory inspection. Both have chrome over brass hoops and intact mufflers with no additional holes in either drum. Both need to be cleaned up - and the crap under the floor tom's batter head is foam that someone long ago put to attenuate the resonance. Clearly, that drum will need new heads and a good detailing. Neither has a badge, however. These drums are believed to be circa 1962 and if I am not mistaken Leedy (and Slingerland) toms from that era did not have badges. I could be wrong.

The rack tom has the same beautiful burgundy color Capri (or fiesta) wrap as the snare and bass drum. There are no issues.

Oddly the wrap on the floor tom has a golden tone to it that does not match the bass, rack tom and snare. I cannot fathom why this is so - sunlight? Purchased separately?

Hardware and Cymbals

The drums have the original circa 1962 hardware that was purchased with them (although most of the stands are Ludwig from the era). It also comes with a set of naugahyde cases common to the era, but with no brand names. It even comes with a leather stick bag with an assortment of old sticks and brushes. There is an interesting aspect of the hi-hat stand: it has Shelly Manne misspelled as Shelley Manne, which may have been issued like that for a single year before it was corrected. The stand is missing a clutch and a few other parts.

Before posting photos of the odds and ends, a description of the cymbals is in order. This kit came with two 20" rides and pair of 14" hats.

The first ride is a small stamp A. Zildjian that weighs in at 2155 grams. This looks to be hand hammered with block style lettering in the stamp (I did not have a decent magnifying glass with me). If you play jazz then you know (and treasure the sound.) The second 20, while a great jazz cymbal, was heavier at 2495 grams had a large A Zildjain stamp. As heavy as it was it had nice undertones and was a dream to control. The 14" hats were New Beats with an ink stamp and were heavy enough to be deemed from a much later era. The top weighted in at 1020 grams and the bottom at 1542 grams.

Here are photos of the odds and ends:

Bass Drum T-handle tension rods

I am posting this for an enquirer who wants to know the source: Gibraltar SC-BDTR/S Bass Drum T-Rod 7/32 Inch 4/Pack

Cool iPhone tools

Here are a few inexpensive, but surprisingly nice iPhone accessories that I have recently purchased:

3 pcs Aqua Blue/Black/Red Capacitive Stylus

Please take the time to read this informative review that will enlighten you about styli.

Wallet Dot Leather Case for iPhone 4/4S - Black/Blue

eForCity Wallet Leather Case compatible with Apple® iPhone® 4 / 4S, Black / Pink Dot

HDE® Silver Wireless Bluetooth 3.0 Keyboard compatible with iPad, Mac OS, Windows OS, and Android

Also take the time to read this review of the keyboard, which corrects some of the shortcomings in the documentation.

Oscar Pettiford & Cello

In keeping with having a catch-all blog that I use more as a scratchpad than anything else, this page will contain some stuff that just will not fit in Music for Drummers. The focus is the great bassist Oscar Pettiford on cello. I should did some Charles Mingus up on cello since that genius started on that instrument, but for now I'll stay with Pettiford.

Most tracks are from In a Cello Mood and all feature Oscar playing pizzicato style. Definitely also check out The Dozens: Jazz Cello by Eric Wendell.