Daily Log

Stayed up late last night, so came up short on sleep when I woke up after 10. Reading the Trump chapter in Rogue Elephant. Came down at 11:15. I left 30 emails unopened last night, so we're up to 50 today. I added to Loose Tabs and Music Week, but published neither. Also added a few lists to the EOY aggregate, and finally started registering FDJCP albums. Everything in the 1-point range (21+) just gets a single '+'. Still below freezing outside (29F), but bright.

Email (50 messages at 11:30):

• Loose Tabs typos from Laura.
• Heard back from Bosch Customer Support: "Appliances in areas which have colder winters may sometimes need to be winterized. This would be a task which can be accomplished by a local plumber. Winterizing appliances protects against freezing temperatures. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

Daily Log

I tried running the dishwasher last night. I poured some water into the unit, and did a reset to see if it would drain. It did. But it didn't run. Nor did it flash an error message. In previous cold spells, the problem was that it didn't drain. This seems to be something different, probably still related to freezing. I think I'll just wash the dishes by hand this morning. Then maybe pull the unit out and work on insulation. I wonder if I hadn't paid for it to be installed, whether I would have thought to solve this problem up front: put some insulation on outer wall, maybe cut some ventilation holes so air from basement could rise (wouldn't be hot air, but well above freezing), maybe level the floor. Times like this I miss Jerry even more than usual.

I wrote to Bosch to complain. Main thing I don't understand from them is why the red light would remain on indefinitely when nothing is happening. In past years, when it froze up, it wouldn't drain, and that presented an error code. I'm getting nothing here.

My KitchenAid mini-chopper broke: can't quite say it died when the problem is that the switch is permanently on now. Should be a trivial repair if I could take it apart, but I haven't tried. I ordered a replacement, going with the larger 5-cup version, since it has the same footprint as the 3.5, but is a bit taller. I thought that might come in handy chopping onions. It also has a widget for whipping cream, although I have little trouble just using my old mixer for that. Having second thoughts this morning. One report said that smaller bowls are handier. I'm thinking about ordering a second one, maybe the 3-cup Cuisinart.

I wrote up Music Week yesterday, but didn't post it. I'm sick and tired of music writing, but don't dare say so, lest I disappoint my last few dozen fans. I spent all day yesterday at computer, listening to obscure (and not very good) non-jazz, so I've piled up another half dozen reviews. Playing Jimmy Sproull right now, which feels a lot better.

Email (30 messages at 11:42):

• Ben at marketschain.com writes that "Bad Bunny's DtMF is poised to grab a golden gramophone for Album of the Year with odds of 1.95/1 or 33.94% probability," followed by Kendrick Lamar (GNX), Sabrina Carpenter (Man's Best Friend), Lady Gaga (Mayhem), Justin Bieber (Swag), Clipse/Pusha T/Malice (Let God Sort Them Out), Tyler the Creator (Chromakopia), and Leon Thmas (Mutt).

Went to bed with 32 messages unread. Wrote a tiny bit on Music Week, and collected some more links for Loose Tabs. Big deal today was going to grocery store. Took me three Dillons stores to find the yogurt I wanted, but I bought a lot when I found it. I was pleased enough I also picked up a piece of steak to fix with mushroom gravy, for my third major comfort food dish in a week or so.

Music Week

Expanded blog post, January archive (in progress).

Tweet: Music Week: 53 albums, 7 A-list

Music: Current count 45484 [45431] rated (+53), 23 [14] unrated (+9).

New records reviewed this week:

• Algernon Cadwallader: Trying Not to Have a Thought (2025, Saddle Creek): [sp]: B+(**)
• ALT BLK ERA: Rave Immortal (2025, Earache): [sp]: A-
• Leon Anderson: Live at Snug Harbor (2023 [2025], Outside In Music): [sp]: B+(**)
• Sonya Belaya: Dacha (2025, Ropeadope): [bc]: B+(**)
• Blawan: SickElixir (2025, XL): [sp]: B+(*)
• The Bug: Implosion (2025, Pressure): [sp]: B+(*)
• Laura De Jongh: Fundus (2025, Klankhaven, EP): [sp]: B+(*)
• Olivia Dean: The Art of Loving (2025, Capitol/Polydor): [sp]: B+(*)
• Deftones: Private Music (2025, Reprise): [sp]: B-
• DJ K: Radio Libertadora! (2025, Nyege Nyege Tapes): [sp]: B+(**)
• DJ Love/DJ Danz/DJ Ericnem: Budots World: 3-Hit Combo! (2025, Eastern Margins): [sp]: A-
• Florence + the Machine: Everybody Scream (2025, Polydor/Republic): [sp]: B+(*)
• Alex G: Headlights (2025, RCA): [sp]: B-
• Alison Goldfrapp: Flux (2025, A.G.): [sp]: B+(**)
• Saya Gray: Saya (2025, Dirty Hit): [sp]: B+(*)
• Gwenno: Utopia (2025, Heavenly): [sp]: B+(*)
• Heartworms: Glutton for Punishment (2025, Speedy Wunderground): [sp]: B+(***)
• Heems: A Hundred Alibis (2025, Veena, EP): [sp]: B-
• The High Society New Orleans Jazz Band: Live at Birdland (2025, Turtle Bay): [sp]: B+(**)
• Nyron Higor: Nyron Higor (2025, Far Out): [sp]: B+(*)
• Steve Hirsh: Root Causes (2023 [2025], Mahakala Music): [sp]: B+(***)
• Hotline TNT: Raspberry Moon (2025, Third Man): [bc]: B
• Hannah Jadagu: Describe (2025, Sub Pop): [sp]: B+(*)
• Vladimir Kostadinovic: Iris (2024 [2025], Criss Cross Jazz): [sp]: B+(**)
• The Last Dinner Party: From the Pyre (2025, Island): [sp]: B-
• Leikeli47: Lei Keli Ft. 47/For Promotional Use Only (2025, Acrylic/Hardcover): [sp]: B+(***)
• MC BF & DJ Yuzak: Bebeto E Romário (2025, Mandelão, EP): [sp]: B+(**)
• Monaleo: Who Did the Body (2025, Stomp Down/Columbia): [sp]: B+(**)
• Christy Moore: A Terrible Beauty (2024, Claddagh): [sp]: B+(***)
• Navy Blue: The Sword & the Soaring (2025, Freedom Sounds): [sp]: B+(***)
• Nazar: Demilitarize (2025, Hyperdub): [sp]: B+(*)
• NMIXX: Blue Valentine (2025, JYP Entertainment): [sp]: B+(**)
• Robert Plant: Saving Grace (2025, Nonesuch): [sp]: B+(*)
• Noah Preminger: Dark Days (2024 [2025], Criss Cross Jazz): [sp]: B+(***)
• Juana Rozas: Tanya (2025, Sony Music Argentina): [sp]: B+(**)
• Saint Etienne: International (2025, Heavenly): [sp]: B+(***)
• Ternion Q Expanded: Marbles (2025, Bju'ecords): [sp]: B+(**)
• Jesse Welles: Hells Welles (2024, self-released): [sp]: B+(***)
• Jesse Welles: Patchwork (2024, self-released): [sp]: B+(**)
• Jesse Welles: Pilgrim (2025, self-released): [sp]: B+(**)
• Jesse Welles: Devil's Den (2025, self-released): [sp]: B+(*)
• Jesse Welles: With the Devil (2025, self-released): [sp]: B+(**)
• Jesse Welles: Under the Powerlines (April '24-September '24) (2024 [2025], self-relesed): [sp]: A-
• Jesse Welles: Under the Powerlines (October '24-December '24) (2024 [2025], self-relesed): [sp]: B+(***)
• Wolf Alice: The Clearing (2025, Columbia/RCA): [sp]: B+(*)
• Tommy Womack: Live a Little (2025, Schoolkids): [sp]: B+(***)

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

• Herb Geller Quartet: Barcelona Session (1990 [2025], Fresh Sound): [sp]: B+(***)
• Dizzy Gillespie/Sonny Stitt/Sonny Rollins: Sonny Side Up (1957 [2025], Verve): [sp]: B+(***)
• Billy Harper: Trying to Make Heaven My Home (1979 [2025], MPS): [sp]: B+(***)
• Hüsker Dü: 1985: The Miracle Year (1985 [2025], Numero Group): [sp]: B+(*)
• Agustin Pereyra Lucena: Puertos De Alternativa (1988 [2025], Far Out): [sp]: B+(*)
• Edison Machado: Edison Machado & Boa Nova (1978 [2025], Far Out): [sp]: B+(*)
• The Lost-Secret Dave Wells' Trombone City Band: Live at Carmelo's (1983 [2025], Fresh Sound): [sp]: B+(*)

Old music:

• Cliff Jordan: Cliff Jordan [Blue Note 1565] (1957, Blue Note): [sp]: B+(***)
• Cliff Jordan: Starting Time (1961, Jazzland): [yt]: B+(**)
• Cliff Jordan Quartet: Bearcat (1961-62 [1990], Jazzland/OJC): [sp]: B+(**)

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• Carl Clements and the Real Jazz Trio: Retrospective (Greydisc) [03-01]
• The Cucumbers: As You Heard Me (self-relesed) [02-14]
• Lazy Californians: Back to San Francisco (Angel Island) [02-13]
• Shawn Lovato: Biotic (Endectomorph Music) [02-13]
• Doug MacDonald Trio: Live in Beverly Hills (DMAC Music) [01-01]
• Michael Moody: The Ecstasy of Love (self-released) [03-20]
• Ron Rieder: Compositions in Blue and Other Hues (Meson) [01-01]
• Ben Rosenblum: The Longest Way Round (One Trick Dog) [02-27]
• Brandon Seabrook: Hellbent Daydream (Pyroclastic) [02-20]

Daily Log

Woke up about 8. Tried going back to sleep, but couldn't. Read a bit in bed. Came down about 11, finding it 14° outside, bright. Laura paid people to shovel porch and driveway yesterday, so we should be able to drive away if we need to. I'm about to run out of yogurt, which is my standard breakfast. I made a big meatloaf yesterday. Thinking about doing a comfort cooking Substack post, as I can fairly readily build it around a letter I wrote with the chicken & dumplings recipe. Easy enough to add the meatloaf recipe, although I didn't consult it yesterday, improvised a fair amount, and it came out better than ever.

