I saw this cartoon on Tuesday. It seemed so fitting then as it does now.]]>
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I was disappointed. All four members of the group were excellent in their own right. Bergonzi, who I am familiar with through three of his recordings, is an inspired player. Grenedier shone in his playing making me believe that there is something to the myth of musical genes. Both Gertz and Sofferman showed that they are masters of their instruments. However, it was not the first time that four talented players got together to produce a less than enthusiastic performance.
To start with, the volume of the bass was too low. In my opinion this led to Sofferman holding back so as not to drown out Gertz. In doing so he never rose to the intensity level that the horn players were reaching for and getting to. All in all, it was quiet. Even at the bands loudest moments, I could clearly hear conversations around me. During the bass solos (usually the quietest part of a song) people whispered in deference to the band. It was a strange sensation to see and hear the horns reaching for the stars while the rhythm section remained firmly on the ground. These guys had the potential to wow the place and all they were missing was volume!
One aspect that may not have mattered had the preceding issue been remedied was that of group tightness. I don’t know what the relationship of the group was but it appeared as though they had never played together before tonight. As an avid Jazz fan I know that this is a common occurrence. Musicians will often play together for the first on a stage in front of a live audience. They can all read music and given enough experience they are able to read other musicians. Tonight, however, these guys seemed a bit timid. The beginning of each tune was tenderly undertaken. Two or three bars into each song I would sigh with relief knowing that they had taken off successfully. Again, I don’t think this would have remained in my memory if the intensity of the music had reached its imagined possibilities.
Going out to see live Jazz can never be called a mistake. I take something from every show that I see. Given tonight’s performance though I would not rush out to see this group as it was put together tonight. I will look to see them all again in different settings knowing that each is a solid purveyor of their chosen trade.
Long live jazz.
]]>They said:
Father christmas, give us some money
Dont mess around with those silly toys.
Well beat you up if you dont hand it over
We want your bread so dont make us annoyed
Give all the toys to the little rich boys
Dont give my brother a steve austin outfit
Dont give my sister a cuddly toy
We dont want a jigsaw or monopoly money
We only want the real mccoy
Father christmas, give us some money
Well beat you up if you make us annoyed
Father christmas, give us some money
Dont mess around with those silly toys
But give my daddy a job cause he needs one
Hes got lots of mouths to feed
But if youve got one, Ill have a machine gun
So I can scare all the kids down the street
Father christmas, give us some money
We got no time for your silly toys
Well beat you up if you dont hand it over
Give all the toys to the little rich boys
Have yourself a merry merry christmas
Have yourself a good time
But remember the kids who got nothin
While youre drinkin down your wine
Father christmas, give us some money
We got no time for your silly toys
Well beat you up if you dont hand it over
We want your bread, so dont make us annoyed
Give all the toys to the little rich boys
"Father Christmas" The Kinks
]]>“The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”
-Ninth Amendment to the US Constitution.
-Source: National Archives and Records Administration – www.archives.gov
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It is more than likely that the 2nd Amendment will be much discussed in the upcoming 110th Congress. It is a favorite topic of the Democratic Party. As are all of the Constitution’s amendments, not to mention the Constitution itself, the 2nd Amendment is ambiguous. Numerous readings bring no clarity as to the specific intention of the founding fathers. It is only through an understanding of the founders’ intentions that one can begin to interpret this or any clause in the present day.
]]> First and foremost, it was the concern of the men who gave birth to the Constitution that the Federal Government not infringe upon the rights of the states or the individuals of the newly created country. The Constitution is set up so that no one branch may hijack the government and use it against the people. The amendments further provided safeguards against hegemony by enumerating specific rights that may not be violated by the central government. The document as a whole, Constitution and amendments, are designed to protect the American people from the government. That is its most basic function.At no point in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights are the rights of the people restricted. Never does the document upon which this country is founded take away a right from an individual. The 9th Amendment in unusual directness states that rights not specifically ensured by the Constitution shall not be considered as a denial of those rights. It can very pointedly be argued that the 2nd Amendment addresses militias and the states and that it speaks to “people” and not “person or persons”. However, any interpretation that the 2nd amendment does not guarantee the individual the right to keep and bear arms would be to ignore the 9th amendment. This reasoning would be restricting the rights of the individual by arguing that the Constitution does not specifically enumerate that right. This argument runs counter to all that the founders hoped for. The Federal Government and the manuscript upon which it is founded may not restrict an individuals rights including the right to own a gun.
