Leeway

Mother Jones Mother Hubbard Mother (Miles favorite word )

Maybe I'm just being persnickety today fasstrack, but I really don't see what the race of the biographer has to do with it. It's either a good bio or it's not, either well-researched or not, well-written or not. As for autobiographical lies, that is a redundancy. It's quite well-know in literature not to believe an autobiography at least on the face of it. One should check out this link: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Autobiography "Autobiographies tell more lies than all but the most self-indulgent fiction."- A.S. Byatt "All fiction may be autobiography, but all autobiography is of course fiction." - Shirley Abbott Anyway, I bring it up so as not to leave the impression that somehow Malcolm X was a sole sinner

I haven't read it, but I would be interested in doing so. However, the disclosures mentioned above don't seem very shocking. Biographers are always on dangerous ground when they try to create a picture of a marriage. And, if the marriage was bad, so what? Same for the Bayard "drubbing" Malcolm in a debate. In public life, that's hardly the most consequential of events. How many people remember Malcolm? How many remember Rustin? And isn't well-known that Malcolm was a small time hood in his earlier years? Having said this, I'd still like to see the finished portrait by Mr. Marable.

Memories of WBAI when I was a teenager in NYC back in the 60s. Listening to Steve Post and especially Bob Fass late night. IIRC, Fass was good friends with Jerry Jeff Walker, who would come on the show and perform live. I remember one such performance of "Mr. Bojangles" that was utterly moving. Those shows were a beacon to kids like me that there was a counter-culture out there. Anyway, moved out of NYC in the 70s and lost touch. For WBAI and other Pacifica stations to succeed they need to come up with a new game plan, one not dependent on the '60s; those days are gone. But the same social role is still possible. Lord knows there is still a need to challenge the military-corporate interests. Circular firing squads are not the answer. If I had a magic answer, I'd happily provide it. It will come down to good leadership and people who place the station's aims and goals above their own. Importantly, they need to draw on the the Millennial generation to form the corps of the new station.

It's funny how a live performance can ignite or douse an interest in an musician. Has happened to me. I like Abdullah Ibrahim. I'll even admit to liking his free period . I think he was perhaps more committed or ambitious for his music during that period. My assessment is that he has put out a fair number of really fine albums, and a larger number perhaps of more pedestrian fare. The kind that was tossed off without much engagement. I'm sure I'm forgetting some but I liked these albums: EKAYA (already mentioned) AFRICA TEARS AND LAUGHTER (on Enja) ECHOES FROM AFRICA with Johnny Dyani (on Enja) SANGOMA (on Sackville) I just picked up SOWETO the other day and posted it over at the vinyl forum. Very much has that South African melodic vibe.

Zsa Zsa LaRaza Mi Casa

Steve Coleman and Greg Osby, JMT LP

Squats and stuff like that are hardly known in these parts, so reading it was about the same for me as reading about housing maladies in Dickens, i.e. more literary than real. I can see how you might have a more immediate reaction. From what I recall of The Fifth Child, my perception was that she was trying to unsettle preconceived notions, subvert the comfort level of the middle-class, and strike a blow for life outside the norms. In The Good Terrorist, once again it is an attempt to strike a blow for life outside the norms. However, I don't think she is on one side or another, at least not in any totally committed way, but is attempting to explore the moral complexities of such a life. There is a lot that is unpleasant or even repulsive about the life the squatters live (and also those who oppose them). But she does not therefore invalidate what they are doing (or trying to do). Even the climactic action at the end, and what happens to the main protagonist, leaves them (and us) in an ambiguous moral position. I found myself asking where Lessing stood, but I think she wanted to avoid giving pat answers or making conclusions for us.

If you get a chance i'd love to hear how these concerts went, particularly the Lehman. Did they perform any new stuff? I know there's a new Octet album coming out on Pi next year (as per Lehman's website). The Taylor Ho Bynum concert was canceled. I won't say anymore about how that all went down. The Steve Lehman Octet performance at the Atlas was excellent. Prior to the concert, Lehman did a Q&A with the audience that was illuminating and interesting The group played quite well. Lehman said that the material they were performing had been commissioned by an arts group (forgot who), and that it would appear on the next album, which they were about to record. It's interesting how one can hear Jackie McLean and Anthony Braxton influences during the performance (Lehman's two principal teachers). One does not often get to hear octet performances these days, so that was a treat, and this was really an all-star ensemble, so that made it even better.

Odd, but the only two novels I have read of Lessing were "The Good Terrorist" and "The Fifth Child" and enjoyed both, although both certainly present challenges. Still, I thought the works had more fiber than often found in modern literature. Was it the political drift of the novels that put you off? I've also read a few stories. I have intended to read "The Golden Notebook,"and, "Four-Gated City," and hope to eventually get around to them.

My point of access; Art Pepper

The Grateful Dead The Dead Kennedys Dedalus (and Icarus)

Steven Pinker Pinkerton Weezer

I'll try to give my copy of "Total Eclipse" a spin soon. Good suggestion! A little more Hutcherson courtesy of McCoy Tyner: What a line-up: Tyner, Bobby Hutcherson, Gary Bartz, Azar Lawrence, John Stubblefield, Buster Williams, Billy Hart, Mtume, Guillermi Franco.

Raul Castro Raoul Duke Gonzo

@ Daniel A: That's a nice LP to make a return with! Staying in the vibe mode for now (complete with the "New Note" sticker ):

Jay Hoggard (Vibes), Anthony Davis (piano), Cecil McBee (bass), Billy Hart (drums), Don Moye (perc), Dwight Andrews (bass cl), Wilson Morman III (Tympani).

Tamburlaine Elaine Seinfeld

Nobody has mentioned John Coltrane (Alice might be a different case?) but I have to think he made substantial money from record sales, copyrights, performances, etc.

The 3 pieces by Feldman are: Intersection 2 (1951); King of Denmark (1964); Intersection 3 (1953). New to me. The nice thing about this disc is that the pieces are arranged contextually ad/or chronologically rather than by composer, so that one can see the relationships (and counter-relationships) at work. So the CD is programmed to move among the compositions. Anyway, I found it interesting. Wanted to add that beside our esteemed Feldman, I am invariably impressed by the work of Earle Brown. The Brown pieces on this disc are first-rate. Any other Earle Brown fans?

Every art form, be it music, painting, sculpture, has its time and place. When it loses its vigor and fruitfulness, it dies. The succeeding art form does not kill it, it grows in the place where the previous art existed. Saying Charlie Parker killed classic jazz or swing, or that Braxton killed Charlie Parker, really doesn't make sense and is historical. Did Van Gogh kill Constable? Did Rothko kill Van Gogh? It would be ridiculous to say so. Previous art forms move to the shadows, sometimes to be recalled by those who can reinvigorate them, at least temporarily. The good or bad thing about the digital age is that nothing dies. It's all there in vast digital storage spaces. So you can listen to Louis Armstrong AND Dizzy AND Freddie Hubbard AND Nate Wooley, et al as much as you want. I'm not sure this si good, because it fails to clear artistic space, but for archival purposes it's pretty cool. I think this is called the postmodern era.

William "The Refrigerator" Perry DITKA! DA BEARS!

PM sent on Uhlers, Wright and Mitchell.