But mostly I woke up thinking about the political book. Rogue Republican is providing a pretty good brief synopsis of the Gingrich and Bush-Cheney eras. Looks like two more chapters, with the radicalizations of the Tea Party and Trump [I]. One relatively novel idea is to treat the Nixon presidency as a second New Deal (or a third one, after Johnson's abortive Great Society, which it was more directly in reaction to, and in its peculiar mix of what it advanced and what it retarded was subsumed). This is tied to my belief that the US was moved by the new left through a cultural (but not political) revolution in the late '60s and early '70s. Nixon's New Deal was meant to absorb and blunt that energy, much as FDR's was meant to preclude a proletarian uprising (signficantly by shunting political pressures into unions, which could be bought off without upsetting the corporate order). I think Nixon was much more cynical than FDR in this — FDR grew up in a family of wealthy traders and financiers, but had deep sympathy with farmers, at a time when agricultural work was being decimated, so he sort of backed into the New Deal, but Nixon had to work harder to curry favor with the rich, which gave him more insight into where business was heading.

I should publish a Music Week today. Still have zero interest in 2026 releases. Lots of stuff piled up. Small stack of mail unopened. Email (20 messages):

• Dan Weiss interviews Peter Stampfel.
• Ken Brown dug up a letter about O.T. McCandlis, a 2nd cousin who died in Vietnam, allegedly cleaning his pistol inside a tank. I remember Max telling Ken and me that his father, Paul, was very skeptical of the official story. Since that discussion, I've filed the event in my mind as fragging, although I have no idea why a tank commander would have been singled out like that.

Daily Log

Woke up about 8:30. Took my acetominophen, and read in the bathroom for a while. When I tired of that, I decided to go back to bed and read some more. I finally put the mask back on, and fell back asleep, waking around 11:30. Today's nightmare involved car dealer "service." It was still 4F when I went to bed last night, having stayed at that level pretty much all day. Laura said the temperature dropped to 2F. Oddly, I don't seem to be able to look up how cold it got this morning: only that as of 12:10 PM it's 9F, with a high expected of 13F, and a low tonight of 0F (or maybe 3F). Sunny now. Possibly clouds tonight, but we seem to be above the "Massive snowstorm to bury areas from Oklahoma City to New York City, Boston" later today.

Checking around, I also discovered this is the 25th, and not the 26th, which I had already opened up a Daily Log entry before going to bed last night. I went back through the notebook, and seemed to have slipped a day, missing the 19th. I've correct all of those entries, but yesterday's Loose Tabs is still dated the 25th, my chicken & dumplings means for Steve's birthday were actually cooked on the 23rd, as was the text message I sent him. I didn't call because I figure he's usually busy, but should catch up.

Plan is to make meatloaf today. Other than that, I'll be huddled up by my space heater, typing away, probably listening to old 2025 music, as I'm still not ready for 2026.

Email (15 messages at 12:30):

• Eric Levitz (Vox): A very simple explanation for why politics is broken: Entertainment got too good. When I tracked down the piece, I found a lot of confusion. That may explain what happened on the Republican side, where politics is increasingly dominated by aesthetics, but there's nothing analogously entertaining on the Democratic side.
• Jazz Promo Services: downloads for 2026 releases
• Robert Christgau: And It Don't Stop "may pause, but doesn't stop . . ." Medical reasons, not just his own, but "next Consumer Guide is well underway." Still, he's suspended paid account charges for January, so presumably nothing until February.
• Semipop Life: new batch of albums, some I know, some I don't.

Documented, fwiw: Joe Lunday posted in Expert Witness:

I know Clifford has long been a major contributor here, and I'm sure many of us enjoyed his music appreciation posts. But his tacitly pro-ICE argument in the Springsteen thread isn't just bad politics or a poorly thought out analogy. It's racist xenophobia and an endorsement of fascism at a juncture where I don't think the group can tolerate it. There are lines of disagreement that are beyond the pale, and for me this is one of them. I've taken the step of removing him from the group. I didn't make the decision lightly. But there are circumstances where you may need to eject an unwanted person from your (metaphorical) home.

Iris Demento commented:

Clifford hurts. The entirety of my history with him is a microcosm of this cognitive dissonance:

1. I stopped short of castigating him further when he said something recently in this group tantamount to "healthcare is not a right," which anyone who's seen my own FB knows is real restraint. This is a holy peaceful place for me.

2. He defriended me at some point, probably because I'm constantly posting that people with his pathology (re: conservative landlords) more or less deserve to die. Not long after, he kindly messaged me and offered to mail me his Senegaal Rekk CD for cannot-take-it-with-you reasons, I accepted, and he did.

I don't know how to reconcile that kind of personal generosity with a basic lack of understanding of haves and have-nots, much less a pretty intelligent eye that sees the enormous downfall of human rights going on and trusts a system that not even David Brooks or Mitt Romney -- just to cite two typical boobs -- have been able to view as calm and normal. And I don't know what it is that makes the people who have the most so violently opposed to redistributing a fraction of it to those in need. I didn't grow up in the south, these types are completely out of my depth, help!

David Everall responded:

This disconnect between personal generosity and an inability to feel compassion for people in dire situations often outside of their control is why I've found this whole affair disturbing. He asked me once to send him details of where to send money to help Martin Carthy when he fell on hard times a couple of years ago and several others here have noted his personal generosity. However, as with you I've argued with him about the need for universal health care and his ICE comments seem disingenuous to say the least. I seem to remember him making comments recently that both parties are as bad as each other and you shouldn't let politics stop you enjoying life. I think he couldn't understand just how distressing many are finding the second Trump administration. I suspect he doesn't particularly like Trump but voted for him because he would give him what he wanted in certain policy areas like immigration. It sounds like I'm defending him which I am to a certain extent but ultimately I think his continued involvement with the group was untenable.

Those were the 2 featured comments, without digging through the whole load of 114, which I haven't done and don't want to. I noticed this yesterday, but didn't copy this down until I saw a separate post by Alfred Soto:

After today, I'm glad Ocheltree is gone. Thanks, Joe Lunday.

To which Joey Daniewicz added:

i am a little pissed off that i didn't get to tear his fucking guts out over the guy from my neighborhood who just got executed

I probably shouldn't have bothered, but I'm not going out of my way to follow this group anyway.

While it's unlikely that I agree with whatever Clifford Ocheltree said to tick y'all off, it's interesting that we've been met by the same lynch mob.

Loose Tabs

Pick up draft here (opened Jan. 13; Jan. 16 is the optimistic early target, but the slot is reserved to appear before next Music Week, which can wait until I'm done here).

Actual publication was on Saturday, January 25, with 459 links and 31382 words, which is quite possibly my most ever. (Yes and no: my final Speaking of Which wound up at 346 links, 37187 words.)

Daily Log

Temperature dropped steadily yesterday, from 11F when I got up to 3F when I went to bed. Not sure when it started snowing, probably around 6PM. Again, went to bed early, after nodding off during TV. Got up after 9, with a nightmare where I shot a home invader. Read about the weakening of national party organizations from 1940s-1980s: the "service model" type which tended to proliferate in periods out of power, punctuated by personal capture by sitting presidents. Also on how campaign finance "reform" pushed most of the money into non-party PACs. Didn't get that far, but the pursuit of PAC money is what allowed Clinton to take over the Democratic Party, which he then turned into a personality cult. But the [Rogue Elephant] book's focus is on Republicans, and their relentless move rightwards, funded by far-right donors and directed by the political "entrepreneurs" who serviced them.

When I came down, it was 4F outside, and still snowing, albeit very lightly. Total accumulation so far is unlikely to be more than 3 inches. At some point, I should bundle up and see if I can sweep it away from the doors, especially in the back, where the dog is obligated to do his business. Yesterday's chicken and dumplings were wonderful. I probably ate half the batch, but I do have another meal's worth leftover. I was going to wait a day before making the meatloaf, but I might just go ahead and do that today. Yesterday's movie, Sinners, was a bust as far as I'm concerned. I guess I had heard it would be a vampires story, but it's hard to anticipate such bullshit. (Oddly enough, I regularly watched Dark Shadows in my youth, as it was a late afternoon syndicated series, along with Star Trek reruns and Joe Pyne's talk show. But I still haven't seen Tim Burton's movie version.) We'll probably watch another movie today. Not much else to do as we're just hunkered down until the weather clears.

Not sure when I'll post Loose Tabs. I have a lot, but I'm still finding more. It's not like I have many readers waiting breathlessly. It's mostly just an exercise in calibrating my understanding of the world. I did log the Expert Witness poll, and may do some more music lists today. If nothing else, that feeds me titles to listen to. Giving Saint Etienne a second chance right now.

Email (11 messages at 10:47):

• Robert Wright: Which AI Titan should you root for?
• Gene Seymour: Seymour's Movies: My list of personal best movies for every years I've been alive (i.e., 1952-present). I may not agree but can see most of his old picks. But the only pick I've seen since 2015-2016 (Mad Max: Fury Road and Moonlight) is this year's Sinners, which is a hard no.

Daily Log

Scrambled yesterday to try to get things done before the cold and snow hits. I was so tired last night I had a hard time keeping awake for TV. I wound up going to bed before Laura, shortly after 2. I woke up once, didn't budge, and fell back asleep, eventually logging 443 minutes. Cold hit overnight: Laura reported 14°; when I came down, it was down to 11°F. No snow yet, but it's gray outside. Winter storm warning from noon today to noon Sunday, with snow accumulation of 6-12 inches. Low tonight 3, high tomorrow 6, lows after that of { 0, -2, 13, 14, 14, 14 }, with a sunny high of 21 on Monday, 30 on Tuesday, 36 on Wednesday, then down a bit. Weather.com has similar lows, slightly higher highs (40 on Wednesday), and goes further out, finally hitting 55 on Thursday, February 5.

We usually get one real cold snap each year. This won't be the worst, but it should count. Last several years we had the dishwasher freeze up. I should pull it out, insulate behind it, and add some ventilation. Like many other appliance repairs, I've been putting that off. I did get some things done yesterday to prepare for the storm. I brought the ladder in and changed the back room ceiling fan light bulb, and one of the dining room spotlights. I had to go to Ace to buy the halogen bulb. Laura wanted some "ice melt" and a snow shovel. I brought one battered shovel in from the garage, and also a push broom and the leaf blower. Snow will supposedly be light and dry, so I thought the broom and maybe even the blower might suffice. Ace was near out of snow shovels, but I bought a small, lightweight plastic one with a telescoping handle — the sort of thing one might keep in the car.

