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Elissa
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Posts posted by Elissa
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Isn't Treat it Gentle the book with that most amazing story of Bechet's grandparents meeting in Congo Square? I think that maybe one of my favorite jazz stories ever.
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Alan Furst's The Polish Officer. Awfully good, too.
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Just polished off this beautifully written little novel in about a day, as would anyone interested in the diaspora out of Germany in the 30s.
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Distracted from distraction by distracton: Dale has a kitty issue.
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In July I too transferred all my cds into books of sleeves, filling two 336 pocket books, purchased for about $40 each at B&H. I alphabetized the cds, more or less, and kept rock and Brazilian separate. Unceremoniously chucked all the cases into recycling. Happy to report that my little apartment is much less cluttered now - the one remaining problem being my six 20' long shelves buckling with books...
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I read the Atrocity Exhibition, after Crash, Concrete Island and High Rise, but more than 20 years ago. There was an issue of Re/Search magazine about him that tipped me that way in the early 80s.
Now I'm reading Obama's lovely book, Dreams from my Father. Anyone else give it a go? Fascinating to learn about his family, his grandad (on the Kansan side) was a a nonconformist in days when that was rare; his grandad on the Kenyan side was a tribal leader and medicine man. Our Obama however was somewhat of a punk in college at Occidental; very into jazz and Billie from a young age. Apparently he wanted to get into (the now derided, thanks Mrs Palin, idea of) community organizing in his early 20s and started writing letters - the first job he landed in that vein turned from an idea into a lucrative gig writing and consulting for international business and industry, and not what he wanted to do. So he quit, and another letter writing campaign eventually landed him a meeting with one Marty Kaufman, originally from Brooklyn, who'd gone down south in the 60s with civil rights activists, only Marty never left. I love that it was a Brooklyn Jew who brough Obama to Illinois to organize in Churches - originally there wasn't a lick of the fear of god in the man, thank god.
Also found up a copy of Simone Signore's memoire, Nostalgia Ain't What it Used to Be, with which I'm still just flirting.
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Tonight is orzo cooked in chicken broth tossed with feta, Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, and olive oil (if it needs it). I can only make meat-free dishes when Jim isn't around. No meal is complete for him without some kind animal!
It can be a challenge! The other night I made farro with arugula, scallions, toms etc but he wanted fish (and ordered sushi) so I made an Asian dressing: sesame oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce with ginger, thai basil, cilantro. I love cooking in August.
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Haul from farmer's market:
Heirloom gazpacho with thai and french basils and wild cilantro, guac to dollop on top and oversized croutons
Red and white fingerling potatoes hedgehogged and roasted, stuffed with onions, garlic and fresh rosemary
Wild arugula salad with baby beets (orange, yellow and striped)) and walnuts
Roasted (on the broiler) corn
White nectarines, plums for dessert.
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Whether or not you like her, I find it enormously depressing that the girl's gone and given herself emphysema by smoking crack. I think that for her, as for most young artists, their best work won't be caught on CD. Triste.
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Afro-Cuban music in honor of Anga Diaz
Sat June 21 NYC, 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Miguel Anga Diaz (1961 - 2006): Un Homenaje Para Anga.
Kwaku Martin Obeng - An African Preamble
Gema y Pavel - An Abundance of Folkloric Traditions
Yosvany Terry - Afro-Cuban Roots Ensemble
Roy Hargrove - Crisol, Explorations in Jazz Cubano, with El Negro
free
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That Virgin may have the city's best Criterion collection, though.
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Kenny Barron was there tonight - listening. He said Greg Lewis made him want to play the Hammond.
Ron Jackson on geetar.
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Caught Eric Reed the other night with Rodney Whitaker and Willie Jones at the Vanguard.
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Have been meaning to post something about this gig for a couple months now. I love Lezlie's voice - she has a phenomenal rhythmic sense and gorgeous tonality. And she's a rare singer in that not only does she have a masterful command of time and feel, but every damn syllable she delivers means something personal, human - she's never just walking thru the paces. 'Course, Greg Lewis is killing, it must be said; and Saul Rubin's usually on guitar. Roy Hargrove often drops in and the last few weeks she's had a good Italian drummer on the gig - Luca Santaniello. Shame that Sweet Rhythm doesn't advertise this more cause it's really a super gig.
