Chas graciously emailed me saying that I could dedicate the small donation made to the New Orleans Habitat project to a favorite musician. He thought it would be Ray Brown or one of my friends (George Gentry or Winston Walls) who died last year.

The proper person to recognize was Chas. See, he and I are crusty old "jazz dudes". We're opinionated, hard-headed and come across as less than friendly, sometimes.

Look beyond some of the superficial stuff and you find Chas and others (Diki, for instance)
to be serious individuals who have "paid their dues" and who are committed to musical excellence and other serious life-issues and causes.

The identification of the Habitat-New Orleans project by Chas was one of the most thoughtful ones proposed.

That's why I'm pleased to recognize Chas with my small donation.

Thanks also goes to Don, Rory, Tony, Donny, Jerry and others for donations completed and to Bill (Bebop), DanO,Mike and others who have helped identify other great causes in their areas for January and beyond.

It's an honor to know you folks. And this makes some of the pettiness that surfaces occasionally so silly.


Russ




[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 10-29-2008).]