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No Meridian Room jazz this evening. JSYK

Jimmy Heath Heath Ledger The Artful Dodger Vin Scully Van Heflin Von Hindenburg

Claude Johnson Marchel Ivery The Elephant Man Heffalump Eric Heffer Hugh Heffner Neil Hefti Wimpy Pops Carter

The whole thing is sad. He was America's hero, beating cancer and then proceeds to kick ass on the pro bike tour. What a schmuck.

Claude Johnson Marchel Ivery The Elephant Man

Vin Rouge John Lewis Marks and Spencer Zeppo Marx Zippo the Pinhead Shelf Life

St Bernard Joe Pass Valaida Snow Randy White Mean Joe Green Jim Brown

Livingston Taylor Johnathon Livingston Seagull Donald "Duck" Dunn

Daughters of the Republic Aunt Bea Uncle Tom

Candice Bergen Edvard Grieg Sonny Greer Rosie Greer Daisy Duke George Jefferson

The Donner Party Jeffrey Dahmer The Mad Bomber

Blue Devils Regan MacNeil Max von Sydow

Helen Crump Helen of Troy Troy Aikman

Then I suspect you would probably have to get rid of a lot of music from your collection (and collective listening experience). Because I'm sure the spirit of what Marsalis said - is/was -echoed publicly and privately by many Black American musicians. The music is Wynton Marsalis's cultural heritage, how he chooses to respond and proceed with it is his business. Nothing to do with the 'reverse racism' thing as you see it. Nothing whatsoever. And obviously he has mediated that stance over the years. But it is obviously a cultural and political position Black American musicians keep returning too in one form or another. I wonder why? I am sure you are correct. I would have been really surprised to see the Art Ensemble with a white guy for instance. The thing is, Wynton verbalized it. And yet, he turned right around and made a fortune (and a Grammy) playing classical music.....which really I have no problem with. But it is the hypocrisy of the situation that chaps my ass.

Sorry, but putting pop culture buzzwords aside, true "reverse racism" is non-racism. Racism either is or it isn't. The math of grammar tells me so, and even although grammar is a toy, math is gravity. Point! Discrimination, race based.

I am surprised that I am even commenting on anything Wynton related. I have no use for his music at all. I do respect his technical prowess on the horn. He is a phenomenal instrumentalist. But his improv? He has never reached me emotionally. (I make the same observation re: Bill Watrous (whom I idolized and tried to emulate as a player when I was in my younger years) No emotional substance. That is my opinion, but there it is. I also have harbored a long running grudge against him ever since his Jazz Times interview/feature circa 1981 0r '82. In it I remember him stating that - and I paraphrase - "this is the black man's music and I won't play with white musicians" If that isn't the exactly how he stated it, it is pretty close to the sentiment I gathered. And from that point I had him pegged. I told myself: "okay then, this white musician will never spend a dime on your music" So far so good. I do however have many of Branford's releases. And he reaches me emotionally. There, I went ahead and acknowledged the white elephant in the middle of the room; reverse racism in jazz.

Shemp Howard Jack Dodson Jack Armstrong, All-American Boy

There are a few films I have seen which are totally lame, yet they still seem to have a charm. "Re-animator" and "Bride of Re-animator" fit this category well in my experience.

Bob the Builder Bob le flambeur Greyfriars Bobby Dorian Gray Mixolydian Scale Carrie Fisher

Charles DeGaulle Mr French Paris Hilton

Kukla Anne Kutka Al Kooper Steve Cropper Art Farmer Tea for the Tillerman

Don Ho Ho Chi Minh Jimmy Buffet

Terry Riley Terry Clarke Clark Terry

Wily Coyote Peter Coyote Virginia Woolf

I first heard Rich in the early 80s at the Vanguard, playing with Thad and Mel. He was in Texas this past week for artist-in residence obligations (along with Alex Sipiagin and drummer Donald Edwards. They were in town thanks to the U.N.T. jazz department. Last week they played as part of a jazz series at Sammons Center for the Arts in Dallas. My quintet had the fortune to open for the group they played in (along with UNT profs pianist Stefan Karlson and bassist Lynn Seaton). They sounded great as would be expected!