Bill Haley, Jr. & the Original Comets at the Twin Bar in Gloucester, NJ
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Bill Haley, Jr. & the Comets
Bill Haley, Jr. & the Original Comets at the Twin Bar in Gloucester, NJ
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Guitarist Coleman Mellett RIP
http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Mangione,_Chuck/
I remember the airplane crash in Buffalo, and how the day before a news commentator was saying that it's been over a year since we've had a major airplane crash, not including the crash landing of the airliner in the Hudson, which didn't have any major casualties.
Then the Buffalo crash, in the freezing rain, and I think I recall that some musicians were on board, but I didn't get any names, and it wasn't until I read this article that I realized that Coleman Mellett was one of the victims.
Chuck Mangione Performs for Plane Crash Victims
May 3rd, 2009 3:42 EST.
Jazz musician Chuck Mangione took to the stage in New York on Friday night to raise money for the families of his two former bandmates who were killed in a plane crash in February. Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett were among the passengers on the jet which came down near New York's Buffalo Niagra Internatational Airport killing all 49 people on board.
The band's concert in Buffalo the following night was canceled as a result of the loss. And Mangione has kept his promise to play in the town with a special tribute raising money for people affected by the disaster. More than 200 tickets were donated to victims & family and residents living near the crash site, with the proceeds going to the Town of Clarence Flight 3407 Memorial Fund. Mangione also teamed up with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra to pay for concert-goers to attend a special aftershow party.
His name jumped right out at me, and I knew, as soon as I read that story, that I knew Coleman Mellett.
I remember Coleman Mellett from Cape May, where I'm sure he played the Shire Tavern and the Cape May Jazz Fest, and may have been one of the recipients of one of the Cape May Jazz Fest music scholarships.
Coleman Mellett. He was just a kid, one of the youngsters who were hanging around Pat Martino at the Shire, and later at the Jazz Fest with Monette Sudler and Geno White.
"Coley" always had a ready smile and carried his guitar around like it was his cross.
Carole Stone and Woody had nice things to say about him, and they may have picked up on him playing somewhere else and invited him to Cape May, like they do all the time.
And he married Jeanie Bryson, one of the Cape May Jazz Fest regulars. They probably met at Cape May.
Here's some more stories off the wire:
http://media.buffalonews.com/smedia/2009/03/04/08/50-bn-20090304-B005-colemantmellett-171273-MI0001.standalone.prod_affiliate.50.jpg
A memorial Mass for jazz guitarist Coleman Timothy Mellett of East Brunswick, N. J., who died Feb. 12 in the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 in Clarence Center, will be offered at 11 a. m. Saturday in St. Peter Catholic Church, Washington, D. C. He was 34.
Born in South Natick, Mass., he graduated from elementary and high school in Maryland and attended William Paterson University in Wayne, N. J., and Manhattan School of Music.
A member of the Chuck Mangione band since 1999, he was hired after the trumpeter spotted him on a Manhattan cable television show. He also performed frequently with his wife, jazz singer Jeanie Bryson, the daughter of Dizzy Gillespie.
In addition to his wife, survivors include a stepson, Radji Bryson-Barrett; his parents, Kenneth M. and Mary Ellen; a brother, Zebulon S.; and a sister, Brady Jane.
Coleman Mellett was killed when Continental flight #3407 crashed near Buffalo on February 12, 2009.
An accomplished jazz guitarist, Mellett was a touring member of trumpeter Chuck Mangione's band for the last several years. The group was scheduled to perform Friday night at the Kleinhans Music Hall with the Buffalo Philharmonic.
In a statement Mangione, said: "I'm in shock over the horrible, heartbreaking tragedy."
Mellett grew up near Washington, D.C., and moved to New Jersey to study at William Paterson University, according to his MySpace profile. After graduating he moved to New York and earned a master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music in 1998.
Mellett, 33, lived in East Brunswick, N.J., with his wife, singer Jeanie Bryson, according to the Star-Ledger of Newark.
Coleman Mellett is a gifted jazz guitarist, educated at Duquesne and William Paterson University's and the Manhattan School Music. He has studied with Jazz greats Rufus Reid, Kenny Burrell, Norman Simmons, Steve Turre, and Harold Mabern. He has had the good fortune to work with musicians like Joe Williams, James Spaulding, Frank Wess, Doug Lawrence, Etta Jones, Christian McBride, and others.
While performing on Manhattan Cable Television with organist Adam Scone and drum legend Ben Dixon, who is known internationally for the Blue Note recordings he made with “Big" John Patton and Grant Green, he caught the eye of Chuck Mangione. Mellett was invited to audition for Mangione and was hired on the spot to be the substitute for Mangione's regular guitarist, Grant Giessman. Chuck invited Mellett to be a permanent member of the group, and since then Coleman has been touring the world with the Chuck Mangione Band.
http://www.legacy.com/gb2/default.aspx?bookID=700203753330
http://www.legacy.com/gb2/default.aspx?bMarch 01, 2009
While listening to WBAI, the station played an In Memoriam for members of Chuck Mangione's Band who were on board on that flight to NY. I thougth how terrible! Then this past Firday, while at a meeting, I was reading an article in the Home News Tribune (New Brunswick, NJ) about an educational program I was involved with, and suddenly my eyes shifted toward a heading which mentioned "local jazz musician in fatal airplane crash." My heart sank when the paragraph started off with Coleman's name. And of course, what other Coleman could it be.
Coleman, was one of our music teachers at the Jazz Institute of New Jersey, a not- for-profit organization that taught jazz and life skills to underprivileged children.
My deepest sympathies go to his family and partner and wife Jeannie Bryson. Indeed, I can only believe that because of who he was, he was here for a purpose. I pray that he receives much blessings even on the other side.