History does bear out an instance in which it the Federal Government did limit the rights of the individuals. The 18th Amendment made it illegal to sell or possess alcohol. Without going deeply into that case it must suffice to say that the people of this country, through the representatives in Washington, came to their senses and with the 21st Amendment made right that wrong. Currently there is talk of an amendment to ban gay marriages. One point alone must render this argument untenable: it would restrict the rights of the individual. No other point matters.
There are many good reasons why people should not possess guns these days. 230 years ago, when the Constitution was written, guns were a necessity of life for much of the population. They were a way to put food on the table and to protect one’s family and possessions. That is not the case today. Guns have no place in much of our society. However, arguing that a person should not have a gun is much different but not far from saying that one can not have a gun. By giving into the easy fix and allowing the Federal Government to regulate the tool that the founders intended the people to have in order to protect themselves from that government is not only stupid, it is unconstitutional. The way to quell senseless violence is not through restricting the rights of individuals but through including more and more people in the prosperity that all Americans have a right to achieve through peaceful, lawful means. Washington can start by addressing the inexcusably wretched state of public education in this country and in doing so watch the rate of violent crime in this country drop. It won’t happen overnight but it will happen in most people’s lifetime.
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I am not interested in preventing Asia from being Asia
and the governments of Russia and Asia will rise and fall but Asia and
Russia will not fall
the government of America also will fall but how can America fall
I doubt if anyone will ever fall anymore except governments
fortunately all the governments will fall
the only ones which won't fall are the good ones
and the good ones don't yet exist.
- Excerpts from Allen Ginsberg's "Death To Van Gogh's Ear!" 1958
]]>How about the Representative in Congress from your district? Do you approve or disapprove of the way your Representative is handling his or her job?
10/27-31/06 Approve: 58% Disapprove 26%
Do you think the representative in Congress from your district has performed his or her job well enough to deserve re-election, or do you think it's time to give a new person a chance?
10/27-31/06 Deserves Re-Election: 46% Time for New Person: 44%
Do you think most members of Congress have done a good enough job to deserve re-election, or do you think it's time to give new people a chance?
10/27-31/06 Deserve Re-Election: 16% Time for New People: 70%
I had to read these questions several times today. I could not believe my eyes. “Should we re-elect a new Congress?” “Hell yes! Throw the bums out!!! Except for my Bum. My bum is doing just fine.”
I am sure that I don’t need to spell this out but I am going to anyway. If everybody votes for the only Congressman that they feel is doing fine, then ALL Congressmen will be re-elected. There will be no change in Congress.
This is what we get when we have only two choices (one step away from no choice) in our political system. Who do you want to represent you? Dumb or dumber? Corrupt or criminal? Richie Rich or Richie Richer? Corporate America or Corporate America?
I go to the polls this Tuesday knowing that either way, donkey or elephant, America loses.
]]>According to those who make decisions on a national and international level, society has reached its goal. Once man conquers those few left who stand in the way of progress, the world will see all its ills disappear. Poverty will vanish through full employment. Science will overcome cancer, AIDS and all that man allows it to. Capitalism will provide. All that we must do is defeat Terrorism.
All that we must do is defeat Communism. All that we must do is defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. All that we must do is tame the West and the Indian problem. All that we must do is defeat England and form a more perfect union.
There is no future in an interminable parade of enemies, just an unending present. It may be argued that some are more prosperous, that they are better off than their parents were a generation ago. It is more likely that this gauge of material wealth does nothing to address the anxiety of the industrialized societies or the backwards slide of the third world. A great majority of humanity is enslaved to such a small minority of individuals through debt or want of basic needs. Americans’ have surpassed the remarkable milestone of obtaining a negative savings rate while continuing to finance its prosperity through loans from other nations. Africa continues to slaughter itself over borders drawn by white faced cartographers. Three religions are killing each other in the birthplace of civilization just as they did 1000 years ago. What is touted as economic prosperity in the world’s most populous democracy leaves hundreds of millions mired in a poverty the west can not imagine and could never stomach.