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Though a little late to catch him with Monk I did see Rouse with Sphere one night at the Vanguard - I think I was 15? Riley, Williams, Barron and Rouse was it? They did the most amazing unexpected improvisations and restructurings of Monk tunes, it really blew my little mind that all of those wonderful tunes would be heard and played so differently... then I saw Sphere once after Rouse's death and most of that had gone, though of course I loved Gary Bartz, a musician all his own, they just sounded to be playing more Monkish Monk tunes. Or do I have those two gigs flipped...?
There was a really pretty record with the four of them looking a little silly in ascots on the cover - I remember the cool kids in college making fun of me for listening to albums with 4 old black dudes in ascots on the cover. Ha ha.
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"Ask the folks who work at JLC who Pharoah Sanders is, who Roy Eldridge is, who Freddie Green is and you won't begin to imagine how few know!"
well, this isn't good, considering that Phil works there -
I know that he's done his best over the years to educate the people who work there - they take his history classes and such - but the point is he's starting with them from a knowledge base of Ø. It's not by accident that the JLC is mostly a corporate jazz scene... granted they maybe be the Only nationally acknowledged one, but JLC is not the Vanguard Uptown by a long shot.
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fwiw: I really appreciate you standing up for the Schaapsterizer, clem. Sure, he can grate with his breathless information and by playing one tune for every 20 minutes of talking, but the fellow is indeed quite a character, chock full of anecdotes (if not stone cold facts?) about the history, the people, the music. And of course his symbiotic relationship with jazz Arch Angel (in my hierarchy anyway) Papa Jo earns him eternal kudos from me. Now I don't know what fictions he's woven in among all the many yarns, but the man is pretty undeniably a treasure trove of American music and while his style may not be to everyone's liking, you can't but acknowledge that he is immensely generous (if fairly bloated) with knowledge - which is all too rare these days! Ask the folks who work at JLC who Pharoah Sanders is, who Roy Eldridge is, who Freddie Green is and you won't begin to imagine how few know!
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Happiest of Birdays Griff! I only saw him once, at the Vanguard in something like 95...? One of my favorite shows ever.
We played the Vanguard 1988-1992. But from 1993 through 1998 we were at the Blue Note. We didn't return to the Village Vanguard until 1999.
Must have been late summer or early fall of '91 then... does that sound possible?
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Happiest of Birdays Griff! I only saw him once, at the Vanguard in something like 95...? One of my favorite shows ever.
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Imho, anyone would be hard pressed to find a better rhythm section than Scott Colley and 'Tain*.
*under the age of say, 50.
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I weren't yet here when he left.
Anyone else tuning in for Brokaw's KING tonight? Looks as if it will be an event.
Of all the world's music, they begin with U2?!?!
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I weren't yet here when he left.
Anyone else tuning in for Brokaw's KING tonight? Looks as if it will be an event.
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Anyone with a sensitive stomach should avoid any systems using paper filters - the paper chemically binds part of the substances contained in the coffee beans that are crucial for digestibility - I cured two friends from their acidic reactions towards coffee by talking them into using a gold filter. You save the money spent on paper filters, get more flavour and your stomach will thank you:
Amazing! Thanks, I'm going out to get a gold immediament. I just make one huge cup in the am for myself, very strong and black's how I like it, and drip seems to me to make the best brew. My stomach though really hasn't been up to snuff in a couple few weeks. Or has it been months?
Anyone else here a fan of Blue Bottle coffee? Wonderful stuff. I like the Temescal blend. I'm also fan of Gourmet Garage's Beat Nik blend, whole bean of course. It's about half the price of Blue Bottle. We all have our indulgences though.
Happy Birthday Elissa!
in Miscellaneous - Non-Political
Posted · Edited by Elissa
Thank you so much! Just found this. T'was indeed a lovely one - even if now that I'm 40(!!!!) there's no more denying I'm an adult. My 'band threw a surprise party for me on Saturday with lots of colorful people and great wine and food (catered by a super Philippine restaurant) in a beautiful space. The day of, I went to three yoga classes, which is pretty much my idea of perfect day, and had an evening to match: ordered in Cambodian and curled up to watch great films. Cozy indeed.
and p/s Joe: yeah, a good friend from college, a classics major, calls me Dido... and of course, dear Purcell wrote that sweet opera for me... You wouldn't believe how famous I am in Tunisia.