Peeling the Onion
Reflections on life as a journey (not a destination) and gratitude to a dear person who has personified this before my eyes.
Continue ReadingTop 10 Jazz Musicians Deserving of NEA Jazz Master Consideration: 2014 Edition
A few days ago the 2014 class of NEA Jazz Masters was announced, with honors going to the diverse crew of Richard Davis, Anthony Braxton, Keith Jarrett and Jamey Abersold. 3+ years ago, I wrote about musicians who I felt had been neglected in this selection process (click here to read that post for reference), and the latest batch has led me reflect a bit on who has been inducted since and who is still overdue.
Continue ReadingA Father’s Pledge
This is my 9th Father’s Day as a parent. It is, however, the first that is fraught with “survivor’s guilt.” Parents lose children and vice versa every day in every community, but since 12/14/12 that has been all too real. I can’t bring the children of Newtown (or any other place where people experience this…
Continue Reading15 Years of Wading Through the Muck Together
15 years of marriage, and now the secret to our longevity can be revealed . . .
Continue ReadingTop 10 (x5) Favorite Kenny Barron Tracks
Today marks Kenny Barron’s 70th birthday. I have written before (click here) about the impact he had on me as a teacher and a role model for class and dignity. Here, though, I will focus on his incredible recorded legacy. Whittling down the recordings that have shaped my own conception to 10 was pretty well…
Continue ReadingEDS Awareness 2013: Compromised Expectations and Desirable Communities
I am happy and proud to announce that I will be presenting this year at the Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation’s annual conference. This is a great honor for me and, perhaps more significantly, the fact that I am so excited about this is a great sign of how far I’ve had to come to reconcile my place in that world.
Continue ReadingTop 10 Mulgrew Miller Tracks
Mulgrew Miller is in a sense the symbol of a whole generation of musicians. This list represents him as a bandleader and as a sideman, as a composer and as an interpreter and as a purveyor of music that is at the same time hip and modern yet soulful and direct.
Continue ReadingTop 10 Tracks Under 2 Minutes
As anyone who reads this blog is aware, brevity isn’t my strong point. With music, though, I am always concerned with making a performance the “correct” length. If it’s meant to be epic, then longer is often appropriate. Sometimes, though, it’s a matter of making a pithy statement and then letting it be absorbed. Certainly as a listener, I have a soft spot for songs that feel complete and compelling while clocking in at under 120 seconds.
Continue ReadingSometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
Mother’s Day is here, and it is a time of celebration and acknowledgment for some (most?) and a time of bringing difficulty into sharp relief for others. I am certainly not advocating that those who are experiencing the telephone-commercial version enjoy their day one iota less. Quite the contrary, taking a moment to empathize with those who are dealing with loss should only enhance the edict to enjoy and savor each moment of love and togetherness.
Continue ReadingLester and Persevering When Enough Isn’t Enough
Lately it’s easy to get the feeling of swimming against the current. Messages and actions of peace and love are so important, yet the voices of the hateful are so much louder at times. And I will admit that since the Boston Marathon bombing, it has taken me some time to regroup both from the horror that so many of us feel about the event and from the demoralizing sense of being unable to keep pace with the amount of tragedy going down. Is chanting “love wins” a realistic and energy-efficient thing when there is such evidence that we’re better off saving our energy and curling up in a fetal position under the kitchen table as we await Armageddon? Ultimately, I’ve concluded that the answer is YES, and I want to offer posthumous thanks to my young friend Lester for helping me solidify that position.
Continue Reading