After I got back, and fixed the lights, I put the ladder away in the garage. We drove out to Laura's audiologist appointment, then did some grocery shopping at Whole Foods, picked up at Thai Tradition, and came home. I finally tackled the attic. I had left a bunch of tools up there, plus there was a lot of sawdust and detritus from previous work there, plus whatever the roofers added (mostly from cutting the opening for the ridge vent). I set up a table in the back bedroom, and handed the tools and hardware down to Laura. I then swept up as much as I could. I left a couple rakes, the air cleaner, the big trash can, and various pieces of scrap wood. When we're ready to work again (which won't be until it warms up some), I can better organize what I need, and not have to work around all the mess. I still need to close up the gable vents, and make sure the soffit vents are unobstructed, but I figure no rush on that. The ventillation will be stressed in the summer, not now.

Today is Steve's birthday. I figured I'd celebrate by cooking up a batch of chicken & dumplings. Bought some chicken legs for the purpose. Also picked up a pound each of ground beef and pork, plus some sweet potatoes and a turnip for a meatloaf later in the week, so I can do a bit of comfort cooking during the freeze.

Email (41 messages as of 12:15), mostly new music I'm in no mood to pursue:

• Christian Iszchak: 77 Favourite Albums of 2025.
• Mike Konczal: What Progressives Want to Know About Abundance.
• Letter to Christgau from Tyler White, a "master's student in journalism at the University of Missouri . . . conducting research for my master's thesis that examines the use of boundary work in music journalism."
• Chuck Eddy: ICE Storm.

Dinner was very good. I took a plate picture and sent it to Steve, noting his birthday. Laura wanted to watch a movie. I agreed to do it when dinner was ready. She was going to watch something else, but switched to Sinners since I was willing. I thought the whole vampire thing was pretty awful, although I didn't mind the Ku Klux Klan getting slaughtered at the end. I heard this set some kind of record for most Oscar nominations ever.

Brad Luen posted his Expert Witness Poll album results today. I should log them. While I'm at it, I'll transcribe them here, and add my grades in parentheses:

1. Tyler Childers: Snipe Hunter (Hickman Holler/RCA) [A-]
2. Mahotella Queens: Buya Buya (Umsakazo) [A-]
3. Wednesday: Bleeds (Dead Oceans) [A-]
4. CMAT: Euro-Country (CMATBaby/AWAL) [A-]
5. Craig Finn: Always Been (Thirty Tigers) [A-]
6. Lily Allen: West End Girl (BMG) [A-]
7. Geese: Getting Killed (Partisan) [B]
8. Big Thief: Double Infinity (4AD) [A-]
9. The Delines: Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom (Decor) [A-]
10. Rosalía: Lux (Columbia) [*]
11. PinkPantheress: Fancy That (Warner) [***]
12. Danny Brown: Stardust (Warp) [***]
13. Los Thuthanaka: Los Thuthanaka (none) [**]
14. Margo Price: Hard Headed Woman (Loma Vista) [A-]
15. Hüsker Dü: 1985: The Miracle Year (Numero Group []
16. Mekons: Horror (Fire) [A]
17. Mary Halvorson: About Ghosts (Nonesuch) [A-]
18. Patterson Hood: Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams (ATO) [A-]
19. Haim: I Quit (Columbia) [A-]
20. Jeffrey Lewis: The Even More Freewheelin' Jeffrey Lewis (Don Giovanni/Blang) [A-]
21. Wet Leg: Moisturizer (Domino) [**]
22. Buck 65: Keep Moving (Handsmade) [A-]
23. Maria Muldaur: One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey (Nola Blue) [A]
24. Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner: The Music of Anthony Braxton (Pi) [A]
25. James McMurtry: The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy (New West) [A-]
26. The Beths: Straight Line Was a Lie (Anti-) [***]
27. Edna Martinez Presents Picó!: Sound System Culture From the Colombian Caribbean (Strut) [A-]
28. Sudan Archives: The BPM (Stones Throw) [A-]
29. Jazzwrld & Thukuthela: The Most Wanted (Waltz Music Group/Empire) [**]
30. The Kasambwe Brothers: The Kasambwe Brothers (MASS MoCA) [A-]
31. Corook: Committed to a Bit (Atlantic) [A-]
32. Isaiah Collier/William Hooker/William Parker: The Ancients (Eremite) [A-]
33. Bad Bunny: Debí Tirar Más Fotos (Rimas Entertainment) [***]
34. Saint Etienne: International (Heavenly) []
35. Hailey Whitters: Corn Queen (Big Loud/Pigasus) [A-]
36. Erika de Casier: Lifetime (Independent Jeep Music) [**]
37. Stereolab: Instant Holograms on Metal Film (Duophonic/Warp) [*]
38. Little Simz: Lotus (Little Simz) [*]
39. Billy Woods: Golliwog (Backwoodz Studioz) [A-]
40. ALT BLK ERA: Rave Immortal (Earache) []
41. Moonchild Sanelly: Full Moon (Transgressive) [A-]
42. Adrianne Lenker: Live at Revolution Hall (4AD) [**]
43. Lucrecia Dalt: A Danger to Ourselves (RVNG) [***]
44. Marshall Allen: New Dawn (Mexican Summer) [***]
45. Fieldwork: Thereupon (Pi) [A-]
46. Hayley Williams: Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party (Post Atlantic) [**]
47. Titanic: Hagen (Unehard of Hope) []
48. Cate Le Bon: Michelangelo Dying (Mexican Summer) [**]
49. Juana Rozas: Tanya (self-released) []
50. Jason Isbell: Foxes in the Snow (Southeastern) [A-]
51. >Willi Carlisle: Winged Victory (Signature Sounds) [***]

Daily Log

Woke up about 10:30. I finished Kaplan's Dark Territory last night, and started John Heideman's Rogue Elephant. Still working on Loose Tabs, which is currently up to: 329 links, 24818 words (30291 total). I should try to wrap it up, but the short-term future looks pretty bleak: while it's in the 40s today, they're predicting up to 12 inches of snow tomorrow, followed by a sub-zero freeze and extreme cold as far as the forecast stretches out. That suggests to me that I should do a bunch of errands ASAP today, and put off writing until it hits and I have nothing better to do. Errands: I need to find (or buy) a snow shovel; replace a couple light bulbs (involving ladders, probably from garage); return library books (two were renewed, but one will be due on Jan. 25 (Artificial Intelligence All-in-One, which I haven't cracked open); I need to sweep out the attic, and bring stuff down, as we won't be working there for at least another week. Laura has moved her audiologist appointment up to this afternoon, so I have to work around that.

Quote-new computer is crashing without explanation. First problem was a week or two ago when Firefox crashed. I was only able to get it running again by wiping all the history. Then a few days ago, more stuff started hanging. Now I can't even login. I haven't spent any time seriously trying to debug it. The few things I use it for I can do on my working machine, but it too freaked out yesterday, forcing a hard reboot. Seems to be ok for now. Gremlins, I guess. Could shut me down at any moment. Seems like I should be doing something about this, but I'm hard-pressed to figure out what.

Email (29 messages):

• Wichita Public Library: 2 items renewed, 1 due Jan. 25. I should take them all back. I've lost interest in Robin Hood Math; never managed to open The Anthony Bourdain Reader or Artificial Intelligence All-in-One (a "Dummies" book).

Daily Log

I went to Max Brown's funeral yesterday. There was a graveside service after: cold and windy, with a small military honor guard (2 people; Max wasn't much of a soldier — at least he never talked about it — and I wonder whether he would have requested one). Then back to the church for a pretty nice buffet. Ken Brown came to the funeral, as well as the nephew/nieces from Arkansas. We retired to Max's farm house, which was still in pretty good order. I stayed there until about 8 PM, then drove back to Wichita.

I got a text from Tom James with a "final invoice" for the roof work, which looks to be be more than the estimate, yet still doesn't include the coating to fix the color screw up on the carport roof. I previously told him I didn't want to talk about it until next week — I called it a "cooling off period," which now I need more than ever. I made my week proposal before I heard that Max died, which has taken up most of my time since Saturday. Everything else has gone into Loose Tabs. I'd like to wrap that up today, but on some level I don't care when I finish it. All it's doing is pushing back Music Week (and whatever remedial poll work I have left), and I'm finding I'm caring very little about all that.

Email (47 messages, many left over from yesterday):

• ECM guitarist Ralph Towner (1940-2026) died.
• OR is publishing a book by Sasha Abramsky: American Carnage: How Trump, Musk and DOGE Butchered the US Government, "told through the experiences of eleven fired federal workers as their lives are thrown into chaos."
• Senator Marshall: "President Trump's first year back in the Whit eHouse has been nothing short of historic. . . Promises made, promises kept hve defined this administration, starting with decisive action to secure the border, restore law and order, and put the safety of American families first. . . . The same result-driven leadership has strengthened our economy and put working families back on solid ground. . . . At the same time, the President has put us on a realistic path to healthier living, worked to bring down prescription drug prices, and restored peace through strength abroad. It has been a truly transformative year, and this is just the beginning, with the wins only continuing to pile up for the American people."

Marianne Pyeatt posted about Max on Facebook. I originally thought about forwarding her post, then decided to write my own:

My cousin Max Brown has passed away. We went to his funeral in Douglas, KS yesterday, then congregated in his old house, which he had built with stone many years ago, mostly by hand, just himself and his wife Doris (who just died in 2022, a devastating blow to Max and all of us). We were joined by another cousin, Ken Brown, and by second cousins from Arkansas (Max's nephew and nieces), remembering just a few of the many stories we could share. I was also pleased to touch base with members of Doris's family I had come to know over the years. Max was a unique character, one who will be missed but long remembered: Smith Mortuary obituary.

