MSU professor Rodney Whitaker's focus inside room 103 of the Music Practice Building couldn't be disturbed during Saturday's rehearsal for the 12th annual East Lansing Summer Solstice Jazz Festival. "Let's pick up the tempo," Whitaker told his bandmates while practicing a song. The MSU Professors of Jazz, along with guest vocalist Sophie Milman, obliged and began picking up speed. "Beautiful," said Whitaker, still strumming. "Sounds like (jazz singer) Sarah Vaughan's tempo." Such a scene is representative of the work ethic exercised by the eight-member group, which was established in 2000 to facilitate outreach and recruitment for the College of Music.

Jazz as a form of scholarship

In 2000, Whitaker, who is now a fully-tenured professor, became director of jazz studies in the College of Music.

His desire to connect musically with his students served as the impetus for the MSU Professors of Jazz's formation eight years ago.

he World Series of Hip Hop has released some of the names of judges who will oversee the championship matches of this year's multi-million dollar tournament, scheduled for August 5-9, 2008 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA.

Rappers and dancers from all corners of the world are expected to converge on Atlanta this summer for the opportunity to be judged by some of hip hop's pioneers.

The tournament's championship matches will be aired live on pay-per-view Saturday August 9, 2008 at 7 p.m. EDT and will be hosted by radio personality and legendary female rapper Monie Love, New York City DJ and MTV host Cipha Sounds and nationally syndicated radio talk show host Wendy Williams.

The judges who will decide who wins the Million Dollar Grand Prizes include: DMC of Run DMC, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Yo-Yo, Dougie Fresh, Roxanne Shante, Slick Rick and Keith Murry.

"We want to make sure the judges are so official, that their decision as to who is the better rapper is beyond reproach. And the list is still not done," said Furqaan Clover the events organizer.

A detailed list of celebrity judges and registration information can be found on the event's website: www.wsohh.com.

guess I'm dating myself when I say that as a kid my television had a channel dial that went only from 2 to 13. Then we got TVs with a UHF dial that held the exciting promise of more channels, only to discover there was nothing good on that dial.

Today's TVs are going digital and can get hundreds of channels with cable and satellite programming, and now there's a revolution happening in the radio world as well. Satellite radio from XM and Sirius offers hundreds of stations, but the radios are costly and you must pay a regular subscription fee to listen.

The stations you can get through the new "hybrid digital" or HD radio, however, are free. The technology is able to piggy-back a better digital signal onto the same old AM and FM analog signal. This hybrid signal has the ability to carry not only better sound but a lot more programming. And it's all free.

By Rashod D. Ollison Sun pop music critic

For a decade, Three 6 Mafia was relatively unknown outside the gritty, grimy confines of underground Southern rap. But then the Memphis collective flew up the pop charts in 2005 with the catchy, sinister "Stay Fly." And the next year, Three 6 Mafia became the first rap act to pick up an Oscar for best original song for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from the movie Hustle & Flow.

Immediately after that baffling win, the group (now a duo made up of core members Juicy J and DJ Paul) took full advantage of its new and unlikely fame and jumped into the world of reality TV. The guys' move from Memphis to Los Angeles was chronicled last year in Adventures in Hollyhood, the sometimes funny but often nerve-grating MTV series. So now that the members of Three 6 Mafia are Academy Award-winning "pop stars," has the music changed? Do they keep it exuberantly "gutta," the way they used to when they were thriving on the underground?

Well, yes and no. On Last 2 Walk, the group's ninth official album in stores today, Three 6 Mafia vacillates between appeasing the faithful and making concessions to pop-rap with forgettable, uneven results.

The Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving equal opportunity and civil rights in the mass media and telecommunications industries. MMTC is generally recognized as the nation's leading advocate for minority advancement in communications. We strongly believe that the breathtaking changes in communications technology and the new global forms of media partnerships must enhance diversity in the 21st century.

He is an exceptional writer, producer, recording artist and has been performing of Blues, R&B and Southern Soul Music for many years. His newly released triple Play CD " Return of A Legend" Rue Davis Featuring, "Let's Stay Together," is the hottest CD yet. Most recently (at the Jackson Music Awards) he received "The International Songwriter of the Year Award". He has written many other smash hits songs for other recording artists. Now he has signed with a new record label, Boom Town Records and Big Mouth Productions, that will continue to allow him to better write and produce music that consumers will buy.

L.C. "GOOD ROCKIN'" Robinson had a story he liked to tell, and he told it often. Whether it was true seems irrelevant at this point.