All that we must do is defeat Terrorism.
What is needed is utopian thought. Ideas that open up minds and allow people to dream of a better world. Two dimensional thought will not solve five dimensional problems. Let it be admitted that Democratic/Capitalism is not the final stage of history. The landed gentry of 12th century England knew that they had discovered the way that God wanted them to live. Someday, historians will look to the 20th and 21st centuries in much the same way. This is by no means the end of history. Our past must be understood. Our present must be critiqued. However, most of all, our future must be envisioned outside of this stuffy box. But first …
All that we must do is ....
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It seems especially tragic to lose an icon whose love of life is as overwhelming as Steve Irwin’s was.
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At a mere 81 pages, Elie Wiesel’s second book in the Night trilogy is surprisingly captivating. It tells the story of a young Jewish survivor of the Holocaust who moves to Palestine and joins the Zionist movement to free Palestine of the English and build a Jewish nation. What may be most surprising to readers consumed by today’s fears is the method that the Jews use to send the British home: terrorism.
]]> Wiesel at no time sugarcoats the way in which the Palestinian Jews fight. The word “terrorism” is used frequently. Today, of course, one associates that word with Arabs fighting to destroy Western Civilization. However, terrorism has been used through out history by the weak as a tool to defeat the strong. Black South Africans used terrorism in their fight against apartheid. Irish Republicans used it against the British. American colonists used it against their British oppressors. The Jews used it against their British occupiers. Of course in many of those cases, the term “freedom fighter” replaces the now repugnant expression of “terrorism”.One man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist.
Elie Wiesel makes no apologies for the men fighting for a Jewish homeland nor does he seem to embrace them. To him they seem more a backdrop to the young man’s struggle that is the center piece of the story.
I recommend the book to all without hesitation.
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Jeff “Tain” Watts is a monster. The GF is tired of hearing me say that but it’s true. The man is incredible. Who is this monster you ask? He is the drummer for Branford Marsalis’ quartet. We had the opportunity to see this group Friday night at the Great Waters Summer Music Festival in Wolfeboro. Two subjects need be addressed here. First, the amazing band that is the Branford Marsalis Quartet and second, the behavior of New Hampshire Jazz audiences.
]]> It is an effort in futility to convey the power of the group that played Friday night. That was the second time that I had the opportunity to see them. I own most of their albums as well as a live DVD of their performance of “A Love Supreme” in Amsterdam. The similarities between this collection of musicians and those that John Coltrane brought together in the sixties is worth mentioning. Branford is not Coltrane. Nobody could be. He is however one of the most powerful personalities in the Jazz world today. I won’t bore the reader with his biography. It is readily available. Marsalis’ band mates stand up to their counterparts in that fabled grouping know as “The Classic Quartet.” Friday night, though, was Tain’s night. The third number was a composition of his entitled “Blackzilla”. It is based on a theme from one of the Godzilla movies of old. It was powerful, driving and chaotic. Near the end of the tune, Tain’s solo was so amazing due mostly to the fact that could not help but yell continuously as he pounded the skins and the other three looked on and kept the melody going. Goose bumps. I would kill to have a recording of that. The performance was made all the more incredible when the audience learned that the group arrived only moments before the show having just flown in from Paris to Boston and then driving up to Wolfeboro. I can’t imagine how they played with such emotion and passion.This was the fourth time that I had seen a major Jazz musician perform in New Hampshire. The first and second was a double bill of Brad Mehldau and John Scofield at the Portsmouth Music Hall. The third was Arturo Sandoval also at the Music Hall. Of the four musicians that I have seen play in NH, a noticeable amount of the audience walked out on two of them. The first was John Scofield and the second was the Friday night show. Both times, I was appalled. I can not imagine why these people are so rude as to leave. I did notice that those leaving are usually older; over 50. I can only surmise that the music they were hearing was not what they were expecting. Scofield’s show was very funky and not at all standard Jazz. Branford et al can get pretty crazy and push the bounds of the music. That is Jazz though. I will continue to patronize Jazz in the Granite State when its offered but I much prefer the Jazz clubs in Boston. They draw great musicians and the audience is much more appreciative.
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