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Blog Entries [430 - 439]

Sunday, June 14, 2020

No intro this week.

Tweet of the week, from paulo. (@itskingapollo):

If the police did their jobs, everyone would trust them. Ain't no song called "Fuck the Fire Department."

Also, from Rhys Blakely (@rhysblakely):

A 70-year-old man in Seattle survived the coronavirus, got applauded by staff when he left the hospital after 62 days -- and then got a $1.1 million, 181-page hospital bill.

Some scattered links this week:

• Sasha Abramsky: Georgia primary sends us a warning -- November could be a voting rights disaster. On the other hand, interest in voting seems to be record high. See Dareh Gregorian: Voter turnout soared in Georgia despite massive primary day problems.

• Zeeshan Aleem:

  • Atlanta police shot and killed a 27-year-old black man outside a Wendy's drive-through: Rayshard Brooks. Victim allegedly took a taser away from police and pointed it at them. If tasers are considered non-lethal force, does self-defense justify shooting and killing someone? Seems like it could have been avoided, but maybe cops know more about how dangerous tasers are than they let on. Also, note that this is "the 48th officer-involved shooting" in Georgia so far this year. For more, see Chas Danner: Everything we know about the killing of Rayshard Brooks by Atlanta police.

  • Trump's West Point speech contradicts one of the biggest themes of his presidency.

• Bocar Abdoulaye Ba/Roman Rivera: Police think they can get away with anything. That's because they usually do.

• Zack Beauchamp: Trump: "The concept of chokehold sounds so innocent, so perfect".

• Alleen Brown: Iowa quietly passes its third ag-gag bill after constitutional challenges.

• Katelyn Burns:

  • The Trump administration will now allow doctors to discriminate against LGBTQ people. As a subhed notes, "Conservatives haven't let the pandemic slow down their political agenda."

  • Trump tweeted a conspiracy theory that an elderly man knocked over by police is "antifa provocateur".

• John Cassidy: Economic reality bites Wall Street and Trump.

• Jonathan Chait: Michael Flynn writes op-ed confirming he's definitely insane.

• Fabiola Cinaes:

  • Trump postpones his MAGA rally planned for Juneteenth. Trump's first rally in months was scheduled in Tulsa on the anniversary of the 1921 massacre, where "a white mob destroyed the affluent Greenwood District of the city, known as Black Wall Street, burning down 35 blocks, including 1,200 homes, and killing 300 black people in the process." This was long referred to as a "race riot," but like all similar events of the period, it was white people "rioting," much like the pogroms Czarist Russian authorities organized against Jews. Tulsa stands out in memory because of the sheer size of the massacre, but also because it was the first instance of using airplanes to firebomb an American neighborhood. Speaking of Trump in Tulsa:

    • Caleb Gayle: Juneteenth in Tulsa is a day of joy and pain. Trump's visit worsens the pain.

    • Michele L Norris: The diabolical irony of Trump in Tulsa.

    • Jack Shafer: Trump's baggage on race will follow him to Tulsa: "The president's first post-quarantine rally will be held in a city known for a massacre of black people. Don't expect Trump to rise to the occasion."

    • Matt Stieb: Trump rally attendees must agree not to sue campaign if they get the coronavirus.

  • Trump's new recovery plan resists sweeping police reforms.

  • The police shooting of Maurice Gordon, a black man killed during a traffic stop, explained.

  • The sexual assault allegations against an officer involved in Breonna Taylor's killing say a lot about police abuse of power. Also note: "the Louisville Metro Council banned no-knock warrants with new legislation called Breonna's Law." Obviously, a few months too late for Taylor.

• Aaron Ross Coleman:

  • Minneapolis may be the first city to dismantle the police.

  • Body cams show police killing Javier Ambler while filming an A&E television show.

  • The devaluing of black property has led to the devaluing of black lives: Interview with Andre Perry.

• Aaron C Davis/Carol D Leonnig/Josh Dawsey: Officials familiar with Lafayette Square confrontation challenge Trump administration claim of what drove aggressive expulsion of protesters.

• Igor Derysh:

  • Melania Trump delayed move to White House as "leverage" to renegotiate a better prenup: report. Dish from Mary Jordan's upcoming book, The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump. Also:

    • Jane Eisner: The elusive truths of Melania Trump.

    • Dwight Garner: A new book brings Melania Trump into (slightly) better focus.

    • Arwa Mahdawi: Melania doesn't need to be #Freed and she's not an enigma -- she's an opportunist.

    • Karen Tumulty: No, Melania Trump doesn't want to be free. I believe this is the first time I've linked to Tumulty, forever immortalized as the winner of Matt Taibbi's Wimblehack tournament of America's worst political journalists. Seems like a subject appropriate to her talents. In fact, she's written about Melania before: Melania Trump's indefensible defense of her bully husband. One thing I haven't found is an article detailing how much fun comics have had with playing up the public distancing between the Trumps -- little things like her refusing his hand, or staring coldly. It's been a source of some comfort that she might be as disgusted with him as we are. The other possibility is that she's as unfeeling and unconcerned as he is, that theirs is a marriage of convenience where the returns have long diminished past the point of anyone caring.

  • CNN rejects Trump campaign's demand for apology over polls showing him losing to Biden by 14 points. But CNN's actual response was pretty clueless: "[authoritarian demands] have typically come from countries like Venezuela." But authoritarians (regardless of whether Venezuela qualifies as an example) typically understand the limits of their authority, which they'd undermine by demanding something they're in no position to enforce. Trump's demand is pure PR: rejecting the poll results so emphatically his supporters will hear and believe him, but expecting nothing further to come of it. Normally, the next step is to threaten a frivolous lawsuit, but CNN's pockets are deep enough to get that dismissed, and their own PR department would spin such a thing into an attack on free press.

• Dan Diamond: White House goes quiet on coronavirus as outbreak spikes again across the US: "It's been more than a month since the White House halted its daily coronavirus task force briefings."

• Masha Gessen:

  • Trump's hateful message on transgender health care.

  • "I didn't know" is not a defense for enabling Trump: As in Mark Esper's "I didn't know where I was going," or reports that Mark Milley "believed that he was accompanying Trump on a troop inspection." By the way, Gessen has a new book, Surviving Autocracy. For reviews, see:

    • Hari Kunzru: Democracy's red line.

    • Andrew O'Hehir: Masha Gessen on Trump, Putin and the attack on reality, meaning and democracy.

• Constance Grady: How 70 years of cop shows taught us to valorize the police: I've watched a lot of them, starting (as this article does) with Dragnet (and from that era I'd add Andy Griffith and Gunsmoke, which rounds out the picture considerably), and while I appreciate the positive image most shows attempt to project, I'm pretty doubtful that I've learned much if anything about the real world of police work. Nor have they made me any less fearful of interactions with the police, or the "justice system" more generally.

• Maggie Haberman: Trump's halting walk down ramp raises new health questions. Also see Philip Rucker: Trump tries to explain his slow and unsteady walk down a ramp at West Point: "Elements of Trump's explanation strained credulity."

• Fred Hiatt: Why the Republicans' 2020 strategy is to keep as many people as possible from voting. I'm not very worried that a fair election will give Trump a second term. And I think that efforts to suppress the vote tend to backfire, at least up to a point. Still, the Republicans have been working hard to trim and shape the electorate to their tastes, and it's not unreasonable to worry that they may ultimately be successful -- for one thing, look at how they've managed to gerrymander districts.

  What does it say about a political party when its chief strategy is to prevent as many people as possible from voting -- and its leader admits as much?

  That is where Republicans find themselves heading into the 2020 election.

  For the latest, breathtaking example of this pathology, look at Iowa. On June 2, Iowa held a highly successful primary, with record turnout -- and Republicans in the state legislature immediately initiated action to ensure the success is not repeated in the fall.

• James Hohmann: Trump poised to accept GOP nod in Jacksonville, Fla., on 60th anniversary of 'Ax Handle Saturday': After schedule Trump's Juneteenth rally in Tulsa, of course this comes next:

  On Aug. 27, 1960, a mob of 200 white people in Jacksonville, Fla. -- organized by the Ku Klux Klan and joined by some of the city's police officers -- chased and beat peaceful civil rights protesters who were trying to integrate downtown lunch counters. The bloody carnage that followed -- in which ax handles and baseball bats were used to club African Americans, who sought sanctuary in a church -- is remembered as "Ax Handle Saturday."

• Sean Illing:

  • The most powerful person in the White House not named Donald Trump: On Jared Kushner, interview with Andrea Bernstein, author of American Oligarchs: The Kushners, the Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power. Also on Kushner:

    • David Roth: American psycho: "Jared Kushner -- climber, sycophant, snob -- is the perfect avatar of elite incompetence for our times.

  • The "abolish the police" movement, explained by 7 scholars and activists.

• Umair Irfan: 2 new studies show shutdowns were astonishingly effective.

• Bruce Jackson: Buffalo cops -- and all the other cops.

• Fred Kaplan:

  • The generals are turning on Trump: "Mark Milley's apology for the church photo-op is a major escalation."

  • West Pointless: "Trump made cadets return to campus during a pandemic to listen to his dull platitudes." First line in article is "It could have been worse." Hard to imagine the next paragraph ever being written about any other president:

    President Trump's Saturday morning commencement speech at West Point was merely dull rather than abhorrent, incendiary, or flagrantly self-aggrandizing, except for a couple of passages and -- significantly -- the fact of the speech itself, which was designed entirely as a video clip for an upcoming reelection campaign commercial.

    Sure, they'll cut out the bit where he waddles down the ramp. And to think how annoying I found it that every time GW Bush spoke you first had to watch him walk up to the podium. (OK, it was kind of sick-funny the time he made Ariel Sharon do the same.) But at least then we had a president who could walk -- not to mention read a teleprompter without his eyes glazing over. Who imagine those would some day be skills we could fondly reminisce over? (Even when performed by a major war criminal?)

  • Trump's support for Confederate base names has nothing to do with respecting the military.

• Roge Karma: Why this moment demands radical politics: Interview with Eddie Glaude Jr., author of Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul and Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own.

• Catherine Kim: The fatal arrest of Manuel Ellis, another black man who yelled "I can't breathe," explained.

• Jen Kirby: The "kettling" of protesters, explained.

• Aline Kominsky-Crumb/R Crumb: Bad diet & bad hair destroy human civilization.

• Robert Kuttner: About those improved unemployment numbers:

  As the Economic Policy Institute's Elise Gould explains in this indispensable short piece, if you add to the officially unemployed statistic those workers who were staying home for health or family reasons but reported themselves as employed, and workers who reported that they had left the labor force but would seek work if it were available, the adjusted unemployment rate for May is 19.7 percent.

  The clincher is the number of workers still drawing unemployment compensation, which was just under 30 million the week of May 16, according to the same BLS report.

• Dahlia Lithwick: Trump's use of the military does not create the "appearance" of abuse. It is abuse.

• Martin Longman:

  • The GOP's revealing decision not to debate on a 2020 platform: "It's another sign that the Republican Party's conversion to a cult is complete."

  • Why a GOP convention in Jacksonville could be a disaster.

• David J Lynch: Ripple effects of downturn show pandemic's early economic toll was just the beginning.

• Branko Marcetic: "Defenders of democracy" aren't bothered by its end in Bolivia.

• Ruth Marcus: If you don't believe systemic racism is real, explain these statistics.

• Dylan Matthews: Pandemic unemployment insurance is expiring soon. This economist has a fix for it. "Ioana Marinescu would allow people who've lost jobs to keep collecting $600 a week even after getting a new job."

• Jane Mayer: Ivanka Trump and Charles Koch fuel a cancel-culture clash at Wichita State.

• Meridith McGraw: Trump loses 2 pivotal allies in his anti-kneeling crusade: NASCAR and the NFL.

• Ian Millhiser:

  • The Supreme Court normally hands down its biggest cases in June. Here's what to expect. Subheds:

    • The Court could effectively eliminate the right to an abortion
    • The Court will decide if federal law makes it illegal to fire someone for being LGBTQ
    • Trump could gain sweeping immunity from congressional oversight
    • Hundreds of thousands of DACA beneficiaries could face deportation
    • The religious right could be one of the biggest winners from this term
    • Trump could gain broad new power to fire people

  • 3 ways to ensure that rogue cops aren't above the law. Mostly about ending "qualified immunity."

• Nicole Narea:

  • Trump is quietly gutting the asylum system amid the pandemic.

  • How 2 weeks of protests have changed America: "Protesters have already brought about reforms to address systemic racism and police brutality following George Floyd's death."

• Timothy Noah: The black wage gap matters: "The grim state of racial economic inequality should sicken our consciences."

• Anna North: White Americans are finally talking about racism. Will it translate into action?

• JC Pan: The preachers of the austerity gospel are back: "Though we're in the midst of an unprecedented economic crisis, calls for budget-tightening have reliably restarted."

• Brian Resnick: "Totally predictable": State reopenings have backfired.

• James Risen: Donald Trump is an autocrat. It's up to all of us to stop him. Yeah, sure: not a position I'm going to argue with, or get bent out of shape over.

  Dictatorships are built on denial. Dictators take over gradually; each incremental step that erodes civil liberties and the rule of law can be justified and explained away. Sometimes a would-be dictator is laughed off as a political buffoon who shouldn't be taken seriously. While it is happening, no one can quite believe that they are on the road to serfdom.

  I might have skipped mention of this piece but wanted to save this paragraph-plus (more explicitly blood-thirsty than Tom Cotton's famous op-ed) for posterity:

  On Monday, Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and Trump acolyte, offered a typical Republican response to the protests when he called for all the lethal tools of the global war on terror to be brought home and turned on American protesters. "Now that we clearly see Antifa as terrorists, can we hunt them down like we do those in the Middle East?" Gaetz tweeted Monday. Twitter restricted access to the Gaetz tweet, labeling it a glorification of violence.

  By advocating for an end to the rule of law, Republicans like Gaetz will find themselves surviving at the whim of Trump. That's when the jokes about drones and Gitmo won't seem so funny to them.

• David Roberts: The Tom Cotton op-ed affair shows why the media must defend America's values: America has values? The New York Times should decide what they are? I agree that Cotton's proposal to flood American cities with the same troops that tried so fitfully to quell protests in Baghdad is something one should oppose, but by recent evidence it's hard to say what he's proposing is un-American. For a couple more general pieces that take off from the Cotton op-ed:

  • Ezra Klein: America is changing, and so is the media.

  • Matt Taibbi: The American press is destroying itself.

  • David Greenberg: The New York Times used to be a model of diverse opinion. What happened?

• Travis Sawchik: Do baseball's labor fights drive away fans? Well, Well, I used to read box scores every day, but haven't followed MLB at all since the 1994 lockout. That's just one data point, but it's a pretty hard one. The article refers to "the 1994-95 strike," but all I remember is the owners' lockout, and that's where I put all the blame.

• Walter M Shaub Jr: Ransacking the Republic.

• Isaac Stanley-Becker: Fox News removes manipulated images from coverage of Seattle protests.

• Jennifer Steinhauer: Trump's actions rattle the military world: 'I can't support the man': "The president's threat to use troops against largely peaceful protesters, as well as other attempts to politicize the military, have unsettled a number of current and former members and their families."

• Mark Joseph Stern: Republicans attack Republican official for expanding voting access.

• Taylor Telford: Democrat accuses OSHA of being 'invisible' while infections rise among essential workers. One would think that OSHA would be the key agency consulted on all questions having to do with re-opening businesses.

  As of Thursday, infections tied to meat plants had surpassed 18,500 and worker deaths were approaching 70, according to the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, which is tracking industry outbreaks through local news reports. Grocery workers have been similarly hit hard, with more than 5,500 testing positive for the coronavirus and more than 100 dying of covid-19, the disease the virus causes, The Washington Post has reported. Front-line health-care workers have gotten sick in even greater numbers, with more than 60,000 infected and more than 300 dying of covid-19, according to new CDC data.

• Alex S Vitale: "Policing is fundamentally a tool of social control to facilitate our exploitation": An interview by Mike Uetricht with Vitale, who wrote The End of Policing back in 2017.

• Alex Ward:

  • Why the Trump administration is sanctioning a top international court: Against the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is charged with investigating possible war crimes. The US refused to ratify the ICC. The fear was that the ICC would investigate the US and Israel, and while that hasn't happened yet, it appears increasingly likely.

  • The Army was finally considering renaming bases that honor Confederates. Trump quashed it.

  • The racist history behind the 10 US Army facilities named after Confederate leaders.

• Erik Wemple: Forgive Tucker Carlson for his panicky desperation. His world is collapsing. I don't watch his show, but clips I've seen recently are extremely unhinged. Also see:

  • Roger Sollenberger: "Race-baiting filth": Carlson criticized for claiming a Black Lives Matter "mob" will "come for you"; and "Bye-bye Tucker Carlson!": Advertisers bail on Fox News host's program after "race-baiting" screed.

• Matthew Yglesias:

  • Study: Police killings traumatize high school students and hurt academic performance.

  • Study suggests Democrats should be running more ads about Biden, fewer about Trump. What I'd rather see is more ads that work for the whole party, not just Biden vs. Trump. The Democratic majority in the House, for instance, has passed a lot of bills that Republicans killed in the Senate, so those are good opportunities to compare parties. You can also point out differences between states with Democrats in power vs. Republican-run states, especially on metrics like how many people don't have health insurance. I don't see that running a lot of ads on how Biden's going to lead us to the promised land will have much traction, although you do want to suggest that you're not embarrassed by him as nominee (although I rather am).

  • Joe Biden has a really big lead in the polls. Compares his recent polls to Clinton's in 2016. The thing that always struck me about 2016 was that no matter how low Trump sunk, Clinton never could hit, let along top, 50%. ("Even on October 18, Clinton was only at 46 percent in the polls with Trump doing terribly at 39 and plenty of undecided and third-party voters.") The CNN poll not only gives Biden a 14 point margin, his actual figure is 55%.

• Li Zhou: "The protesters had to deescalate the police": Demonstrators are the ones defusing violence at protests.

Ask a question, or send a comment.

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

June archive (in progress).

Music: Current count 33418 [33378] rated (+40), 214 [209] unrated (+5).

Cutoff was Monday evening, after I wrapped up Weekend Roundup, so that has a bit to do with the above-average count. Shifted back to new music last week, starting with some Phil Overeem recommendations, and ended with rummaging through my tracking file (jazz subset), with a few asides along the way. (One of Cliff Ocheltree's Facebook posts mentioned If Deejay Was Your Trade and Hyphy Hitz. Couldn't find the latter, but the Blood & Fire compilation was so good I wanted to hear more from Big Joe.) Still, didn't bother with my promo queue at all. It had been near-empty, but has recovered to the extent I need to pay it some attention.

I reviewed Thank Your Lucky Stars' Girl in Her 29s last week, noting that I couldn't find anything via Google on the CD. I'm told that this website will help. I also received a hand-written letter from Ben Barnes, which reads in part (or I think it does, as my eyes and his handlettering don't always mesh; I also spared you the all-caps, and added a link I'm almost 100% sure of and italics for the album title):

As for the mysterious online presence I vowed long ago to only spend time and money on the things I love and never try to profit from them. Whenever someone asks about buying a disc I ask them to contribute to Mikey's Chance Canine Rescue and then I happily mail them Girl in Her 29s.

Looking back at last week's "review," I realize I didn't finish it -- by, like, saying something about the record. Meant to, but ran out of time and decided to run what I had anyway, and still haven't gotten back to it, so sorry. I will re-run the album cover.

On June 3, Robert Christgau tweeted:

I try to be shrewd about this stuff, not show my hand before I publish my review, but it would be just wrong to deny that it's been A LONG TIME since I felt like a new album was just what I'd been needing the way the new Run the Jewels does.

I had the same reaction to RTJ4, although I didn't explain it very coherently below -- written after two plays before I saw the tweet -- no doubt because I always have trouble following rap lyrics. But even I caught enough to realize that this was the time. (Link above is to the whole feed. Even now the tweet in question is well down, but it won't hurt you to scroll for it.)