Daily Log

Woke up at 8:30. Still reading Kaplan, on the post-Snowdon fall out, next to last chapter. Need to go to Max Brown's funeral today, 1 PM, in Douglas. Laura and I went to the viewing last night. Max was unrecognizable. Rhonda, Brenda, Tammy, and Richard were there, as was Richard's son Beau. We met a few others: a brother and sister of Max's late wife, Doris; a Pyeatt cousin who lives in Mulvane. We went out to Applebees for dinner afterwards. I delivered my cookies and brownies. I understand that the church will have food after the burial. Some (Richard and Beau) are planning on leaving right after, with the others leaving on Wednesday. I've offered to cook dinner on Wednesday, but so far no takers. Cold again today. Hope the outside bit is brief.

Email (21 messages at 9:45):

• Mike Konczal on "My 2026 Substack Goals": promises to post more reguarly; mostly research that is too complex for social media; has turned on paid subscriptions, but everything posted will be free; offers this note on AI:

  I use AI daily for research work, particularly with data analysis. I've used R for 20+ years and spent time as a software engineer, so it's easy for me to sanity-check AI code in real time.

  For posts, I write a first draft myself, and then do three AI passes. The first is as an editor, asking what needs more work, what can be tightened, and what phrasing is unclear. I've been writing as a contributor for over 15 years, so I have a sense of what great editing looks like, and approach AI in that way. The second pass is fact-checking and anticipating objections. The third is proofreading.

Daily Log

Shuffling dates here, as Loose Tabs isn't finished yet. I will, of course, hold Music Week back until I publish it. So for now, it's just floating above the daily grind. Tammy drove her sisters to Max's country estate near Douglas. Rhonda called, saying they had a nice drive, but were exhausted. Richard and his son Beau are supposed to arrive today, in time for the 5-7 viewing. I'll be there. Proabably Laura too, although I suspect she'll skip the Tuesday funeral. I'm lobbying for them to stay an extra day so I can fix dinner Wednesday. Seems unlikely. I made a batch of brownies and two batches of cookies (chocolate chip and oatmeal-raisin) to take with. That seems to be my default response to death: bake.

Got up around 11. Email (11 messages as of 12:24):

• Heard back from Jane Burns: "I don't drive very far anymore to store and beauty shop. We were the same age, I was about 2 months older. Getting old sucks. I was never sick until I got in my 80s. Found out last week I have diabetes, means no sugar and I was a sweet eater, things could be worse."

Daily Log

Woke up around 7, but went back to sleep, and sayed warm until 10:30 or so. Read some. Came down. A bit less cold today, but will get cold again tomorrow, then back into the 40s for later in the week. Monday and Tuesday will be taken up by Max Brown's funeral. I talked to Rhonda again last night. She, Brenda, and Tammy are driving to Douglas today. They're planning on staying in Max's old house, although he's been in a nursing home for a couple years now, so I wonder what kind of shape it's in. Viewing at mortuary in Derby is tomorrow, 5-7, so I'll hook up with them then. Richard is coming up Monday, and leaving after the funeral on Tuesday. His daughter, Ashley, is due to give birth, hence the rush. Tammy will probably want to leave soon too, and Brenda and Rhonda depend on her for the ride back, so this may be too short.

I need to do some prep today: get gas, go to grocery store. I'd like to cook something for after, so cookies and brownies may be the safest bet. I'd like to fix dinner, but that will take an extra day, and we may not have one. I still need to contact some people. Jan tells me that Ken is coming to the funeral, so will be good to see him there. Meanwhile today, I'll keep plugging away on Loose Tabs.

Email (16 messages by 1:05):

• Shock Hosting: server hostname has changed. As far as I know, I've never used the explicit hostname (wc-s2.serverpanel.com), so this may not affect me. I should try logging into whm.
• Michael Steinman: Nancy Harrow, Storyteller (Jan. 11, 2026).

Last day to vote in Brad Luen's 15th Annual Expert Witness Poll. Let's see if I can figure this out:

Albums: Split 100 points among your top 10 albums of 2025:

1. Maria Muldaur: One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey (Nola Blue) 16
2. Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner: The Music of Anthony Braxton (Pi) 14
3. Mekons: Horror (Fire) 12
4. Craig Finn: Always Been (Taramac/Thirty Tigers) 10
5. Saba & No I.D.: From the Private Collection of Saba and No I.D. (From the Private Collection) 9
6. Miguel Zenón Quartet: Vanguardia Subterranea: Live at the Village Vanguard (Miel Music) 9
7. Apathy: Mom & Dad (Dirty Version/Coalmine) 9
8. Fieldwork: Thereupon (Pi) 7
9. Billy Woods: Golliwog (Backwoodz Studioz) 7
10. The Ex: If Your Mirror Breaks (Ex) 7

Singles Name your top ten singles (you may add an asterisk by one single to give it an extra half-point):

EPs/mini-albums: Name up to five EPs or mini-albums. Assign an average of 2 points to each EP (i.e., divide 2 x N points among N albums, where N is 5 or less):

1. Six Sex: X-Sex (Dale Play, EP) 2

Special category Singers! Name up to five:

• Maria Muldaur
• Catherine Russell
• Sheila Jordan [RIP]
• Rebecca Kilgore [RIP]

Daily Log

They finished the roof yesterday. The crowning touch was replacing a piece of fallen vinyl soffit near the apex of the north gable. Two cosmetic problems: one is that they didn't slip the tab under the partial top piece, so you can see the nailing strip; the other is that, having fallen down 6-8 years ago, it's been sitting in my closet, accumulating less dirt than outside, so it looks relatively bright. I've lived without it this long, so I'm won't complain. My main complaint is that they put black mod-bit over the carport, where I previously had light-gray. The black will heat up even more in the summer than the gray does, which was already uncomfortable to venture onto. Nobody wants to tear it up and replace it with new material. Tom James suggested adding a coating to change the color. I asked for a week to think about it. If we do that, I'd be tempted to put a similar coating on the flat roof in the back. That will push back reinstalling the air conditioner, and working on the railing, but right now I'm in no rush. It was 22F when I got up.

I took a rare nap last night, and slept for 90 minutes. Got up and we watched the last two episodes of 7 Dials, an Agatha Christie mystery lacking either of her two top sleuths. I got up at 8:30 this morning, after a pretty solid sleep that hit 100 on the meter only by counting the previous nap. I read some, but I'm losing interest. The insider material on America's cyberwarriors is a long list of names and acronyms, with paranoia and pranks that are assumed to have importance, but only do within the war mindset. But a couple brief sections on Russian cyber operations in Estonia and Georgia point of the prospect of reckless mischief, which Putin has perpetuated. And then there's a tiny bit on Israel, where whole books could be (and probably have been) written.

I went back to bed, more seeking warmth than sleep, but after a few more pages, I put the gear on and logged a few more minutes. I can tell that I did get back to sleep as my thoughts eventually became irreal: I was picking up some stuff around the house, and turned a box over, with several bunnies hopping out. I finally got up and came down around 11.

I got a call yesterday that Max Brown died. He was my oldest living cousin, 89, unless Lee Brown is still alive (last time I tried looking him up, I saw something that he might not be, but I didn't quite trust the report). Rhonda Pyeatt called, and we had a long talk. Jan called later (actually called Laura), and said she had heard from Brenda Metcalf.

Email (8 messages by 11:50):

• Robert Wright: The Iranian Blood on Trump's (and Biden's) Hands
• Chuck Tahirali offered thanks for the poll, plus a couple corrections. I wrote Bill Marx, who fixed them.

Daily Log

Got up shortly after 8. Machine rated last night's sleep a 75. Not sure it even feels that good. I took my book to the bathroom, but sat down before I realized I forgot to turn the light switch on. Roofers showed up around 8:30. I went out and complained about the carport roof: the old one was light gray, but they glued down black. I asked one of the guys whether they were done with it. He said they still have some silicone to do. There's a bit of curl at the edges, that needs attention. Also there are irregularities in the surface, which suggest pockets of trapped air. Things to talk about with Tom James, when he arrives.

Knowing about the screw up probably contributed to my poor sleep. Biggest problem most of the night was inability to breathe through my nose, and very dry mouth.

Email (10 messages when I started; up to 19 at 9:26).

• Project Syndicate wants $100/year for a digital subscription. Might be worth it if I was making any money off my blogging, but that's a big ask for me just now.
• Chuck Eddy: "Life Goes On," some touching ruminations following the death of his son Linus (1985-2025). Includes links to other pieces he wrote, including "150 Best Albums of 2025: 7200 words about rock reportedly returning without rockism, artificial intelligence and algorithms (and video games) and the genres they've spawned, new romanticism and new maximalism and max stimuli (or is it just prog?), sounds (and the musicians who make them) crossing national borders, rap not dying, bland pop eternal, music in dialogue, women dominating rock/metal/country, old relics sticking around, permanence and meaning, one of Aerica's worst years ever and almost nobody singing about it, the future if there is one and my 150 favorite albums of 2025." Unfortunately, it's all paywalled.

Daily Log

Got up just before 8. Roofers had just arrived. I expected to have to move the car, but they backed their truck and trailer into the driveway, and are working around the car in the carport. I walked the dog, then settled into working on Loose Tabs. I figured I'd start by going through Vox since early December. Spent all yesterday on that, and haven't finished. I set up Friday as publication date, but the amount of stuff, both alarming and bizarre, in the two months since my last post is enormous. At most I'll provide a sampling, one reason to focus on a single, broad-focused publication.

Email (12 messages by 9:00 AM):

• Paul Medrano asked about publishing his "Listener's Companion" to the poll. I urged him to go ahead.
• The Intercept: lots of articles I should probably cite in Loose Tabs.
• Four pieces of email from Records Trivia. I unsubscribed.
• Sen. Roger Marshall says he's introduced a Credit Card Competition Act. What and how isn't clear. More competitors to cut in on the Visa/Mastercard duopoly? He blames Biden for "four years of sky-high inflation." And says Trump has suggested "a one-year, 10% cap on credit card rates." One year? This is an issue that has considerable appeal. Where are Democrats on it?

I got this letter from Lou Jean:

Dear Tom, Laura, Steve, and Josie,

This note will not correct for my communication failures, in spite of your thoughtful efforts to stay connected. But I hope it will let you know that I do think of you often and with fond memories going back through the better part of a century now. ("Better" meaning way more than half, not necessarily better by some standard of judgement, although the trajectory to darkness we're in now can feel uniquely horrid in my adult lifetime.)