The Bay Area bluesman, who was born in Texas in 1915, would recount how he was walking down a dirt road in the South one day when a car pulled up alongside him. A man and a woman inside the vehicle produced machine guns and demanded that young Robinson sing and dance for his life.

His performance was so solid, he'd say, that the couple gave him a $100 bill - a near fortune in those days.

His benefactors? According to the story: Bonnie and Clyde.

"Talk about telling stories," remarks guitarist- bandleader Ronnie Stewart, a longtime fixture on the Bay Area blues scene. "He'd tell that story to everyone. Anybody who knew L.C. knew that story."

But Robinson was more than just storyteller. He was one of the Bay Area's most significant blues artists, an absolute master of the lap-steel guitar who helped shape what's come to be known as West Coast blues. Listen to his best-known recording, "Mojo in My Hand" (available on El Cerrito's Arhoolie record label), and you'll hear a player that was surely deserving of wider recognition during his day.

Unfortunately, fame and fortune never came in his life. When Robinson died in 1976, Stewart recounts, the influential bluesman was near-penniless, and friends had to pass a hat around at his funeral.

Robinson's case was

by; Alonzo Weston Refreshingly old school sounding R & B from the one of the great soul singers.
When the album "Let's Stay Together" came out in 1972 it was on everybody's turntable and car 8-track player. And the title tune seemed to play continuously on every juke box in town.

Al Green's unique, gospel-inflected tenor, enhanced by testifying shouts and mournful whispers, ushered in a new sound of soul music. It was called southern soul, a raw and earthy vocal concoction that was yet refined and urbane. That was and is Al Green.

His new CD "Lay it Down " sounds like a step back to the 1970s. Even with the likes of John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae helping out on vocals each of the 11 tracks has a stripped down vintage southern soul feel.

Roots drummer ?uestlove, who produced the album, took it upon himself along with his Roots band mates, to not update the classic Al Green sound but instead recreate it for a new audience.

What you get in the classic Al Green sound that famed producer Willie Miltchell created in the Hi Records studio during Green's 1970s heyday.

"They didn't want me to get too far out from the foundation that (Hi Records producer) Willie Mitchell and I built_ 'Call Me,' 'I'm Still In Love with You.' 'Let's Stay Together,'" Green said from a press release. "'That's all good' they said, 'but we want to play what we hear you being about in 2008. We want to keep all the aura, but we would like to have freedom enough to spread our wings and express ourselves."

And "Lay it Down" works in that regard. And that can be good or bad depending on your mood.

It's truly refreshing to hear that classic sound again but it also sounds like you heard it before for those of us who have. Only to those youngsters who haven't gotten into their parents old school record stash will it sound new. That doesn't make the CD necessarily bad but not necessarily great either.

Nevertheless there are some stand-out cuts.

There's Anthony Hamilton, a contemporary soul singer whose voice sounds old school, trading vocal licks with Green on the title tune and the danceable "You Got The Love I Need."

And there's "Take Your Time" with Corinne Bailey Rae, a nightclub mellow tune with Rae's sultry voice adding additional sweetness.

Green's voice has lost little over the years. And his music sounds simplistically refreshing in these musically cluttered times where loudness ofttimes take precedence over creativity.

But times moves on and so does music.

Herbie Hancock was in good form as a host at Carnegie Hall on Monday night: gregarious, generous, unassuming, charming. And as a pianist he produced moments of typically ingenious effervescence. His problems arose in other areas, like concept and organization. But those things are crucial, and so the concert, part of the JVC Jazz Festival, felt glib and undernourished. It should have been a lot better than it was.

As you may have heard, Mr. Hancock won album of the year at the most recent Grammy Awards. That was for "River: The Joni Letters" (Verve), his luminous reflection on the music of Joni Mitchell, with a cadre of singers that includes Ms. Mitchell herself. He also featured guest vocalists on his previous album, "Possibilities" (Vector/Hear Music), which involved a more explicit pop agenda and maybe twice the star wattage. Mr. Hancock's JVC appearance - he'll also perform at the JVC festival in Newport, R.I., on Aug. 10 - coincides with his "River of Possibilities" tour, which draws equally from those recent releases.

Recently, many people watching and listening to my national TV and radio appearances in recent days— from CNN to XM Radio, seem to have developed the impression that any support for Obama from me – or any other black conservative for that matter – is due solely to race. Unfortunately, if anyone thinks there is a concrete Obama vote coming from me, or that I believe the black community should all rally behind and vote for Obama because he is black, they have it wrong. Let me elaborate on what my comments really mean – or rather what they don’t.