The Ogún Meji Duo album was reviewed by Karl Ackermann as a new release at All About Jazz. Ackerman wrote: "The album makes a powerful statement that could have been a response to Emmett Till in 1955 or George Floyd in 2020." True enough, but it actually dates from the Michael Brown era. I might have graded it higher, but tired of the lecture, and got annoyed by the Soundcloud-like website streaming. But drummer Mark Lomax and saxophonist Edwin Bayard are awesome as usual. I should note that Lomax's 400 Years Suite is currently number one on my 2020 list, and his 12-CD 400: An Afrikan Epic was number three on the 2019 list.

In non-musical matters, Crocodile Chuck suggested a Weekend Roudup link: Jack Rasmus: Confronting Institutional Racism. Rasmus is an economist in California, subtitles his blog "Predicting the Global Eonomic Crisis," has a bunch of books on economics (keyword: neoliberalism), as well as some stage plays and DVDs. I noticed one of his books in 2010 -- Epic Recession: Prelude to Global Depression -- but missed six since then. Most evocative title was Obama's Economy: Recovery for the Few (paperback, 2012, Pluto Press). First book was a big one: The War at Home: The Corporate Offensive From Ronald Reagan to George W Bush (2006, Kyklos)./p>

I got one question following last week's Questions and Answers post. I'll take a stab at answering it later this week. Meanwhile, ask me more.

New records reviewed this week:

79rs Gang: Expected the Unexpected (2020, Sinking City): New Orleans Indians: Big Chief Romeo from the 9th Ward, and Big Chief Jermaine from the 7th. Doesn't break form, which is ok with me, but also doesn't swing as hard as the ancients did, especially when the Meters were in the studio. B+(***)

Sebastien Ammann: Resilience (2018 [2020], Skirl): Swiss pianist, based in New York since 2008, third album, quintet with Michaël Attias (alto sax), Samuel Blaser (trombone), bass, and drums. B+(**) [bc]

Lucian Ban/John Surman/Mat Maneri: Transylvanian Folk Songs: The Bela Bartók Field Recordings (2020, Sunnyside): Romanian (or perhaps I should say Transylvanian) pianist, studied in Bucharest, moved to New York in 1999, ninth album since 2002. With reeds (bass clarinet, baritone/soprano sax) and viola. Based on field recordings Bartók made when Austria-Hungary still controlled Transylvania. B+(**)

Will Bernard: Freelance Subversives (2020, Ropeadope): Guitarist, originally from Berkeley, based in New York, records since 1998, likes a nice groove, often with organ (three players here, with John Medeski on two cuts). B

Body Count: Carnivore (2020, Century Media): Rapper Ice-T (Tracy Marrow) launched this heavy metal group in 1992. He alternated albums through 1999, then leaned this way, with only one more rap album (2006). Seventh Body Count album. Second song, recorded in 2019, is about police violence. First is about meat, and fourth is a Motorhead cover. Normally I can't stand metal, but turned this down and moved away and still found things to admire. B+(**)

Daniel Carter/Patrick Holmes/Matthew Putman: Whoadie (2018-19 [2020], 577): Two clarinet players (Carter also credited with saxes, trumpet, flute) and piano, three members of the Telepathic Band -- shows you how much they need that rhythm section. C+

Emmet Cohen Featuring Benny Golson & Albert "Tootie" Heath: Masters Legacy Series Volume 3 (2019, self-released): Pianist, had a couple albums before he hit on the idea of showcasing old-timers. First two albums spotlighted Jimmy Cobb and Ron Carter. Annoying lack of information on this session, like who is the fourth person on the cover (presumably a bassist)? The headliners are legends, Golson (now 91) a major songwriter as well as a leading tenor saxophonist, Heath a widely traveled drummer, including a stretch in Golson's most famous groups. Some reminiscences, lovely music. B+(**)

Emmet Cohen Featuring George Coleman: Masters Legacy Series Volume 4 (2019, self-released): Tenor saxophonist, started in the 1950s, played for Miles Davis before Wayne Shorter took over, has a few good-to-great albums under his own name. With bass and drums (Russell Hall and Bryan Carter). Monk tunes, blues, "On Green Dolphin Street" -- strong stuff. B+(***)

Dinosaur: To the Earth (2019 [2020], Edition): British jazz "supergroup" -- Laura Jurd (trumpet) and Elliot Galvin (piano) are the ones I recognize elsewhere, bass and drums not so much (Conor Chaplin and Corrie Dick are the names). Third album, a very respectable postbop effort. B+(**)

Dave Douglas: Dizzy Atmosphere: Dizzy Gillespie at Zero Gravity (2019 [2020], Greenleaf Music): Nominally a tribute to bebop trumpet legend Dizzy Gillespie, not that I hear it much on the originals that sandwich the two covers in the middle ("Manteca" and "Pickin' the Cabbage"), the difference mostly in the rhythm, although the same guitar-piano-bass-drums play throughout. No extra horns other than a second trumpet (Dave Adewumi), less for chops than to polish up the brass. B+(**)

Lajos Dudas: The Lake and the Music (2020, JazzSick): Hungarian clarinet player, long based in Germany, in Überlingen, on the north shore of Lake Constance, opposite Switzerland. Ten standards, backed by guitar, bass, and drums, with appearances from Karl Berger (vibes) and Gerd Dudek (soprano sax). B+(***)

Freddie Gibbs/The Alchemist: Alfredo (2020, ESGN/ALC/Empire): Rapper, from Indiana, last name Tipton, eighth albums, half collaborations, half of those with Alchemist (Daniel Maman). Has a little gangsta in the sauce. B+(*)

GoGo Penguin: GoGo Penguin (2020, Blue Note): British piano trio -- Chris Illingworth (piano), Nick Blacka (bass), Rob Turner (drums) -- fifth album since 2012. Strong groove pieces, more like EST than Bad Plus. B+(***)

Human Feel: The Tower Tapes #5 (2019 [2020], Jazz Club Ferrara): Two sax quartet, with Andrew D'Angelo (alto + bass clarinet), Chris Speed (tenor + clarinet), Kurt Rosenwinkel (guitar/electronics), and Jim Black (drums/electronics), released a good album in 2019 (Gold). As with all of these tapes, consists of two sets, no song breakdown, something the Club is doing to tide itself over. B+(**) [bc]

Anne Mette Iversen Quartet + 1: Racing a Butterfly (2020, Bjurecords): Danish bassist, lived in New York 1998-2012, was co-founder of Brooklyn Jazz Underground, dozen albums since 2004, always struck me as a composer first, but has been working with this group so long they've achieved a lovely balance. Group includes John Ellis (tenor sax), Danny Grissett (piano), Otis Brown III (drums), with Peter Dahlgren (trombone) the "+ 1." A-

KeiyaA: Forever, Ya Girl (2020, Keiya): Chicago-based neo-soul singer, production murky, but seems to have something to it. B+(**)

Lady Gaga: Chromatica (2020, Interscope): Pop star, started off as a gay icon, later moved into acting, not sure where her duet album with Tony Bennett belongs. Reverts to hard dance pop form here: hard beats, strong words, arena acoustics. Reminds me of Madonna, a bit too much. B+(***)

John Law's Congregation: Configuration (2018 [2020], Ubuntu Music): British pianist, regarded as an avant-garde figure in the 1990s (e.g., Extremely Quartet), has largely escaped my attention ever since. Emerges here with a quartet -- James Mainwaring (saxes, guitar, electronics), Ashley John Long (bass), and Billy Weir (drums) -- with strong beats and powerful riffing. B+(***)

Little Simz: Drop 6 (2020, AWAL, EP): London rapper, Simbi Ajikawo, had a major album last year in Grey Area, returns with a 5-cut, 12:49 quickie lockdown EP, lost me at the end. B+(*)

Sabir Mateen/Patrick Holmes/Federico Ughi: Survival Situation (2018 [2020], 577): Holmes plays clarinet, as does Mateen (credited first with saxophones, also with flute, farfisa matador, and voice), with Ughi on drums. Rather hit and miss. B+(**)

Medhane: Cold Water (2020, TBHG): Brooklyn rapper. A little murky. B+(*) [bc]

Medhane: Full Circle (2020, TBHG, EP): Came out a bit earlier. Same concept. Might be something here. B [bc]

Mike and the Moonpies: Touch of You: The Lost Songs of Gary Stewart (2020, Prairie Rose): Austin band, Mike Harmeier sings and usually writes, called their first record The Real Country (2010), their second one Hard Way. The guys at Saving Country Music are big fans, but I've never been that impressed. It helps here that they've got their hands on a batch of Stewart's songs. Would help more if they were all as good as "Smooth Shot of Whiskey." B+(**)

Eva Novoa: Satellite Quartet (2017 [2020], Fresh Sound New Talent): Pianist, born in Barcelona, based in Brooklyn, handful of albums since 2010. Quartet with guitar, bass, and drums -- nothing challenging the pianist. B+(*)

Kurt Rosenwinkel Trio: Angels Around (2020, Heartcore): Guitarist, originally from Philadelphia, based in Switzerland, over a dozen albums since 1996, many more side credits. Trio with Dario Deidda (bass) and Gregory Hutchinson (drums). B+(**)

Run the Jewels: RTJ4 (2020, Jewel Runners/RBC/BMG): Rap duo, El-P and Killer Mike, fourth album, released a few days early, because "fuck it, why wait." Hard thrash, can't say as I'm following it very well, but complaints about police violence don't appear to be tacked on. Likely to remain one of the signature albums of 2020. A-

Matthew Shipp: The Piano Equation (2020, Tao Forms): Pianist, turning 60, decided to celebrate with a solo album -- not my favorite party treat, but a major pianist with a lot on his mind. B+(**)

Sunwatchers: Oh Yeah? (2020, Trouble in Mind): New York quartet, more instrumental rock (psychecelic?) than jazz, Jeff Tobias on alto sax/keyboards/whistling, others on guitar, bass guitar, and drums. Six pieces, the last running 19:53. B

Chad Taylor Trio: The Daily Biological (2019 [2020], Cuneiform): Drummer, trio mates Brian Settles (tenor sax) and Neil Podgurski (piano) get a "featuring" credit on the cover and wrote most of the pieces (2 and 4 vs. 3 for Taylor). First group album, although all three were friends at New School in the 1990s. Feels balances with strong leads all around, and a lot of momentum. A- [dl]

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

Bobby Shew/Bill Mays: Telepathy (1978 [2019], Fresh Sound): Trumpet/piano duets. West Coast players, intersected a lot, each producing a couple dozen albums without me noticing. This was one of their first, two joint credits here, the rest standards, easy going and elegant. B+(**)

Old music:

Big Joe: Keep Rocking and Swinging (1977, Live and Love): Joe Spalding, from Trenchtown, recorded a couple dozen singles 1972-79, this his first album, produed by Striker Lee. Influeced by roots reggae and dub, hints at a classic without quite being memorable enough. B+(***)

Dave Burrell: Black Spring (1977, Marge): Solo piano. Title cut features a still poem, written and read by Hart Leroy Bibbs. B+(**)

Emmet Cohen Featuring Jimmy Cobb: Masters Legacy Series Volume 1 (2017, Cellar Live): The first of four (so far) volumes, reminds me that when Branford Marsalis started his own series of Honors albums the first musicians on his list was also Cobb. The veteran drummer died in 2020, his career spanning hundreds of albums, a few (mostly recent ones) under his own name, but most in groups -- the one invariably mentioned is Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. With Yasushi Nakamura on bass, Cobb does what he always does: makes everyone else sound better. Godwin Louis (alto sax) adds to two tracks. B+(***)

Emmet Cohen Featuring Ron Carter: Masters Legacy Series Volume 2 (2017 [2018], Cellar Live): Bassist, joined Miles Davis in 1963, part of his "second great quintet," Wikipedia credits him with 45 albums (some co-headlined, including three recent ones with Houston Person), but he's also garnered more side-credits than anyone ("2,221 recording sessions," per Wikipedia). With Evan Sherman on drums. B+(**)

Emmet Cohen Trio: Dirty in Detroit (2017 [2018], self-released): Piano trio, with Russell Hall (bass) and Kyle Poole (drums). Mostly standards, with Monk and Waller multiple sources, ending with a rousing "Handful of Keys." B+(**)

Lajos Dudas: Radio Days: Birthday Edition 75 (2016, JazzSick): Hungarian-German clarinet player, celebrating his 75th birthday, several dozen albums but many are missing from Discogs, so no credits or discographical details here, other than one tune from Attila Zoller, the rest originals. He sent me records over several years, so I was surprised to find out how far I had fallen behind. Some bright ensembles and remarkable leads here. Wish I knew more. B+(***)

Lajos Dudas: Some Great Songs Vol. 2 (2017, JazzSick): Sequel to his 1998 album, quartet with Philipp van Endert (guitar) and two percussionists. So many great songs I have no idea why he chose these, though occasionally he hits on one I would have picked ("Smile," "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"). B+(**)

If Deejay Was Your Trade: The Dreads at King Tubby's 1974-1977 (1974-77 [1994], Blood & Fire): Minor reggae stars from the heyday, only ones I don't recognize are Big Joe and Little Joe, and the former's "In the Ghetto" leads off and steals the show here. A-

Mister Charlie's Blues (1926-1938) (1926-38 [1970], Yazoo): Old-time compilation, label did a lot of these but this one doesn't look like it ever made it to CD. Front cover shows two white guitarists, one in blackface, the other painted even whiter. Main artist I recognize is Sam McGee, but Dick Justice, Buster & Jack, and South Georgia Highballers also get two cuts. Fine picking. B+(**)

Ogún Meji Duo: #BlackLivesMatter (2014, CFG Multimedia): Duo -- Edwin Bayard (tenor sax) and Mark Lomax II (drums) -- based in Columbus, Ohio, the essential core of Lomax's larger groups. Narration means to give you an education in black history, the speeches errupting in sax fury and drums, starting with a severely distorted "America, the Beautiful." Comes with a supplemental reading list. B+(***) [os]

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• Caterpillar Quartet: Threads (ESP-Disk) [06-26]
• Whit Dickey: Morph (ESP-Disk, 2CD)
• Jean-Marc Foussat/Daunik Lazro/Evan Parker: Café Oto 2020 (Fou)
• The Mark Harvey Group: A Rite for All Souls (1971, Americas Musicworks, 2CD) [07-17]
• Alister Spence: Whirlpool: Solo Piano (Alister Spence Music, 2CD) [07-24]

Ask a question, or send a comment.

Monday, June 8, 2020

While this week was unfolding, I've been reading a book by Sarah Kendzior: Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America. She is a journalist based in St. Louis, with a Ph.D. in anthropology and a specialty in post-Soviet Central Asia and its descent into mafia capitalism and oligarchy. She sees Trump as part of a vast criminal enterprise, anchored in Russia, which she insists on describing as "hostile to America." I think she has that analysis ass-backwards. Capitalism's driving force everywhere is greed, which constantly pushes the limits of custom and law. The only thing that separates capitalists from criminals is a democratic state that regulates business and enforces limits on destructive greed. The former Soviet Union failed to do that, but the United States has a checkered history as well, with the major entrepreneurs of the 19th century known as Robber Barons, and a sustained conservative assault on the regulatory state at least since 1980. Trump may be closer to the Russian oligarchs than most American capitalists because of his constant need to raise capital abroad, but he is hardly Putin's stooge. Rather, they share a common desire to suppress democratic regulation of capital everywhere, as well as an itch for suppressing dissent. Arguing that the latter is anti-American (treason even) ignores the fact that that's a big part of the program of the reigning political party in the US.

Kendzior's arguments in this regard annoy me so much I could go on, explaining why the supposed US-Russia rivalry is based on false assumptions, and why Democrats are hurting themselves by obsessing on the Trump/Russia connection. I was, after all, tempted at several points to give up on the book. But I stuck with it: it's short, and anyone who despises Trump that much is bound to have some points. Also, I lived in St. Louis a few years myself, so was curious what she had to say about her battleground state. My interest paid off with her discussion of the 2014 protests against police brutality in Ferguson, a majority-black suburb just north of St. Louis with a predominantly white police force that was largely self-funded by arrests and fines. This is history, but it's also today in microcosm (pp. 164-166):

Understanding Ferguson is not only a product of principle but of proximity. The narrative changes depending on where you live, what media you consume, who you talk to, and who you believe. In St. Louis, we still live in the Ferguson aftermath. There is no real beginning, because [Michael] Brown's death is part of a continuum of criminal impunity by the police toward St. Louis black residents. There is no real end, because there are always new victims to mourn. In St. Louis, there is no justice, only sequels.

Outside of St. Louis, Ferguson is shorthand for violence and dysfunction. When I go to foreign countries that do not know what St. Louis is, I sometimes joke, darkly, that I'm from a "suburb of Ferguson." People respond like they are meting a witness of a war zone, because that is what they saw on TV and on the internet. What they missed is that Ferguson was the longest sustained civil rights protest since the 1960s. The protest was fought on principle because in St. Louis County, law had long ago divorced itself from justice, and when lawmakers abandon justice, principle is all that remains. The criminal impunity many Americans are only discovering now -- through the Trump administration -- had always structured the system for black residents of St. Louis County, who had learned to expect a rigged and brutal system but refused to accept it.

In the beginning, there was hope that police would restrain themselves because of the volume of witnesses. But there was no incentive for them to do so: no punishment locally, and no repercussions nationally. Militarized police aggression happened nearly every night, transforming an already traumatic situation into a showcase of abuse. The police routinely used tear gas and rubber bullets. They arrested local officials, clergy, and journalists for things like stepping off the sidewalk. They did not care who witnessed their behavior, even though they knew the world was watching. Livestream videographers filmed the chaos minute by minute for an audience of millions. #Ferguson, the hashtag, was born, and the Twitter followings of those covering the chaos rose into the tens of thousands. But the documentation did not stop the brutality. Instead, clips were used by opponents of the protesters to try to create an impression of constant "riots" that in reality did not occur. The vandalism and arson shown on cable news in an endless loop were limited to a few nights and took place on only a few streets.

National media had pounced on St. Louis, parachuting in when a camera-ready crisis was rumored to be impending, leaving when the protests were peaceful and tame. Some TV crews did not bother to hide their glee at the prospect of what I heard one deem a real-life Hunger Games, among other flippant and cruel comments. The original protests, which were focused on the particularities of the abusive St. Louis system, became buried by out-of-town journalists who found out-of-town activists and portrayed them as local leaders. The intent was not necessarily malicious, but the lack of familiarity with the region led to disorienting and insulting coverage. Tabloid hype began to overshadow the tragedy. Spectators arrived from so many points of origins that the St. Louis Arch felt like a magnet pulling in fringe groups from around the country: Anonymous and the Oath Keepers and the Nation of Islam and the Ku Klux Klan and the Revolutionary Communist Party and celebrities who claimed they were out of deep concern and not to get on television. Almost none of the celebrities ever returned.

In fall 2014, the world saw chaos and violence, but St. Louis saw grief. Ask a stranger in those days how they were doing and their eyes, already red from late nights glued to the TV or internet, would well up with tears. Some grieved stability, others grieved community, others simply grieved the loss of a teenage boy, unique and complex as any other, to a system that designated him a menace on sight. But it was hard to find someone who was not grieving something, even if it was a peace born of ignorance. It was a loss that was hard to convey to people living outside of the region. I covered the Ferguson protests as a journalist, but I lived it as a St. Louisan. Those are two different things. It is one thing to watch a region implode on TV. It is another to live within the slow-motion implosion. When I would share what I witnessed, people kept urging me to call my representative, and I would explain: "But they gassed my representative too."

By the way, here are the latest section heads (as of 7:37 PM CDT Sunday) in The New York Times' Live Updates on George Floyd Protests:

• Majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledges to dismantle the Police Department
• Trump sends National Guard troops home
• New York's mayor pledges to cut police funding and spend more on social services
• Democratic lawmakers push for accountability, but shy away from calls to defund the police
• Barr says he sees no systemic racism in law enforcement
• Romney joins protesters in Washington.
• Protesters march through Manhattan, calling for an end to police violence.
• Thousands turn out in Spokane, Wa., to protest "a virus that's been going on for 400 years."
• Biden will meet with the family of George Floyd in Houston.
• The view from above: aerial images of protests across the country. [link]
• A Confederate status is pulled down during a protest in Virginia
• Global protests against racism gain momentum.
• An officer shot an anti-bias expert who was trying to end a clash at a protest in San Jose, Calif.