I'm sending these cards about Jack because you have expressed admiration and affection for him that I have not acknowledged. In fact, I included in his memorial program what you, Steve posted online about him — so true!! He always loved time to visit with all of you and admired you right back too!!

My life in the last year has been to carry on what we always did together, to work nonstop to try to make the world a little better, and to find ways so the family young ones know him and his spirit. Without that, I could not escape the grief, the loss. I was the luckiest person in the world for 43 years, and thankfully, our love and our memories are a blessing forever. Our awesome family includes 28 grand- and great-grandkids, with another to arrive in February — all adorable, of course.

Of my siblings, Ken and I have to thank Jan for staying in better touch with cousins, and she shares news bits with us. I could try another new year's resolution, but they were never effective for me anyway, and the older we get the easier it is to forget what we intend to do. So, I'm just writing to wish you and your loved ones good health and much joy in the coming year!! And, to share hope against fascism, cruelty, and greed!! To recommend, in honor of our Arkansas roots, Jesse Welles for your music enjoyment.

And sending much much love from the Buffalo family.

Daily Log

Woke up moments before the door bell rang, at 8:00 AM. Roofers were here, and wanted me to move the car to the street. Even so, with no morning routine, only sitting down at computer at 8:30, with no reading. Car is in the street. They backed a pickup with a fairly small trailer into the driveway. Even before, they had started scraping and throwing things off the roof. Not sure how many people are here. Probably 3 or 4.

Email (20 messages at 9:30):

Daily Log

Woke up at 8. Got a bit less than 5 hours of sleep, but figured I couldn't get much more. Read a bit, then came down. Still no evidence of roofers at 9, but shouldn't be much longer. Bill Marx went ahead and started posting Poll pieces yesterday, forcing my hand to say it's up. I scrambled to update the website: take down the voter information notes, add links to the ArtsFuse, unlock the ballots and results. Only did the 2025 directory. Top level is unchanged, and needs work. I sent out email to jpadmin, jazzpoll, jpmedia. I posted notices on BlueSky and X. I wrote up and posted Music Week. I wrote Marx this morning, to suggest he pay Henkin for his article.

Roofers still not here at 9:20. Playing Professor Longhair. Will work on the jigsaw a bit, then breakfast.

Email (20 messages by 9:20):

Music Week

Expanded blog post, January archive (in progress).

Tweet: Music Week: 49 albums, 3 A-list

Music: Current count 45431 [45382] rated (+49), 14 [9] unrated (+5).

New records reviewed this week:

• Sophie Agnel: Learning (2023-24 [2025], Otoroku): [bc]: B+(***)
• Brigitte Beraha's Lucid Dreamers: Teasing Reflections (2024 [2025], Let Me Out): [sp]: B+(***)
• Blue Moods: Force & Grace (2024 [2025], Posi-Tone): [sp]: B+(**)
• Silvia Bolognesi & Eric Mingus: Is That Jazz? Celebrating Gil Scott Heron Live (2024 [2025], Fonterossa): [bc]: B+(***)
• Silvia Bolognesi: Jungle Duke (2024 [2025], Caligola): [sp]: B+(**)
• Jakob Bro/Wadada Leo Smith/Marilyn Crispell/Andrew Cyrille: The Montclair Session (2022 [2025], Loveland Music): [sp]: B+(*)
• Jakob Bro/Wadada Leo Smith/Marcus Gilmore: Murasaki (2025, Loveland Music): [bc]: B+(**)
• Jakob Bro & Midori Takada: Until I Met You (2024 [2025], Loveland Music): [sp]: B+(**)
• Jakob Bro Large Ensemble: New Morning (2023 [2025], Loveland Music): [sp]: B+(*)
• Jakob Bro & Joe Lovano with Larry Grenadier, Thomas Morgan, AC, Jorge Rossy & Joey Baron: Live at the Village Vanguard (2023 [2025], Loveland Music): [bc]: B+(***)
• John Butcher/Phil Durrant/Mark Wastell: Around the Square, Above the Hill (2024, Confront): [bc]: B+(*)
• Caelan Cardello: Chapter One (2025, Jazz Bird): [sp]: B+(**)
• Dena DeRose: Mellow Tones (2024 [2025], HighNote): [sp]: B+(**)
• Erez Dessel: Pro Fake No Reject (2024 [2025], Corbett vs. Dempsey): [bc]: B+(*)
• Nick Dunston: Reverse Broadcast (2024 [2025], Carrier): [sp]: B
• Nick Dunston: Colla Voce: Praylewd (2022 [2025], Out of Your Head): [bc]: B
• El Infierno Musical: II (2025, Klanggalerie): [bc]: B+(**)
• Kurt Elling/Christian Sands: Wildflowers Vol. 3 (2025, Big Shoulders): [sp]: B-
• Extraordinary Popular Delusions: The Last Quintet (2023 [2025], Corbett vs. Dempsey): [bc]: A-
• Fred Hersch/Rondi Charleston: Suspended in Time: A Song Cycle (Resilience Music Alliance) ** [B+(*)]
• Art Hirahara: Peace Unknown (2021 [2025], Posi-Tone): [sp]: B+(*)
• Johnny Iguana: At Delmark: Chicago-Style Solo Piano (2025, Delmark): [sp]: B+(**)
• Chris Ingham Quintet: Walter/Donald (2025, Downhome): [bc]: B+(*)
• Italian Surf Academy + Denver Butson: Ennio Morricone Is Dissolving (2024 [2025], 41st Parallel): [bc]: A-
• Martin Küchen/Mathias Landæus: Müæm (2023 [2024], SFÄR): [bc]: B+(***)
• Mathias Landæus/Nina de Heney/Kresten Osgood: Dissolving Patterns (2023 [2025], SFÄR): [bc]: B+(**)
• Hanna Paulsberg Concept & Elin Rosseland: Himmel Over Hav (2023 [2025], Grappa): [bc]: B+(*)
• Hery Paz: Fisuras (2024 [2025], Porta-Jazz/Carimbo): [sp]: B+(**)
• Marcelo dos Reis/Flora: Our Time (2025, JACC): [bc]: B+(***)
• Juan Romeros Manuella Orkester: Lua Armonia (2025, Supertraditional): [sp]: B+(**)
• Akira Sakata/Giotis Damianidis/Giovanni Di Domenico/Aleksandr Škorić/Paal Nilssen-Love/Petros Damianidis/Tatsuhisa Yamamoto: Hyperentasis: Live in Thessaloniki (2023-25 [2025], Defkaz): [bc]: B+(***)
• Boz Scaggs: Detour (2025, Concord): [sp]: B+(**)
• Noura Mint Seymali: Yenbett (2025, Glitterbeat): [bc]: B+(***)
• Vinnie Sperrazza/Jacob Sacks/Masa Kamaguchi: Play Elmo Hope (2024 [2025], Fresh Sound): [sp]: B+(**)
• Kandace Springs: Lady in Satin (2025, SRP): [sp]: B+(*)
• Ben Stapp: Uzmic Ro'Samg (2025, 577): [dl]: B+(**)
• David Virelles: Igbó Alákorin (The Singer's Grove) III [Theatrical Cut] (2025, El Tivoli Productions): [bc]: B+(***)
• Gabriel Zucker: Confession (2023 [2025], Boomslang): [cd]: B+(**)

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

• 3 Concerts Per a A.T.: In Der Kestner Gesellschaft Hannover (1998 [2025], Corbett vs. Dempsey): [bc]: B+(*)
• Rashied Ali Quintet Featuring Frank Lowe: Sidewalks in Motion (2001 [2025], Survival): [sp]: B+(***)
• Derek Bailey/John Stevens: The Duke of Wellington (1989 [2025], Confront): [bc]: B+(*)
• Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers: Strasbourg 82 (1982 [2025], Gearbox): [sp]: B+(***)
• The Bottle Tapes (1996-2005 [2025], Corbett vs. Dempsey, 6CD): [dl]: A-
• Kenny Burrell With Art Blakey: On View at the Five Spot Café: The Complete Masters (1959 [2025], Blue Note): [sp]: B+(**)
• Jacques Coursil: Black Suite (1969 [2025], BYG): [sp]: B+(***)
• Miles Davis: The Musings of Miles (1955 [2025], Craft): [sp]: B+(**)
• Yusef Lateef: Golden Flower: Live in Sweden (1967-72 [2025], Elemental Music): [sp]: B+(***)
• Spiritual Jazz 18: Behind the Iron Curtain: Esoteric, Modal, and Progressive Jazz From Central and Eastern Europe (1962-1988) (1962-88 [2025], Jazzman): [sp]: B+(***)

Old music:

• Jacques Coursil Unit: Way Ahead (1969, BYG): [yt]: B+(**)
• Italian Surf Academy: Barbarella Reloaded (2017, Mode Avant): [sp]: B+(*)
• Italian Surf Academy: Fake Worlds (2016 [2022], 41st Parallel): [sp]: B+(**)

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• Eddie Allen's Push: Rhythm People (Origin) [01-16]
• Michael Dease With the MSU Jazz Trombones: Spartan Strong (Origin) [01-16]
• Gil Livni: All In (OA2) [01-16]
• Kate Olsen: So It Goes (OA2) [01-16]
• Paul Ricci: The Path (Origin) [01-16]
• Mattias Svensson: Embrace (Origin) [01-16]

Daily Log

Left 18 pieces of mail unexamined last night. That counts my one to jpadmin, recounting the poll status. I've delivered three articles to ArtsFuse, with five (shorter) ones to go. Got up at 9, and read more in Kaplan's cyberwarfare book. Mostly things I know, dropping lots of names I don't know. Second chapter reminds me how primitive computing was in the 1990s compared to what we know and do today. I'm already convinced that the problem isn't the technology but the malevolence built into our social systems, mostly government and business, with their power drives and self-exculpating morals.

Tom James wants to come over ASAP to look at the carport, and decide how to "level" the former post areas. My suspicion is that there is rotten wood underneath, and that it should be reinforced if not removed, but Tom only wants to recover the surface without looking under it. I'm waiting until afternoon, when AC person will come over to disconnect the mini-split. Cold (37°F) this morning, but clear and supposed to warm up to 56. Tomorrow should be a bit warmer but cloudy, then a cold front enters and the rest of the week is high 40s, low 20s. Shingles are supposed to arrive today, which probably means a truck with an extension ladder that can deposit them on the roof. No specific time on that.