Maria Alvarez
New Brunswick
I met Coleman in 2000 along with Jeff McSpadden when they had the smooth jazz group The Salt Brothers. I became a fan and signed him up to SESAC. He was a very sweet and humble guy and a great musician. He had a classic sound to his playing that was so advanced for his age.
He was also a great composer. If you can find the Salt Brothers CD "The Right Move", get it! It's a great piece of work! And the Coleman Mellett original song, "Creepy" featuring Jeanie Bryson on Vocals is a hit! I once saw the band play to a packed room at the Top of the World Trade Center, one of our last visits to the WTC before 9/11. Coleman was a great talent, and a great man and he will be remembered.
Linda Lorence-Critelli, SEASC, NY
Coley Mellett played guitar in one of the first jazz groups I was in, The Blues Alley Youth Combo. Even though it was about 18 years ago that we played together, I remember how great he played when we were both cutting our teeth on some of our first gigs. Thanks, Coley, for inspiring me and many others with your great music.
~
Michael Jones,
On February 13, 2009, musician Chuck Mangione's publicist confirmed that Mangione's guitarist, Coleman Mellett had been killed in a plane crash near Buffalo, New York the previous day. Mellet and fellow band member Gerry Niewood were aboard Continental Flight 3407, which crashed into a Buffalo house on the evening of February 12, 2009.1
http://www.mahalo.com/Coleman_Mellett
Fast Facts
Jazz guitarist and guitar teacher2
Originally from the Washington, D.C. area3
Spouse: Jeanie Bryson2
Played backup for musician Chuck Magione
Attended Duquesne University on a music scholarship,
then transferred to William Paterson University3
Received a master's degree in Jazz performance
from the Manhattan School of Music3
Joined Chuck Mangione's band in 1999
Released debut solo album Natural High in 2007
Died on February 12, 2009
Quote
"I'm in shock over the horrible, heartbreaking tragedy." — Chuck Mangione
MySpace Music: Coleman Mellett Profile
CD Baby: Coleman Mellett: Natural High
Buffalo News: Publicist: 2 Mangione musicians die in plane crash (February 13, 2009)
NJ.com: Guitarist Mellett loves its versatility (May 15, 2008)
AllABoutJazz: A Listeners Venue for Jeanie Bryson and Coleman Mellett Performance (July 13, 2007)
Transcript From Buffalo Crash Reveals Extensive Pilot Banter
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124212789938210353.html
By ANDY PASZTOR
The pilots of the Continental Connection turboprop that crashed in February near Buffalo, N.Y., rushed through mandatory checklists in a matter of seconds, but spent almost the entire 59-minute flight from Newark, N.J., bantering about personal issues, job goals and the theoretical hazards of ice accumulation during winter flying, according to the cockpit recorder transcript released Tuesday by federal investigators.
The transcript shows that the Colgan Air Inc. crew, Capt. Marvin Renslow and co-pilot Rebecca Shaw, violated mandatory safety rules by discussing extraneous topics during the descent to Buffalo, just before their twin-engine Bombardier Q400 aircraft slowed dangerously and went into an aerodynamic stall, killing 50 people.
Data released by the National Transportation Safety Board indicate that the stall wasn't triggered by ice accumulation, but rather by Capt. Renslow's pulling back on the controls and overpowering an automatic stall-protection system that was pushing the nose of the plane down in order to regain a safe flying speed.
The transcript of conversations reflects a breakdown in cockpit discipline as the pilots laughed and joked extensively about previous flying experiences, the rigors of commuting to work by air and their own shortcomings as aviators.
There was hardly any discussion, until the last few minutes, about the conditions of the flight they were operating. Immediately after completing required checklists, the pilots resumed extraneous discussions.
Icing was on the crew's mind approaching Buffalo in snow and mist. Starting four minutes before the crash, and just before rushing through the descent checklist, the crew talked about dramatic buildup of ice around the windshield. "Oh yeah, it's full of ice," the co-pilot said. The captain replied, "that's the most I've seen . . . in a long time." But instead of discussing their situation and agreeing on a plan of action in case of an emergency, the crew immediately switched to discussing personal anecdotes regarding icing.
Co-pilot Shaw, is quoted on the transcript reminiscing about how little experience she had with ice during her early training flying in the Southwest U.S. "I had more actual time (experiencing icing) on my first day" with Colgan "than I did in the 1,600 (flight) hours I had when I came here," she said, according to the transcript.
The co-pilot, who had been hired by Colgan less than a year before, went on to say: "I really wouldn't mind going through a winter in the Northeast before I have to upgrade to captain."
The training and behavior of the pilot and first officer in the crash, the worst in U.S. air crash in more than seven years, were prominent on the agenda of an unusual three-day safety hearing that started Tuesday.
For the journalists, industry officials and relatives of victims packed into the NTSB's auditorium, the transcripts of what the crew said -- and how distracted they appeared to be -- provided the most chilling part of the hearing.
As the plane neared Buffalo and descended to below 2,300 feet, things deteriorated quickly for the crew. According to documents released at the hearing, the crew leveled off the aircraft and set the engines to idle in what seemed like a normal approach. Within three seconds after the landing gear went down, however, the engines were revved to maximum power.
It took only a total of about 20 seconds until the crew received a stall warning, the autopilot disconnected and the plane lost lift, rolled and slammed into the ground.
While the broad outlines of the last few minutes of the flight had been reported earlier, the first day of the hearing provided more information about the crew's actions in the cockpit. The data confirmed earlier reports that Capt. Renslow continued to pull back on the controls to raise the plane's nose during the entire seven seconds that the so-called stick-shaker was warning the crew about an impending stall. The normal reaction to such a warning is to lower the nose in order to gain speed.
Just after the cockpit microphone picked up the sounds of the engines increasing to full power, Capt Renslow exclaimed: "Jesus Christ."
Ms. Shaw, for her part, began doing what she could to save the plane. "I put the flaps up," she said. Eight seconds later, she asked the captain, "should the gear up?"
