Bob Craig

My neighbors and I have been attending meetings, pleading with the Goleta City Council, writing letters and waiting for years and years for the City of Goleta to address a growing problem right outside our kitchen windows and front doors. This past Friday, April 17, I counted 20 vehicles with people sleeping in them on Phelps Road at 7 a.m. Some of the same vehicles have been here for years.

Mel Tormé, the incomparable jazz singer, was born on Sept. 13, 1925. To celebrate his centennial, WRTI is playing his music all week long, with a special focus during the Sunday Jazz Brunch and Voices in Big Band Jazz. Bob Craig, the regular host of those shows, offers his appreciation here. Mel Tormé had more talent than any one person should be allowed to have. He was a successful composer, actor, author, arranger, drummer — and oh yes, a singer.

Oscar Peterson's centennial is Friday, Aug. 15. Tune in to WRTI all week to hear selections from throughout his career — and don't miss a special one-hour tribute on the Aug. 17 episode of Bob Craig's Sunday Jazz Brunch in the 11 a.m. hour! Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was born 100 years ago in Montreal, on Aug. 15, 1925. Twenty years later, his first Canadian recordings were heard. This was a changeable period in jazz. Big band swing was fading, and bebop was gaining.