A couple items there look like major breaks with the past. While the "progressive" mayors of Minneapolis and New York seems to have spent much of the last week being intimidated by the police forces that supposedly work for them, the balance of political forces in both cities may have shifted to viewing the police as the problem, not the solution. I started off being pretty skeptical of the protests, and indeed haven't been tempted to join them. But it does appear that they're making remarkable progress. And while I abhor any violence associated with the protests, one should never allow such noise to distract from the core issue of the protests. Indeed, given that so much of the violence the media likes to dwell on is directly caused by the police and the government's other paramilitary forces, it's hard not to see that the only way this ever gets resolved is by restoring trust and justice -- which is to say, by radically reforming how policing is done in America.

I expected such sprawl at the start of the week that I decided not to bother organizing sublists. Still, some fell out during the process, but I haven't gone back and organized as many as might make sense. In particular, there are several scattered pieces on the "jobs report": the one by Robert J Shapiro is the most important, but I got to it after several others.

This wound up running a day late. Only a couple links below came out on Monday, and I tried to only pick ones that added to stories I already had (e.g., I added Yglesias' piece on economic reporting, but didn't pick up the one on Biden's polling).

Here's a piece of artwork from Ram Lama Hull occasioned by the recent demonstrations. I pulled this particular one (out of many) from his Facebook page. Some are also on Imgur.

Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that has come up a lot recently, as it makes it very difficult to hold police officers liable for their acts, even the use of excessive or deadly force. For example:

• Nathaniel Sobel: What is qualified immunity, and what does it have to do with police reform?

• Patrick Jalomo/Anya Bidwell: Police act like laws don't apply to them because of 'qualified immunity.' They're right.

• John Kramer: George Floyd and beyond: How "qualified immunity" enables bad policy.

• Christiana Silva: Cory Booker wants to end qualified immunity for police officers.

• Ella Nilsen/Li Zhou: Democrats' sweeping new police reform bill, explained: "Among other measures, Democrats want to end qualified immunity and chokeholds."

• CJ Ciaramella: The Supreme Court has a chance to end qualified immunity and prevent cases like George Floyd's.

Parting tweet (from Angela Belcamino):

Who else but Trump could bring back the 1918 pandemic, the 1929 Great Depression, and the 1968 race riots all in one year?

Some scattered links this week:

• Anne Applebaum: History will judge the complicit: "Why have Republican leaders abandoned their principles in support of an immoral and dangerous president?" Why does she think "Republican leaders" have principles any different from their president? Applebaum is especially concerned about Lindsay Graham. I can't find the reference, but have a clear memory of Graham, when he was in the House in the 1990s, explaining that Republicans have to secure as many long-term posts of power as possible, before demographic changes make it impossible for R's to win fair elections. So he was always a practical, anti-democratic schemer. Back in 2016, Trump may have offended his sense of what's possible, but by winning he sealed his case, and won Graham over. Applebaum asks, "what would it take for Republican leaders to admit to themselves that Trump's loyalty cult is destroying the country they claim to love?" The answer is catastrophic defeat at the polls, so bad it sweeps all of them out of office. Losing the Senate seats of Graham and McConnell in 2020 would be a good start.

• David Atkins/Dante Atkins: Trump thought brutalizing protesters would save him. He was wrong. "His gamble on creating a militarized culture war has done the opposite of what he hoped for."

  Even before the brutal killing of George Floyd by officers of the Minneapolis Police Department, Trump knew that he would need to maximize his culture war appeal to non-college whites to make up ground lost to the faltering economy. There can be little doubt that Trump saw opportunity in the protests that followed to dust off the Nixon playbook, vowing to restore "law and order" in a country furious that the law seemed to protect only some, while enforcing a brutal order on others. If Trump's actions threatened to turn the culture war into an active shooting war, that would just be collateral damage on the road to his political recovery.

  The Trump orbit considers the iconography of jingoistic militarism and the violent suppression of protest to be a political winner. . . . Trump, like Nixon before him, uses "law and order" as a way of "talking about race without talking about race." In this narrative, a president who supports American "traditional culture" and stands strong against people who agitate for racial justice will win over a "silent majority" of people who just don't want to be disturbed and want to have some peace and quiet from their politics. . . .

  In one sense, [Trump]'s right: people are exhausted with chaos, and they do want a respect for law and order. The problem for Trump? The chaos is in large part of his own making, and insofar as it isn't, he's in the way of solving the problems created by institutional racism and overlapping hierarchies of oppression. The massive wave of police brutality has woken even many previously disengaged white people up to the need for true equality under the law, and an order in which everyone, including police and the president, are held to account. And many of the same people Trump is trying to persuade now believe that kicking him out of the White House is a necessary prerequisite for making that vision a reality.

• Dean Baker: The jobs report was good, but the economy is still bad. But see Shapiro, below.

• Peter Baker/Maggie Haberman/Katie Rogers/Zolan Kanno-Youngs/Katie Benner: How Trump's idea for a photo op led to havoc in a park.

• Kevin Baron: Trump finally gets the war he wanted.

• Katelyn Burns:

  • Cities and states are barring police from using chokeholds and tear gas.

  • Joe Biden now has the delegates needed to clinch the Democratic nomination.

  • Trump's latest tweets are from an alternate reality where the protests are out of control.

  • 6 Atlanta officers have been charged in violent tasing incident: "A 22-year-old student was left with a fractured arm ad needed 20 stitches from the encounter, according to his attorney."

  • Trump called governors "weak" and said they need to "dominate" George Floyd protesters.

• John Cassidy: Trump represents a bigger threat than ever to US democracy.

• Sean Collins:

  • Trump's push for "law and order" only led to more chaos in DC Monday night. This is worth looking at, if just for the pictures, which show both the horror of the military occupation of DC and the vanity of Donald Trump and his entourage in staging his photo op.

  • The anger behind the protests, explained in 4 charts.

• Tray Connor/Lisa Khoury: Every Buffalo cop in elite unit quits to back officers who shoved elderly man to ground. Two officers were suspended for attacking a 75-year-old protester, cracking his head against the ground and leaving him bleeding. Fifty-seven quit to protest the suspensions.

• Mark Danner: Moving backward: Hypocrisy and human rights.

• Derek Davison/Alex Thurston: Expect more military "liberal interventionism" under a Joe Biden presidency: My first instinct was to play this down, but the sheer number of likely foreign policy mandarins mentioned, as well as Biden's alleged desire to hire anti-Trump Republicans, makes me nervous. One reason I doubt we'll see more interventionism is that I think the current generation of military leaders, many burned from Afghanistan and Iraq (and Syria and Libya), are likely to resist -- especially pleas on "humanitarian" grounds. Also, as I recall, Biden pushed for a more minimal policy in Afghanistan under Obama. On the other hand, his career in Congress always supported the hawks. People do tend to get more cautious with age, so there's that. But I do agree there is reason to fret over his personnel decisions.

• Elizabeth Dwoskin/Nitasha Tiku: Facebook employees said they were 'caught in an abusive relationship' with Trump as internal debates raged.

• Ariel Dorfman: Trump isn't a dictator. But he has a dictator's sense of impunity.

• Rob Eshman: What the old Jewish radical taught me about George Floyd: Our friend, Marsha Steinberg.

• Franklin Foer: The foundations of the Trump regime are starting to crumble.

  Over the course of his presidency, Donald Trump has indulged his authoritarian instincts -- and now he's meeting the common fate of autocrats whose people turn against them. What the United States is witnessing is less like the chaos of 1968, which further divided a nation, and more like the nonviolent movements that earned broad societal support in places such as Serbia, Ukraine, and Tunisia, and swept away the dictatorial likes of Milosevic, Yanukovych, and Ben Ali.

• Matt Ford: The police were a mistake: "Law enforcement agencies have become the standing armies that the Founders feared."

• Masha Gessen: Donald Trump's fascist performance.

  Donald Trump thinks power looks like masked men in combat uniforms lined up in front of the marble columns of the Lincoln Memorial. He thinks it looks like Black Hawk helicopters hovering so low over protesters that they chop off the tops of trees. He thinks it looks like troops using tear gas to clear a plaza for a photo op. He thinks it looks like him hoisting a Bible in his raised right hand.

  Trump thinks power sounds like this: "Our country always wins. That is why I am taking immediate Presidential action to stop the violence and restore security and safety in America . . . dominate the streets . . . establish an overwhelming law-enforcement presence. . . . If a city or state refuses . . . I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them. . . . We are putting everybody on warning. . . . One law and order and that is what it is. One law -- we have one beautiful law." To Trump, power sounds like the word "dominate," repeated over and over on a leaked call with governors.

• Chip Gibbons: Donald Trump's "Antifa" hysteria is absurd. But it's also very dangerous. I have a lot of trouble with "antifa": I'm not sure they exist, but if they do, I'm pretty sure they aren't part of the left -- which I'd define as the movement to universalize equal rights, secure peace, and enhance community through cooperation. Fascists hate the left for just these reasons, but more often than not they also hate other people, often for very arbitrary reasons (like race, religion, or favorite football teams). So it stands to reason that there are people who don't have any particular commitment to the left but still hate fascists -- because, well, hate begets more hate. After all, we live in a society that still puts a lot of stock in violence.

  • Ben Collins/Brandy Zadrozny/Emmanuelle Saliba: White nationalist group posing as antifa called for violence on Twitter.

  • Sean Illing: "They have no allegiance to liberal democracy": An expert on antifa explains the group: Interview with Mark Bray, who wrote Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, as near as I can tell because there was no such thing, and he wanted to sell himself as an expert when/if anyone asked.

  • Neil MacFarquhar: Many claim extremists are sparking protest violence. But which extremists?

  • Ben Zimmer: Why Trump is so obsessed with antifa.

• Susan B Glasser: #Bunkerboy's photo-op war.

• Constance Grady: A reading list to understand police brutality in America.

• Garrett M Graff: The story behind Bill Barr's unmarked federal agents. Also see: Washington DC now controlled by gunmen under William Barr's command, and William Barr's unaccountable nameless army suppresses dissent and threatens democracy, which starts off with Chris Murphy tweeting "We cannot tolerate an American secret police."

• Alisha Haridasani Gupta: Why aren't we all talking about Breonna Taylor? Could be that this particular case is complicated by the "war on drugs," which allowed police to "serve a no-knock warrant" in the middle of the night, and guns: she was killed after her boyfriend shot at a suspected intruder, which turned out to be armed police who returned fire massively and blindly (or at least that's how I understand it went down). As both the reason for the break in and the firefight were deliberate choices made by police, it's hard not to think that this could have been handled differently, in a way where no one got shot, and it's hard to dismiss the idea that racism didn't factor into those choices, even if the police never saw the person they were killing. But doesn't this also raise a key question about guns? A big part of the common rationale for owning a gun is the idea that you can use it to defend your home from invasion -- but clearly that doesn't work in cases where the police are the invaders. Maybe that rationale isn't as smart as its advocates think?

• Sean Illing:

  • Will he go? "A law professor fears a meltdown this November." Interview with Lawrence Douglas, who has a book on this: Will He Go? Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020. This strikes me as something not worth worrying about now, although that anyone can raise such questions reminds us that Trump has no regard for the Constitution and the rule of law. I can't imagine that anyone in a position of power would support Trump in spite of a clear electoral defeat.

  • Why the policing problem isn't about "a few bad apples": "A former prosecutor on the fundamental problem with law enforcement: 'The system was designed this way.'" Interview with Paul Butler, Georgetown law professor, former federal prosecutor, author of Chokehold: Policing Black Men.

• Quinta Jurecic/Benjamin Wittes: The law-enforcement abuses that don't bother Trump: "The president believes that those who oppose him should be punished, but that those who support him should be free to do as they please."

• Fred Kaplan:

  • James Mattis' scathing broadside against Donald Trump is unprecedented.

  • Military commanders are finally speaking out against Trump.

  • Sending troops into American cities will only cause more chaos and turmoil.

• Roge Karma: Chris Hayes on how police treat black Americans like colonial subjects: Interview with Hayes, who wrote a very clear book on the subject, A Colony in a Nation.

  We're seeing tactics of policing that are usually used on people that are outside of view: pressure, harassment, and ultimately domination.

  I think the word domination is so remarkable. The president has been explicit on this: The goal is domination. And what does domination look like? It looks like a knee on the neck. In fact, a boot to the neck is like the oldest trope we have to represent domination and represent tyranny. What is the flag of the colonies? It's a snake that reads, "Don't tread on me." Do not step on me. Do not place your foot on me. That is domination. And if you do, I will react.

• Annie Karni/Maggie Haberman: How Trump's demands for a full house in Charlotte derailed a convention.

• Amit Katwala: Sweden's coronavirus experiment has well and truly failed.

• Philip Kennicott: The dystopian Lincoln Memorial photo raises a grim question: Will they protect us, or will they shoot us?

• Catherine Kim:

  • Poll: Americans are more concerned about police violence than violence at protests.

  • The protests are growing larger, calmer, and more community-oriented.

  • The fatal arrest of Manuel Ellis, another black man who yelled "I can't breathe," explained: "A medical examiner ruled Ellis's death as a homicide caused by a lack of oxygen and physical restraint."

  • The White House went dark as protests raged outside.

• Jen Kirby: The disturbing history of how tear gas became the weapon of choice against protesters: "The chemical weapon was originally marketed to police as a way to turn protesters 'into a screaming mob.'" Interview with Anna Feigenbaum, author of Tear Gas: From the Battlefields of World War I to the Streets of Today.

• Ezra Klein: America at the breaking point: "The social upheaval of the 1960s meets the political polarization and institutional dysfunction of the present." I don't have time to write about this piece, but probably should refer to it at some point when I finally try to sum up what's going on. I've always hated the notion that the 1960s divided and broke America. Rather, events exposed hypocrisies and weaknesses, but rather than heal them, political reaction took over and turned us into fantasists. That the same fractures have returned -- sure, plus some new ones -- should remind us that failure to heal can only be ignored for so long.

• Elizabeth Kolbert: How Iceland beat the coronavirus.

• Paul Krugman:

  • Donald Trump is no Richard Nixon: "He -- and his party -- is much, much worse." The subhed is critical, because is less the leader of his party than the vessel into which fifty years of megalomania and cynicism has been poured, the creature grown out of such vile soil. The first comparison I recall between Trump and Nixon concerned their respective convention acceptance speeches in 1968 and 2016: Nixon's was much more concise, and much more cunning, a carefully constructed pitch to the American people that exploited their feelings while betraying little of Nixon's real ambitions, whereas Trump's was, despite being scripted, an incoherent mess. Their presidencies have followed from those initial premises, but they started out from different places, and to my mind that makes Nixon more culpable for the ensuing disaster. In fact, when Trump apes Nixon's law-and-order rants, he's not just repeating past mistakes but testifying to Nixon's continued legacy. So I really don't have much patience when liberals like Krugman point out that Nixon put his signature to some pieces of progressive legislation (like the Clean Air Act) that Trump has sought to trash. Nixon was smart enough to bend with the wind, but he was also devious enough to put Donald Rumsfeld in charge of the Office of Economic Opportunity, and subvert LBJ's "Great Society" programs from the inside.

  • Trump takes us to the brink: "Will weaponized racism destroy America?"

• Heather Long/Andrew Van Dam: The black-white economic divide is as wide as it was in 1968: "14 charts show how deep the economic gap is and how little it has changed in decades. The covid-19 recession is also hitting black families and business owners far harder than whites."

• German Lopez:

  • How violent protests against police brutality in the '60s and '90s changed public opinion: "The backlash to unrest in the '60s gave the country Richard Nixon, one study found. But we don't know if that will apply today." One thing not noted here is that we tend to conflate two different things when we remember "violence in the '60s": "race riots" which flared up in various cities from 1965-68, most often in response to local police acts; and the police riot against anti-war demonstrators at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Neither of these should be framed as "protests against police brutality" -- sure, they were occasioned by and exemplified by police brutality, but they weren't organized as protests. I've long felt that the former were pent-up explosions of anger, a release of pressures that had built up over decades of racism and impoverishment, as I noted that it was very rare for any city to "riot" more than once. Repeated experiences were prevented not by police dominance but by community leaders organizing bases of political power. (Also helpful were cases where white political leaders responded by getting out into the streets and making their concerns visible, as John Lindsay did in New York. RFK, campaigning in Indianapolis when Martin Luther King was killed, was also effective as keeping anger from turning into riot.) It is true that Nixon cultivated a backlash against blacks and anti-war protesters, but one thing that helped him was that he was out of office when the "violence" happened, unlike Trump. Of course, Nixon was responsible for much of the violence after he became president in 1969 -- in America, and much, much more around the world.

  • How to reform American police, according to experts.

    1. Police need to apologize for centuries of abuse
    2. Police should be trained to address their racial biases
    3. Police should avoid situations that lead them to use force
    4. Officers must be held accountable in a very transparent way
    5. On-the-job incentives for police officers need to change
    6. We need higher standards -- and better pay -- for police
    7. Police need to focus on the few people in communities causing chaos and violence
    8. We need better data to evaluate police and crime

• Kate Maltby: Viktor Orbán's masterplan to make Hungary greater again.

• Peter Manseau: The Christian martyrdom movement ascends to the White House: "A former professor of Kayleigh McEnany, Trump's new press secretary, explores her enduring obsession with religious persecution and death."

• Branko Marcetic: American authoritarianism runs deeper than Trump.

• Josh Marshall:

  • He's no Richard Nixon.

  • Surveying the whirlwind.

  • Farce, tragedy and photo op: Early in the week, I was thinking Marshall's "editors' blog" entries might be worth following, but I hit the paywall here. I used to look at his site first thing every day, but the returns have been so paltry with such added nuisance factor I hardly bother any more.

• Dylan Matthews: How today's protests compare to 1968, explained by a historian. Interview with Heather Ann Thompson, author of Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy.

• Ian Millhiser:

  • Black Lives Matter sues Bill Barr for order that led to tear gas attack on peaceful protesters.

  • The 3 former officers who aided Derek Chauvin are charged in George Floyd's killing: These guys were police officers who at the very least stood by while police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd. They've since been fired for their conduct, so technically now they are former officers, but it seems disingenuous to refer to them as "former" when they were active when they committed their crimes. Indeed, I can't think of any other case where the press takes such pains to dissociate criminals from their occupation at the time of the crime. When Watergate burglar Gordon Liddy was described as "ex-CIA," that's because he was no longer employed by the CIA when he broke into Watergate.

  • The charges against former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, explained.

• Terry Nguyen: There isn't a simple story about looting.

• Tim Noah: Donald Trump is celebrating the wrong economic accomplishment: "The president wants credit for a largely illusory blip of improvement in the job market. He should be going all-in on the $600 sweeteners."

• Anna North/Catherine Kim: These videos show the police aren't neutral. They're counterprotesters.

• Osita Nwanevu: Tom Cotton and the elite media's dalliance with illiberalism. The New York Times published an op-ed by the Arkansas Republican called Send in the troops, demanding that the US military "restore order" -- a task that same military has repeatedly failed to do in Afghanistan and Iraq (indeed, a sober analysis would recognize that the US military only made those situations worse, and not for lack of arms or brutality). The Times justified printing Cotton with its commitment to airing "all" voices (meaning conservative ones)

  • Zack Beauchamp: The New York Times staff revolt over Tom Cotton's op-ed, explained.

  • Michelle Goldberg: Tom Cotton's fascist op-ed.

    Before Donald Trump became president, most newspaper op-ed pages sought to present a spectrum of politically significant opinion and argument, which they could largely do while walling off extremist propaganda and incitement. The Trump presidency has undermined that model, because there's generally no way to defend the administration without being either bigoted or dishonest.

  • David Roberts: The Tom Cotton op-ed affair shows why the media must defend America's values.

  • Libby Watson: At The New York Times, an uprising over James Bennet's incompetence. Bennet subsequently resigned.

• Alice Miranda Ollstein/Dan Goldberg: Mass arrests jeopardizing the health of protesters, police.