Capt. Renslow replied: "Gear up. Oh (expletive)."
From there, the cockpit microphone picked up an increase in noise from outside the plane.
Less than a second before impact, Capt. Renslow said: "We're down," followed by the sound of a thump.
The last words on the recording were those of Ms. Shaw. "We're (sound of scream).
The National Transportation Safety Board was holding hearings on safety issues that have arisen during its investigation a mere three months after the crash, rather than waiting the year or more that such investigations typically take to complete. A second hearing will be conducted when the investigation is complete.
Colgan Air, which operated the Continental Connection flight, said Monday that the plane's captain was fully qualified and had "all the training and experience" required to safely fly the twin-engine turboprop.
A spokesman for Colgan, a unit of Pinnacle Airlines Corp., also released information to counter assertions that an overly demanding work schedule may have impaired the captain's judgment.
Marvin Renslow, who was flying the plane that crashed had a "light enough schedule" the three previous days to provide "ample time for rest," according to the statement. Colgan said Capt. Renslow had "nearly 22 consecutive hours of time off before he reported for duty" the day of the accident, nearly three times the mandatory minimum rest period.
People close to the probe said Capt. Renslow had flunked numerous check rides as part of his training. A Wall Street Journal article on Monday reported that investigators believe that during the flight, which departed from Newark, N.J., he may have reacted in an improper way because he hadn't been adequately trained to use emergency equipment intended to prevent the Bombardier Q400 from going into a deadly stall.
In the wake of the crash, Colgan faces heightened regulatory scrutiny, including investigations by the Federal Aviation Administration, of potential crew-scheduling violations. Since the accident, FAA officials overseeing Colgan have issued at least 16 letters of investigation questioning the carrier's compliance with flight-time and duty-time regulations, according to people familiar with the details. The inquiries cover the period from November 2008 to March 2009.
Colgan spokesman Joe Williams has said the FAA is examining unusual instances when "pilots legally flew beyond daily, weekly or monthly" mandatory limits, but said, "We don't expect any enforcement actions."
I remember the airplane crash in Buffalo, and how the day before a news commentator was saying that it's been over a year since we've had a major airplane crash, not including the crash landing of the airliner in the Hudson, which didn't have any major casualties.
Then the Buffalo crash, in the freezing rain, and I think I recall that some musicians were on board, but I didn't get any names, and it wasn't until I read this article that I realized that Coleman Mellett was one of the victims.
Chuck Mangione Performs for Plane Crash Victims
May 3rd, 2009 3:42 EST.
Jazz musician Chuck Mangione took to the stage in New York on Friday night to raise money for the families of his two former bandmates who were killed in a plane crash in February. Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett were among the passengers on the jet which came down near New York's Buffalo Niagra Internatational Airport killing all 49 people on board.
The band's concert in Buffalo the following night was canceled as a result of the loss. And Mangione has kept his promise to play in the town with a special tribute raising money for people affected by the disaster. More than 200 tickets were donated to victims & family and residents living near the crash site, with the proceeds going to the Town of Clarence Flight 3407 Memorial Fund. Mangione also teamed up with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra to pay for concert-goers to attend a special aftershow party.
His name jumped right out at me, and I knew, as soon as I read that story, that I knew Coleman Mellett.
I remember Coleman Mellett from Cape May, where I'm sure he played the Shire Tavern and the Cape May Jazz Fest, and may have been one of the recipients of one of the Cape May Jazz Fest music scholarships.
Coleman Mellett. He was just a kid, one of the youngsters who were hanging around Pat Martino at the Shire, and later at the Jazz Fest with Monette Sudler and Geno White.
"Coley" always had a ready smile and carried his guitar around like it was his cross.
Carole Stone and Woody had nice things to say about him, and they may have picked up on him playing somewhere else and invited him to Cape May, like they do all the time.
And he married Jeanie Bryson, one of the Cape May Jazz Fest regulars. They probably met at Cape May.
Here's some more stories off the wire:
http://media.buffalonews.com/smedia/2009/03/04/08/50-bn-20090304-B005-colemantmellett-171273-MI0001.standalone.prod_affiliate.50.jpg
A memorial Mass for jazz guitarist Coleman Timothy Mellett of East Brunswick, N. J., who died Feb. 12 in the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 in Clarence Center, will be offered at 11 a. m. Saturday in St. Peter Catholic Church, Washington, D. C. He was 34.
Born in South Natick, Mass., he graduated from elementary and high school in Maryland and attended William Paterson University in Wayne, N. J., and Manhattan School of Music.
A member of the Chuck Mangione band since 1999, he was hired after the trumpeter spotted him on a Manhattan cable television show. He also performed frequently with his wife, jazz singer Jeanie Bryson, the daughter of Dizzy Gillespie.
In addition to his wife, survivors include a stepson, Radji Bryson-Barrett; his parents, Kenneth M. and Mary Ellen; a brother, Zebulon S.; and a sister, Brady Jane.
Coleman Mellett was killed when Continental flight #3407 crashed near Buffalo on February 12, 2009.
An accomplished jazz guitarist, Mellett was a touring member of trumpeter Chuck Mangione's band for the last several years. The group was scheduled to perform Friday night at the Kleinhans Music Hall with the Buffalo Philharmonic.
In a statement Mangione, said: "I'm in shock over the horrible, heartbreaking tragedy."
Mellett grew up near Washington, D.C., and moved to New Jersey to study at William Paterson University, according to his MySpace profile. After graduating he moved to New York and earned a master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music in 1998.
Mellett, 33, lived in East Brunswick, N.J., with his wife, singer Jeanie Bryson, according to the Star-Ledger of Newark.
Coleman Mellett is a gifted jazz guitarist, educated at Duquesne and William Paterson University's and the Manhattan School Music. He has studied with Jazz greats Rufus Reid, Kenny Burrell, Norman Simmons, Steve Turre, and Harold Mabern. He has had the good fortune to work with musicians like Joe Williams, James Spaulding, Frank Wess, Doug Lawrence, Etta Jones, Christian McBride, and others.
