Please let me share my enthusiasm for the publication of Music in the Post-9/11 World (Routledge). It's a collection of essays on musical responses to the World Trade Center attacks and the changing cultural contexts shaped by our continued "war on terror". Subjects range from John Adams's Pulitzer Prize-winning piece "On the Transmigration of Souls" to Bruce Springsteen's … [Read more...] about further reverberations: music since 9/11
essence fest, new orleans: obama speaks, jazz keeps quiet
A schoolyard basketball court under a strong sun isn't the best place to discuss race and politics in America, certainly not for two middle-aged white under-the-rim players wilting a bit from the heat. But that's what I found myself doing yesterday, in between games, sharing with my buddy some of the details of my last trip to New Orleans, for the Essence Festival. (My piece in … [Read more...] about essence fest, new orleans: obama speaks, jazz keeps quiet
born on the fourth of july?
If Louis Armstrong wasn't born on the Fourth of July, 1900, well, he should have been. In any case, that fact was long believed until someone discovered baptismal records placing Armstrong's real birthdate as August 4th, 1901. But let's not let that to spoil the party. And let's include Armstrong -- who was as American as apple pie, hot dogs, and capricious commutations of … [Read more...] about born on the fourth of july?
new orleans: drumbeats of justice, interrupted.
A New Orleans prosecutor's decision yesterday to dismiss the case against David Bonds, the accused murderer of brass-band musician Dinerral Shavers, is disappointing to those of us who've followed this story. But to anyone familiar with issues of crime, law enforcement and judicial process in New Orleans, it should come as no surprise. The wave of homicides that swept through … [Read more...] about new orleans: drumbeats of justice, interrupted.
stellar by starlight: jazz fest quartets
Here's a brief section from my piece in next week's Village Voice, with glimpses of two June (NY) jazz-fest highlights: Both the JVC and Vision Fests were studded by that tried-and-true lure -- the supergroup. During a four-part Ron Carter show at Carnegie Hall last Wednesday night, intermission gave way to what first appeared like a dream (with Miles Davis as subtext): bassist … [Read more...] about stellar by starlight: jazz fest quartets