Wed, Oct. 1st offers a way to hear swinging music and help boost Obama's chances. (see below)But first, a brief history of the presidency since 1980, via music:Reagan pretend cowboy country musicBush 1 oilman country musicClinton pretend saxophonist jazzBush 2 pretend cowboy/ sound of bombs dropping … [Read more...] about swing voters
talk about new orleans, in new york
Monday, 9/22, 7pm: The Public Theater asked me to moderate a panel discussion on post-Katrina New Orleans, to follow a FREE reading from the "The Breach," a new play by Catherine Fillloux, Tarell Alvin McCraney, and Joe Sutton, that interweaves three flood-related tales. I've yet to read the play but have heard only good things about it. And I'm happy that it will serve as a … [Read more...] about talk about new orleans, in new york
yes we can can
Sunday night, when Allen Toussaint played "Yes We Can Can" for Democratic convention delegates in Denver, the song sounded tailor-made for the Obama campaign. But he wrote it in New Orleans, in 1970, inspired by a different era of change. No wonder. New Orleans musicians have for more than a century anticipated and articulated just what this country needs. Now, three years past … [Read more...] about yes we can can
moving message from the unmovable
Were I in New Orleans now, here's where I'd head tomorrow: (Though I cringe at the evocation of "We Are the World," there's no way New Orleans would give way to such an unfunky tune...) The following contents of an email I received yesterdayBIG "We Shall Not Be Moved" VIDEO SHOOT Woldenberg Riverfront Park Saturday, 9 August (with a rain date of Sunday, 10 August) 10:00am - … [Read more...] about moving message from the unmovable
lobstercrackers social aid & pleasure club
Well, the eighth annual Deer Isle Jazz Festival, on a tiny island in Down East Maine, was an unqualified success -- a presentation of the beauty and intensity of New Orleans music within a larger context of its social and political implications. The festival itself has been a labor of love for me, as volunteer producer since its start. This year, it blended with my commitment … [Read more...] about lobstercrackers social aid & pleasure club