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Choose a side
Morgan Tsvangirai (pictured at left), leader of Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change, has been savagely beaten by Robert Mugabe’s thugs; thankfully he is up and walking and was able to appear in court. His crime? Opposing a regime that has reduced Zimbabweans to hunting mice for food, and that has managed to halve the country’s average life expectancy since 1990.
Pace’s remarks
General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is being called on to apologize for his public condemnation of homosexuality. Andrew Sullivan is raising a gratifying ruckus — here, here and here. My immediate reaction, aside from disgust at Pace’s remarks, is that he shouldn’t apologize. His view should be challenged and condemned on the merits. But the
The Atzmon-Duke convergence
It’s been a while since I’ve commented on the jazz saxophonist and rabid antisemite — sorry, “critic of Israel” — Gilad Atzmon. But I thought I’d link to this colorful spread on the website of the avowed neo-Nazi David Duke. Normally I’d hesitate to link to a racist site, but I feel we should all have a look at Atzmon’s
Six Picks: March 2007
My monthly list of recommended CDs, as published in All About Jazz-New York, March 2007: Don Aliquo, Jazz Folk (Young Warrior Records) Richie Barshay, Homework (AYVA Music) Steve Kuhn, Live at Birdland (Blue Note) Wolfgang Muthspiel & Brian Blade, Friendly Travelers (Material) Dave Stryker & Steve Slagle, Latest Outlook (Zoho) Gebhard Ullmann/Chris Dahlgren/Art Lande, Die Blaue Nixe (Challenge)
Crouch meets Iverson
I haven’t read it all the way through, but this conversation between Stanley Crouch and pianist Ethan Iverson strikes me as utterly fascinating. Thanks, Ethan, for linking to my book review.
Talking points
Important words here from Marc Cooper on the rhetorical battle in Congress over the Iraq war. Seems the Democrats are set to squander an un-squanderable political advantage, by legitimating the GOP’s “defunding the troops” claptrap and allowing the Bushies to own the terms of debate. Marc’s argument: The Dems should frame this in terms of refusing to provide “future funding
And another…
I promise not to turn this blog into a litany of gloom and doom, but I’d be remiss not to acknowledge the passing of Queva Lutz, owner and proprietor of the 55 Bar. Queva not only ran one of the best jazz establishments in New York, but raised it to a new level of excellence during her tenure. She was
Leroy Jenkins R.I.P.
The violinist Leroy Jenkins, a leading figure of the ’60s avant-garde, has passed away at age 74. I had the pleasure of seeing him perform solo at Dewey Redman’s memorial a few weeks ago, when I was just beginning research on an Anthony Braxton feature for the May ’07 Jazz Times. Jenkins, a Braxton colleague from way back, walked right