That Eric Alper! - April 9, 2012

Give a thought today to the brave Canadians who made history 95 years ago today at the start of WWI Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard records Hub Cap at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on this date in 1961. Musicians on the session were Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Jimmy Heath (tenor saxophone); Julian Priester (trombone); Cedar Walton (piano); Larry Ridley (bass); Philly Joe Jones (drums): http://youtu.be/fBa85-kTlWc

Eadweard J. Muybridge — one of the original men in motion — celebrated with a Google Doodle: http://bit.ly/HrnmD8

Will Bonness knows the importance of a good teacher.The new assistant professor of piano in the University of Manitoba faculty of music clearly recognizes that "a lot of jazz is self-discovery. It's a big part of musical development." That said, "It's really important for the music to have good teachers. That's how the music is transmitted to the next generation. "I owe a lot to good teachers," going back to Winnipegger Earl MacDonald who "was one of my early influences when I was in high school," Bonness says. MacDonald, a former pianist and musical director in Maynard Ferguson's Big Bop Nouveau Band, teaches jazz at the University of Connecticut: http://bit.ly/I8wkdO

It's a little known chapter in the career of Canadian music legend Oscar Peterson — he played a series of private concerts and recorded some of his best work for a small German jazz label in the 1960s in the Black Forest. Next week, Matthias Brunner-Schwer, son of the founder of record label MPS, is to remember Peterson’s close friendship with his father with a concert series: http://wp.me/p26Qb8-1jW

It’s hard to lie to police about your name when it’s tattooed on your arm: http://wp.me/p26Qb8-1j6

Search engines like Google don’t just catch errors; they prevent you from making them in the first place. To find the latest on Afghanistan, just type “Afg” and select from the options in the drop-down autocomplete menu. Could Web-search algorithms make spelling a lost art? http://wp.me/p26Qb8-1j8

In honour of Passover, here are a few pop stars who are either practicing Jews or at least have some Jewish heritage — including a few that may come as a surprise: http://wp.me/p26Qb8-1jf

And…in honour of Easter, here are a few Awkward Family Photos celebrating the holiday filled with eggs and bunnies! http://wp.me/p26Qb8-1ju