I do not condone Harvard professor Cornell West who turns blackness into a political ideology. The Illinois senator used to be accused by people like West of “not being black enough.” But apparently he’s now black enough and can identify with black America – which means what? Can he not identify with or represent white America? Even today human slavery and its aftermath remains the stain of American society. No one will argue that the reasons Sunday church service remains segregated is because of how this country once separated its brethren based on race. The same can be said for why they're black and white fraternities; historical black colleges; black engineering societies; the NAACP; National Urban League. The list could goes on.

Check Out This Weeks Countdown
Marvin Sease holds on to The # 1 Spot

Al Lindsey drops in on Boogie with a revealing interview

06-27-08

1.-1 .I'm Coming Home Marvin Sease
2.-2.Booty Roll Steve Perry
3.-3.Grown And Sexy The Problem Solvas/ Sir Charles Jones
4.-4.Pay Before You Pump Denise Lasalle
5.-5.Never Take A Day Off Ms.Jody
6. -10. You're The Best Kenne Wayne
7.-8.Voice Mail Mr.Sam Featuring Floyd Taylor
8.-14.I Believe in you Rue Davis
9.-6.Im gonna Slap Yo Weave Off Nellie TigerTravis
10.17.I LL Work For You The Rhythm All Stars
11.-9.My Life Omar Cunningham
12.-13. Stuck On The Blues Floyd Taylor
13.-14.Get The Hell On Mr.Zay
14._15.Its Because Of Me Stevie Jay
15. *Call Me Al lindsey
16.-12.Friday Lee Shot Williams
17.-* Love Is Blind Booker Brown
18.-15. Never Miss A Good Thing Sir Charles Jones
19.-16.A Woman Knows Willie Clayton
20.-18.Keep On Swinging Bigg Robb

Val Jones is a creative wiz when it comes to the commercial production and creative services department. She is one of the most skilled in the broadcast industry. From copywriting and voiceovers to producing radio commercials, editing your musical project and basic broadcasting, this full-service veteran can give you excellent results when it comes to your commercials, documentaries, special projects and more. And with MP3 capabilities right at her fingertips, Val can get your commercials and projects to you quickly and efficiently.

FROM CONCEPT TO FINISH! Val Jones is a far more than just another voice talent. Whether you desire sex appeal, sizzle or straight, Val is a full-service production talent...from writing to finishing. Available also: copyright free music, fully professional award-winning audio and music production, copy writing and creative concept development. Fax or email your instructions and let Val do the rest. Guaranteed 48-hr turnaround on most projects!

Tuesday night at The Golden Moon during the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters Banquet. WJKX Radio Station was presented with The Mississippi Association of Broadcasters 2008 Radio Station of The Year. Denise "The Diva" Brooks Director of Urban Programming/Afternoon Jock and Devin Cole/Midday Announcer were present to accept the award.

"Who doesn't like Willie Nelson? I'm almost suspicious of someone who doesn't warm up to his everyman voice and off-kilter guitar style.

Those who are familiar only with his reliable country- radio hits don't know that when he puts his mind to it, he and "Trigger" (his guitar that seems perilously close to crumbling into dust) can play some jazz. However, if you've heard his best-selling "Stardust" album, on which he applied a human touch to standards, or the lesser-heard instrumental "Night and Day," from 1999, you're familiar with his affection for a range of music that runs from the Django Reinhardt guitar tradition to the songs of Cole Porter.

Fans won't be surprised by the new collaboration with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, "Two Men With the Blues" (Blue Note). Paring down the best performances from a couple of nights at New York's Lincoln Center last year, the disc is relaxed and something Marsalis' recordings are often not: effortless fun.

It's essentially Willie's show. He sings and picks through Great American Songbook material he's taken on before, like "Georgia on My Mind" and "Stardust," and explores the possibilities of his own tunes, on "Night Life" and "Rainy Day Blues." As a jazz vocalist, he's not seeking perfection or high drama. There's a plain-spoken eloquence to his delivery, and he often sings slightly behind the beat, indicating a desire to savor these stories. His just-about-in-tune guitar sounds eccentric in the context of a polished group, but that only highlights his individuality as a player.

