fasstrack

I thought you were joking. She was a 'naturalist' painter who lived to be very old and kept working. And dig that last name....

I got you beat by a year.But you could take me in a fight probably. But then so could Grandma Moses. Even now...

Oy, I'm NAUSEOUS ALREADY!! DON'T GET ME STARTED...

Fixing a Hole... We're SO goddamn old...

'where it will go-o-o'

I forgot Midnight in Paris the minute I left the theater. Phoned in craftmanship starring an annoying Woody stand-in. (And I'm sounding more like Fred Hersch every minute).

MJZee: Yes, Woody Allen has diverse influences (let's not forget a major one, Bob Hope, not to mention Chaplin and Keaton) and Jews-in art, philosophy, or comedy, by no means hold a patent on a tragic world view. But the core of Woody Allen's comedy style, schtick, world-view, mannerisms all are classicly Jewish. He nailed all this down in Annie Hall. I think it would be folly and or denial to posit otherwise.

Maybe if they keep chipping away they'll find every man has his price. Exhibit A: Scenes From a Mall...

But the writer has his claws on Allen's throat, hardly a way to charm him into coming. Am I missing something?

I was more than pleasantly surprised by the group playing at the Kitano last night-floored would be more accurate. I figured it would be good from the personnel: Tommy Campbell, drums, tunes/arrangements, Harvie S., bass, Helio Alves (never heard of him before), piano, Miles Griffith-my man who I went to see-and Charalenee Wade, vocals. The group was very tight and swinging, the singers blended w/each other and the trio beautifully, good, fun material, and Tommy is a good leader in giving a presentation, including visually. Helio was great in the ensemble and he and Tommy played off each other on his solos. Everybody got nice space and was allowed to shine. I hope the CD does well, but for the above reasons this group is best experienced live. Check www.tommycampbell.com The Kitano is a nice listening room with good sound, a Steinway, and no loud P.A. to drive you nuts. The host, Gino, is a great guy and treated me aces.

Really, Larry? So much for 'dem guys (ROTFLMAO)

Playing guitar and making a soupcon of green today. That's happy.

A veteran nudnick (;

Tank-a-you all! Planning a relaxed day playing. Later tonight it's the Kitano Hotel, where Miles Griffith is singing and I'm trying to get us a gig. I'm in a positive place generally. 'All I need now is the girl'! Thank you all again and all the best.

Pt. 2: The House that George (Gershwin) Built is another of that ilk w/o interviews, and pretty good too. Jimmy Webb's Tunesmith is meandering and weird, but very good when he finally talks shop. Very good, but mostly out of print, is The Black Composer Speaks-great interviews with Oliver Nelson, Herbie Hancock, Coleridge Taylor-Perkinson. Inside the score has big band scores of prominent jazz writers of the 60s-80s, and interviews with Thad Jones and Bob Brookmeyer. Now I hear the biog of A.C. Jobim by his sister is out in English, and I can't wait to dive in. Pant pant...

I'll maybe take a look at the library. I've become a freak for any book dealing with song/songwriting, as those who know me might expect. I fantasize about writing a volume that picks up where Alec Wilder's seminal American Song leaves off chronologically, but go back and talk about Strayhorn, who he pretty much mentions in passing-also not shy away from pop wusic (rock esp. Wilder detested, and dismissed it with 'after 1950 the amateurs took over). I just finished Richard Rodgers' autobiog (Musical Stages) which often breaks down what goes on in Broadway collaborations, offers insight into Hart, Hammerstein, etc.-but sadly omits any insight into his own composition technique, and that's why I bought thd damn thing. Before that it was Harold Zissner's Easy to Remember-a very good overview of the golden era of B'dway and Hollywood tunesmiths. (The best of these is Max Wilk's They're Playing Our Song-interviews with the giants). Songwriters on Songwriting is also good, and inclusive of pop scribes.

Crimes and Misdemeanors is a later film that was very dark and serious, yet looked, was acted, directed, and written like nothing else but a Woody Allen film.

I didn't mean that he ruined his career. I thought it was a shame that he let himself be cowed by thinking these guys work was heavier or more serious than his. He had his own voice and didn't trust it. If that's not self-deprecating... Usually the modeling/derivation come early, on the way to self-discovery. He did the opposite: he was there already and lost faith.

I think he idolized these guys (Bergman worship was the impetus for the 'serious' films) to the point that he ruined a beautiful thing. The funny thing is the tragic world-view was there in Annie Hall, Manhattan, even some earlier films like Love and Death-but in his own voice. I like that he goofed on this conundrum in Stardust Memories. It's like knew some of his old fans would hate it-so he struck pre-emptively with that joke about 'older, funny movies'. The joke was on him, though, b/c now when the subject comes up everyone says they 'prefer his older, funny movies.

Pt. 2: and immediately back off, seemingly consumed by over-thinking. It's also fascinating to hear b/c it's real. You want a human, not an icon of unflappable macho confidence. Lee had his own Fellinis later on (Wayne Shorter) and also to me let overthing become so upfront (ironically claiming the opposite, that he was making his mind blank to really improvise). The jury's out, I guess. But obviously no artist or plumber of any ethnic stripe can lay claim to self-doubt. But it's a major Jewish motivator-to the point of eye roll-worthy stereotyping. Why?

So is the stuff harmful or medicinal? Probably there's no easy answer. The 'goy' jokes given in the piece are a backlash perhaps against centurys of Christ-killer assignations. They sure as hell won't be mending any fences though. My own take on this is more focused on the artistic self-doubt of Allen, and musicians like Lee Konitz who combine a nervous restlessness with a de-valuing of their unique contribution in comparison to others. 2nd rate Bergman or Fellini after these monumental romantic comedies in the case of Allen. Konitz is a strange case: he had something really fresh and original as far back as the late 40s. But the self-doubt that would IMO later undermine his work was evident from almost as far back. There's a vid on youtube w/Art Farmer where he's playing great stuff, quoting the Bird he'd studied and making it grist for his imagination. But he's SO tortured and hangs his head like bagged quarry after. I hear self-doubt and lack of trust to commit in his records from the 50s too. He'll play

He's a giant of time wasting, that's how. And a shining example to us all..

Try july 12 I'll try to get to a PC later and send the link. Also a google search:self-deprecrating jewish humor woody allen was how I found it. It's one the 1st hits.

Www.haaretz.com (search subject-article ran on July 12 I cant link directly from a cell phone) This is an intelligent discussion of things on my own mind-especially since being pretty much made, almost at gunpoint, to re-connect with my Brooklyn middle-class Jewish roots. It really asks if this cathartic and often hostile (toward Christians mostly) form of japing self-defense is doing mose harm than good these days. Notice, too, how the author is death on Woody Allen, but giues Sasha Baron Cohen a pass.

Sarah Silverman is so not funny. Strained, forced, and desperate. She speaks highly of me, too, BTW. Hey, wasn't it Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? No sweetness.