• Richard A Oppel Jr/Lazaro Gamio: Minneapolis police use force against black people at 7 times the rate of whites.

• Alex Pareene: The police take the side of white vigilantes: "Over the past week, cops have shown that they share a coherent ideology."

• Daniel Politi:

  • Video shows law enforcement officers slashing tires at Minneapolis protests.

  • Two Buffalo police officers charged with assault for shoving 75-year-old protester.

  • Trump retweets interview trashing George Floyd's character as he breaks own Twitter record.

• Linda Qiu: Trump's false claim that 'nobody has ever done' more for the black community than he has: "The records of Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon B Johnson, among others, beg to differ." Assuming pre-Lincoln presidents are ineligible, I thought it might be easier to list the ones who had done less (or who had done more harm). Andrew Johnson was more blatantly racist than practically anyone. And Woodrow Wilson did major harm in segregating the federal government. But beyond that just makes my head hurt.

• David Remnick: An American uprising: "Who, really, is the agitator here?"

• Brian Resnick: Rubber bullets may be "nonlethal," but they can still maim and kill: "The dangers of 'nonlethal' police weapons -- like rubber bullets, flash-bangs, and tear gas -- explained." As I recall, Israeli soldiers, who use a lot of rubber bullets on Palestinians, like to aim for eyes.

  The group found 26 studies on the use of rubber bullets around the world, documenting a total of 1,984 injuries. Fifteen percent of the injuries resulted in permanent disability; 3 percent resulted in death. When the injuries were to the eyes, they overwhelmingly (84.2 percent) resulted in blindness.

• David Roberts: The coronavirus crisis has revealed what Americans need most: Universal basic services. Interview with Andrew Percy, co-author with Anna Coote of The Case for Universal Basic Services.

• Katie Rogers: Ivanka Trump blames 'cancel culture' after college pulls her commencement speech: She was scheduled to address graduates of Wichita State University "Tech." (What is this "Tech"? Looks like the former Wichita Area Technical College [WATC], which is to say it it's not even the real third-tier state college in Kansas. I attended WSU for a year back when my only credential was a GED, and parlayed that into a scholarship at a much fancier college. WATC was originally an adult extension of the Wichita East High vocational program.) I'd like to know more about how this got contracted (and what the kill fee is). If Ivanka wanted to look for a prestige spot to speak, she settled pretty low. On the other hand, I can't imagine anyone there thinking she's just what WSU Tech needed to burnish its image -- unless, of course, one of the Kochs (who have a lot of pull at WSU) whispered in their ears. How it got canceled is no mystery. It was such a patently stupid idea, all it took was for one of the faculty to circulate a petition, which damn near everyone signed. "Cancel culture" is another new one for me (although evidently not for Vox). Controversial figures often get scheduled for events then canceled, but it's almost never due to a vogue for canceling. Usually, some hidden power (like the Kochs) stomps on the autonomy of some student group. Or sometimes, as in this case, a popular uprising spoils some shady insider deal. For more, see Daniel Caudill: WSU Tech reverses course; Ivanka Trump will not be a commencement speaker. Main additional piece of news here is that WSU Tech President Sheree Utash "serves on the American Workforce Policy Advisory board," giving her a connection to Ivanka, probably via Mike Pompeo (Trump's Secretary of State, formerly US Representative for Wichita area).

• Philip Rucker/Ashley Parker/Matt Zapotosky/Josh Dawsey: With White House effectively a fortress, some see Trump's strength -- but others see weakness. Also by Dawsey, with David Nakamura/Fenit Nirappil: 'Vicious dogs' versus 'a scared man': Trump's feud with Bowser escalates amid police brutality protests.

• Noam Scheiber/Farah Stockman/J David Goodman: How police unions became such powerful opponents to reform efforts.

• Michael Shank: How police became paramilitaries.

  That beat cops so often look like troops is not just a problem of "optics." There is, in fact, a "positive and statistically significant relationship between 1033 transfers and fatalities from officer-involved shootings," according to recent research. In other words, the more militarized we allow law enforcement agents to become, the more likely officers are to use lethal violence against citizens: civilian deaths have been found to increase by about 130 percent when police forces acquire significantly more military equipment. . . .

  Law enforcement has, in fact, been training for a moment like this -- specifically by learning techniques and tactics from Israeli military services. As Amnesty International has documented, law enforcement officials from as far afield as Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Arizona, Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington state, and the D.C. Capitol have traveled to Israel for such training. These programs, according to research backed by Jewish Voice for Peace, focus on exchanging methods of "mass surveillance, racial profiling, and suppression of protest and dissent."

• Robert J Shapiro: No, the unemployment rate didn't really drop in May: "Donald Trump bragged about a bogus jobs number and defiled George Floyd's name in the process." This strongly suggests that the BLS cooked the books to give Trump a number (13.3% unemployment) he could brag about. This did this by not counting 9 million people who weren't working but could be construed as still having jobs (e.g., unpaid furloughed workers). The true number is closer to 19.0%.

• Rebecca Solnit: As the George Floyd protests continue, let's be clear where the violence is coming from: "Using damage to property as cover, US police have meted out shocking, indiscriminate brutality in the wake of the uprising."

• Jeffrey St Clair: Roaming charges: Mad bull, lost its way: I don't particularly like him, and rarely read him, but some weeks deserve one of his laundry lists, and he notices somethings that few other people do. For instance, he dug up a headline from 2003: "Rumsfeld: Looting is transition to freedom," adding: "Perhaps Rumsfeld will write an amicus brief on behalf of the more than 10,000 protesters arrested for rioting, looting and just pissing off cops."

• Yeganeh Torbati: New Trump appointee to foreign aid agency has denounced liberal democracy and 'our homo-empire': Meet "Merritt Corrigan, USAID's new deputy White House liaison."

• Emily VanDerWerff: America's contradictions are breaking wide open: "On Donald Trump, standing outside a church, pretending to be strong." Vox's TV critic, but isn't it all TV these days?

• Alex Ward:

  • The president is a danger to the US military: "Even Trump's former Secretary of Defense James Mattis agrees." The James Mattis piece is in The Atlantic. PS: Mike Mullen, former Joint Chiefs chairman, made an even more emphatic statement. We've also heard from retired General John Allen and retired Admiral James Stavridis. And, of course, there's also Colin Powell, whose reputation is so tarnished that Trump struck back, taunting him as "very responsible for getting us into the disastrous Middle East Wars."

  • The Insurrection Act, the 1807 law Trump could use to deploy troops to curb protests, explained.

  • Australia wants the US to investigate a police attack on 2 Australian reporters: "Videos show the on-air journalist and cameraman were attacked by a federal law enforcement officer outside the White House."

• Adam Weinstein: This is fascism: "Trump is sending an unambiguous message to a country in turmoil -- and his armed supporters, from cops to vigilantes, hear it loud and clear."

• Philip Weiss:

  • George Floyd killing highlights issue of US police training in Israel:

    At least 100 Minnesota police officers attended a 2012 conference hosted by the Israeli consulate in Chicago, the second time such an event had been held.

    There they learned the violent techniques used by Israeli forces as they terrorise the occupied Palestinian territories under the guise of security operations.

    The so-called counterterrorism training conference in Minneapolis was jointly hosted by the FBI.

    Also:

    Exchanges between US police and the Israeli army promote a brutal military occupation as a positive model for community policing. Under the banner of "counter-terrorism" training, Israel is presenting lessons learned from 50 years of illegal military occupation over a Palestinian population deprived of human and civil rights.

  • -/James North: NYT's meltdown on Tom Cotton recalls its four op-ed pieces justifying slaughter of Gaza demonstrators.

• Jordan Weissmann: Here's what happens if Republicans let those $600 unemployment benefits expire.

• Robin Wright: Is American becoming a banana republic?

• Matthew Yglesias:

  • It's way too early to declare "mission accomplished" on the economy.

  • 8 Can't Wait, explained.

  • The US economy added 2.5 million jobs in May. Unemployment rate for May dropped from 14.7% to 13.3%. See Shapiro above for a better explanation of this.

  • Vandalism and theft aren't helping.

    But while navigating these issues on a practical level is tricky, on an ethical level it's an easy problem -- those looting and vandalizing are in the wrong, and police officers who focus their ire on peaceful protesters while letting vandals roam free are also in the wrong, and political leaders like Trump who use the existence of vandals as a hazy excuse to fire tear gas into law-abiding crowds are the wrongest of all.

  • Growing calls to "defund the police," explained. Also see:

    • Kate Aronoff: Defunding the police is good climate policy.

    • Melissa Gira Grant: The pandemic is the right time to defund the police.

    • Jack Norton: Cut the carceral system now.

    • Farah Stockman/John Eligon: Cities ask if it's time to defund police and 'reimagine' public safety.

    • Alex S Vitale: We must defund the police now.

  • Black Lives Matter activism is working.

  • The most chilling aspect of Trump's Monday night crackdown on law-abiding protesters.

    Trump's politics are full of these little dominance rituals. To verbalize agreement with Trump because you genuinely agree with what he says proves nothing -- it's willingness to say things that neither you nor anyone else believes that truly proves your devotion.

    Monday night's use of force was similar in structure but more alarming in practice. Would law enforcement officials fire tear gas at an unarmed crowd that wasn't breaking the rules? That federal agents were deployed instead of DC police officers is perhaps a sign that there were some doubts. Regardless, one can never know for sure what kind of orders will be followed until they are given. A 7:01 pm dispersal wouldn't prove anything, whereas a 6:36 pm dispersal proved a great deal.

• Gary Younge: What Black America means to Europe. The size of the protests has surprised me everywhere, but especially in Europe. Still, as a placard in a photo here says, "The UK is not innocent."

  George Floyd's killing comes at a moment when America's standing has never been lower in Europe. With his bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, ignorance, vanity, venality, bullishness, and bluster, Donald Trump epitomizes everything most Europeans loathe about the worst aspects of American power. . . .

  Although police killings are a constant, gruesome feature of American life, to many Europeans this particular murder stands as confirmation of the injustices of this broader political period. It illustrates a resurgence of white, nativist violence blessed with the power of the state and emboldened from the highest office. It exemplifies a democracy in crisis, with security forces running amok and terrorizing their own citizens. The killing of George Floyd stands not just as a murder but as a metaphor.

• Li Zhou:

  • The trope of "outside agitators" at protests, explained. Interview with Howard law professor Justin Hansford.

  • Embattled Rep. Steve King has lost his primary: Nine-term House representative (R-IA), so racist he had become an embarrassment even to the Republican Party (and scarier for them, his hold on his previously safe seat had become tenuous).

Ask a question, or send a comment.

Friday, June 5, 2020

I asked Michael Tatum to take a look at my first batch of Questions and Answers. He helped flag some necessary edits before I posted them early this week. He also suggested that instead of just linking to them (as I did again above), I should have included them directly in the blog. I don't plan on doing that as a matter of course, but this time I reckon they could use a little more exposure. For one thing I got zero new questions (here's the form) since they went up.

I imagine there are hundreds (if not thousands) of similar offers scattered around the web. I've felt a need for some kind of feedback for a long time, but found that comment systems were more work to maintain than they're worth. Two features are direct antecedents to mine: Greil Marcus's Ask Greil), and Robert Christgau's Xgau Sez. Joe Levy suggested the latter as a way of generating some public interest in Christgau's then-new Duke University Press essay collections, Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years of Rock Criticism 1967-2017 and Book Reports: A Music Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading.

Joe suggested "Ask Greil" as a model, but when I looked at the implementation, I had some second thoughts. I adapted the news roll code to display the Q&A in 15-unit chunks, most recent first, stringing earlier pages together. ("Ask Greil" is in flat files, one per year.) I added tags to the data file, thinking that someday I could support more search options. (I'd like to eventually put them into the database, but didn't want to have to update it more often than I do.) I also added a captcha to cut down on spam questions. I recently adapted the Christgau code for my own site, adding a few more tags (but still not making good use of them).

My main change was to add a "keywords" field. I expected (or hoped) to get a broader range of questions than the music queries that predominate for Christgau and Marcus, and thought it would be a good idea to be able to easily sort my answers into topics. Still, four of the first five questions were on music, including one of those potentially tedious requests to elaborate on grades. A sixth question, which I didn't answer here, was really more of a tip (Whitney Rose) -- more properly answered in last week's Music Week. While my email is elsewhere on the site (and still works best if you want a direct answer), feel free to use the form for tips, comments, or occasional kind words.

I rather hope to see wide-ranging questions, one that provoke me to think, maybe even do a little research, although I'd be happy enough with ones where I can just rattle off experiences and opinions. I like to keep an open mind about where this is going. And I'd like some feedback to prod me along. Thanks, in advance.

[Q] Combining two of your interests, music and politics (maybe next time for food), is a Geoffrey Himes column about how songs about blue collar life are ignored. or misinterpreted, by the audience they depict. "Born In The USA", possibly the most egregious example, may not need to be listed but I do wonder how you interpret this music/audience disconnect. It's weird, don't you think? -- Gregory Morton, Caldwell, ID [2020-05-25]

[A] I'm not sure I think anything about this, other than that stereotypes are worse than worthless, and generalizations leave out all meaningful detail by definition. Songwriters start with what they know and feel, which includes class and race and sex and a lot more, and it rarely reduces to just one thing. Their cohort may recognize themselves in such art, or not, just as other people may relate to it, or not. Add politics to the mix if you dare. Unfortunately, many people tend to straitjacket themselves to only like or dislike things they perceive as politically correct, and lose touch with the muddle we call life. I've known more people like this on the left than on the right, but I know more people on the left, and people like this on the right stay away from me, so it'd be wrong to generalize. What I can say is that when John Prine died, outpourings of grief came from all across the political spectrum -- even though you and I know he was one of us. One of my pro-gun, anti-abortion, Trump-loving relatives forwarded my link to my review of Fair & Square, even though I could hardly have been more explicit about both my and Prine's politics. Perhaps she didn't understood me? Or perhaps she misunderstands her own politics? Regardless, I love her, and politics has nothing to do with that.

[Q] Do you listen to music differently when you are trying to "grade" an album, trying to figure out whether it's any good or not? If so, do you find that type of listening enjoyable? How much of your listening is done trying to suss out the merits of a work, as opposed to just enjoying it?

Those came out as very specific questions, but my question is broader than that, but I'm not sure how to ask it. Which is to say, if you answer this, feel free to take it broadly. -- Matt Crawford, Pacifica, CA [2020-05-19]

[A] I don't do anything special for grading, or listen any differently when I know I'm going to grade a record. Grades are always provisional, just a note to myself, a crude of measure of how much I enjoyed a record, and not much else. I don't have any fixed aesthetic standards. Bad execution and/or lack of inspiration may count against it, but that's mostly because such things detract from enjoying a record.

Back when I was writing assigned reviews, I took more extensive notes, looking for details I could use in a review, and I kept playing a record until I finished writing. That's a lot of work, and I rarely put that much into a record any more. If I had to write at greater depth, I wouldn't be able to get to nearly as many records, and my sense of comparative value would suffer. The downside is that I regard most of words I do wind up publishing as crap: not exactly useless, but lacking in insight and craft. Probably why I tend to denigrate my skills as a reviewer.

I started grading just as a memory aid. I was very familiar with Robert Christgau's grading scale, so that gave me a framework with a few thousand data points. But whereas he insists that "grading is hard work," and has minimal standards of how many times he has to play a record before grading it, for me it's just data -- necessarily approximate at first, better considered over time, not that I have any way of making that distinction. (I toyed with the idea of using two numbers for grades: one for level and a second fraction or degree of certainty, but decided that would be way too much trouble.)

[Q] Found you by looking up who made the Robert Christgau website. I love it! It really captures the internet in the '90s. Was curious, did you make all of the websites you have linked here, or are these just things are recommended? i.e. did you make the original website for FiveThirtyEight and Glenn Greenwald?

Thanks! Also wanted to add that I love this website: http://carolcooper.org/ -- Naif Alrayes, San Francisco [2020-05-19]

[A] I built Robert Christgau's website in 2001, and Carol Cooper's a bit later. I had the idea of creating a portal toolkit for music writers based on a more generalized revision of the Christgau website code. Several writers expressed interest, but Cooper signed up first, so I rushed a site together for her, and when I didn't develop my proposal further, her prototype stuck. I've done several other websites, including one for Carola Dibbell, but not the ones you mentioned, or anything else in the "Links" list on most of my pages. ("Local Links" directs you to various spots in my own website; "My Other Websites" points you to other websites I maintain, although the current version of Wichita Peace was designed by someone else -- I built an earlier one using Drupal.) Hullworks was intended for other people's data, but mostly contains my Jazz Critics Poll pages.

I suppose the "Links" list is also attributable to me being stuck with a 1990s web aesthetic. I used to have a whole "Links" section, but found it impossible to maintain, and got increasingly annoyed when website maintainers wrote me begging to get included. On the other hand, I've never gotten into the habit of using my browser's bookmarks, or for that matter a RSS reader, so the links still help me get around.

I have on occasion gotten complaints about the "1990s look" of my websites (but never from Christgau or Cooper -- their interest has always been in their words, so the lack of graphics has never bothered them). Some of those principles I still regard as valid, and I still don't see much value in JavaScript, or in things like cookies. But it has become clear to me that some degree of design changes are necessary. About a year ago, I announced that I was going to do a redesign, and I set up a mailing list for people who would like to consult. Lots of things have slowed me down, so I have little progress to show at present, but if you'd like to be included in the list, and especially if you think you could help, please drop me a line.

[Q] You obviously listen to a lot of music and read a lot books on politics, but I wondered if you also read a lot of music books. For instance, Rolling Stone just published a list with The 50 greatest rock memoirs of all time: are there many on it you have read? As for myself I am specially fond of books with references to other records, like the Questlove book. Speaking of Questlove: he published a list last year with his favorite albums. I was pleased to see Coltrane Plays the Blues on it, a personal favorite. But I also noticed some jazz albums you haven't graded as far as I know (by Ahmad Jamal and Max Roach), something I didn't think was possible for some one with such an jazz affliction. -- Ziggy, Amsterdam, Netherlands [2020-05-13]

[A] I'm not a very fast reader, but I've read steadily since I quit high school in 1966, and keep plugging away at it. After losing my tech job in 2001, I thought I'd focus on writing, and figured the subject I knew the most about, and had the most to contribute to, would be political philosophy -- a pursuit my wife, who's always been a political obsessive, encouraged. Ever since then I've focused almost exclusively on political topics, as you can see from my list here. As fate would have it, I've written a lot more about music during this period -- even made a little bit of money off it -- but I really haven't read many books on music. In particular, I haven't read a single one of Rob Sheffield's The 50 Greatest Rock Memoirs of All Time. The only one I've even been tempted by was Patti Smith's Just Kids. The Questlove book does look promising, and Luke Haines' Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Role in Its Downfall might be fun. The one music memoir that I did read recently was Ani DiFranco's No Walls and the Recurring Dream, which surely belongs on Sheffield's list. I've written a good deal about DiFranco before, and I had a personal interest, in that I have family in Buffalo who knew her growing up. Indeed, for me the later music/career parts were less interesting than her childhood and emancipation.

The Questlove list appears here. Should be easy to see how I've missed some jazz albums. I don't have any real idea how many jazz albums have been released. My first swag was 100,000, which would be 1,448 per year since 1950. Then I thought I'd try Discogs, which comes up with the number 1,159,285, but that includes reissues and singles. Hard to extrapolate from that, but it certainly doesn't suggest that my swag is too high. I currently have 17,966 jazz records (including pop vocals) rated, so that's what? 12-18%? I've made several attempts to come up with a sample size over the years. Even with promos and streaming in recent years, I doubt if I've ever heard more than 25% of all the new jazz being released. Looking at my 2020 music tracking file, I've heard about 40% of all the jazz I've taken the trouble to list. I've omitted at least as many jazz albums as I've listed, reducing my share to 20% or less.

So far, I've heard 11 Ahmad Jamal records (2 A-), out of 24 in my database (but he's released more like 80). I've heard 9 Max Roach records (1 A-), out of 31 in my database (that's just records which list Roach as leader; I have 10 more rated with Roach as co-leader, including 5 at A/A-; with co-leader records he's released close to 100 records, plus side credits on another 100+, some as monumental as The Amazing Bud Powell and Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus). I'm not a big fan of piano trio or drum ensembles, but those are major artists, and I'll check out more of their work when I can.[1] But there are lots of jazz musicians I've barely sampled (if at all). That's just inevitable.