Dear Twins: I'm a fifty-eight year old grandmother of three wonderful children that I love dearly. My son is an only child and told his father and me that when he got married he wanted to have lots of children.
The problem is he started having children and never seemed to get around to getting married. My son started having these children just before he graduated from college. He was so smart that he got accepted into an Ivy League school with all expenses and tuition paid. He dropped out of college and has made promise after promise that he would go back to school if his father and I would just help out by paying a few bills and babysitting occasionally. He never graduated from college. Since then he has drifted from job to job always thinking he deserved a job befitting someone of his intellectual caliber. As these children were born I started out babysitting and helping out financially as any grandparent would because I love my son and his children.
Lately this has taken a toll on our finances as I have dipped into my retirement plan and my regular saving account is pretty low. I'm getting further in debt as the children need more and more and my son and the children's mother seem to think I have an enormous amount of cash to be used at their disposal. My husband says I should cut them off and let the chips fall where they may. What should I do? I don't want to see my grandchildren suffer or do without. I'm between a rock and a hard place. I recently began to have panic attacks for no reason and my doctor says its all stress related.

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters....S.T.R.

My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree.

If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously..

Please read:

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke..totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE.

T *Ask the person to TA LK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today)

R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

HEY IT'S YOUR GIRL BIG SEXEE" DOING IT LIKE I DO"
HUNG OUT THIS PAST WEEK END AT THE 45TH ANNUAL B.B. KING, MEDGAR EVERS HOMECOMING CELEBRATION, IT WAS A BLAST. IT WAS SO HOT. PEGGY SCOTT ADAMS WANTED TO NO WHERE SATAN WAS BECAUSE IT WAS HOT AS HELL.

IT WAS A WONDERFUL WEEK OF ACTIVITIES. WE HAD THE MEMORIAL SERVIICE ON WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY WE HAD THE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE MAN HIMSELF MR. B. B.KING THERE WAS A BANQUET AND ON FRIDAY THERE WAS THE HISTORICAL TOUR. DID I LEAVE ANYTHING OUT? OH YEAH SATURDAY WAS THE PARADE AND CONCERT,I AM STILL SWEATING, MY MAKEUP RAN, MY CURLS DROPPED AND MY EVERTHING ELSE WAS, OOPS YOU KNOW HOW IT IS WHEN YOU'RE HOT AND BOTHERED.

OPENING ACT WAS THE REVEREND JOE A WASHINGTON. ANYBODY KNOW A MINISTER THAT DOES THE PUSH & PULL,YOU MISSED IT

CARL MARSHALL WAS IN THE HOUSE TALKING ABOUT "GOOD LOVIN WILL MAKE YOU CRY" I REMEMBER ONE TIME I DROPPED A TEAR AND THE MAN ASKED ME WHAT I WAS CRYING FOR, GO FIGURE

VIC ALLEN HAD THE LADIES JUMPING AROUND TALKING ABOUT WALKING OUT THE DOOR AND IF YOU PACK YOUR BAGS YOU BETTER PACK TWO,I GUESS HE HAD SOME GOOD LOVIN THAT MAD HIM CRY TOO

MS BARBRA CARR HIT THE STAGE AND LEFT AS FAST AS SHE CAME. D.J. RAGMAN SAID SHE MADE HIM LATE GETTING BACK TO THE STAGE SHE LEFT SO FAST,I GUESS IT WAS TOOOOOO HOT

MR. WILLIAM BELL STILL GOT IT GOING ON. HE SANG THE OLD AND THE NEW. HE SAYS HE'S GOT A NEW LEASE ON LIFE, ME TOO

THE THERE WAS THE LADY OF THE HOUR MS PEGGY SCOTT ADAMS, SHE SAID EVERYBODY HAS A FAVORITE PEGGY SCOTT ADAMS SONG, EVEN PEGGY SCOTT ADAMS HAS A FAVORITE SONG,PEGGY SANG I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU, IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM SHE HAS A PROBLEM TOO

PEGGY THIS ONES FOR YOU AND EVERYONE THAT ATTENDED THE HOMECOMING FESTIVITIES..IT WAS WONDERFUL IT WAS HOT, AND IT WAS WORTH IT, OUR LEGENDS ARE STILL TAKING CARE OF US,THEY MAD IT POSSIBLE TO BE STANDING ON A STAGE SINGING TO A PAID AUDIENCE THEY MADE IT POSSIBLE TO GO INTO HOTELS AND SLEEP IN STYLE THEY MADE IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE AN OPEN GATHERING AND NOT BE SCARED,THEY MADE IT POSSBLE TO HAVE A BLACK MAN RUNNING FOR THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THIS COUNTRY,THEY TRULY HAD A DREAM

THIS WAS THE 45TH ANNUAL HOMECOMING CELEBRATION THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE "I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH" AND THE HISTORY

PRETTY GOOD CELEBRATION, HUH

THIS IS YOUR GIRL DOING IT "JUST LIKE THAT"

CALL ME 601-966-0191

There have been plenty of technological advances in radio. From regular AM and FM, stations to satellite radio and even HD radio. There have been plenty of technological advances in radio. From regular AM and FM, stations to satellite radio and even HD radio.