I need to finish going through Marx's edit of the essays, and send them off to him. Not sure whether to dive straight in, or wait until after breakfast. Playing Lester Young at the moment. Email (31 messages):

• Substack stats for "Editing Help Wanted: 92 views, 1 like, 0 subscribers. Pretty much a complete bust. [Later: +1 like.]
• TomDispatch: Rebecca Gordon's 99th piece. Makes me wonder why I haven't published my first yet.
• Brad Luen: miscellaneous lists; voting thread: 15th annual Expert Witness Poll ("plus: you can finally pay me for this!"). Rationale for paid tier includes guest columns. I should think more about this later. The idea that occurs to me is that I could raise money to pay for an intern to edit my site.
• João Madeira: new album download.
• Michael Steinman on Rebecca Kilgore.
• Mail back from Gene Seymour and Jeff Tamarkin complaining that I didn't count their ballots. I didn't receive them. They're pretty reliable voters, which is why I included them in my "final vote grubbing" mailing on 12/23, but no response then. I signed up for Seymour's Substack. Seymour reciprocated.

Daily Log

Not sure when I got up. My eyes don't work when they first open, but the CPAP measured 100, and by the time I had read some — I tried Robin Hood Math last night, and didn't get into it (something about devising your own ranking systems as a counter to their ranking systems), I picked up Kaplan's cyberwarfare book and read the first chapter — come down, glanced at a couple emails, and opened this up, it was 12:30.

I took a bit of time yesterday to fix dinner. I posted about it here:

Laura liked the salmon roe we served with latkes so much she ordered some more. Then she asked me to make her sushi with it. This is what I came up with. I had most of what I needed, including frozen eel, which I broiled and used in the roll and on its own. I had tofu and made dashi from kombu and katsuobishi, adding soy and mirin to the sauce; I didn't have raw salmon, but thought my salt-cured salmon might substitute nicely; I had the nori and pickled ginger, but my old wasabi was lame, so I ran over to the grocery store to pick up some very strong tube paste, and also an avocado for the unagi roll. Presentation was pretty sloppy: my rice didn't stick together very well, so tended to crumble; and the unagi sauce came out in irregular blobs, so I can't claim much for the presentation. It's been decades since I've done anything like this, and I'm clearly out of practice. Back in Boston I knew a place where I could get pretty much anything (like wooden boxes of uni). The first meal I prepared for Laura was mostly sushi. But it's harder to get ingredients in Wichita, and easier to go to restaurants. But it's doable if these ingredients suffice.

I made one cup of rice, and (I think) three cups of dashi. I only used half of the bean curd package. It was extra firm, and I was expecting it to brown a bit more, so I overcooked it, making it dry and tough. We have some rice and dashi left over, and a lot of roe, but the eel went fast. It's gotten pretty expensive, but I have another one in the freezer, so it wouldn't be hard to reprise this meal. I'm not exactly looking forward to it. Not much reaction to the Facebook post.

Resolved that today will be the last day before sending off the poll essays. Actually, Marx's response to looking at the drafts has been to format them as ready to go. I'll look at that after breakfast, as well as edits suggested by Nathan Van Wyck and Phil Freeman. More on email below. Nothing I can see in response to yesterday's Substack post ("Editing Help Wanted"; 1 like, no comments, no direct mail). Maybe just something I felt a need to get off my chest, but it's hard not to feel embarrassed right now. I started moving stuff around the Debut piece last night, and left it broken. I'm not sure I can do this, or even keep it together.

Email (14 messages):

• Phil Freeman suggested some edits. Good.
• Nathan Van Wyck sent in a set of edits.
• Sergio Piccirilli: Results of the El Intruso poll, which are pretty interesting in contrast to what we're doing.
• Project Syndicate: Lots of interesting articles I can't afford, including some I'm suspicious of, like "Richard Haass explains by the US military intervention and arrest of Nicolás Maduro will play well in Beijing and Moscow." Also: "Timothy Snyder draws parallels between the US president's act of war and the history of imperialism and fascism." And "Mohamed ElBaradei thinks new technologies and geopolitical tensions are pushing the world to the edge of the abyss."

More excised from the jazz poll essays:

I suggested killing off this category, but Francis remained attached to it, so I tried fine-tuning it instead. I allowed two minor exceptions to his strict definition: I decided that only the first name in a multiple-artist credit should be counted. (I didn't want to exclude a genuinely new artist just because they managed to get William Parker to play bass, and put his name on the credits list.) This has had some perverse effects, like allowing a Karen Borca album to pass as a debut in 2024 (the same year her 1998-2005 archival tape appeared), and two records this year by well-known sidemen: Thomas Morgan (a bassist who has appeared on 150 albums) and Marcus Gilmore (a drummer with 100). They finished 2nd and 5th, and might have done better had we offered them as nominees.

The second change, which possibly argued against voting for Morgan or Gilmore, was that I allowed some subjective determination of what is a debut. For instance, in 2024 I allowed voters to overlook a 9-year-old self-released solo bass album by Kim Cass to vote for a new full-band album playing his compositions, released on Pi. Nonetheless, he only came in 5th. More often, the way this works is that I often assume that I don't need to research a vote for someone I've never heard of. I wouldn't be surprised to find 5-10 albums that got votes could have been disqualified by a more rigorous judge.

Daily Log

Bad night sleeping. Got up around 9, and stayed up for lack of any better ideas. I have a lot of work to do this weekend, although it is possible that most of it will turn out to be nothing more than deciding to put a lid on the work I've already done. I wrote this about the jazz poll last night:

All 8 ArtsFuse essays are more or less presentable. A couple have notes, but I haven't done much on that front yet. I'd appreciate it if you would look through these, and let me know about whatever problems, questions, etc., you see.

Only response this morning is from Bill Marx, who wants to know when he can start inserting the stuff into WordPress. I wrote back saying that I expected to sign off on the essays Sunday night, so he can start working Monday morning. At this point, I basically just need some confidence that what I'm writing is good enough to publish. As I noted, I'm having a hard time keeping all of this straight in my head. I could have added that my confusion is only compounding my usual high level of self-doubt. Nor did I add that the whole exercise is eroding my belief that the enterprise itself is worthwhile.

Email (10 messages by 10:06):

• Robert Wright on "some useful Trump-Hitler comparisons (in light of Minneapolis and Venezuela)." I'm sorry to say that the Hitler comparisons are becoming the only useful ones, because nothing else lives up to the present.
• Laura pointed me to a fairly long Facebook post by Corey Robin on his writing process, and how he's struggled writing a review of Sven Beckert's Capitalism: A Global History. The piece is not only good on its own, the comments in response are pretty good as well.

I published a short piece on Substack: Editing Help Wanted. Trying to close out the poll writing/editing, and nothing conveys desperation like pleading for help. I've had very little success doing this in the past, but what the fuck?

Daily Log

Slept until 10. Someone from Arambula ringed the bell. Laura was up and got it. They said they'd work on the roof next week. Just wanted to take a look today. Glad they missed this week, given all the work I've had to do on the poll. We saw Terry Gross on Colbert last night. She talked about Francis, but didn't mention the poll. I'm beginning to feel like everyone's forgotten about the poll. Makes me wonder why I haven't given up on it. Or maybe I have? Maybe that's why this is going so slow? I had the thought about music in 2025 that maybe this isn't normal. Maybe we actually are dead, and just haven't noticed it yet? In any given year, most of the releases were recorded a year or more ago. The present just hasn't caught up with us yet.

I think the cut-back Davis essay works ok, and I have more than enough for New. I've done quite a bit on Old, and it's close to done. The categories need to be restructured, but not much to that, and not much more to say. The Voters piece is pretty good. So is the RIP piece. I've already added a couple Notes. I'm thinking I can turn it all over to Marx by Monday, so it should come out next week. But I'm getting no feedback from jpadmin. I've updated the website, but haven't conveyed much of this. Passive-aggressive, sure. We'll let the chips fall where they may.

Email (29 messages by 11:42; listening to Fats Waller, going to work on the jigsaw a bit):

• Rebecca Kilgore died, a jazz singer who mostly did retro-swing standards for Arbors. I have 15 of her records rated, 1 A-. I posted a YouTube of "Make Someone Happy." I late got a touching piece by Michael Steinman on her.
• New York Public Library has acquired Tom Verlaine's archives. Good chance there is a lot of interest there.
• Chuck Eddy, mostly links to other work, including 2600 words on "The Unbearable Whiteness of Trousers" (that's the infamously discophobic Trouser Press).
• Kavita Shaw remembering Sheila Jordan.

More surplus writing from the jazz poll essays:

From 2006-13, the Reissues category had been won by four Mosaic boxes (Anthony Braxton, Louis Armstrong, Henry Threadgill, and Mingus), three Miles Davis boxes, and the previously mentioned 1965 Mingus At UCLA. Mosaic's dominance ended as the number of voting critics expanded while their promotion lists shrunk — I imagine that a large share of those who still get the sets vote for them, but their numbers rarely dent the top-20 these days. Miles Davis's Bootleg Series won again in 2015, but otherwise the category has been dominated by previously unreleased or expanded live recordings, some coming from major labels, others from archival upstarts, especially Resonance (which notched is fourth win this year), with a third win for Charles Mingus.

The winner's vote share has often been volatile, with winners down near Cecil Taylor's 25.1% in 2022 in years when there wasn't a dominant major label discover — the high was Coltrane in 2018 with 53.5%, followed by more Coltrane, Dolphy, and/or Monk over 40%. (Mingus has three wins, but his high share is 28.5%.)

One key thing here is that while the New Jazz Releases section represents a wide diversity of artists with many different creative approaches, Rara Avis is driven mostly by labels pursuing business strategies. It wouldn't be hard to count a dozen distinct ones, most to marginal to have any real effect on the poll. But the net effect is that it's very hard to compare records, or even to decide whether to compare them. For instance, I have no interest in new vinyl of albums I already have on CD, but I did make a point of streaming reissues of an old label like Strata-East, which I remember fondly but haven't heard in ages. As for new live tapes of old familiar artists, some are revelatory, while others are just nice nostalgia. Reactions there are often very personal, which tends to scatter votes widely, which means it doesn't take very many votes for an obscure pick to sneak up the charts.

