ghost of miles

OK, this Washington Post article includes the owners’ legal justification for image removal.

Very cool, Jim. No quality-control issues with that playlist!

I’ve read four of Kevin Starr’s California history volumes—the ones covering the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 1950-1963—but never realized until a phone conversation with a friend several nights ago that there was a second 1930s entry that serves as an interstitial piece in Starr’s narrative. Now eagerly diving into it, as I’ve greatly enjoyed the four that I already read in the early aughts:

Why is it ludicrous that each team have a player representative to vote on the the commissioner as well? Why shouldn’t the commissioner represent the sport overall, as opposed to basically at this point being a stooge for the owners? As for the MLB.com website, I invite anyone to take a look at that “FAQ about the CBA” and tell me the site’s not in the bag for the owners. Or the prominence given Manfred’s statement, which reads like a broadside from a political candidate. Have they given equal weight to the MLBPA’s response? Happy to be corrected on this if I’m wrong. I’d also like to see any legal or contractual evidence that MLB.com had to scrub the site of all existing players. One last item—as the MLBPA’s response pointed out, the lockout is not required by the end of the previous CBA. It’s simply the owners exercising leverage. Mind-boggling to me (but not really) that the oligarch owners, in baseball and all other professional sports, are presumably big advocates of free and unregulated markets in general, but are all about salary caps and other market-intervention measures when it comes to sports. Another item on the MLB site that really annoyed me—can’t recall if it was in Manfred’s statement or elsewhere—dismissed the issue of “alleged” service time manipulation. That in itself is laughable. I’m firmly on the side of the players for this CBA round, as I’m sure is clear by now. Revenues and profits have gone way up in recent years, and yet the players’ share of that money has declined—both NBA and NFL athletes bring home a higher percentage of revenues than MLB players do. Curt Flood for the Hall of Fame!

Didn’t realize that MLB.com is a propaganda site for the owners: MLB.com Not just Manfred’s already-well-circulated letter, but take a look at the “FAQ About The CBA” page. Not to mention that all current player info and images have been scrubbed... what, pray tell, was the point of that? As some commenters at PSA noted, Selig and then Manfred have distorted the commissioner position, which was supposed to be at least ostensibly neutral in the past, into overt partisanship on behalf of the owners (and why do the owners get sole say in electing the commissioner? Seems like each team also having a player representative vote would make it much more likely that we’d get a commissioner who represents baseball’s interests in general, rather than a corporate mouthpiece for the owners). Let’s be very clear about what’s going on here

Hot stove league’s gonna be mighty cold with a lockout underway.

A March 1959 Ellington session that I wasn’t even aware of until recently. Eddie Lambert has a good rundown on it in his invaluable Ellington book:

Up for Jaco’s 70th birth anniversary yesterday: The Greatest Bass Player In The World: Jaco Pastorius

I think it already happened.

This past weekend at our family’s holiday gathering, my 12-year-old niece—a very smart and creative kid who’s also the latest piano player in the family line—joyfully showed me her flip phone.. and also raved about how great CDs are. 😯 I think she’s most likely an outlier, especially on CDs, but a quick Google search did yield this Mashable article about Gen Z and flip phones: Gen Z flip phones trend

Some info about the upcoming 11-CD Black & White set here (great to read that Dan Morgenstern is doing the notes), and some good quotes from Scott and Michael: Mosaic On The Move: A Great Jazz Label Gets Smaller, Smarter (Wasn’t sure whether to post this here or in the “Jazz In Print” subforum. Mods, feel free to move it there if you think that’s a more appropriate place.)

Some lovely ballad-playing to be heard here:

They apparently read your post and decided to serve up a hot-stove feast! $500 million for a keystone combination of Semien and Seager. I’m also beginning to wonder if Correa resigns with Houston after all.

The End!

One more go-around this past week for Norman Granz’s Jazz Scene.

Just scored a copy for $20 at my local record store. God bless Landlocked Music CDs and Vinyl!

Fellow fan of Jazz United here, though I’m way behind on listening to episodes. Years ago I used to listen to this podcast—which is apparently dormant now?—and enjoyed it: Jazz Insights With Dr. Gordon Vernick I’d be interested to hear others’ recommendations as well—thanks for reviving the topic.

😯 I just reread TSAR last summer (in the new LOA edition) and think I remember seeing a reference around that time to this particular book. Getting ready to start this newly-arrived NYRB Classic:

Yes! I’ve been listening to this one a lot the past two weeks. Right now, the first Smiths album I ever bought (autumn 1984) and still one of my favorites:

One more go-around this past week for The Great Columbia Jazz Purge: Coleman, Evans, Jarrett And Mingus. A sequel is in the works!

WBGO obituary: Slide Hampton, trombonist who also made a lasting impression as a master arranger, is dead at 89

Seems as if the conventional wisdom is that Some Girls was the Stones' last "great" album... does Tattoo You qualify for the honor instead? (and gotta confess I'm not sure I've heard any of the subsequent Stones albums all the way through) It at least deserves extra credit for the presence of Sonny Rollins. EDIT: looking around online a bit leads me to think that perhaps the CW already *is* that the title below is the "last great album." (And yes, ironic that it's essentially a pulled-together album of 1970s outtakes that Jagger finished off)