While performing on Manhattan Cable Television with organist Adam Scone and drum legend Ben Dixon, who is known internationally for the Blue Note recordings he made with “Big" John Patton and Grant Green, he caught the eye of Chuck Mangione. Mellett was invited to audition for Mangione and was hired on the spot to be the substitute for Mangione's regular guitarist, Grant Giessman. Chuck invited Mellett to be a permanent member of the group, and since then Coleman has been touring the world with the Chuck Mangione Band.
http://www.legacy.com/gb2/default.aspx?bookID=700203753330
http://www.legacy.com/gb2/default.aspx?bMarch 01, 2009
While listening to WBAI, the station played an In Memoriam for members of Chuck Mangione's Band who were on board on that flight to NY. I thougth how terrible! Then this past Firday, while at a meeting, I was reading an article in the Home News Tribune (New Brunswick, NJ) about an educational program I was involved with, and suddenly my eyes shifted toward a heading which mentioned "local jazz musician in fatal airplane crash." My heart sank when the paragraph started off with Coleman's name. And of course, what other Coleman could it be.
Coleman, was one of our music teachers at the Jazz Institute of New Jersey, a not- for-profit organization that taught jazz and life skills to underprivileged children.
My deepest sympathies go to his family and partner and wife Jeannie Bryson. Indeed, I can only believe that because of who he was, he was here for a purpose. I pray that he receives much blessings even on the other side.
Maria Alvarez
New Brunswick
I met Coleman in 2000 along with Jeff McSpadden when they had the smooth jazz group The Salt Brothers. I became a fan and signed him up to SESAC. He was a very sweet and humble guy and a great musician. He had a classic sound to his playing that was so advanced for his age.
He was also a great composer. If you can find the Salt Brothers CD "The Right Move", get it! It's a great piece of work! And the Coleman Mellett original song, "Creepy" featuring Jeanie Bryson on Vocals is a hit! I once saw the band play to a packed room at the Top of the World Trade Center, one of our last visits to the WTC before 9/11. Coleman was a great talent, and a great man and he will be remembered.
Linda Lorence-Critelli, SEASC, NY
Coley Mellett played guitar in one of the first jazz groups I was in, The Blues Alley Youth Combo. Even though it was about 18 years ago that we played together, I remember how great he played when we were both cutting our teeth on some of our first gigs. Thanks, Coley, for inspiring me and many others with your great music.
~
Michael Jones,
On February 13, 2009, musician Chuck Mangione's publicist confirmed that Mangione's guitarist, Coleman Mellett had been killed in a plane crash near Buffalo, New York the previous day. Mellet and fellow band member Gerry Niewood were aboard Continental Flight 3407, which crashed into a Buffalo house on the evening of February 12, 2009.1
http://www.mahalo.com/Coleman_Mellett
Fast Facts
Jazz guitarist and guitar teacher2
Originally from the Washington, D.C. area3
Spouse: Jeanie Bryson2
Played backup for musician Chuck Magione
Attended Duquesne University on a music scholarship,
then transferred to William Paterson University3
Received a master's degree in Jazz performance
from the Manhattan School of Music3
Joined Chuck Mangione's band in 1999
Released debut solo album Natural High in 2007
Died on February 12, 2009
Quote
"I'm in shock over the horrible, heartbreaking tragedy." — Chuck Mangione
MySpace Music: Coleman Mellett Profile
CD Baby: Coleman Mellett: Natural High
Buffalo News: Publicist: 2 Mangione musicians die in plane crash (February 13, 2009)
NJ.com: Guitarist Mellett loves its versatility (May 15, 2008)
AllABoutJazz: A Listeners Venue for Jeanie Bryson and Coleman Mellett Performance (July 13, 2007)
Transcript From Buffalo Crash Reveals Extensive Pilot Banter
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124212789938210353.html
By ANDY PASZTOR
The pilots of the Continental Connection turboprop that crashed in February near Buffalo, N.Y., rushed through mandatory checklists in a matter of seconds, but spent almost the entire 59-minute flight from Newark, N.J., bantering about personal issues, job goals and the theoretical hazards of ice accumulation during winter flying, according to the cockpit recorder transcript released Tuesday by federal investigators.
The transcript shows that the Colgan Air Inc. crew, Capt. Marvin Renslow and co-pilot Rebecca Shaw, violated mandatory safety rules by discussing extraneous topics during the descent to Buffalo, just before their twin-engine Bombardier Q400 aircraft slowed dangerously and went into an aerodynamic stall, killing 50 people.
Data released by the National Transportation Safety Board indicate that the stall wasn't triggered by ice accumulation, but rather by Capt. Renslow's pulling back on the controls and overpowering an automatic stall-protection system that was pushing the nose of the plane down in order to regain a safe flying speed.
The transcript of conversations reflects a breakdown in cockpit discipline as the pilots laughed and joked extensively about previous flying experiences, the rigors of commuting to work by air and their own shortcomings as aviators.
There was hardly any discussion, until the last few minutes, about the conditions of the flight they were operating. Immediately after completing required checklists, the pilots resumed extraneous discussions.
Icing was on the crew's mind approaching Buffalo in snow and mist. Starting four minutes before the crash, and just before rushing through the descent checklist, the crew talked about dramatic buildup of ice around the windshield. "Oh yeah, it's full of ice," the co-pilot said. The captain replied, "that's the most I've seen . . . in a long time." But instead of discussing their situation and agreeing on a plan of action in case of an emergency, the crew immediately switched to discussing personal anecdotes regarding icing.
Co-pilot Shaw, is quoted on the transcript reminiscing about how little experience she had with ice during her early training flying in the Southwest U.S. "I had more actual time (experiencing icing) on my first day" with Colgan "than I did in the 1,600 (flight) hours I had when I came here," she said, according to the transcript.