We've had years before where the winner's vote share is down around 25%. In 2022, Cecil Taylor won with 25.1% (on points, beating a Mingus album that got +6 votes), but that was a lull between Coltrane wins of 49.3% and 41.5%.

Daily Log

Got up at 9. Looks like it had rained. Having finished The Bomb, I started Robin Hood Maths, was struck by the author's command of his much data is being generated and tracked these days, but turned off a bit by the self-help promises. Then I picked up Afterglow, where Francis Davis wrote up his final interviews with Pauline Kael. Slim book. I'll probably finish it first.

Had another horrible day of procrastination yesterday, but when I finally did start looking at my essays, I made a small bit of progress. I managed two things:

1. I did a fair amount of editing to the introduction to the Davis piece, then excised the old text after the table of contents, moving it to my notebook. I added John Szwed's note to that section. The resulting piece is more or less usable as is, although it has room to grow if/when I circle back around to it.

2. I set up a file and copied all of the comments into it. Thus far I've only used the Szwed comment, but the others are waiting. Sure, most need considerable editing.

CPAP machine read 90 when I got up, but I'm already feeling very tired. After 11, and I haven't even found music to play yet. Time to get moving. Email (32 messages, but none look promising):

• Intercept: This Isn't the First Killing by ICE — and It Won't Be the Last.
• Wichita Public Library: 3 books renewed.
• TomDispatch: Michael Klare on "will the US and Russia abandon all nuclear constraints?"

I wasn't available to find an album on Spotify that seemed likely to be there (I've found other albums from same artist and label), so I thought I'd try Napster. I did, and couldn't find any music at all. Rather, they gave me a screen full of "companions" — complete strangers, of no interest to me. After looking around a bit, I found something that said they're "no longer a music streaming platform," but have become some kind of "AI experience." I canceled my subscription, which goes back to Rhapsody days, c. 2008. Took me several attempts to get through to them, but just got confirmation.

Daily Log

I sent email to jpadmin on the advanced state of the essays. No response as of noon, when I finally sat down at the computer. I got up after 10, read the end of The Bomb (which covers Trump and North Korea, but doesn't mention Biden), as well as the Acks and some footnotes. Not sure what book goes next. I still have Kaplan's book on cyber warfare, which intrigues me mostly because the whole activity makes so little sense to me. At least with nuclear policy, it was always clear that the theorists were untethered from reality, and that the entire domain of their thoughts was fantasy. That's probably every bit as true for cyber, but with nuclear at least you could calculate destruction, and in the end those numbers proved sobering. But who knows with cyber? Probably no one, but certainly a small subset of those who think they know.

Dumpster arrived next door, so they're finally disposing of the wreckage they've torn out of the house. Presumably it will be here until they redo the roof, so that will lapse into next week. Our own roof will probably happen next week. I rather hope nothing happens until then, as I have much too much other stuff to deal with.

Email (26 messages): I literally deleted everything, including a bunch of 2026 advance downloads. I couldn't be more disinterested. One thing I am doing is moving the rest of the poll picks into my list of 2025 jazz albums to consider (the sub-2% section). Much there I'm never going to listen to, but I need to play something while I attempt to write.

• I redeemed a Bandcamp code for a Ben Stapp album, but it wasn't added to my collection, I didn't get any email confirmation or help on downloading. I downloaded the file, and vlc wouldn't run it. It appears that it can only run "deflate" files, not "store" (and that's what Bandcamp has been feeding me lately). So to play it, I have to unzip it into a temporary directory, then run vlc on that directory. There must be a better way.

I'm editing the essays for the jazz critics poll, with a desperate eye toward wrapping them up. In many cases, the easiest way to do this is to rip out things I had written that weren't really going anywhere. For instance, the original intro to the Francis Davis piece:

I organized the 20th Annual Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll back in November for pretty much the same reason I did the 19th in 2024: I had nothing better to do, and welcomed distraction from the world, not least from my compulsion to comment on it. Granted, my mood has changed from dread to despair and dismay, but those aren't conditions I can do much about. But a jazz critics poll is something tangible I could do. I have the technical skills, and the contacts, and thanks to Francis Davis, some measure of credibility. He started his poll in 2006, as the lead jazz critic at the Village Voice, which had a history of running far-ranging polls, and kept it going ever since. I wrote occasional reviews for the Voice, which qualified me to vote in that first poll, and later helped out, turning into one of those secretaries who eventually takes over by having become indispensible (a stereotype in political causes, with the most infamous example Stalin). Moreover, I was fortunate enough that I had the time, and didn't need the money. I saw the poll as a good cause, one meant not to sell records but to help people find joy. And in that it was more straightforward (and less perilous) than most poliical causes.

But one motivation did change this year: my work in 2024 was meant to please Francis, and thank him for trusting me with what was still very much his poll; this year it's more to honor him. In the meantime, he died, finally succumbing to ailments that he explained in his 19th and last poll essay. But also, by then I had gotten caught up in his experience of the poll as a community building exercise. As far back as 2010, he had started talking about the poll as "my labor of love" and described how his inbox had become "just about my only social life." I noted how he signed his invitations "your colleague," and I tried to follow his lead, even going so far as to suggest that critics reluctant to rank lists should just jot down a few albums titles they'd like to recommend to their friends. I wanted to make voting easy, and friendly. I worried that critics would be far less impressed receiving invitations from me, but most were very welcoming, and generous, as they, too, wanted the enterprise to continue. We filled a need, no less real for being economically marginal. Like jazz itself, an art that makes light of capitalism.

I needn't remind you that Francis was a superb writer and critic. (Terry Gross talks about him here. The New York Times and Philladelphia Enquirer wrote obituaries, as did Nate Chinen, Jon Garelick, David A. Graham, Allen Lowe, and Michael J. West.

Daily Log

Horrible day writing yesterday, winding up with little more than three paragraphs on the Davis piece, as my deadline for delivery slipped away. I fidgeted. I snacked, relentlessly (my weight having already climbed back to 214 a few days ago). I came within a hair of finishing the jigsaw puzzle (close enough I can't touch it this morning, as Laura likes to finish them together). I gave no thought to Music Week, which at this rate I'm likely to miss completely. At the end I started compiling Davis quotes from his poll pieces, but only got through 2006, at a pace that's unlikely to be useful.

I did wake up thinking, and have a couple ideas on how to proceed. The Davis piece needs to start differently, with a declaration that our leader is gone but we're still here, and while this started as his poll, now it's ours. Then I introduce the table of contents. Beyond that I can add my ruminating about why he (and I) have kept the poll going so long. Then I need to move over to New, and there I can get grim about the world and hopeful about the art, but not too hopeful, perhaps because the art isn't all that great. After that, it's mostly a matter of going back over the pieces, making the structure more uniform, setting up the Notes sections, and seeding them with some initial examples.

Email (18 messages): most notable thing here is that none of them relate to the poll. Implicit message is stop caring.

• Adam O'Farrill advance from Out of Your Head.
• Close to noon, Larry Blumenfeld did ask, "Poll up yet?" He later sent a few paragraphs on Latin Jazz.

Daily Log

Slept until 10. Read about Obama's interest in, and inept handling of, nuclear disarmament. Like so much else, a litany of opportunities lost mostly because he never was willing to clearly break with the inanities and misconceptions. This cycling of Republican and Democrat presidents going back to Nixon is like alternating bouts of cancer and chemo: the cancer is trying to kill you, although sometimes you still feel euphoric; the chemo saves your life, but all you feel is shitty. While some people know better, others long for the good old days, when they had cancer but felt better. And so it cycles.

Got a text from Tom James. Some problem with the flashing I don't understand. Says they'll have materials later this week. The roof isn't a headache I need right now. I failed to get my essays done yesterday. I'll try again today. At this point it's just a lot of stuff to juggle in my mind. I should go ahead and take a stab at the Davis essay, as that's always been the linchpin of the whole deal. Then make a pass and try to line up everything else behind it.

I got a replacement for the UPS battery yesterday. The UPS has been erupting periodically with warning beeps, and once conked out completely, so I've been on tenderhooks the last couple days. I shut the system down late last night, and swapped in the battery. I then let it charge overnight, before bringing the computer up this morning. Looks good. I haven't swapped the keyboards yet. I've ordered, but don't yet have, the weather station power adapter. Currently running it on battery power, which seems to be dead for now (although I thought that yesterday, then had it return in the evening, when the dim screen was easier to see).

Email (15 messages, so far):

• Last night I dug through some spam and found a ballot from Franpi Barriaux dated 12/24, raising the question as to whether I should count it. I asked folks, and got both yes and no answers, but went with yes. I did several updates yesterday, both before and after.
• Simon Hedger sent me a code for The Bottle Tapes. It was messier to download than usual, but I spent 6-8 hours playing it yesterday. Pretty extraordinary. Considering buying a copy, but I never buy anything these days, as I never have time to play old records.
• Brad Luen sent me a revised chart on voter turnout and winner shares. Looks like something I can probably use.
• OR Books has a timely book by Anya Parampil, Corporate Coup: Venezuela and the End of US Empire, noting: "It's not the first US attempt to seize power in Venezuela. Last time, it didn't go so well." Blurbs include Roger Waters, Tucker Carlson, and Oliver Stone, so that seems a bit shaky. Evidently she writes for Grayzone, which is useful on some things but not on others. Book came out in 2024, and focuses on the Juan Guaido farce. How far back it goes beyond that isn't clear, but US involvement, including "gun boat diplomacy" troops, goes way back.
• Vox: Articles on Venezuela, including Zack Beauchamp "Donald Trump was never a dove," and Eric Levitz "Did Trump relaly invade Venezuela for oil?" (he says "No. Also, maybe.")
• I asked several people whether I should say "Francis" or "Davis" in the articles. All four opted for "Francis."
• Andrey Henkin sent in his "In Memoriam" draft. Looks good, but I won't be able to work on it right away.

Daily Log

Got up just before 9. Read about the bomb-addled diplomatic failures with North Korea, where at least half of the problem went unexamined, as introspection about the motives and mindset of US foreign policy isn't allowed, even by writers who should know better — who spend their whole careers exposing the repeated failures such mindset generates. I'm deeply troubled by yesterday's news on Venezuela, to the extent that I feel I should be writing about it instead of sorting through the year in jazz, which I'm coming to see not just as a muddle but as perhaps the manic twitchings of a still warm corpse. America is bein run by gangsters, who think they can act with impugnity, and are eagerly testing their limits. As always, the core sin is faith in the efficacy of power, which they worship and lust for.