[1] I listened to a bunch of Roach records in the following week, so the numbers above have roughly doubled.

[Q] Your reception to Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville and Whipsmart mirrored that of the critical establishment at the time, but something changed for you circa Juvenilia, and you outrightly panned Whitechocolatespaceegg despite Christgau's positive reception to both albums (A- and A respectively). What changed for you, especially as it relates to Whitechocolatespaceegg which Christgau treated as a comeback of sorts? -- David [2020-05-06]

[A] Those albums date from 1995 and 1998. I wasn't writing about music then -- at least not in any systematic way -- and I wrote nothing about Liz Phair until Funstyle in 2010 (which I liked much more than Christgau did: A- vs. *). I vaguely remember Juvenilia as being short and rough, a step back, so I'm not surprised I found it wanting. Those tracks are probably all in the 3-CD box The Girly Sound Tapes (2018), which I graded more generously (***), but 25 years after her masterpiece, it probably sets somewhat differently in my mind. I don't remember the other album, or for that matter her 2003 Liz Phair (a B+ which Christgau graded A), at all. I did start to stream White*egg after this question, and shut it down three tracks in. Maybe it's a tad better than B-, but not so much I felt I needed to figure it out.

You previously asked me this same question about two other records: Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks and Robert Cray's Strong Persuader. Those I remembered, not only the records but the exact point when I decided I couldn't stand them any more. I suppose the reason I can remember them so vividly is that I quickly grasped their appeal, before something else turned me off. I won't go into what -- one thing I never want to do is to spoil a record that you like just because I don't, and you should never let me. But part of the story thers is that I've always had an anti-hype reflex. (I don't recall much hype behind the Cray or Phair albums, but they sold well and the former won a Grammy, so must have had hype beyond Christgau.) It's not that I don't like Dylan, but I've often been out of sync with whatever the critical consensus is on him. The best known cases where my initial reaction was heavily influenced by anti-hype are Bruce Springsteen and Charlie Parker. I've since made my peace with both, although at a lower level than they are generally accorded.

But back to the Phair album(s). Christgau wrote not just capsules but feature reviews of White*egg and Liz Phair. I don't know whether he did that because he initially thought them important, or thought them newsworthy and wound up deciding that he really liked them, but either way he spent a lot of time with the records, whereas I played them once or twice and decided I had wasted my money. Maybe I played them more -- I often do that with records I initially panned that Christgau came to like (most don't move much, but one that really did was Randy Newman's Harps & Angels).

Ask a question, or send a comment.

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

June archive (in progress).

Music: Current count 33378 [33333] rated (+45), 209 [209] unrated (+0).

Post delayed a day because, well, a lot of things kept me from working on it on Monday. Frozen Sunday night, aside from adding Monday's unpacking.

A few weeks ago, I set up a form for asking questions. I finally decided I had enough to do the extra work of setting up an answer page, so Q&A is now a going concern. I've added a couple fields beyond what I did for Robert Christgau, but I'm not really using them yet. At some point, it should be possible to get selective lists based on keywords, or possibly other search methods.

One question I didn't answer was actually a tip, Jeopardy-style phrased as a question. Mongo asked if I had heard Whitney Rose's We Still Go to Rodeos ("the best country album I've heard so far this year"). No, I hadn't, but the obvious response was to listen to it, so it's in this week's list. I disagree, but my initial reaction was pretty similar to my initial underrating of Kalie Shorr's Open Book in 2019. Still, have major doubts it will ever catch up with the Lucinda Williams and Brandy Clark records (or Chicago Farmer, if he qualifies). I went on and sampled a few more recent alt-country albums, but didn't find anything really better.

Until those, most of what I listened to last week were old jazz albums. The first few were unheard items from the JazzTimes ballots I mentioned recently, at least until I got carried away with Paul Motian. Then I got into Max Roach, partly in response to one of the questions.

Got a rare rock record in the mail recently, with a hand-printed note explaining that Robert Christgau reviewed Thank Your Lucky Stars' debut album, Spinning Out of Orbit, in my one shot 2013 Black Friday Special, and hoping I might like the new one. I do. The CD is actually very nicely packaged, but has no presence on the web, and the note didn't even include an email address, so I have no idea how you'd go about buying a copy. (The old CD, which I haven't heard, is listed on Amazon, at $30.08, 1 copy left, with other vendor offers from $29.09.) Without an album cover available, I thought I'd try my old scanner -- an "all-in-one" Epson Stylus Photo RX580 -- only to find it doesn't work. (I replaced the 6 ink cartridges a while back, and now it's stuck in a mode where it insists on me first installing new ink cartridges before it does anything else. Two Ubuntu scanner programs fail to recognize it.) What I wound up doing was taking a picture with my cell phone, then running it through a bunch of rotate/shear/crop commands in Gimp. Very little margin on top to work with, but I managed to keep it even though I chopped off the other three edges. I'm real surprised it looks as good as it does.

I should mention that Joe Yanosik has written up Sonic Youth: A Consumer Guide to their live albums. They've released a bunch of them on Bandcamp. I had seen mention of a couple of them recently, but didn't realize there were this many, and after last year's release of Battery Park NYC, July 4th 2008 -- which Joe also includes, as an A+ -- I wasn't in a big hurry to go there. Nice that Joe has illuminated the way.

Alto saxophonist Lennie Niehaus (90) died last week. He's probably best known as the director of many Clint Eastwood soundtracks, but he was an important "West Coast cool jazz" musician, played for Stan Kenton 1952-59 (minus a stretch in the Army), and recorded a number of well-regarded (albeit a bit fancy for my taste) albums, especially in the 1950s, before focusing on soundtracks. I've heard a couple of his albums, and need to check out more.

English tenor saxophonist Don Weller (79) also died. I can't say that I know his work. I also heard that Sun Ra bassist Bill Davis died, but haven't found an obituary yet. Other recent musician deaths: Majek Fashek (57, Nigerian reggae singer), John Nzenze (80, Kenyan guitarist), Evaldo Gouveia (91, MPB singer-songwriter).

Horrors enough on Monday and Tuesday to get me to open Weekend Roundup as soon as I post this.

New records reviewed this week:

Caitlin Cannon: The TrashCannon Album (2020, Caitlin Cannon): Country singer-songwriter from Alabama "with a hairdresser mom and a brother in prison," first album, trashes education in the opener ("your BA is BS"), flirts with rockabilly, eventually settles down. B+(**)

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: Reunions (2020, Southeastern): Singer-songwriter, in Drive-By Truckers 2001-07, seventh solo album since. Some people I respect consider him major, but I can't say as I ever hear much in his sober, tasteful, well-structured songs. B+(*)

Carly Rae Jepsen: Dedicated Side B (2020, School Boy): Canadian singer-songwriter/pop star, pairs this album with her 2019 Dedicated, much as she released a Side B sequel to her 2015 album E-MO-TION. Album came out with no publicity or reviews, and I'm not quick enough to sort it out. B+(**)

Rent Romus/Heikki Koskinen/Life's Blood Ensemble: Manala (2019 [2020], Edgetone): Alto saxophonist, plays other instruments, with Finnish e-trumpet player, and nine others, present "a musical adventures inspired by Finnish mythopoetics and Uralic oral traditions." Starts shaky, but finds its groove, Gaby Fluke-Mogul's violin stands out among the instruments, occasional vocals don't hurt. B+(***) [cd]

Whitney Rose: We Still Go to Rodeos (2020, MCG): Country singer-songwriter from Prince Edward Island in Canada, third album (plus an well-regarded EP). Good songs, not wild about the big production. B+(**)

Thank Your Lucky Stars: Girl in Her 29s (2020, Sounds Deevine): Searching for the artist name returns a 1943 movie starring Eddie Cantor, about a musical revue/charity extravaganza, with many cameos ranging from Humphey Bogart and Olivia de Havilland to Dinah Shore and Spike Jones. Adding "band" got me Beach House's 2015 album, and a "disambiguation" page that added a 1990 album by Whitehouse and a 1961-66 British TV variety show, which showcased the Beatles as early as December 1962. Adding the album title got gar nichts (well, more of the same, but nothing new). Searching for their/his 2016 record Spinning Out of Orbit got me product on Amazon and reviews by Robert Christgau and AMG, and a hint that the album may have been on CdBaby. A- [cd]

Pam Tillis: Looking for a Feeling (2020, Stellar Cat): Country singer-songwriter, daughter of Mel Tillis, 14 albums since 1983 (including two recent duet albums with Lorrie Morgan). B+(*)

Bill Warfield and the Hell's Kitchen Funk Orchestra: Smile (2020, Planet Arts/43 Street): Trumpet player, cut his first records with the Towson State College Jazz Ensemble, has led a big band since 1990. Fanciful choice of songs here, including "Ode to Billy Joe" (Jane Stuart sings) and "Theme From Law and Order." Ends with a big, broad "Smile." B

Jaime Wyatt: Neon Cross (2020, New West): Country singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, first album after an EP (Felony Blues). Finds her voice midway through. B+(*)

Old music:

Paul Bley/Paul Motian: Notes (1987 [1988], Soul Note): Piano-drums duo, cover omits first names, the only duo of eight 1964-98 Bley albums Motian played on (plus two led by Charlie Haden). Mostly improv, not that it's ever easy to pin these two down. B+(***)

Paul Bley: Reality Check (1994 [1996], SteepleChase): Piano trio with Jay Anderson (bass) and Victor Lewis (drums). Six originals plus a cover of "I Surrender Dear." B+(**)

Paul Bley: Notes on Ornette (1996 [1997], SteepleChase): Piano trio, with Jay Anderson (bass) and Jeff Hirshfield (drums). Six Ornette Coleman pieces, closing with one original. B+(***)

Paul Bley/Evan Parker/Barre Phillips: Sankt Gerold (1996 [2000], ECM): Piano, soprano/tenor sax, bass, recorded at the Monastery of Sankt Gerold, twelve pieces, named "Variation 1" to "Variation 12": 5 joint credits, otherwise split 2-3-2, with their signature solos scattered like gems in a less distinctive base. B+(***)

Paul Bley: Play Blue: Oslo Concert (2008 [2014], ECM): Pianist, died in 2016, leaving this solo piano as his last recording. Four originals plus a Sonny Rollins piece, averaging 10 minutes. Can't say as it particularly moves me, but gives you a glimpse of his range and dynamics. B+(*)

Clifford Brown/Max Roach: Clifford Brown and Max Roach at Basin Street (1956 [2002], Verve): Actually recorded at Capitol Studios in New York, quintet with Sonny Rollins (tenor sax), Richie Powell (Bud's brother, piano), and George Morrow (bass) -- second to last session before Brown and Powell were killed in a car crash, the later one with the same quintet released as Sonny Rollins Plus 4. Three Powell songs, a Tadd Dameron piece, and three standards. May have been the best jazz group in the world at this juncture, but still not as inspired as you'd hope. CD reissue adds 35:31 of outtakes. A-

Miles Davis: Big Fun (1969-72 [2000], Columbia/Legacy, 2CD): Pieced together from scattered sessions, each with 10-13 musicians, originally released on 2-LP with four side-long tracks (98:45), the 2-CD reissue adding four shorter tracks (43:29). Hard to say whether the extras dilute the experience given that it's all pretty diffuse anyway. Does remind you of the great albums that got released before this one. B+(***)

Booker Little: Booker Little 4 & Max Roach (1958 [1959], United Artists): Trumpet player, died in 1961 at age 23, so only recorded three years. Joined Roach's group in 1958, and got the spotlight in this debut, with George Coleman (tenor sax), Tommy Flanagan (piano), and Art Davis (bass). CD reissue adds two tracks (18:53) with only Little and Coleman returning, and a second trumpet in Louis Smith. B+(**)

Paul Motian: Conception Vessel (1972 [1973], ECM): Drummer, joined Bill Evans in 1959, playing on his breakthrough early albums, the first of many exceptional piano trios he anchored. This was his first album as a leader. Six original pieces, mixes up the lineups for each: bass (Charlie Haden) and guitar (Sam Brown); drum solo; bass and guitar; piano (Keith Jarrett); flute (Jarrett); bass, flute (Becky Friend), and violin (Leroy Jenkins). B+(**)

Paul Motian: Tribute (1974 [1975], ECM): Second album, quintet with Carlos Ward (alto sax), two guitars (Sam Brown and Paul Metzke), and Charlie Haden (bass). Three origials, Haden's "Song for Che" (done stripped down to guitar and bass) and an Ornette Coleman piece. B+(***)

Paul Motian Trio: Le Voyage (1979, ECM): Playing in so many major piano trios, Motian decided to do something different for his own trios, using a saxophonist (Charles Brackeen) instead of piano. This is their second, with J.F. Jenny-Clark joining on bass. B+(**)

Paul Motian: Pslam (1981 [1982], ECM): Quintet with two tenor saxophonists (Joe Lovano and Billy Drewes, the latter also playing alto), guitar (Bill Frisell), and bass (Ed Schuller). Frisell is the major find here. B+(***)

Paul Motian: It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago (1984 [1985], ECM): After several quintet albums, drops back to a trio, keeping Joe Lovano (tenor sax) and Bill Frisell (guitar) -- evidently expecting them to slip around the melody as deftly as the drummer evades rhythm. They don't, quite. B+(*)

Paul Motian Trio: Sound of Love: At the Village Vanguard (1995 [1997], Winter & Winter): Live, with Lovano and Frisell, opens with Monk ("Misterioso") and Mingus ("Duke Ellington's Sound of Love"), before easing into Motian's more abstract pieces (and another Monk). Frisell and (especially) Lovano have developed into masters. A-

Paul Motian and the Electric Bebop Band: Flight of the Blue Jay (1996 [1997], Winter & Winter): Group debuted in 1993, defined more by lineup than personnel -- two guitars (Kurt Rosenwinkel and Brad Schoeppach), electric bass (Steve Swallow), and tenor sax (originally one, but two here: Chris Potter and Chris Cheek) -- but also with more bop era covers (Parker, Powell, Davis, three Monk; only one piece by the drummer, plus two by Rosenwinkel). B+(**)

Paul Motian: Trio 2000 + One (1997 [1999], Winter & Winter): First of several "Trio 2000" albums, some "+ One," others "+ Two": common denominator seems to be Masabumi Kikuchi (piano) and Larry Grenadier (bass), with the extras on horns (here tenor saxophonist Chris Potter), but this particular record also has Steve Swallow on electric bass. B+(**)

Paul Motian and the E.B.B.B.: Europe (2000 [2001], Winter & Winter): Initials stand for Electric Be-Bop Band, fifth group album since 1992. Two saxophonists (Chris Cheek and Pietro Tonolo), two guitarists (Ben Monder and Steve Cardenas), and electric bass (Anders Christensen). B+(*)

Paul Motian and the E.B.B.B.: Holiday for Strings (2001 [2002], Winter & Winter): Same group, no extra strings. B+(**)

Paul Motian Trio 2000 + Two: Live at the Village Vanguard Volume III (2006 [2010], Winter & Winter): Original Trio 2000 with Masabumi Kikuchi (drums) and Larry Grenadier (bass), joined by Chris Potter (tenor sax) and Mat Maneri (viola), with leftovers after the first two volumes were releaed in 2007 and 2008. B+(***)

Paul Motian Trio 2000 + Two: On Broadway Volume 5 (2008 [2009], Winter & Winter): Thomas Morgan takes over at bass, joining pianist Masabumi Kikuchi, the "+ Two" saxophonists Loren Stillman and Michaël Attias (doesn't specify, but both are primarily altos). Starts with an original, followed by six tunes that I must know but still aren't overly familiar to me, played gracefully and a bit on the pretty side. A-

The Odean Pope Saxophone Choir: The Saxophone Shop (1985 [1986], Soul Note): Tenor saxophonist, born in South Carolina but raised in Philadelphia, one previous album in 1982, but is best known for his Saxophone Choir, which starts here: 4 tenors, 3 altos, 1 baritone, with piano (Eddie Green), bass, and drums. Even with all that help, Pope's own solo lines really stand out, making it unclear why he needs them. B+(***)

Buddy Rich/Max Roach: Rich Versus Roach (1959 [1990], Mercury): Two famous drummers play battle of the bands, each armed with a quintet: Rich with alto sax (Phil Woods), trombone (Willie Dennis), piano (John Bunch), bass; Roach with tenor sax (Stanley Turrentine), trumpet (Tommy Turrentine), trombone (Julian Priester), and bass. CD reissue adds 4 alternate takes to the original 8 pieces. B+(**)

Max Roach/Clifford Brown: The Best of Max Roach and Clifford Brown in Concert (1954 [1956], GNP): Short-lived hard bop group, formed in 1954, ended in 1956 when Brown and two others were killed in a car crash, but Brown recorded enough for a 10-CD box (Brownie). Brown got top billing for most of those records, but in 1955 GNP released two 4-cut live EPs, combined here. B+(***)

Max Roach: Max Roach + 4 (1956-57 [1990], Emarcy): After Clifford Brown and Ronnie Powell died in that car crash, Roach found replacements in Kenny Dorham (trumpet) and Ray Bryant (piano), carrying on with Sonny Rollis (tenor sax) and George Morrow (bass). Leads off with George Russell's "Ezz-Thetic," includes two Roach originals, winds up with "Body and Soul" and "Woody 'N' You." CD adds three extra tracks (with Billy Wallace on piano). A-

Max Roach: Jazz in 3/4 Time (1956-57 [1957], Emarcy): Waltz time, vows that it's possible to swing in something other than 4/4 time, a case I'm not sure is made. Impressive horns -- Kenny Dorham on trumpet and Sonny Rollins (author of "Valse Hot") on tenor sax -- with George Morrow on bass and Bill Wallace on piano (Ray Bryant for the final track). B+(*)

Max Roach: The Max Roach 4 Plays Charlie Parker (1957-58 [1995], Verve): In the early days, only three drummers appear on memorable bebop albums: Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey, and Roach. From 1950 on you get more, a new generation that grew up with the music, plus some older guys who figured it out (like Shelly Manne). But Roach was the main guy, not least because he was the one who usually played with Parker. Six Parker tunes here, with Kenny Dorham on trumpet, either Hank Mobley or George Coleman on tenor sax, and George Morrow or Nelson Boyd on bass. The sax players aren't quite up to snuff -- no tenor can match Parker for speed and glitz, although Sonny Rollins Plays for Bird held its own. CD reissue adds four more tracks. B+(***)

Max Roach: Award-Winning Drummer (1958 [1960], Time): Quintet with Booker Little (trumpet), George Coleman (tenor sax), Ray Draper (tuba), and Arthur Davis (bass). Not the drummer's best showcase, but Little and Coleman have their moments. B+(**)

Max Roach: Percussion Bitter Sweet (1961, Impulse!): Drummer-led septet plus congas and cowbell on three cuts and vocalist Abbey Lincoln on two, doing six Roach compositions. One of trumpeter Booker Little's last sessions, backed by a young band we'd recognize as all-stars today: Julian Priester (trombone), Eric Dolphy (reeds), Clifford Jordan (tenor sax), Mal Waldron (piano), Art Davis (bass). Some thrilling moments here, but feels a bit overmuch. Lincoln's song ("Mendacity") is especially striking, but I didn't like her scree on the opener at all. B+(***)

Max Roach: It's Time: His Chorus and Orchestra (1962, Impulse!): Roach's career took a dramatic turn in 1961 toward politics with his We Insist! Freedom Now Suite. This album is every bit as ambitious, with Coleridge Perkinson conducting the chorus, and Roach arranging to make his "orchestra" seem much bigger than the six stellar credits: Richard Williams (trumpet), Clifford Jordan (tenor sax), Julian Priester (trombone), Mal Waldron (piano), Art Davis (bass). I'm not a fan of the chorus, but the music is bold and sweeping. B+(***)

Max Roach Quartet: Speak, Brother, Speak! (1962 (1963], Fantasy): Live, from The Jazz Workshop in San Francisco, Quartet with Cliff Jordan (tenor sax), Mal Waldron (piano), and Eddie Khan (bass). Two long pieces, the title (25:00) and "A Variation" (23:30), each with a round of flashy solos -- Jordan's are especially terrific. A-

Max Roach: The Max Roach Trio Featuring the Legendary Hasaan (1964 [1965], Atlantic): The "legendary Hasaan" was a pianist (1931-80) from Philadelphia, birth name William Henry Langford, Jr. This seems to be his only recording, a trio with Art Davis (bass) and Roach (drums), playing seven original songs. Has a strong rhythmic undertow. B+(***)

Max Roach: Drums Unlimited (1965-66 [1966], Atlantic): Drummer's record, three (of six) tracks are drum solos, but that's only 11:01 of 41:27. The other three tracks are quintet, with Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), James Spaulding (alto sax), Ronnie Matthews (piano), and Jymie Merritt (bass). B+(**)

Max Roach: Members, Don't Git Weary (1968, Atlantic): Short album (6 tracks, 32:12). Like Art Blakey, Roach was always looking for new people to play with, but had much less interest in taming them. The new generation here: Gary Bartz (alto sax), Charles Tolliver (trumpet), Stanley Cowell (piano), Jymie Merritt (bass). Cowell brought three songs, Bartz and Merritt one each, leaving only the title song, with an Andy Bey vocal, by Roach. B+(***)

Max Roach Quartet: Pictures in a Frame (1979, Soul Note): First generation bebop drummer, co-led important 1952-54 group with Clifford Brown, yet by 1979 was consigned to European labels and mostly playing with younger avant-gardists (his big records that year were duos with Anthony Braxton and Cecil Taylor). This one splits the distance, with Cecil Bridgewater (trumpet), Odean Pope (flute, oboe, tenor sax), and Calvin Hill (bass). Styles shift several times, with an awkward vocal at the end. B+(**)

Max Roach: M'Boom (1979 [1980], Columbia): Percussion ensemble, most pieces have eight members on various mallet instruments, drums, chimes, etc. B+(***)

Max Roach: Live in Berlin (1984 [2009], Jazzwerkstatt): Quartet with Cecil Bridgewater (trumpet), Odean Pope (tenor sax), and Tyrone Brown (electric bass) -- vocalist on "Six Bits" not credited, but it's Roach's only original. Ends with a hot take of "Perdido." [Previously issued as Jazzbuhne Berlin '84, on Repertoire.] B+(***)

Max Roach: M'Boom (1979 [1980], Columbia): Percussion ensemble, most pieces have eight members on various mallet instruments, drums, chimes, etc. B+(***)

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• John Finbury: Quatro (Green Flash Music)
• Madre Vaca: Winterreise (Madre Vaca) [06-04]
• Rudresh Mahanthappa: Hero Trio (Whirlwind) [06-19]

Ask a question, or send a comment.