The co-pilot, who had been hired by Colgan less than a year before, went on to say: "I really wouldn't mind going through a winter in the Northeast before I have to upgrade to captain."
The training and behavior of the pilot and first officer in the crash, the worst in U.S. air crash in more than seven years, were prominent on the agenda of an unusual three-day safety hearing that started Tuesday.
For the journalists, industry officials and relatives of victims packed into the NTSB's auditorium, the transcripts of what the crew said -- and how distracted they appeared to be -- provided the most chilling part of the hearing.
As the plane neared Buffalo and descended to below 2,300 feet, things deteriorated quickly for the crew. According to documents released at the hearing, the crew leveled off the aircraft and set the engines to idle in what seemed like a normal approach. Within three seconds after the landing gear went down, however, the engines were revved to maximum power.
It took only a total of about 20 seconds until the crew received a stall warning, the autopilot disconnected and the plane lost lift, rolled and slammed into the ground.
While the broad outlines of the last few minutes of the flight had been reported earlier, the first day of the hearing provided more information about the crew's actions in the cockpit. The data confirmed earlier reports that Capt. Renslow continued to pull back on the controls to raise the plane's nose during the entire seven seconds that the so-called stick-shaker was warning the crew about an impending stall. The normal reaction to such a warning is to lower the nose in order to gain speed.
Just after the cockpit microphone picked up the sounds of the engines increasing to full power, Capt Renslow exclaimed: "Jesus Christ."
Ms. Shaw, for her part, began doing what she could to save the plane. "I put the flaps up," she said. Eight seconds later, she asked the captain, "should the gear up?"
Capt. Renslow replied: "Gear up. Oh (expletive)."
From there, the cockpit microphone picked up an increase in noise from outside the plane.
Less than a second before impact, Capt. Renslow said: "We're down," followed by the sound of a thump.
The last words on the recording were those of Ms. Shaw. "We're (sound of scream).
The National Transportation Safety Board was holding hearings on safety issues that have arisen during its investigation a mere three months after the crash, rather than waiting the year or more that such investigations typically take to complete. A second hearing will be conducted when the investigation is complete.
Colgan Air, which operated the Continental Connection flight, said Monday that the plane's captain was fully qualified and had "all the training and experience" required to safely fly the twin-engine turboprop.
A spokesman for Colgan, a unit of Pinnacle Airlines Corp., also released information to counter assertions that an overly demanding work schedule may have impaired the captain's judgment.
Marvin Renslow, who was flying the plane that crashed had a "light enough schedule" the three previous days to provide "ample time for rest," according to the statement. Colgan said Capt. Renslow had "nearly 22 consecutive hours of time off before he reported for duty" the day of the accident, nearly three times the mandatory minimum rest period.
People close to the probe said Capt. Renslow had flunked numerous check rides as part of his training. A Wall Street Journal article on Monday reported that investigators believe that during the flight, which departed from Newark, N.J., he may have reacted in an improper way because he hadn't been adequately trained to use emergency equipment intended to prevent the Bombardier Q400 from going into a deadly stall.
In the wake of the crash, Colgan faces heightened regulatory scrutiny, including investigations by the Federal Aviation Administration, of potential crew-scheduling violations. Since the accident, FAA officials overseeing Colgan have issued at least 16 letters of investigation questioning the carrier's compliance with flight-time and duty-time regulations, according to people familiar with the details. The inquiries cover the period from November 2008 to March 2009.
Colgan spokesman Joe Williams has said the FAA is examining unusual instances when "pilots legally flew beyond daily, weekly or monthly" mandatory limits, but said, "We don't expect any enforcement actions."
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Margate Centennial & The Barbary Coast Bars
Margate’s Barbary Coast Bars – Revisited. A tour through time. – By Bill Kelly
From The Downbeach Current,April 30, 2009. Vol. 13, NO.7
http://www.shorenewstoday.com/db/
Page 29 Check out all the stories on Margate history.
Today Margate is mainly sushi bars and condos, but at one time, it was the place to go to have a great time. They called it the “Barbary Coast” because of the image of drunken debauchery, but for many locals and tourists, it was.
The strip went along the bay front to Washington Avenue and then to beach.
If you came from the south, from the Somers Point – Ocean City causeway, the first bar you came to was Kelly Voght’s rickety old nightclub that stretched out over the bay, an old wooden clapboard building reminiscent of Bayshores. Then there was the Longport Inn, an eating and drinking establishment where many of the power brokers met. Both have been leveled and are now condos.
Heading north along the bay you then came to Strotbeck’s, a private club, now Steve & Cookies, and faithfully maintained, where the food is good and the music is smooth jazz. A block in from the bay was Moylans, a small corner, seasonal, neighborhood bar, with a low ceiling, and dark, with no windows and a good juke box.
Back on the bay, heading north on Amherst Avenue is Jerry Blavat’s Memories (formerly the Elbo Room), which is still going strong with the Geater with the Heater, the Boss with the Hot Sauce spinning the discs for dancers and the radio audience.
Next along the line was the Harbor Inn, where at one time, not long ago, they had ten beers for a dollar. On the next corner was Merrel’s, where Lew London, the East Coast Aces, Bobby Campanell and the original Shakes played before it became Gilhooley’s, a brass and glass joint.
Next door is the venerable Maynards, the last of the old time Barbary Coast Saloons, where the late, Al Triano orchestrated the party, and where you can get cheep draft beer, a hot sandwich off the grill, a bowl of peanuts, and leave the shells on the floor.
On the corner, where there is now a sushi bar, there used to be Kelly’s corner bar, with a pool table and juke box, and attached to Gables, one of the premier rock and roll bars on the East Coast. Once said to be a bowling alley, the huge nightclub had multiple bars, dance floor and a stage where the Exceptions were the house band who opened for major acts like John Kay and Steppenwolf.
