May 19, 2005

TO music fans of a certain age, Chuck Leavell is rock's quintessential rambling man. Over the course of three rollicking decades, he has played keyboards with the Allman Brothers Band, George Harrison, Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones, traveling the world on yearlong concert tours that would make the sturdiest of vagabonds wilt. And while many of his contemporaries have burned out, overdosed or faded away, he has seemingly thrived on a life of nonstop locomotion. In July he will join the Stones on yet another world tour.

Inflation slows in April from its fast pace in March, easing fears that country might be headed toward bout of surging prices even as economy is slowing; prices still rise substantially in April; energy prices push Consumer Price Index up 0.5 percent after 0.6 percent jump in March; this pushes overall inflation in last 12 months to 3.5 percent, fastest clip since November; graph shows inflation fluctuations, '04 and '05; photo (M)

JUST because Karl Decker Hayes was a cruel husband doesn't mean he should die alone. So concluded his ex-wife, Millie Hayes, 67, an antiques shop owner in Monroe, La., who recalled living with a man so controlling he picked out her car and her clothes, and checked the walls for smudges after she cleaned house. They divorced in 1998. ''I despised what he had done to me,'' said Ms. Hayes, who, despite it all, became her ex-husband's caregiver when he developed Alzheimer's three years ago. ''There is nobody else.''

Kelefa Sanneh Critic's Notebook column assesses underground hip-hop scene in Vallejo, Calif; focuses on Madlib, who has been at center of his own hip-hop subculture since late 1990's, and up-and-coming underground rapper Turf Talk; photos (M)

Senate opens partisan struggle over fate of stalled federal court nominees as well as legitimacy of filibuster and ability of Democrats to continue to use it to block Pres Bush's candidates for courts; Senate majority leader Bill Frist opens debate on nomination of Justice Priscilla R Owen to United States appeals court and says filibuster 'can not stand in Congress'; accuses Democrats of 'radically' altering traditions of Senate by blocking votes on 10 of 45 appeals court candidates nominated by Bush; Democrats quickly point out that Frist himself voted to filibuster judicial nominee of Pres Clinton's, and that Republicans employed procedural tactics of their own to stall consideration of as many as 70 of Clinton's judicial nominees; no votes on either nomination of Owen or potentoa; rules change are anticipated over next week; all sides agree that real fight is over expected Supreme Court vacancy; Republicans want to eliminate prospect of Democrats' filibustering Bush's first Supreme Court nominee; photo (M)