Sunday, May 31, 2020

Lot of articles below on the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the demonstrations that have ensued, and reports of violence (especially in Minneapolis). I have no idea how extensive the violence is, let alone who's responsible for what, but I'm skeptical of reports that the nation is being torn apart, let alone that urban America is being reduced to rubble. I remember the riots of the late 1960s, Kerner Commission Report, and the backlash Nixon so profited from. I doubt this is anything like that, but should also note that the degree of anger over this particular killing -- as you well know there have been dozens that have risen to cause célèbre status, and hundreds that remain obscure. There was, for instance, a completely peaceful demonstration here in Wichita that drew some 2,000 people -- much more than I would have imagined. (No link, as The Wichita Eagle won't let me get past the headline, even with a subscription -- making it pointess to pass the link along.) What does make the current situation worse than in the 1960s is malignant lout in the White House, his toxic party, and their deluded followers. We used to jeer LBJ with "how many kids did you kill today?" but there's no point taunting Trump like that: not only doesn't he care, he's likely to take it as a challenge.

Speaking of the dead, the coronavirus death count in the United States topped 100,000 this week. It topped 10,000 on April 17, and 50,000 18 days later, on April 25. It took 32 days from there to double. The lockdown in Kansas has pretty much ended, although that makes me even more wary of going out. I do, however, have a doctor appointment on Monday, and have been assured they got their protocols together. May make a grocery run as well, as we're low on pretty much everything.

When I got up this morning, I played Down in the Basement (a "treasure trove of vintage 78s 1926-1937") and Maria Muldaur's Garden of Joy. From the former, I was especially struck by the continuing relevance of Bessie Brown's "Song from a Cotton Field." The latter ends with a 2009 remake of the Depression-era "The Panic Is On," with a new line for Obama. Couldn't find a YouTube link, but here's Spotify, if that helps. Here's the 1931 original, by Hezekiah & Dorothy Jenkins; I'm more familiar with a later version which drops the complaint about Prohibition and adds an optimistic like about FDR -- on a compilation somewhere, can't find the link now. I did find more recent ones: by Loudon Wainwright III (2010); Daddy Stovepipe (2013); and by Matt Rivers (2013).

Some scattered links this week:

• Jamelle Bouie:

  • Did you really think Trump would mourn with us:

    The president's indifference to collective mourning is of a piece with a political movement that denies our collective ties as well as the obligations we have to each other. If Trump represents a radical political solipsism, in which his is the only interest that exists, then it makes all the sense in the world that neither he nor his allies would see or even understand the need for public and collective mourning -- an activity that heightens our vulnerability, centers our interconnectedness and stands as a challenge to the politics of selfishness and domination.

  • Trump is following in Herbert Hoover's footsteps: "And we know how that worked out." Well, yes and no. Hoover was smart and disciplined and he was not without caring, but for some reason didn't believe he had any options -- maybe because his super-rich Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon vetoed them. (Mellon served 12 years, so the old joke was that three presidents served under him.) Trump has none of Hoover's virtues, and even more remarkably neither do his principle advisers. Also namechecking Hoover:

    • Tom Engelhardt: Donald Trump may not be Herbert Hoover.

• Philip Bump: Trump just said what Republicans have been trying not to say for years: "The president revealed his real concern about mail-in voting: He's worried Republicans will lose more."

• Jane Coaston: Trump's social media executive order, explained: "It won't hold up in court. That's not the point." Also:

  • Sasha Abramsky: Trump's Twitter tirade is the tantrum of a troll.

  • Peter Baker/Daisuke Wakabayashi: Trump's order on social media could harm one person in particular: Donald Trump: "Without certain liability protections, companies like Twitter would have to be more aggressive about policing messages that press the boundaries -- like the president's."

  • John Cassidy: Trump's phony war with Twitter escalates: "If Twitter were to fact-check all of President Trump's posts, he could significantly hamper his ability to propagandize effectively." Not to mention, send him into an endless recursive loop of rage.

  • Shirin Ghaffary: Twitter has finally started fact-checking Trump.

  • Sara Morrison: Section 230, the internet free speech law Trump wants to change, explained.

  • Alex Shephard: Mark Zuckerberg comes to Trump's defense.

  • Zeynep Tufecki: Trump is doing all of this for Zuckerberg: "The new executive order targeting social-media companies isn't really about Twitter."

    Trump is unlikely to repeal Section 230 or take any real action to curb the power of the major social-media companies. Instead, he wants to keep things just the way they are and make sure that the red-carpet treatment he has received so far, especially at Facebook, continues without impediment. He definitely does not want substantial changes going into the 2020 election. The secondary aim is to rile up his base against yet another alleged enemy: this time Silicon Valley, because there needs to be an endless list of targets in the midst of multiple failures. . . .

    Playing the refs by browbeating them has long been a key move in the right-wing playbook against traditional media. The method is simple: It involves badgering them with accusations of unfairness and bias so that they bend over backwards to accommodate a "both sides" narrative even when the sides were behaving very differently, or when one side was not grounded in fact. Climate-change deniers funded by fossil-fuel companies effectively used this strategy for decades, relying on journalists' training and instinct to equate objectivity with representing both sides of a story. This way of operating persisted even when one of the sides was mostly bankrolled by the fossil-fuel industry while the other was a near-unanimous consensus of independent experts and academics.

  • Siva Vaidhyanathan: Well done, Twitter. You've finally figured out how to deal with Trump's tweets.

• Matt Ford: Trump's one constant is a fetish for bloodshed: "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, and the president has bunkered down." Aside from the notes on bullies and cowards, I note this Trump tweet: "It makes me feel so good to hit 'sleazebags' back -- much better than seeing a psychiatrist (which I never have!)." Assuming that seeing a shrink is supposed to make you feel better only makes sense when you realize that he has no capacity for self-reflection, in which case his denial is not just vanity (something he has tons of) but also an implicit recognition of his emptiness. Makes me wonder how terrifying it is to know you know nothing of yourself.

• Cindy Forster: Bolivia's post-coup president has unleashed a campaign of terror.

• Susan B Glasser:

  • Trump plays macho man as America burns.

  • The most mendacious president in US history: "On Trump, his Twitter lies, and why it's getting worse."

    From the start of his Administration, his tweets have been an open-source intelligence boon, a window directly into the President's needy id, and a real-time guide to his obsessions and intentions. Misinformation, disinformation, and outright lies were always central to his politics.

    In recent months, however, his tweeting appears to have taken an even darker, more manic, and more mendacious turn, as Trump struggles to manage the convergence of a massive public-health crisis and a simultaneous economic collapse while running for reëlection. He is tweeting more frequently, and more frantically, as events have closed in on him. Trailing in the polls and desperate to change the subject from the coronavirus, mid-pandemic Trump has a Twitter feed that is meaner, angrier, and more partisan than ever before, as he amplifies conspiracy theories about the "deep state" and media enemies such as Scarborough while seeking to exacerbate divisions in an already divided country.

    Glasser refers to a piece by former Trump ghost-writer Tony Schwartz: The psychopath in chief, which she sums up:

    [Schwartz] argues that the Presidency has transformed Trump from an attention-seeking narcissist, who spent decades lying about his golf trophies, his sex life, and his real-estate properties, into an ends-justify-the-means ruler who has increasingly and ominously escalated his lies and extreme behavior. Many of Trump's lies, Schwartz argues, come from his grandiose misconception of his own knowledge and powers, including his bragging that he knows more "than anyone" about ISIS, drones, social media, campaign finance, technology, polls, courts, lawsuits, politicians, trade, renewable energy, infrastructure, construction, nuclear weapons, banks, tax laws, the economy, and, during the pandemic, medicine. "His obsession with domination and power have prompted Trump to tell lies more promiscuously than ever since he became President, and to engage in ever more unfounded and aggressive responses aimed at anyone he perceives stands in his way," Schwartz wrote.

    Glasser also reviews a forthcoming book by the Washington Post's Fact Checker staff, Donald Trump and His Assault on Truth.

• Katie Glueck: Kris Kobach is back, and a Kansas Senate seat may be up for grabs: From where I sit, it looks to me like Roger Marshall has sewn up the Senate nomination, although his stunt aping Trump and forcing his whole family to take hydroxychloroquine makes me question his sanity. Kobach, having failed to get a Trump admin job (other than the "voter fraud" commission that he ran into the ground), and having failed to win his governor race, strikes me as damaged goods (like Roy Moore in Alabama, who after losing the special election dropped to fourth in the Senate primary this year). Admittedly, Kobach is bad enough to worry about, but so is Marshall and the rest of the field. I'm not impressed by Barbara Bollier, but we'll take whatever we can get.

• Erica L Green: Over veterans' protests, Trump vetoes measure to block student loan rules.

• Chris Hedges: The coming collapse: "It is impossible for any doomed population to grasp how fragile the decayed financial, social and political system is on the eve of implosion."

• Sheila Kaplan/Matthew Goldstein/Alexandra Stevenson: Trump's vaccine chief has vast ties to drug industry, posing possible conflicts: Moncef Slaoui: a venture capitalist, former executive at GlaxoSmithKline, a board member of Moderna.

• Catherine Kim: The fatal arrest of George Floyd, a black man kneed in the neck by police, explained. As one section here notes, "the history of police brutality against the black community is long and repetitive." This event, following recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, led quickly to protests and more. Also see:

  • Karen Attiah: How Western media would cover Minneapolis if it happened in another country. Later I saw a Tony Karon tweet that suggests the answer to this question is that they'd dub the demonstration "the American spring."

  • Radley Balko: White people can compartmentalize police brutality. Black people don't have the luxury.

  • Katelyn Burns:

    • Trump responded to the protests by lashing out at antifa, the media, and Democrats. Is there anything Trump doesn't blame on "his favorite political punching bags"? Trump has gone on to tweet: "The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization." I don't see how he can do that, not just because the law only applies to foreign organizations, but also it's not clear that "antifa" is an organization at all. More ominously, Attorney General William Barr "announced that the federal law enforcement will activate the 56 regional FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces to apprehend and charge what he described as 'violent radical agitators.'" Using the FBI to investigate and harass political "enemies" was common back when J Edgar Hoover ran the agency, so I can't say his move is unprecedented, but it is extremely repugnant to the Constitution and democracy. On the other hand, if you do want to tackle "domestic terrorism," be aware that virtually all of the threats are on the right.

    • Police targeted journalists covering the George Floyd protests.

    • The racist history of Trump's "When the looting starts, the shooting starts" tweet.

  • Paul Butler: Law professor, former federal prosecutor, author of Chokehold: Policing Black Men:

    • Filing charges in George Floyd's death was the easy part. Now comes the hard part.

    • Policing in the US is not about enforcing law. It's about enforcing white supremacy.

  • Jonathan Chait: Trump's plan to end Obama's peaceful police reform succeeded.

  • Zak Cheney-Rice: The lies we tell about riots: "How America mystifies the wages of racism."

  • Jelani Cobb: The death of George Floyd, in context.

  • Sean Collins:

    • The anger behind the protests, explained in 4 charts.

    • Trump's policies have enabled police violence against black Americans: "With pardons, abdication of oversight, harsh rhetoric, and executive orders, the Trump administration has encourage violent policing."

  • Matthew Dessem: Police erupt in violence nationwide.

  • Shane Harris: Officials blame outsiders for violence in Minnesota but contradict one another on who is responsible.

  • Derek Hawkins: Officer charged in George Floyd's death used fatal force before and had history of complaints.

  • Rebecca Heilweil: Feds flew an unarmed Predator drone over Minneapolis protests to provide "situational awareness".

  • Jason Johnson: What we're missing when we condemn "violence" at protests.

    Which brings us to perhaps the most important thing to understand about how to watch protests: the context of what kind of protest garners police response. Over the past three months, the 24-hour cable networks have extensively covered mostly white armed men and women threatening police and politicians at state capitols across the nation over coronavirus lockdown policies.

    How often have you seen police in riot gear? In fact, police seldom use force or even present in force (protest shields, black helmets, etc.) when conservative or right-wing groups protest. When is the last time you saw a group of anti-abortion activists get tear-gassed? Yet left-leaning groups, and especially groups of minorities, their protests are often met with shows of force. Right-wing groups spit in the faces of police in regular gear in Michigan, while SWAT teams show up like Storm Troopers to chanting teens in Minneapolis.

  • John Judis: Violent protests could be a gift to Trump: This is an obvious fear many of us have, especially those of us who remember how Nixon exploited the urban "riots" of the late 1960s. It also seems to be much on the minds of pro-Trump media today, who have come out in force to spread their take on whatever is happening. Personally, I don't see much to gain from demonstrating at this point: the key message is getting out more effectively via social media, and the Minneapolis city government (if not the police) seems to be responding constructively. On the other hand, if you must have a villain for the "riots," how about Trump? For a better take also at TPM, see Josh Marshall: The gang leader as president.

  • Kim Kelly: No more cop unions: I'll file this here because many of the examples of how police unions have saved their members from responsibility for acts of violence against the public come from Minneapolis. Of course, I don't believe that police should not be allowed to join a union. But there is much evidence of such unions behaving badly, from supporting Republicans (which proved to be a fatal mistake in Wisconsin) to bending policy for their own temperament.

  • Catherine Kim:

    • Images of police using violence against peaceful protesters are going viral.

    • What we know about the officers involved in George Floyd's death.

    • -/Kainaz Amaria: George Floyd's death set off uprisings across the country.

  • Daniel Kreps: Killer Mike delivers emotional speech to Atlanta protestors at Mayor's press conference. Robert Christgau tweeted a link to this. When I returned, the top item on my feed was by an Ali Velshi: "I'm hit in the leg by a rubber bullet but am fine. State Police supported by National Guard fired unprovoked into an entirely peaceful rally."

  • Nancy LeTourneau: In Minneapolis, a police union gone rogue.

  • Dahlia Lithwick: Whether the president understands the racist history of "looting and shooting" is beside the point.

  • German Lopez: Former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin charged with murder in the death of George Floyd.

  • Media Matters: Fox News hosts racist former detective Mark Fuhrman to analyze protests following George Floyd's killing. Also: Lou Dobbs blames "black churches," "black teachers and leaders" for Minneapolis protests.

  • Blake Montgomery: After George Floyd's death, Klobuchar faces scrutiny over record on police brutality. On the other hand, see Igor Derysh: Amy Klobuchar denies that she failed to prosecute former officer who kneeled on George Floyd's neck.

  • Mark P Nevitt: Trump cannot legally use "looting" to justify "shooting".

  • Michele L Norris: How Amy Cooper and George Floyd represent two versions of racism that black Americans face every day.

  • Tess Owen: Far-right extremists are hoping to turn the George Floyd protests into a new civil war.

  • Matt Purple: Maybe we should stop giving the Minneapolis police military equipment.

  • Dylan Scott:

    • Thousands of Americans across the US are peacefully marching against police violence.

    • Violent protests are not the story. Police violence is.

    • -/Libby Nelson: What we know about the natiowide protests over George Floyd's death.

  • Ryu Spaeth: America's social contract is broken: "The protests across the country are about more than police violence."

  • Alice Speri/Alleen Brown/Mara Hvistendahl: The George Floyd killing in Minneapolis exposes the failures of police reform.

  • Emily Stewart: George Floyd's killing has opened the wounds of centuries of American racism.

  • Alex S Vitale: The answer to police violence is not 'reform.' It's defunding. Here's why. "Bias training, body cameras, community dialogues -- Minneapolis has tried them all." Maybe the 30% of the city budget that the police suck up isn't the best way to use that money?

  • Benjamin Wallace-Wells: The intolerable tensions between American cities and their police forces.

  • Alex Ward: "Directly at us": Louisville law enforcement shoots reporters with pepper bullets.

  • Matt Zapotosky/Isaac Stanley-Becker: Gripped by disease, unemployment and outrage at the police, America plunges into crisis.

  • Li Zhou: "We're a country with an open wound": Joe Biden condemns the police killing of George Floyd.

  • David Badash: 'Absolute vacuum in leadership': Internet sheds 'coward' Trump for hiding as 75 cities protest. Assembled from tweets, the least original being "We don't have a president" and "Hitler hid in a bunker too." My favorite:

    Kind of like those FDR Fireside Chats.

    You know, without the inspiration, empathy, concern, sacrifice, honesty, integrity, and 3-syllable words.

  • Common Dreams: Michigan sheriff and police didn't use harsh tactics to control Flint Township's protest -- they laid down their batons and joined it.

• Jen Kirby: Trump's purge of inspectors general, explained: "In an unprecedented move, Trump has fired or sidelined at least five watchdogs in recent weeks."

• Ezra Klein: The vital missing piece of the Democrats' stimulus bill: "If the rule House Democrats followed doesn't allow enough spending, what use is their rule?" What's missing is automatic stabilizers, so in the future something like a rise in unemployment will automatically be met with funding for unemployment insurance. The rule that prevents this is one the Democratic leadership foolishly adopted when they took over the House in 2019, meant to show that they're responsible about deficits. However, if we've learned one thing about economics over the last century, it's that deficit spending is the only way to reduce the tragedy of economic catastrophe.