Around the corner across the street, there was Omar’s, a neighborhood bar that was once called the Nickelodeon, a bust out joint which featured live bands, before it too became a fancy restaurant and then, condos.
There is also the Barn pizza hut, a popular pit stop for generations, and another popular late night pizza place down Washington Ave., before you got to Maloney’s, one of the most popular local pubs until it was raised and condoed out a few years ago.
Just past Maloney’s, on the corner, was the White House, also known as Reds as it was Red Klots’ sports bar. Klots owns the Washington Generals (Nationals) professional basketball team, who faithfully maintain an unblemished record of having lost every one of their games to the Harlem Globetrotters. When Klot’s son Glenn was old enough, he turned Reds into a disco, and then a New Wave bar, the Ivory, with radical bands like the Ramones and the Hooters, who played there in the 80s.
Then it became a disco again, and was a favorite hangout of seasonal neighbor, “Skinny” Joey Merlino, the nominal head of the old Philadelphia mob. Then it was leveled into a parking lot before it was condoed.
Across the street on the beach is the Green House, where the octogenarian Flintstones band used to play in the low ceiling beach bar. They really were old coots playing in a band that really had a good time. Now it’s Ventura’s Green House, and features fine Italian food, a good pizza and sandwich grill and a popular deck just off of Thong Beach.
A block down from the Green House was the Beach Bar, where you could walk in off the beach in your bare feet and get a cold one, which was developed into a high rise in the early 80s.
Where ever you went at the Barbary Coast, at the end of the night, after shooting pool, drinking and dancing to the live bands, everyone eventually ended up at Lenny’s Hot Dog Stand, which when the sun came up, was in the shadow of Lucy the Elephant.
By three or four in the morning there was a line at Lenny’s where people stood around mingling, talking, eating hot dogs, and getting ready to take a nap on the beach, or reluctantly go home.
Things were like that for decades, but eventually, the party had to end. A number of things led to the end of that era, including the lowering of the drinking age to eighteen, the increase in DWI arrests and accidents, and sensational news reports of a young women found dead on a boat from a drug overdose, another women being raped on the beach by a professional athlete and finally, in August 2007, the murder of Paul Ritch, a British tourist on a holiday, who was knifed in the heart behind one of the bayside bars.
The increase in the value of the real estate market and the development of condos forced the college and group rental crowd to find another neighborhood, and the seedy bars were transformed into classy, brass and glass restaurants.
And today, as they sit around sipping champagne in their waterfront condos and at the sushi bars, it seems that the people who have never been to Margate’s Barbary Coast in its heyday, just don’t know what a good time is.
MARGATE – after staying pretty much the same for ten thousand years, went from sandy, shifting hills barrier island to contemporary resort town in less than a hundred years,
To the Lenni Lenape Indians it was known as Absecon Island, a desolate wind swept sand bar with an ever changing landscape they never thought anyone would or could live on.
To the first European explorers the bay area was called Eren Haven – Great Egg bay because of the prevalence of bird eggs, and the first settlers used the barrier islands as a cattle pen.
Thomas Budd paid ten times as much per acre for the mainland parcels of land than he did for the barrier islands, but the value of the waterfront would change with the times, and the advent of modern society.
Few people even knew about Sandy Hills until the trains came in to Atlantic City, at the north end of Absecon Island, bringing thousands of tourists daily from Philadelphia, and so they began to call it South Atlantic City. They also came by steam ferry from Ocean City and Somers Point to Longport so it was, for the most part, a place that tourists passed through to get somewhere else.
That is until 1881, when 25 year old engineer James V. Lafferty began his quest to build Lucy the Elephant as a real estate promotion. In 1882 the US Patent Office granted Lafferty a patent for “the exclusive right to make, use or sell animal-shaped buildings for seventeen years.” Lucy was the first of three such elephants, the others being the Elephantine Colossus, built at Coney Island New York and the Light of Asia in South Cape May, N.J. Colossus burned down, the Light of Asia was eventually torn down, and Lucy was sold, with Lafferty’s other property, to John and Sophie Gertzen, who operated it as a tourist attraction, hotel and tavern.
On August 1, 1885 an Egg Harbor Township referendum was held to consider incorporating South Atlantic City as a borough an action taken by New Jersey state legislature on September 7, 1885, though it wasn’t until April 23, 1897 that South Atlantic City reincorporated as a city.
On April 20, 1909 the city was reincorporated with the name Margate City. The name Margate was probably taken from the resort town of Margate in England. As England’s oldest seaside resort Margate, Kent, has a history that dates back 700 years. As a bathing beach resort, Margate in England can attribute its popularity to a visionary entrepreneur, real estate developer and inventor. Like Lafferty at the Jersey Shore, Margate in England had Benjamin Beale, who patented a bathing machine.
Bathing, at home or in the sea, was not considered a social occasion between the sexes until the Victorian age, encouraged at first by “bathing machines,” like the one invented by Beale. With modesty being a primary factor, bathers entered a little wooden hut covered with canvas that was pulled into the sea. As bathing among the sexes became more socially acceptable, the bathing machines disappeared, and Margate became one of England’s most popular seaside resorts.
Margate, New Jersey is also one of America’s most popular bathing beaches, though one with less modesty, as the beach by Lucy is today known as “thong beach,” which shows you how far things have gone in less than a hundred years.
The century long history of Margate itself is probably best exemplified by the ever changing story of Lucy, which has served as a restaurant, tavern and hotel, was once the center of the town’s social activity, and is still a tourist attraction and landmark.
William Howard Taft was President in 1909, an otherwise inauspicious year when Robert Perry reached the North Pole, Joan of Arc was declared a saint, Shibe Park (later Connie Mack Stadium) opened, the NAACP was formed and Jack Johnson was heavyweight champion of the world.