Now there's another form out there; low powered radio stations. As Robert Burns tell us, these stations are allowing the average Joe to become an entrepreneur.

It's been five months since their start, but one local Lafayette man is showing us that running a radio station is as easy as working from home. In an otherwise quiet neighborhood his house is jam central.

Low power radio stations are fairly new. As a matter of fact they've only been around since 2000 but for Kevin Morris running his own FM station is an every day event.

"The idea came upon us when we found out it was a rap station in about 2002. Then, as time went on, we decided let's resurrect this station. It was open about 5 months, but after that we just started playing old school and people started loving us" Kevin said.

Traditionally, we all know about regular high power FM stations. But in today's slumping economy, low power also means low dollars and an extra voice for the community.

Kevin's station, 92.7 only reaches about five miles, the standard for most low power stations. With only two people manning the station, automated programming is scheduled around the clock. Occasionally, though, Kevin will get funky with a little mix session.

Now there's another form out there; low powered radio stations. As Robert Burns tell us, these stations are allowing the average Joe to become an entrepreneur.

It's been five months since their start, but one local Lafayette man is showing us that running a radio station is as easy as working from home. In an otherwise quiet neighborhood his house is jam central.

Low power radio stations are fairly new. As a matter of fact they've only been around since 2000 but for Kevin Morris running his own FM station is an every day event.

"The idea came upon us when we found out it was a rap station in about 2002. Then, as time went on, we decided let's resurrect this station. It was open about 5 months, but after that we just started playing old school and people started loving us" Kevin said.

Traditionally, we all know about regular high power FM stations. But in today's slumping economy, low power also means low dollars and an extra voice for the community.

Kevin's station, 92.7 only reaches about five miles, the standard for most low power stations. With only two people manning the station, automated programming is scheduled around the clock. Occasionally, though, Kevin will get funky with a little mix session.

Cast your minds back, if you will, to the mid-1970s. It was a time when instrumental bands could fill arenas, when long compositions with extended solos were lustily cheered, when musicians could give those compositions titles like Vulcan Worlds and Beyond the Seventh Galaxy without fear of embarrassment.

During this time, there existed a band called Return to Forever. Its members were four of the greatest jazz musicians alive: bassist Stanley Clarke, keyboardist Chick Corea, guitarist Al Di Meola, and drummer Lenny White. The music they made was as complex as rocket science, and also as fiery. Alas, like the era itself, the band wouldn't last. Money, power struggles, and irreconcilable "musical differences" intervened.

Fast-forward to the mid-2000s: a time for lucrative reunions and the burial of hatchets. And lo, in 2008, Return to Forever announced that they would tour again

Beyonce - the sultry songstress and curvaceous movie starlet - has wowed admires with her amazing voice and her dynamic performances on the stage and on the screen, but her most discussed accomplishment is her transition from pleasantly plump to tiny and titillating for her role of Deena in the Academy Award winning movie Dream Girls.

As soon as Beyonce premiered her new slender figure, the buzz of her body outshined the initial buzz of the movie. The world was intrigued. Everybody wanted to know how she did it. The rumors started flying. Various reports claimed that she lost the weight by drinking water spiked with cayenne pepper.

The truth is, Beyonce followed the Master Cleanse Diet to shed those extra pounds. Also known as the Lemonade Diet, this diet plan was created by Stanley Burroughs over 50 years ago. Designed to cleanse the body by ridding it of toxins, a happy side effect of this now popular diet includes losing weight, though this was not its original intention. And while some diets curb your sugar and fat intake, and others advise you to stay away from carbs, the Lemonade Diet requires abstaining from food altogether. That's right. A complete fast is the key factor in this ten to forty day diet. In fact, the only thing followers are allowed to put in their bodies is water - but not just any old water - it has to be spiked with lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.

Burroughs' diet has picked up many devotees over the years, despite skepticism from the medical community. Fans of the unique cleansing experience claim that it can also help to cure a number of ailments. This includes those classified as mucus diseases, such as allergies, asthma and the flu. Skin disorders and cholesterol are also wiped away by this not-so-typical fast. But it's not as simple as it sounds. A whole host of problems can accompany this diet, including dizziness and, in severe cases, even vomiting. But the diet claims that this is not due to any lack of vitamins, as the lemonade provides everything that the body needs. It is simply a matter of all the poisons now circulating in the bloodstream. To counter feelings of sickness, the diet recommends drinking a laxative tea, which helps to stimulate bowel movements.