• David Klion: David Frum's hold over the center: "The Never Trumpers styled themselves as critics of the GOP. Instead, they built up power over liberals." Review of Frum's latest essay collection, Trumpocalypse: Restoring American Democracy. For another review, see:

  • Joe Klein: David Frum rethinks conservatism. Actually, one thing that I've found is that Frum remains very entrenched in certain parts of conservatism. For example:

    He proposes a political trade: a severe tightening of immigration rules in return for the passage of much-needed social and climate legislation -- a comprehensive national health care system, a carbon tax (that would include products imported from polluters like China and India). "If Democrats want to perpetuate their health care reforms, they must do a better job of solidifying a sense of national belonging. If Republicans want to safeguard the border, they must offer a better deal to those living on that border's American side."

    I might take such a deal, especially if I could stipulate that the immigration limits were combined with a program to legitimate all or most currently undocumented immigrants. But I doubt Republicans would offer any such deal, because they're more committed to blocking health care reform and limits on global warming than they really care about immigration limits.

• Mike Konczal: Unemployment insurance is a vital part of economic freedom.

• Paul Krugman:

  • On the economics of not dying: "What good is increasing the GDP if it kills you?"

  • In praise of fallible leaders: He means in praise of leaders who can admit errors and learn from them. Trump isn't one of them, and not for lack of mistakes.

  • How many will die for the Dow?: "In a pandemic, Trump is reverting to type." I didn't notice that he ever deviated.

  • We should help workers, not kill them: "Unemployment benefits: an unheralded success story."

• Jon Letman: Trump boosts nuclear weapons spending, fueling a new arms race.

• Eric Levitz: GOP vows to kill only thing keeping economy (and Trump) afloat: Enhanced unemployment benefits: the spectre of workers laid off due to the pandemic not feeling the pinch of starvation enough to settle for even lower-wage jobs.

• Douglas London: How John Brennan and Mike Pompeo left the US blind to Saudi problems.

• Mujib Mashal: How the Taliban outlasted a superpower: tenacity and courage.

• Ian Millhiser:

  • How the Supreme Court enabled police to use deadly chokeholds. Recounts City of Los Angeles v. Lyons (1983). As it happens, I just read about this case last week in Erwin Chemerinsky's book, We the People: A Progressive Reading of the Constitution for the Twenty-First Century, as an example of the many Supreme Court rulings that should be reversed. Also:

    • Jim Bovard: Cops kill because we gave them a legal framework to do it.

  • Why 4 justices on the Supreme Court voted to reopen churches in the pandemic.

  • A Texas Supreme Court decision could disenfranchise millions during the pandemic.

• Timothy Noah: The Trump administratio has abandoned worker safety at the worst moment.

• Alex Pareene: The crumbling cult of Jamie Dimon: "Dimon is a serial Noticer That Things Could Be Better, but he has always remained quite vague on why those things could be better or what might be required to improve them." That much, plus being extremely rich, seems to pass for profundity these days. I once wrote that "Barack Obama is so conservative he cannot even imagine a world where Jamie Dimon isn't CEO of a major Wall Street bank." Obama, you may recall, demanded a major shake up at GM as part of the price for a bailout, but never pushed to change a head on Wall Street.

• Heather Digby Parton: Trump opposes masks because culture war nihilism is his last lie of defense.

• Jeremy W Peters: They predicted 'The Crisis of 2020' . . . in 1991. So how does this end? Recalls two scholars, William Strauss and Neil Howe, whose 1991 book Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069, tried to work out a cyclical view of American history, based on 80-year cycles broken up into 20-year phases. They later published a somewhat shorter similar sequel, The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy: What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous With Destiny (paperback, 1997), which is still in print. The fourth phase of these cycles is "crisis," which they projected to come to a head in 2020, right about now. This is not far removed from the "four eras" schema I've been writing about -- their turning points line up with 1780, 1860, 1940, and 2020, whereas mine are 1800, 1860, 1932, 1980, and (most likely) 2020.

• Michael Pollan: The sickness in our food supply: Explains, among much else, why some farmers are dumping milk, eggs, and chickens, even with grocery store shelves bare. That's just the way the industry is organized, for maximum profit, until it breaks.

• James Poniewozik: CNN arrest is what actual censorship looks like.

• David Roberts: Joe Biden has a chance to make history on climate change: "All he has to do is embrace the consensus that's waiting for him."

• Aaron Rupar:

  • Trump dismisses his own government's guidance about masks as "politically correct": "Trump's latest unhinged news conference illustrates why he's no longer doing daily coronavirus briefings."

  • "Human capital stock": White House adviser Kevin Hassett uses dehumanizing term for US workers. I'm not a big fan of taking an unfortunate turn of phrase and blowing it up into a story, but this is pretty egregious, as well as revealing. He could have said "our workers are ready to get back to work," and all we'd be questioning is whether that's really true. He could have said "workforce," and while the abstraction is creepier and dehumanizing, we'd probably let is pass. It's true that some economists and businessfolk like to talk about "human capital," but that's usually to posit a human alternative to other forms of capital, and even there it suggests that people's skills and "know how" can be owned as an asset -- something that most of us reject. However, "stock" is where this gets really insulting: a word usually used for animals (e.g. livestock). One could say "our bovine capital stock is ready to be eaten," but who the fuck actually talks like that? That's a question I doubt anyone has asked before, but now we have an answer: Trump economic adviser.

  • Packing 20,000 people into an arena for the RNC is a bad idea. Trump wants it to happen anyway.

• Robert J Shapiro: The economic recovery will be a whimper, not a bang: "Many economists, including some liberals, are predicting a strong comeback by November. They are using the wrong models."

• Felicia Sonmez: Graham urges senior judges to step aside before November election so Republicans can fill vacancies. Always scheming.

• Joseph E Stiglitz: Argentina and the future of finance capitalism.

• Alex Thompson: Famed Democratic pollster: Warren as VP would lead to Biden victory: That's what Stan Greenberg says.

• Andrew Van Dam: The unluckiest generation in US history: "Millennials have faced the worst economic odds, and many will never recover." As I recall, it was baseball mogul Branch Rickey who said, "luck is the residue of design." What me meant was built strong, deep teams, and luck will break your way. The converse also applies: the more fundamental weaknesses you have, the more likely luck will turn against you. The long-term trends of the last 20-40 years have been: the rich have gotten much richer; safety nets have eroded, so most people are at greater risk should something bad happen; and bad events have become more frequent due to war, climate change, and lack of infrastructure investment. Those are trends that are hard to notice as they're happening, only becoming evident when things break bad. At first that may look like luck, but deeper down lies design.

• Peter Wade: In a disturbing rant, Trump says protesters 'would have been greeted with the most vicious dogs'. What is it with Trump and dogs?

• Alex Ward:

  • Trump announced US withdrawal from the WHO. It's unclear if he can do that. Related:

    • John A Tures: Why ditching the WHO will backfire on Trump.

  • China and India are in a dangerous standoff over a hotly contested border.

  • How South America became a coronavirus epicenter.

• Matthew Yglesias:

  • Household income surged in April despite the collapsing labor market. For once, you should thank the Democrats for that. When the stock market collapsed, Trump and the Republicans were desperate to inject cash into the collapsing economy -- especially those $1200 checks with Trump's name on them. Democrats went along, but only after insisting on funding the unemployment insurance system, including broader eligibility and a $600 per week supplement, which meant that some laid-off workers actually came out ahead. That was absolutely the right thing to do, and Republicans went along with it only because it was bound to their own poorly thought out plan. It's clear now that the "stimulus" didn't save the economy -- most of the money went into savings or debt reduction -- but it did help a lot of people. Thank the Democrats for that. And expect the Republicans to revert to form as the economy opens up slowly, and actually does need a shot of stimulus spending.

  • CNN reporter Omar Jimenez arrested live on air in Minneapolis.

  • Twitter flags Trump for "glorifying violence" in "looting starts, shooting starts" tweet.

  • Let Hong Kong move to America: "Visas could do more than sanctions to help Hong Kong and punish China." Contrast this with Jen Kirby: Trump says he will revoke Hong Kong's special trade status. I don't see how Trump's threat does anything but force Hong Kong ever deeper under China's thumb. On the other hand, I'm not wild about Yglesias's plan either. Reminds me of the special visa class that has allowed right-wing Cubans to flood the country, warping any chance of ever normalizing relations with Cuba, while sticking us with right-wing political operatives like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

  • The US should prioritize reopening schools, not salons and restaurants.

  • Joe Biden has a plan for that: "Not a joke, folks: He's running on a transformative policy agenda." Most of these points have substance while falling short of what Sanders (or for that matter Warren) proposed. The weakest area remains health care, where he wants a "public option" in what's probably a vain hope of reducing public costs by making the marketplace more competitive.

Ask a question, or send a comment.

Monday, May 25, 2020

May archive (finished).

Music: Current count 33333 [33277] rated (+56), 209 [214] unrated (-5).

Played a lot of old jazz last week. I mostly started with albums that were nominated by JazzTimes in reader polls to select the best albums of the 1970s and 1980s, but once I got into an artist's oeuvre I let myself wander. A couple of these albums were singled out by Chris Monsen as among the ten best of the 1980s, and they fared considerably better than average. I was particularly on the lookout for ECM releases, as they've only recently become available on Napster. Dozens more records on the list, so I may stick with this for a while.

I'm not giving up on new records -- more like pacing myself. I am still maintaining my tracking and metacritic files. They're just not inspiring me to check out a lot of albums at the moment.

Rated count includes a few records I missed counting in previous weeks, but mostly reflects that I rarely gave records a second play (especially old jazz). More exposure could lift a few of them -- especially among the Sonny Rollins releases, given that I have The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (1962-64, 6CD) at A-, and Gary Giddins' expert selection from the Milestones (1972-2000), with one song per album, Silver City, at A+.

This is the last Monday of May, so Streamnotes (May, 2020) is wrapped up. I noticed that I had missed doing the indexing for April, so fixed that. I still haven't done the indexing for the last two Book Roundups, so need to work on that. I also have enough Questions to start trying to write up some answers. Should have some of them by the end of the week.

PS: Thought I had got through a week with no major jazz or pop deaths to report, but found out about Jimmy Cobb (91) just after I posted. Also missed Mory Kanté (70).

New records reviewed this week:

The Dream Syndicate: The Uiverse Inside (2020, Down There): From Los Angeles, 1980s band, regarded as neo-psychedelia, broke up in 1989 with Steve Wynn going on to a moderately successful singer-songwriter career. Regrouped in 2012, third album since. Especially fond of soaring vamps, which can run as log as the 20:27 opener. B+(*)

Steve Earle: Ghosts of West Virginia (2020, New West): Coal mining songs for a Coal Country documentary, 10 of them but only runs 29:46. Several are memorable, not least the one Eleanor Whitmore sings. B+(***)

Joe Harrison +18: America at War (2019 [2020], Sunnyside): Noting that the US has been engaged in war "nearly every year" since his birth in 1957 (I would have said 1941), he offers this "musical meditation on a lifetime of ruinous armed conflicts conducted by the United States." Big band, conducted by Matt Holman. Some remarkable passages here: big, bold, more than a little discomfiting. B+(***)

Alain Mallet: Mutt Slang II: A Wake of Sorrows Engulfed in Rage (2018 [2020], Origin): Pianist, from France, studied at Berklee and now teaches there, Google describes him as "Jonatha Brooke's ex-husband" (on the other hand, Brooke has a substantial Wikipedia page that doesn't mention him). Has a previous album, Mutt Slang. Long album, leans Brazilian. B+(*)

Ted Moore Trio: The Natural Order of Things (2019 [2020], Origin): Drummer, director of Jazz Department at UC Berkeley, graduated from Eastman 1973, not sure if he has anything else under his own name, but he was part of Paul Winter's groups, and led a group called Brasilia. Wrote 7 (of 8) tracks here, arranged the other. With Phil Markowitz on piano and Kai Eckhardt on bass. B+(**)

Shelly Rudolph: The Way We Love (2010-17 [2020], OA2): Singer-songwriter from Portland, OR; website shows five albums. Nine songs, short at 30:40, credits scattered aside from David Darling on cello, with four pianists. My first impression was overwrought, but a closer listen reveals a distinctive voice. Nice cover of "Stand by Me." B [cd]

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

Apala: Apala Groups in Nigeria 1967-70 (1967-70 [2020], Soul Jazz): A Yoruba music style, originated in the 1930s, based on talking drums, thumb piano, percussion, originally rooted in religion -- strikes me as a parallel to nyahbinghi in Jamaica, but harder to understand. Haruna Ishola is the biggest star, responsible for 5 (of 18) tracks here. B+(*)

Eddie Russ: Fresh Out (1974 [2019], Soul Jazz): Keyboard player from Pittsburgh (1940-96), recorded three albums 1974-78, this his first. Mostly groove, with Larry Nozero (flute, soprano sax), guitar, bass, drums, extra percussion, mixing in anonymous strings and horns. Three originals, covers from Les McCann, Chuck Mangione, and Stevie Wonder. B

Old music:

Muhal Richard Abrams: Young at Heart/Wise in Time (1969 [1996], Delmark): Pianist from Chicago, AACM founder, second album, two long pieces: a 29:20 piano solo, and a 21:52 quintet track, with Leo Smith (trumpet), Henry Threadgill (alto sax), bass, and drums -- by far the more exciting piece. Not sure if the original LP runs that long. B+(**)

Muhal Richard Abrams: Think All, Focus One (1994 [1995], Black Saint): Plays synthesizer as well as piano, leads a septet with most of the options of a big band: trumpet, trombone, tenor sax/bass clarinet, guitar, bass, drums -- not big names but each has a role. B+(***)

Muhal Richard Abrams: Song for All (1995 [1997], Black Saint): Piano/synthesizer, leading a septet -- trumpet (Eddie Allen), trombone (Craig Harris), saxes (Aaron Stewart), vibes, bass, drums, with voice (Richards Abrams) to start. B+(***)

George Adams: Sound Suggestions (1979, ECM): Tenor saxophonist, joined Charles Mingus in 1973 and played on his last great albums (along with Don Pullen and Dannie Richmond -- from 1979 members of the Adams/Pullen Quartet). With Kenny Wheeler (trumpet), Heinz Sauer (tenor sax), Richie Beirach (piano), Dave Holland (bass), and Jack DeJohnette (drums). Wheeler wrote 2 (of 5) songs, vs. 2 by Adams, 1 by Sauer. Only true Adams moment is "Got Someethin' Good for You," a huge blues with his growling vocal and hottest sax. B+(*)

George Adams/Don Pullen Quartet: Live at Montmartre (1985 [1986], Timeless): Live shot from Copenhagen, with Cameron Brown (bass) and Dannie Richmond (drums) filling out the Quartet, and John Scofield (guitar) along for the ride (starts with one of his pieces). [Later reissued under Adams' name only. Some good moments here.] B+(**)

The Art Ensemble of Chicago: Bap-Tizum (1972 [1973], Atlantic): Cover proclaims "Great Black Music" and "Recorded in performance at the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival 1972." Long-running group, founded by AACM members in 1968, with Lester Bowie (trumpet), Roscoe Mitchell/Joseph Jarman (reeds), Malachi Favors (bass), and Don Moye (drums), everyone also on percussion, which is what ultimately matters. Other stuff harder to take. B

Art Ensemble of Chicago: Nice Guys (1978 [1979], ECM): Group recorded inensely 1969-70, a few more to 1974, then a break until they landed here on ECM. Starts with Lester Bowie's bent reggae "Ja," and ends with a flair. B+(***)

Art Ensemble of Chicago: Full Force (1980, ECM): Four pieces, one each by all but Moye, one by everyone. Lives up to title. B+(***)

Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Third Decade (1984 [1985], ECM): The number of credited instruments has hit a likely record here. According to Discogs: Lester Bowie (4), Joseph Jarman (19), Roscoe Mitchell (16), Malachi Favors (8), Don Moye (20). B+(**)

Tim Berne Sextet: The Ancestors (1983, Soul Note): Alto saxophonist, first album on a label that got any notice. With Mack Goldsbury (soprano/tenor sax), Herb Robertson (trumpets), Ray Anderson (trombone/tuba), Ed Shuller (bass), Paul Motian (drums). Three longish pieces. B+(*)

Tim Berne: Mutant Variations (1983 [1984], Soul Note): Quartet with Herb Robertson (trumpet), Ed Schuller (bass), and Paul Motian (drums). Five songs, each with a different concept as he sets and defies expectations. Most impressive for me is "Clear," where the horns run free. B+(***)

Arthur Blythe: Blythe Spirit (1981, Columbia): Alto saxophonist, from Los Angeles, part of Horace Tapscott's scene before he landed a major label contract and responded with Lennox Avenue Breakdown, his masterpiece. This is his fourth album for Columbia, midway through a decade tenure. Most tracks have guitar, cello, tuba, and drums. The other two: a resplendent "Misty" with piano-bass-drums (John Hicks, Fred Hopkins, Steve McCall), and a trad gospel with organ-tuba (Amina Claudine Myers, Bob Stewart). B+(***)

Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy: I Only Have Eyes for You (1985, ECM): Trumpet player from St. Louis, member of Art Ensemble of Chicago, first album (of nine) with this group, a nonet with four trumpets, two trombones, French horn (Vincent Chancey) and tuba (Bob Stewart), plus drums. Most impressive at the bookends: the title standard, and a Bowie credit that draws heavily on old gospel. B+(***)

Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy: Avant Pop (1986, ECM): Alternates originals, including one dedicated by Steve Turre to Machito, with pop tunes ("Saving All My Love for You," "Blueberry Hill," "Crazy," "Oh, What a Night"). The covers are fun, but a Bowie credit with its "No Shit" chorus is even more so -- I hesitate to call it an original because it sure sounds like it was cribbed from somewhere. A-

Tommy Flanagan: Thelonica (1982 [1983], Enja): Pianist, plays nine Thelonious Monk tunes, with George Mraz (bass) and Art Taylor (drums). B+(**)

Charlie Haden/Paul Motian Feat. Geri Allen: Etudes (1987 [1988], Soul Note): Bass-drums-piano trio, the pianist much the junior partner here with one original song ("Dolphy's Dance") vs. three each (although two of Motians were short "Etude" titles), plus covers from Ornette Coleman and Herbie Nichols. Remarkable balance and poise, and when the piano drops out you still get something remarkable. A- [yt]

Jimmy Lyons: Other Afternoons (1969 [1979], Affinity): Alto saxophonist, best known for his work with Cecil Taylor from 1961 up to his death in 1986. This, recorded in Paris for BYG, is his first album as a leader -- only one until 1979. Quartet with Lester Bowie (trumpet), Alan Silva (bass), and Andrew Cyrille (drums). B+(**)

Jimmy Lyons Quintet: Wee Sneezawee (1983 [1984], Black Saint): Alto saxophonist, best known for his work with Cecil Taylor, in a quintet with Raphe Malik (trumpet), Karen Borca (bassoon), William Parker (bass), and Paul Murphy (drums). Exciting runs from all three horns, but especially Lyons, and you do notice how great the bassist is. A-

Jimmy Lyons Quintet: Give It Up (1985, Black Saint): Karen Borca (bassoon) and Paul Murphy (drums) return, this time with Enrico Rava (trumpet) and Jay Oliver (bass). B+(***)

Oregon: Oregon (1983, ECM): Jazz/world fusion group formed in Eugene, Oregon in 1971, recorded their early albums for Vanguard (most notably 1973's Music of Another Present Era). Ralph Towner (guitar, but mostly synthesizer here), Paul McCandless (reeds), Glen Moore (bass), Colin Walcott (percussion). B

Oregon: Crossing (1984 [1985], ECM): More guitar, a little more upbeat. B+(*)

Sonny Rollins: With the Modern Jazz Quartet (1951-53 [1982], Prestige/OJC): Originally on 10-inch albums, compiled into Rollins' first LP in 1956: four tracks as billed from 1953, eight Quartet tracks from 1951 (Kenny Drew, Percy Heath, and Art Blakey), and one earlier track with Miles Davis, Heath, and Roy Haynes. B+(**)

Sonny Rollins: Sonny Rollins [Volume 1] (1956 [1957], Blue Note): Not sure when this officially became Volume 1 -- the only thing other than the artist name on the original LP was "blue note 1542," and I've never seen any "Volume 1" artwork, although a 1988 reissue says Volume One on the CD, and most sources even for earlier reissues are explicit. Vol. 2 came out in 1958, and they were reissued together many times. Quintet with Donald Byrd (trumpet), Wynton Kelly (piano), Gene Ramey (bass), and Max Roach (drums) on five songs, a relaxed 40:41. B+(**)