The demographics were changing however, primarily by the automobile and airplane. The Wright brothers sold their plane to the military and they made the first commercial use of the airplane in 1909, while Alice Ramsey, a Hackensack, N.J. housewife, became the first women to drive a car across the country from New York to San Francisco.
In 1909 steam ferries ran passengers on a regularly scheduled line from Ocean City and Somers Point to Longport – the ever receding south end of the south end of Absecon Island, and from Longport, people had to pass through South Atlantic City to get to Atlantic City. And for the most part, people traveled by train and trolley.
That all changed on July 1, 1926 when the Benjamin Franklin Bridge opened and day trippers began to arrive by car.
As Atlantic City grew, so did Margate, and like other nearby towns, it became a suburb community, and known as an affluent one, attracting not only successful Atlantic City businessmen, but rich industrialists from Philadelphia and Baltimore who built mansions on the highest ground, which were at first seasonal homes but became year ‘round residences.
Besides the beach side taverns and restaurants like Lucy and the Green House, fine restaurants and private clubs like Stotbecks provided first class service to the seasonal visitors and Atlantic City’s business and power brokers.
Unlike Atlantic City, Ocean City and Wildwood, Margate did not offer many hotel rooms for transients, or even lease apartments on a weekly or monthly basis, and became popular, for the most part, with seasonal home owners.
There was also the proliferation of the waterfront bars (See: the Bars of Margate’s Barbary Coast) along the bay, where many of the ramshackle houses became group rentals for college kids before being developed into exclusive condos.
By 1960 Lucy was run down, dilapidated, and slated to be demolished, which was put off until 1969 when the Save Lucy Committee, formed by the Margate Civic Association, moved Lucy to the beachfront land owned by the city and by 1973, had raised enough money to restore it.
And today, Lucy stands tall as a symbol, the logo of a sea side city that was looking to promote itself as a nice place to live, and now pretty much likes the way things as they are.
[Bill Kelly can be reached at billykelly3@yahoo.com ]
From The Downbeach Current,April 30, 2009. Vol. 13, NO.7
http://www.shorenewstoday.com/db/
Page 29 Check out all the stories on Margate history.
Today Margate is mainly sushi bars and condos, but at one time, it was the place to go to have a great time. They called it the “Barbary Coast” because of the image of drunken debauchery, but for many locals and tourists, it was.
The strip went along the bay front to Washington Avenue and then to beach.
If you came from the south, from the Somers Point – Ocean City causeway, the first bar you came to was Kelly Voght’s rickety old nightclub that stretched out over the bay, an old wooden clapboard building reminiscent of Bayshores. Then there was the Longport Inn, an eating and drinking establishment where many of the power brokers met. Both have been leveled and are now condos.
Heading north along the bay you then came to Strotbeck’s, a private club, now Steve & Cookies, and faithfully maintained, where the food is good and the music is smooth jazz. A block in from the bay was Moylans, a small corner, seasonal, neighborhood bar, with a low ceiling, and dark, with no windows and a good juke box.
Back on the bay, heading north on Amherst Avenue is Jerry Blavat’s Memories (formerly the Elbo Room), which is still going strong with the Geater with the Heater, the Boss with the Hot Sauce spinning the discs for dancers and the radio audience.
Next along the line was the Harbor Inn, where at one time, not long ago, they had ten beers for a dollar. On the next corner was Merrel’s, where Lew London, the East Coast Aces, Bobby Campanell and the original Shakes played before it became Gilhooley’s, a brass and glass joint.
Next door is the venerable Maynards, the last of the old time Barbary Coast Saloons, where the late, Al Triano orchestrated the party, and where you can get cheep draft beer, a hot sandwich off the grill, a bowl of peanuts, and leave the shells on the floor.
On the corner, where there is now a sushi bar, there used to be Kelly’s corner bar, with a pool table and juke box, and attached to Gables, one of the premier rock and roll bars on the East Coast. Once said to be a bowling alley, the huge nightclub had multiple bars, dance floor and a stage where the Exceptions were the house band who opened for major acts like John Kay and Steppenwolf.
Around the corner across the street, there was Omar’s, a neighborhood bar that was once called the Nickelodeon, a bust out joint which featured live bands, before it too became a fancy restaurant and then, condos.
There is also the Barn pizza hut, a popular pit stop for generations, and another popular late night pizza place down Washington Ave., before you got to Maloney’s, one of the most popular local pubs until it was raised and condoed out a few years ago.
Just past Maloney’s, on the corner, was the White House, also known as Reds as it was Red Klots’ sports bar. Klots owns the Washington Generals (Nationals) professional basketball team, who faithfully maintain an unblemished record of having lost every one of their games to the Harlem Globetrotters. When Klot’s son Glenn was old enough, he turned Reds into a disco, and then a New Wave bar, the Ivory, with radical bands like the Ramones and the Hooters, who played there in the 80s.
Then it became a disco again, and was a favorite hangout of seasonal neighbor, “Skinny” Joey Merlino, the nominal head of the old Philadelphia mob. Then it was leveled into a parking lot before it was condoed.
Across the street on the beach is the Green House, where the octogenarian Flintstones band used to play in the low ceiling beach bar. They really were old coots playing in a band that really had a good time. Now it’s Ventura’s Green House, and features fine Italian food, a good pizza and sandwich grill and a popular deck just off of Thong Beach.
A block down from the Green House was the Beach Bar, where you could walk in off the beach in your bare feet and get a cold one, which was developed into a high rise in the early 80s.
Where ever you went at the Barbary Coast, at the end of the night, after shooting pool, drinking and dancing to the live bands, everyone eventually ended up at Lenny’s Hot Dog Stand, which when the sun came up, was in the shadow of Lucy the Elephant.
By three or four in the morning there was a line at Lenny’s where people stood around mingling, talking, eating hot dogs, and getting ready to take a nap on the beach, or reluctantly go home.
