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On Darcy James Argue
My review of Darcy James Argue & Secret Society, Infernal Machines, in the current Time Out New York. They’re at Galapagos on May 8.
On Sun Ra
I have a feature on “Pathways to Unknown Worlds,” an exhibition of early Sun Ra art and memorabilia, in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer. I’ll scan and post the pdf shortly. My draft contains a reference to the Don Letts film Sun Ra: Brother From Another Planet. Unfortunately, the word “The” was appended during editing. So now my story points readers to John Sayles’s 1984
And the nominees…
for Blog of the Year, 2009 JJA Jazz Awards, are … Secret Society, Do the Math, Jazz Beyond Jazz, Jazz Chronicles, Jazz Lives, Jazzwax and, last but not least, Lerterland. Thank you, colleagues, for the honor, and see you at the Awards.
The week on disc (42)
In case you missed the last one… Venissa Santí, Bienvenida (Sunnyside) Barney McAll, Flashbacks (ind.) Noah Baerman Trio, Bliss (Lemel) Jordi Rossy Trio, Wicca (Fresh Sound New Talent) Stacy Dillard, One (Smalls) Brian Blade, Mama Rosa (Verve Forecast)
On Scott Feiner
This review appears in the May 2009 issue of All About Jazz-New York. — Scott Feiner & Pandeiro JazzDois Mundos (Biscoito Fino) David R. Adler What has native New Yorker and former guitarist Scott Feiner been doing in Rio de Janeiro since 2001? He’s been playing the tambourine-like pandeiro, developing it as a viable jazz instrument, leading an ensemble —
On Joseph C. Phillips, Jr.
This review appears in the May 2009 issue of All About Jazz-New York. — Numinous: The Music of Joseph C. Phillips, Jr.Vipassana (Innova) David R. Adler Composer-conductor Joseph C. Phillips, Jr. has a way of making his ensemble, Numinous, sound even larger than its 25 pieces. Of the three wind players, Ed Xiques has it the easiest, playing five different
The “ticking bomb” fraud
Charles Krauthammer has penned the ultimate insidious apologia for torture. Dan Froomkin has penned the ultimate demolition of Krauthammer’s logic. Andrew Sullivan lands the final blow. This is the stuff Jon Stewart needed to say to Cliff May.
Kindergarten crisis
Bassist Ben Allison and his daughter Ruby are prominently mentioned in this NY Times article about the lack of available space in public school kindergartens this fall — a situation brought on by increased construction of high-rises in Manhattan, a consequent rise in population, and apparently no plan on the part of the city to expand school capacity accordingly. Just