Jazzmoose

That's because it's a serious topic, and we're taking it seriously. The ones full of one-liners and/or sucker punches move pretty fast, but I don't think you'd want to trade, would you? I must admit, I sure would like to see more participation here, particularly from those on the right. (No, I'm not implying what you're thinking, Johnny!)

Thanks for the post, RT; interesting reading!

Okay, Jad; you got me on those! What's the story behind those movies? I'm completely unfamiliar with them.

I must confess that I only have five of these, so my choices were cut in half. Still, I've been trying to find my ears ever since Minor Move blew them off, so it was an easy vote for me!!

I think it's PD. The message is not too far off, but I could never grow a beard like that, and those sunglasses, yuk... I'm just glad no one's ever seen a photo of me! Except for the length of the hair and beard... (Okay, and the sunglasses!)

I agree completely. This seems to me to be the only way to approach it. While I appreciate Clinton's efforts to bring this issue out from under the rug, the local approach is probably the best. After all, it's a lot harder to think "us and them" when you're both in the same room! The trick is getting people in the same room, of course. At the risk of polarizing this discussion (and making it an "us versus them" thing in spite of my best wishes), I really feel that it is incumbent on whites to take the big steps. After all, (and you can't avoid looking at the issue of race through the lens of race, can you?), whites pushed for this exclusion for centuries; I can't help feeling we should be the ones to do the lion's share of the work in healing the wound. I wish I had done more in my life in this regard. (Of course, I thinking I'm just getting to that age where I wish I'd done more with my life period, if you know what I mean. Maybe a red sports car.... )

Dear lord...make it stop! Is this the last one? I've got hanging chad all over my computer screen...

This is definitely a touchy subject; I decided to take the day to think it over rather than post something this morning when I first read it. There are ways to break down the socialization barriers. For me, it was turning the old prejudice cliche on it's head: my wife's sister did marry "out of race". Since the only family I have here in California is my wife and her sister's family, when I attend family get togethers, there are generally a lot more African-Americans than whites. So there's no problem with interracial interaction for me, right? Wanna buy a bridge? If it isn't the family, or people I know, the problem is still there, of course. My childhood was in Hawaii, and the two best friends I had were Philippino and African-American. (Yeah, I'm pretty much white, although not completely.) We had no idea we were outside the American norm, although looking back, I can remember phrases from our parents that would have clued me in if I had been more aware. My mother took great pains to raise me as free of prejudice as she could. Unfortunately, what she actually accomplished was to raise me free of the recognition of race at all. This would be fantastic if the world was ready, but it was a bit strange when, after she died, I moved to Georgia to live with my grandparents. I'm sure everyone knows on the surface what small town (population 1000) Georgia was like in 1968. The town was strictly segregated, as were the schools and churches. Growing up there was strange, but when I look back, I realize that it was a lot stranger (and sicker!) than I could see at the time. As an example: we had one black child in each grade in our otherwise all white school. I don't know how this was arranged; I'm sure there had to be some compensation for the black families involved. This was our "integration" before the county threw in the towel in 1970. Can you imagine what those children were going through? Absolutely no friends at school. No one would even talk to them. They were completely isolated and alone every day of the school year, from the time they arrived until the time they left. I don't know what happened to a lot of them; I know that the one in my grade was working as a prostitute when I left town. Just the absolute callousness of what was done to those kids still leaves me stunned. My point? I'm not even sure. But I do know this: until a significant portion of the white majority in this country is able to sit down alone and make an honest attempt to see what this nation looks like to the average African-American, any attempt at a solution to this problem is doomed to failure.

I'm currently reading Blinded by the Right by David Brock. But don't tell weizy!!

Some of us don't have to pretend. Summer clueless, and proud of it!

No, but I sure got a kick out of Mr. Haney's routine!

Could you please alert Joe Lovano to the existence of this rule?

I'm not much on blindfold tests. It seems to me that fans ought to be the ones going through this ritual. After all, we're the ones with the obsession for listening; the artists should be busy creating more music for us to listen to! Still, as I always have to make a choice in these things, I went with the "other piano players" option. Still, I'd count my vote as a half vote, Dan.

I never understood the decision to market her as a sex symbol. Her appeal (before the marketers took over) was her seeming intelligence, not her cleavage. The soft focus, sexy shots always seemed inappropriate to me; she seems more like a relative than someone I'd want to get in bed with...

Quick, fellow pretenders! RUN!! The boss is back!!

Be afraid, Jerry Falwell; be very, very afraid...

This is probably going to offend some people. Sorry, but I don't know how else to describe it. From what I had heard about this, when I put the disc in the player, I expected funk. Not George Clinton, mind you, but something like Hancock's Headhunters. What I got sounded like a white suburban teenager's idea of what funk is.

That was cool to read, connoisseur, but I'm not kidding myself. I post a lot because I run my mouth a lot, and I'm sure everyone has noticed that I post more in non-jazz areas (like the political area) than the jazz areas. I'm just glad that this board tolerates my babbling...it gives me something to do here while I'm learning from the real jazzaholics!

My GOD, you damned FREAK!!! Don't ever post here again!!!!

I'll check it out as well (if it returns!) and will probably post there. Hell, I can't keep my mouth shut anyway, right? But I have a feeling that the old cliche "you can't go home" will definitely apply. This is where I've settled now, and like an immigrant who left a home gone mad for the new land, I'm probably more "organissimo" than "bnbb" now. This spot will stay home, unless everyone goes mad and flees back to the BNBB. (I sure hope not!)

Weizen, your post doesn't say anything; you're not using the "Cone of Silence", are you?

Same here. For me, it was Kind of Blue, Time Out, Coltrane, another Coltrane, another Coltrane, etc. Finally tried someone else, but Coltrane is still number one on my shelves by sessions led. Toss in the Miles stuff and he's WAY out in front. I still don't know how I missed "Ole". There's a good bit of the later stuff I'm missing, and even some OJC stuff, but his Atlantic output just feels so right...

My guess is that when we wake up tomorrow, Africabrass will have posted about seventy polls, giving him a renewed cushion!

The trouble with these darn things is you can't help voting in them, even when you know it's just a test...

That's not the first spelling mistake you ever made is it? If so, one is Thelonious number that you'll ever do...