Things were like that for decades, but eventually, the party had to end. A number of things led to the end of that era, including the lowering of the drinking age to eighteen, the increase in DWI arrests and accidents, and sensational news reports of a young women found dead on a boat from a drug overdose, another women being raped on the beach by a professional athlete and finally, in August 2007, the murder of Paul Ritch, a British tourist on a holiday, who was knifed in the heart behind one of the bayside bars.
The increase in the value of the real estate market and the development of condos forced the college and group rental crowd to find another neighborhood, and the seedy bars were transformed into classy, brass and glass restaurants.
And today, as they sit around sipping champagne in their waterfront condos and at the sushi bars, it seems that the people who have never been to Margate’s Barbary Coast in its heyday, just don’t know what a good time is.
MARGATE – after staying pretty much the same for ten thousand years, went from sandy, shifting hills barrier island to contemporary resort town in less than a hundred years,
To the Lenni Lenape Indians it was known as Absecon Island, a desolate wind swept sand bar with an ever changing landscape they never thought anyone would or could live on.
To the first European explorers the bay area was called Eren Haven – Great Egg bay because of the prevalence of bird eggs, and the first settlers used the barrier islands as a cattle pen.
Thomas Budd paid ten times as much per acre for the mainland parcels of land than he did for the barrier islands, but the value of the waterfront would change with the times, and the advent of modern society.
Few people even knew about Sandy Hills until the trains came in to Atlantic City, at the north end of Absecon Island, bringing thousands of tourists daily from Philadelphia, and so they began to call it South Atlantic City. They also came by steam ferry from Ocean City and Somers Point to Longport so it was, for the most part, a place that tourists passed through to get somewhere else.
That is until 1881, when 25 year old engineer James V. Lafferty began his quest to build Lucy the Elephant as a real estate promotion. In 1882 the US Patent Office granted Lafferty a patent for “the exclusive right to make, use or sell animal-shaped buildings for seventeen years.” Lucy was the first of three such elephants, the others being the Elephantine Colossus, built at Coney Island New York and the Light of Asia in South Cape May, N.J. Colossus burned down, the Light of Asia was eventually torn down, and Lucy was sold, with Lafferty’s other property, to John and Sophie Gertzen, who operated it as a tourist attraction, hotel and tavern.
On August 1, 1885 an Egg Harbor Township referendum was held to consider incorporating South Atlantic City as a borough an action taken by New Jersey state legislature on September 7, 1885, though it wasn’t until April 23, 1897 that South Atlantic City reincorporated as a city.
On April 20, 1909 the city was reincorporated with the name Margate City. The name Margate was probably taken from the resort town of Margate in England. As England’s oldest seaside resort Margate, Kent, has a history that dates back 700 years. As a bathing beach resort, Margate in England can attribute its popularity to a visionary entrepreneur, real estate developer and inventor. Like Lafferty at the Jersey Shore, Margate in England had Benjamin Beale, who patented a bathing machine.
Bathing, at home or in the sea, was not considered a social occasion between the sexes until the Victorian age, encouraged at first by “bathing machines,” like the one invented by Beale. With modesty being a primary factor, bathers entered a little wooden hut covered with canvas that was pulled into the sea. As bathing among the sexes became more socially acceptable, the bathing machines disappeared, and Margate became one of England’s most popular seaside resorts.
Margate, New Jersey is also one of America’s most popular bathing beaches, though one with less modesty, as the beach by Lucy is today known as “thong beach,” which shows you how far things have gone in less than a hundred years.
The century long history of Margate itself is probably best exemplified by the ever changing story of Lucy, which has served as a restaurant, tavern and hotel, was once the center of the town’s social activity, and is still a tourist attraction and landmark.
William Howard Taft was President in 1909, an otherwise inauspicious year when Robert Perry reached the North Pole, Joan of Arc was declared a saint, Shibe Park (later Connie Mack Stadium) opened, the NAACP was formed and Jack Johnson was heavyweight champion of the world.
The demographics were changing however, primarily by the automobile and airplane. The Wright brothers sold their plane to the military and they made the first commercial use of the airplane in 1909, while Alice Ramsey, a Hackensack, N.J. housewife, became the first women to drive a car across the country from New York to San Francisco.
In 1909 steam ferries ran passengers on a regularly scheduled line from Ocean City and Somers Point to Longport – the ever receding south end of the south end of Absecon Island, and from Longport, people had to pass through South Atlantic City to get to Atlantic City. And for the most part, people traveled by train and trolley.
That all changed on July 1, 1926 when the Benjamin Franklin Bridge opened and day trippers began to arrive by car.
As Atlantic City grew, so did Margate, and like other nearby towns, it became a suburb community, and known as an affluent one, attracting not only successful Atlantic City businessmen, but rich industrialists from Philadelphia and Baltimore who built mansions on the highest ground, which were at first seasonal homes but became year ‘round residences.
Besides the beach side taverns and restaurants like Lucy and the Green House, fine restaurants and private clubs like Stotbecks provided first class service to the seasonal visitors and Atlantic City’s business and power brokers.
Unlike Atlantic City, Ocean City and Wildwood, Margate did not offer many hotel rooms for transients, or even lease apartments on a weekly or monthly basis, and became popular, for the most part, with seasonal home owners.
There was also the proliferation of the waterfront bars (See: the Bars of Margate’s Barbary Coast) along the bay, where many of the ramshackle houses became group rentals for college kids before being developed into exclusive condos.
By 1960 Lucy was run down, dilapidated, and slated to be demolished, which was put off until 1969 when the Save Lucy Committee, formed by the Margate Civic Association, moved Lucy to the beachfront land owned by the city and by 1973, had raised enough money to restore it.
And today, Lucy stands tall as a symbol, the logo of a sea side city that was looking to promote itself as a nice place to live, and now pretty much likes the way things as they are.
[Bill Kelly can be reached at billykelly3@yahoo.com ]
Monday, April 20, 2009
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