Yesterday was supposed to be my big push forward on the essays. I got very little done. Not nothing, but very little of what I needed. As I recall, I wrote a bit more on Old, and I added the table to New. I also started writing in Voters: three paragraphs of intro there; looks like it needs two more. I moved a bunch of Old intro past the list, and should probably do the same with Debut. As a rule, I should get to the lists after 2-3 paragraphs, and leave the explication for later. Voters may be the exception here, as the list is just that, the sort of thing you bury at the end of an Acknowledgments piece. I found myself thinking about adding another piece, "I Guess It's My Poll Now," but I should probably hold off on that, and maybe even reserve it for my Substack. But while New should be the main thrust of my writing today, I should at least start to sketch out the Davis piece, as I need it to introduce the now-balkanized section, and I have some good comments to hang off of it.

Email (5 messages): couldn't be more useless. Well, except for:

• Poject Syndicate: Subject line: Why haven't Trump's tariffs crashed the US economy? ("Jeffrey Frankel explains why a disaster deferred in 2025 may not be a disaster denied in 2026.") Actually looks like they have a bunch of interesting-looking articles.

Daily Log

Got up too early, before 9. Read more Bomb, going from Reagan to Bush. Weighed myself, up to 214. Laura tells me that Trump somehow managed to kidnap Maduro, and is flying him to New York to stand trial for something or other. Probably better than Miami, or Guantanamo, but Trump is less concerned with justice than with ratings, and to get that he needs a show trial. Think of all the press Obama missed out on by just having Osama Bin Laden shot on the spot. Sure, the move could be a "teachable moment," like Eichmann in Jerusalem, but what's the case? I doubt they've thought that part through. So they may wind up having to stage a suicide, like with Epstein?

Internet went out last night, then my computer crashed. Actually, it was the UPS that crashed, taking the computer with it. So not only did I get no after-midnight work done, I couldn't even write about it to jpadmin. I'll have to do that today. But both were up this morning, so I have some hope of resuming work. But I'm slowly easing into it: started by working on the jigsaw puzzle, then by writing this. Played Houston Person to start the day, but I'm trying to get serious, so I pulled up Fieldwork. My plan now is to deliver the essays with minimal notes on Monday-Tuesday, then add more substantial notes later in the week. That will drag the process out a bit, but I still want to see the thing come together. I've written initial drafts for Latin, Vocal, Debut, and Old, and have a bit of boilerplate for New. Each piece is longer (and I think better) than the previous. The Davis and obits pieces could be delivered after the results tables. I really need to knuckle down on those pieces this weekend.

Email (10-12 messages):

• Substack December 2025 stats: subscribers 88 (+7), post reads 126 (+24). They suggest "grow your readership with referrals."
• Bill Marx: ok with my plan to submit articles with minimal notes, then add more notes later.

Daily Log

Yesterday was another exercise in frustration in attempting to work on the essays. I did manage to re-read most of the previous essays, and gained various insights. I was also surprised to find how much I had written in the last 2-3 years, covering almost everything I might ever want to say on the subject. The biggest source of frustration was trying to edit with WordPress. I can't see what I'm doing — perhaps a smaller font would help in that regard? — and more importantly I can't find the controls. I've been stymied by dumb things like trying to insert HTML entities for em-dashes, accented characters, etc. And lots of problems with lists. I finally threw up my hands, and created a new set of PHP files for the essays. At least I can write in them. Maybe when I've done my bit, I'll copy them back into WP, and deal with the comment sections (now renamed "Notes"). That's where the collaboration tools may prove useful, although thus far I'm not finding much need for them, lacking both collaborators and inputs — not that I'm devoid of either; knowing that I'm not just adds more weight onto my shoulders.

I woke up around 8, but went straight back to bed. For once, I did manage to fall back asleep. Woke up just before noon, with a nightmare about driving with no effective brakes down off a mountain into a city, and at the last minute looping into a parking lot where I could drive in circles until the car slowed down. Song in my head was "Surabaya, Johnny." [Looked it up later and found YouTubes from Lotte Lenya and Marianne Faithfull.] I read a bit of The Bomb, moving from "mad men" to stark-raving Reagan and his vulcans. Came down, and the UPS was screaming bloody murder. That started yesterday, and I've ordered a new battery, but mute seems to be temporary. I'm still having a terrible time with my keyboard here. I haven't tried the new cables yet, which might allow me to swap back the better one. With the Logitech I'm typing slower and making more typos. But I'm not sure the disruption will help much. I need to get through the essays today. If I can do that, two days for working on Notes will be short, but could be substantial enough.

Email (16 mmessages).

I changed up the plan on the essays a bit. In order to make a Monday deadline, I want to concentrate on getting the core essays straightened out, and postpone work on the extra Notes until after publication. It's going to be a squeeze to get just that much done by Monday. And it's going to be easier to do the Notes later, once the results have been published. It should be easier to get comments. And I won't have to balance the work off against minimal work. I wrote this up and sent to Bill Marx. I'm not expecting any objection, but as I'm writing this (2:21 AM), the network is down, so I'm not able to update the website, send, or receive mail. Moreover, computer just crashed when the UPS pulled the power down. Got a "F02" flashing message. No idea what it means. (Internet is down.)

I got quite a bit written on Debuts; basics on Vocal and Latin; a good start on Old; nothing but boilerplate for New. I haven't looked at Henkin's RIP yet. Nothing on Davis. I probably have a dozen letters offering Notes, but I'm not sure how good they are.

Daily Log

We were up, but didn't observe the moment 2025 ended and 2026 began. We were watching Shakespeare & Hathaway, and quite content with that. We followed that up with mislabeled reruns of Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Myers, which despite being based on old news, still hit their target. How can anyone fail to recognize that Trump is not just evil but also ridiculous? Afterwards, around 1 AM, I tried to wrap up my final 2025 Music Week. I figured that much of what needed to be done was mechanical, and I could still do that, even if I could no longer think (or type) clearly. I failed, and gave up, going to bed around 2:30. I woke up before 9 again, pretty miserable, but thinking of my jazz poll essays. I read some of The Bomb, moving from Nixon's failed madman theories to Carter's doomed attempts to insert human concerns into the "thinking about the unthinkable." One oddity was that I had just gotten a letter from Fred Kaplan, on some trivial jazz poll point, so I wrote back and mentioned that I was reading his book.

Email (10 messages, the world is on a holiday schedule, so it's mostly just robots pestering me):

• Paul Medrano has set up a spreadsheet with label information. Relevance to poll isn't very obvious.
• All About Jazz's EOY lists: FD voters: Mark Corroto, Troy Dostert, C Andrew Hovan, John Sharpe, Jerome Wilson. Invited non-voters: Dan McClenaghan, Ian Patterson, Paul Rauch. Known non-voters: Jack Bowers, Doug Collette, Mike Jurovic, Angelo Leonardi, Geno Thackara. Unknown: Don Ball, Ben Boddie, Neil Duggan, Libero Farnè, Jua Howard, Jack Kenney, Karan Khosla, Carl Medsker, Dean Nardi, Konstantin Rega, Kyle Simpler, Joshua Weiner, Maurizio Zerbo.

Scraped this from Corey Robin on Facebook (where links are born to die):

A personal/political memoir.

I've been thinking lately about a change in my political thinking that brings me back to moment before I began thinking politically.

The recent change is this: The combination of enshittification, the rise of AI and erosion of academic and cultural standards, and Zohran's embrace of excellence over mediocrity, has led me to focus my political writing on the importance of excellence for the left, on pushing for the highest standards of teaching and writing and work, not as a punishment for the poor or as an excuse for excluding subjugated groups, but as an aspiration of a genuinely democratic society, one that we can all embrace as something that Samuel Moyn mentions briefly in his book Liberalism Against Itself, but which is at the heart of his book: the kind of social perfectionism that inspired progressives to do everything from build the Labour Party to the Social Democrats (before the Great War) to the experimental aesthetics of Bolshevism to the push for decolonization and more. This kind of perfection and excellence should be at the core of the socialism we seek to build. In schools, in healthcare, in housing, in work, in government, in childcare, in universities, in green energy projects, in democracy itself.

The moment from my past is this: As some of you know, I really got involved with the left in the early 1990s as a union activist in grad school. One of the reasons I got involved in the union was my sense that the university was destroying the kind of work I not only wanted to do but also that the university claimed to be doing. I felt the threat in teaching, as the university pushed for speedups in writing programs like Daily Themes, and in research, as the university pushed to crunch out PhDs faster, with less training in foreign languages, archival research, and more. I was the classic kind of union worker, if you think about it, defending the guild against the firm, the craft of work against the pace of profit. I remember arguing with blinkered graduate students and faculty and administrators who claimed to be standing with the western tradition against the union, and just marveling at their misperception. I thought they were hypocrites and that we should point that out, and use the language of excellence that they were claiming against them. With time, I became more cynical about the whole institution and its defenders. I gave up on the language of excellence altogether, seeing it as at best a romantic language of fantasy and escape, and at worst, a cover for corporatization. I began arguing for unions not as a defense of craft and quality but as a way of dismantling the whole university industrial complex. And whenever I heard anyone get too misty-eyed about teaching students and writing books, I rolled my eyes. Which eventually turned me from an effective to a not really effective organizer. I could no longer believe in the object of our efforts, save the union itself.

I feel today, at the age of 58, that I've not come full circle, but instead, returned to where I began, but with new eyes, integrating the robustness and value of unions and socialism--quite apart from the workplace--with the kind of standards and vision I once imagined as our inheritance and our due. It once again feels like fighting for the left is about more than fighting for the left but about fighting for a society that people can not only feel safe and secure in, but proud and excited by. It feels like fighting for something that does not yet exist but when it does, oh, what a thing it shall be.

One of the reasons I'm so excited about Zohran is that I feel like he gets this in his bones. As I've been arguing here, on my blog, and at the New York Review of Books, he doesn't see socialism and government as the last stop before penury and poverty, as a way of catching people who would otherwise fall, as a safety net. He sees it as a launching pad, as a way of doing great things, all of us, together, cooperatively, and when necessary, through confrontation.

It feels like coming home.

Dec 2025