David Adler

27
Aug

#jazzlives cont’d.

More discussion brewing on Howard Mandel’s #jazzlives Twitter initiative, from Nate and Darcy. And a very relevant radio exchange between Terry Teachout and Vijay Iyer here. Interesting also to note this finding, that Twitter is not a youth medium….

26
Aug

The donkeys of Fes

Susan Orlean, writing magnificently about the medina in Fes (or Fez), Morocco: The medina in Fez may well be the largest urbanized area in the world impassable to cars and trucks, where anything that a human being can’t carry or push in a handcart is conveyed by a donkey, a horse or a mule. … If you have a heart

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26
Aug

#jazzlives

Howard Mandel is spearheading a Twitter campaign to document live jazz around the country/world. There’s a scrolling feed at his site. Join in!

26
Aug

Philadelphia haps, cont’d.

In the current Philadelphia Weekly: Knu Gmoon Wed., Aug. 26, 8-11pm. $12. Chris’ Jazz Café, 1421 Sansom St. 215.568.3131 www.chrisjazzcafe.com Noah Jarrett happens to be the son of legendary pianist Keith Jarrett, but in Brooklyn he’s one of the cats, a compelling bassist and composer in the trenches, steering through the labyrinth of modern jazz on terms of his own

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25
Aug

Torture and health care

Re the blizzard of torture-related documents in the news in the last few days, Andrew Sullivan offers the essential commentary (even while on leave): Understanding the current right’s embrace of total state power against the individual takes time to absorb. But liberal democracy has no more dangerous enemies than these. [Update: More here and here.] And I’d add that the

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25
Aug

Afghanistan carnage

If it’s true that horrific terrorist attacks are the inevitable and understandable result of violence perpetrated by the U.S. and its allies against Muslims, then someone needs to reconcile that with events like these: A huge bomb detonated in the center of the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Tuesday night, flattening a two-story building and destroying 20 homes in

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25
Aug

The week on disc (50)

In case you missed the last one… Southern Excursion Quartet, Trading Post (ARC) Terence Blanchard Group, Choices (Concord) Oran Etkin, Kelenia (Motéma) Sean Nowell, The Seeker (Posi-Tone) Eldar, Virtue (Sony) Roy Hargrove Big Band, Emergence (Groovin’ High/Emarcy)

23
Aug

Devil in details

One of the more interesting aspects of this whole Libya-Scotland affair is thoroughly buried: The Foreign Office said Friday that it was reconsidering plans for the Duke of York to attend the 40th anniversary celebrations in Tripoli…. A member of Britain’s royal family was planning to attend a commemoration of Qaddafi’s 1969 seizure of power in a coup, four decades

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