Sonny Rollins: Sonny Rollins Volume 2 (1957, Blue Note): With JJ Johnson (trombone), Paul Chambers (bass), Art Blakey (drums), and two pianists listed (Horace Silver and Thelonious Monk, nothing on who plays what but it shouldn't be hard to figure out). Two Rollins originals, two Monk songs, two standards. Feels like three scattered singles, and I'm not sure any of them really belong to Rollins. B+(**)

Sonny Rollins: Sonny Rollins Plays (1956-57 [2010], Essential Music Group): LP originally released by Period (probably in 1958), as a "Leonard Feather Presents," only one side (three songs, 19:37) by Rollins (Quintet with Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, Gil Coggins on piano, plus bass and drums), the other by Thad Jones and His Ensemble (with Frank Foster or Frank Wess on tenor sax). Strong period for both artists, though caveat emptor is in order. B+(***)

Sonny Rollins Featuring Jim Hall: The Quartets (1962 [1986], RCA Bluebird): Reissue of The Bridge -- Rollins' first record for RCA -- plus two tracks from What's New? All tracks have Hall on guitar, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and most have Ben Riley on drums. B+(***)

Sonny Rollins & Don Cherry: Live at the Olympia '63 (1963 [2010], Master Classics): Tenor sax and trumpet, quartet with Henry Grimes (bass) and Billy Higgins (drums), one of several recordings made during a two-month tour of Europe, has appeared on several labels under various titles (e.g., The Complete 1963 Paris Concert, on Gambit). B+(***)

Sonny Rollins/Don Cherry Quartet: The Complete 1963 Copenhagen Concert (1963 [2014], Doxy, 2CD): Same group, live set, four days before the Olympia radio shot, five pieces stretched out even more. Sound is a bit dodgy, but the excitement is palpable. B+(**)

Sonny Rollins: Live in Tokyo, Japan '63 (1963 [2010], Master Classics): Long takes of "Mack the Knife" and "Oleo" (22:06 and 23:12) with a quintet: Reshid Kmal Ali (trumpet), Paul Bley (piano), Henry Grimes (bass), Ron McCurdy (drums), two short tracks with Betty Carter vocals, and a final "On a Slow Boat to China" with a Japanese pick-up rhythm section. B+(**)

Sonny Rollins: Sonny Rollins & Co. 1964 (1964 [1995], RCA Bluebird): Six tracks from The Standard Sonny Rollins (1965), one from Now's the Time (1964), six more not issued at the time. Some trio with bass and drums, three tracks add Jim Hall (guitar), five others Herbie Hancock (piano). That's a formula for a messy collection, but Rollins in one of those grooves he barely needs anyone else. A-

Sonny Rollins: Horn Culture (1973, Milestone): Second album for Milestone, his regular label from returning from his hiatus in 1972 up to his definitive This Is What I Do in 2000. With piano (Walter Davis Jr.), guitar (Yoshiaki Masuo), electric bass (Bob Cranshaw), drums (David Lee), and percussion (Mtume). A-

Sonny Rollins: The Cutting Edge (1974, Milestone): Live, from Montreux Jazz Festival, with same band except for Stanley Cowell on piano, plus bagpipes on the long "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" closer. Mostly seems to be in a laid-back mood, although occasionally you get a glimpse of what he can do. B+(*)

Sonny Rollins: The Way I Feel (1976, Milestone): George Duke wrote two songs, but Patrice Rushen is the keyboard player here (and wrote the other non-original). With Lee Ritenour (guitar), Billy Cobham (drums), Bill Summers (conga), bass or tuba, and much more on 4 (of 7) tracks. All meant to make him feel happy, which is contagious. B+(***)

Sonny Rollins: Easy Living (1977, Milestone): Fifth Milestone album, six tracks: three originals, "Isn't She Lovely?," "My One and Only Love," "Easy Living." Band mostly electric -- guitar, bass, keyboards (George Duke) -- with Tony Williams. Takes two songs on soprano, not what you generally pay your money for, but we're still talking Sonny Rollins here. B+(***)

Sonny Rollins: Don't Stop the Carnival (1978, Milestone): Live double from Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, runs 9 songs, 70:56. Electric guitar, bass, keyboards, plus Tony Williams, with Donald Byrd (trumpet) joining midway. Critics have been harsh, but Rollins can be awesome, especially on his solo intro. B+(**)

Sonny Rollins: Don't Ask (1979, Milestone): Electric band, with Larry Coryell (guitar), Jerome Harris (bass), Mark Soskin (keyboards), Al Foster (drums), and Bill Summers (congas). Flirts with disco (although I can't see "Disco Monk" breaking on the dance floor) and orientalism ("Tai-Chi," where he plays lyricon?). Title anticipates the reviews. B

Sonny Rollins: Love at First Sight (1980, Milestone): Two trio cuts, with George Duke (keyboards) and Stanley Clarke (electric bass), four more add drums (Al Foster), two of them also add congas. Pretty solid album. B+(***)

Sonny Rollins: No Problem (1981, Milestone): First thing I noticed here was the vibraphone (Bobby Hutcherson), which adds a little sparkle to his basic groove band: Bobby Broom (guitar), Bob Cranshaw (bass), Tony Williams (drums). Still, the only reason to listen is the saxophone, which he kicks up a notch (e.g., "Coconut Bread"). B+(**)

Sonny Rollins: Reel Life (1982, Milestone): Two guitars here, with Bobby Broom from recent albums and Yoshiaki Masuo from Rollins' mid-1970s group, plus Jack DeJohnette joins on drums. None of which really matter, as the best thing here is the 2:12 "Solo Reprise" at the end. B+(*)

Sonny Rollins: The Solo Album (1985, Milestone): One piece, 56:10, split into two parts. I've seen this panned viciously, but solo sax is hard to do, every little bit exposed, and when you get down to it, the sonic palette isn't very broad. I find it often remarkable, but even I have trouble sitting still for the entire run. B+(**)

Sonny Rollins: Old Flames (1993, Milestone): Mostly stadards, like his 1989 Falling in Love With Jazz, all the better to wax eloquent. [5/7 tracks] B+(**)

Kenny Wheeler: Gnu High (1975, ECM): Canadian trumpet player, studied at Royal Conservatory of Music in 1950, moved to UK in 1952, played in many free jazz groups but always seemed like more of a postbop player, especially on his many ECM albums. This was his first, playing flugelhorn (really his main instrument), in a quartet with Keith Jarrett (piano), Dave Holland (drums), and Jack DeJohnette (drums). B+(***)

Kenny Wheeler: Around 6 (1979 [1980], ECM): Sextet: Evan Parker (soprano/tenor sax), Eje Thelin (trombone), J.F. Jenny-Clark (bass), Edward Vesala (drums), Tom van der Geld (vibraharp). Parker has some strong runs. B+(**)

Kenny Wheeler: Double, Double You (1983 [1984], ECM): Quintet: Mike Brecker (tenor sax) is the surprise name on the cover; John Taylor (piano) a close long-time collaborator, plus Holland and DeJohnette. Stellar cast, but I doubt Wheeler has ever been more on top of a record. A-

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• Sara Serpa: Recognition (Biophilia) [06-05]

Ask a question, or send a comment.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Robert Christgau wrote an impassioned piece last week on why it matters for people to vote for Biden and the Democrats against Trump and the Republicans in November. You can find it here and here -- scroll down to the last question and answer. I agree substantively, but have a few quibbles.

First, I gagged on the phrase "criminally stupid." Stupid, maybe, but that isn't (and shouldn't be) a crime. Gauging the importance of any election requires both a lot of information and a good sense of political dynamics over time. How difficult it is should be clear from our different estimates and prognoses of what a Trump victory would mean. (Which, just to be clear, don't diminish our agreement that this election is "crucial" and that if it goes the wrong way a lot of very bad things will happen.)

For instance: "Abortion will end, feminism atrophy, gay rights shrivel." If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, states will be free to outlaw abortion (and for that matter birth control), but only a few states will. Same with LGBTQ rights. The effect will be to undermine rights that currently all Americans share, but unless this can be followed up with new federal legislation the effect will be to make red and blue states diverge further. Granted, if Republicans win by landslides (augmented or enabled by gerrymandering and voter suppression, which is the only way that seems possible) they might be able to rewrite federal law to force their views on blue states. They might even amend the constitution to get rid of parts they don't like (although most likely they'll be happy enough to have their packed courts read the constitution their way).

None of this woud cause feminism to "atrophy": if anything, it will make it sharper and more necessary. Indeed, while we prefer not to speak of it, one thing that invariably happens is that when power tilts one direction, resistance grows. A lot of bad things have happened since 2016, but resistance has grown, both in numbers and in clarity and resolve. The lines about what Hillary would have done differently aren't very convincing -- especially the one about billionaires, because while she was chummy with different ones than Trump was, she was always very deferential to them (as were Democrats like Obama and Biden). At least with Trump as president, we don't have to go through this election defending her. I'm not a person who believes that things have to get worse before they can get better, but I do recognize that people often learn things only the hard way. I voted for Hillary even though I thought she was fucking awful, because I understood how much worse Trump was, but also because I thought we'd be better off starting from her as a baseline than we'd be with Trump.

Obviously, I think that with Biden vs. Trump, as well. I voted for Bernie Sanders, and Biden was one of my least favorite candidates, so I'm not happy he's the nominee, but I'm also not very unhappy with the way the race has shaped up. Aside from the necessity of beating Trump and the Republican ticket -- which in terms of policy (if not personality) if anything worse than Trump -- the second most important thing for me is to advance the ideas of the left. While Sanders and others have made remarkable progress, it was clear that they have not swayed the powers in the party, and that the latter would stop at nothing (including self-defeat) to keep control of the Democratic Party. With Biden we have a seat at the table to argue for policies on their merits, and we shouldn't have to spend much of our energy fighting off internecine attacks from the right. Nothing is certain, but as I keep insisting, the answers to our major problems are on the left. Biden needs answers as much as we do.

The Democratic Primary in Hawaii went for Joe Biden (63.23%), over Bernie Sanders (36.77%). You can draw either conclusion from this. On the one hand, Biden has drawn consistent majorities everywhere since shortly after Super Tuesday, and there's no real chance he's going to weaken. On the other hand, there's still a sizable bloc of Democrats who think we can do better, and that too -- despite the campaign blackout and Bernie's own endorsement of Biden -- shows no sign of weakening.

Some scattered links this week:

• Jon Lee Anderson: The coronavirus hits Brazil hard, but Jair Bolsonaro is unrepentant.

• Kate Aronoff: America's deadly obsession with intellectual property.

• Andrew Bacevich: Still, the Global War on Terrorism goes on.

• Zack Beauchamp:

  • The American right's favorite strongman: "Viktor Orbán dismantled Hungary's democracy. Conservatives love him." What they really love about him is how his party (Fidesz) has managed to lock themselves into power even if elections turn against them.

    In the United States, the Republican Party has shown a disturbing willingness to engage in Fidesz-like tactics to undermine the fairness of the political process. The two parties evolved independently, for their own domestic reasons, but seem to have converged on a similar willingness to undermine the fairness of elections behind the scenes.

    Extreme gerrymandering, voter ID laws, purging nonvoters from the voting rolls, seizing power from duly elected Democratic governors, packing courts with partisan judges, creating a media propaganda network that its partisans consume to the exclusion of other sources -- all Republican approaches that, with some nouns changed, could easily describe Fidesz's techniques for hollowing out from democracy from within.

    In this respect, Hungary really is a model for America. It's not a blueprint anyone is consciously aping, but proof that a ruthless party with less-than-majority support in the public can take durable control of political institutions while still successfully maintaining a democratic veneer.

  • Trump says he's taking hydroxycloroquine. Related:

    • Ariana Eunjung Cha/Laurie McGinley: Antimalarial drug touted by President Trump is linked to increased risk of death in coronavirus patients, study says.

    • Stuart Emmrich: Is Donald Trump lying about taking hydroxycloroquine?

    • Josh Marshall: Hydroxychloroquine isn't a joke it's a scandal.

    • Morgan Gstalter: GOP lawmaker says his entire family is taking hydroxychloroquine: Roger Marshall (R-KS), who by the way is an MD (OB-GYN), and is running for Senate, in a race where he used to be regarded as the sane one. This strikes me as a stunt to draw Trump votes away from Kris Kobach.

• Ginia Bellafante: First they fled the city. Now they're building $75,000 in-ground pools: "When the going gets tough, the rich buy oases."

• Barbara Boland: IG fired days after inquiring about Pompeo's 'donor dinners'.

• Megan Cassella: Reopening reality check: Georgia's jobs aren't flooding back: "A month after easing lockdown restrictions, the state is still seeing a steady stream of unemployment claims, economic data shows."

• John Cassidy: The coronavirus is exposing Wall Street's reckless gamble on bad debt.

• Casey Cep: Telling the stories of the dead is essential work. I've been reading obituaries regularly, at least since my parents died (2000). Very rarely do I notice anyone I knew or recognized, although I did run across a couple of Intermediate School teachers I loathed. But one thing that's always bothered me is that they're not written up as stories. They're basically run as advertisements: you buy space, and get to write whatever drivel you want, and for a bit extra you can add a picture. Made me think that if I ever ran a newspaper, I'd at least research and write up this one story on everyone. The point of this article is that in the pandemic, every obituary has become a story. Same thing happened after 9/11, when the New York Times took a moment to write about every victim, no matter how insignificant. Actually, they never were insignificant. They just looked that way from Mount Olympus.

• Amee Chew: Stop the $2 billion arms sale to the Philippines.

  Duterte's human rights record is atrocious. If the arms sale goes through, it will escalate a worsening crackdown on human rights defenders and on dissent -- while fomenting an ongoing bloodbath. Duterte is infamous for launching a "War on Drugs" that, since 2016, has claimed the lives of as many as 27,000 souls, mostly low-income people summarily executed by police and vigilantes.

  In Duterte's first three years of office, nearly 300 journalists, human rights lawyers, environmentalists, peasant leaders, trade unionists, and human rights defenders were assassinated. The Philippines has been ranked the deadliest country for environmentalists in the world, after Brazil. Many of these slayings are linked to military personnel.

  Now, Duterte is using COVID-19 as a pretext for further militarization and repression, despite the dire consequences for public health.

• Andrew Desiderio: Fired watchdog was investigating arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

• Chauncey DeVega: Trump's HHS secretary accidentally tells the truth: Racism is driving pandemic policy.

• Jason Ditz:

  • Trump administration discussing new nuclear test, first since 1992.

  • Trump extends 2003 'national emergency' on Iraq.

  • US clears more UAE arms sales despite evidence of past violations: "UAE transferred US arms to al-Qaeda, other terrorists."

  • US withdraws from Open Skies treaty. Also see: David E Sanger: Trup will withdraw from Open Skies arms control treaty."

    With the loss of INF, Open Skies, and the imminent expiration of New START, the US and Russia are going to find themselves with few treaties designed to prevent military exchanges, and a lot of new opportunities for arms races.

• Mark Fitzpatrick: Will the US try to interdict Iranian tankers bound for Venezuela?

• Laurie Garrett: Trump has sabotaged America's coronavirus response: I mentioned this article in Book Roundup, but one to note one more thing: the date (January 31, 2020). That's pretty early (before the first US cases were reported), although much of what's here has since become common knowledge:

  For the United States, the answers are especially worrying because the government has intentionally rendered itself incapable. In 2018, the Trump administration fired the government's entire pandemic response chain of command, including the White House management infrastructure. In numerous phone calls and emails with key agencies across the U.S. government, the only consistent response I encountered was distressed confusion. If the United States still has a clear chain of command for pandemic response, the White House urgently needs to clarify what it is -- not just for the public but for the government itself, which largely finds itself in the dark.

• Colin Gordon: The coronavirus wouldn't be decimating meatpacking plants if company bosses hadn't busted the unions. Although western Kansas hasn't gotten much publicity, Ford and Finney counties have the highest per capita infection rates in Kansas.

• Murtaza Hussain:

  • With a distracted public, the Pentagon tries to get away with killing innocent civilians. To be fair, they've been getting away with it for decades, whether the public was distracted or not.

  • There's no one worse than Trump on climate and war. Only comparisons here are with former presidents, mostly Obama (but he's not very hopeful about Biden), so wannabes like Lindsay Graham aren't given their due.

• Umair Irfan/Jen Kirby: The other plague: Locusts are devouring crops in East Africa and the Middle East.

• Eileen Jones: There's nothing good about Phyllis Schlafly: Deconstructing Mrs. America.

• Fred Kaplan:

  • This is not a good time to start a new arms race: "And there is no good reason for one." But that's what Trump is aiming for in withdrawing from Open Skies and INF and New START -- arms limitation treaties with Russia.

  • The ultimate disgrace of Mike Pompeo: "THe IG firing shows the sordid truth behind the secretary of state's moralistic sneering."

  • "Obamagate" is a 3-year-old story that wasn't a scandal the first time.

• Jen Kirby: Inspectors general, explained by a former inspector general: Interview with Clark Ervin, following Trump's firing of State Department IG Steve Linick.

• Michael T Klare: The US and China are dangerously close to a military confrontation in the South China Sea.

• Ezra Klein:

  • Why "essential" workers are treated as disposable: Interview with SIEU president Mary Kay Henry.

  • Why are liberals more afraid of the coronavirus than conservatives? My answer is that liberals still think reality matters, and as such respond to real problems, whereas conservatives live in a fantasy world where political will creates its own reality. Klein, liberal that he is, surveys the research, and even quotes Jon Haidt: "Conservatives react more strongly than liberals to signs of danger, including the threat of germs and contamination." On the other hand, people of all political stripes tend to react as herds, and right now conservative leaders have their own reasons for making light of the pandemic, and that's emboldening conservative followers. It's tempting to say that the scales would be tipped if Obama were president and spouting his usual lines about confidence. Still, the flip wouldn't be symmetrical: Democrats are more likely to trust the science, because they believe that government should serve the public, especially in times of crisis. Republicans, on the other hand, seek power to favor private interests, and even go so far as to deny that public interests exist (except for national security, which they conflate with the needs of private arms merchants), and would like to cripple government's ability to help, lest people look to government for help in the future. (Although note that Republican governors are the first in line for federal relief when disaster strikes their states.)

• German Lopez: Biden's opposition to marijuana legalization is at odds with most Americans' views.

• Robert Mackey:

  • Trump hails "good bloodlines" of Henry Ford, whose anti-semitism inspired Hitler: I think it would be more accurate to say that Ford and Hitler came to anti-semitism independently, although their times and fame made sure that they would inspire and comfort each other (well, until Hitler went a bit too far; Ford died in 1947, 2 years after Hitler, but his anti-semitic rants go back to 1922). Still, the Trump quotes on "good bloodlines" and "good DNA" are pretty creepy.

  • Alarm and confusion at Fox News as Trump says he takes hydroxychloroquine.

• Windsor Mann: Trump's lethal aversion to reading: "Trump is a know-it-all who knows almost nothing and refuses to read anything except his own name."

• Greg Miller/Josh Dawsey/Aaron C Davis: One final viral infusion: Trump's move to block travel from Europe triggered chaos and a surge of passengers from the outbreak's center.

• Ian Millhiser:

  • Trump claims he will "override the governors" who closed churches in the pandemic.

  • Trump says he'll cut off funding to states that make it easier to vote.

• Ella Nilsen: Democrats suddenly have a much better chance of retaking the Senate in 2020.

• Anna North:

  • The plaintiff of Roe v. Wade made a big revelation on her deathbed. Here's what it means.

  • Essential workers are losing their hazard pay even though the hazard isn't over.

• Osita Nwanevu:

  • We're not polarized enough: Review of Ezra Klein's book, Why We're Polarized.

    Nevertheless, the health and stability of the American political system depends on the defeat of the Republican Party. Absent a radical shift in the right's priorities, the only way to depolarize our institutions is to win and win big against those who want to keep them undemocratic, protecting the right from the moderating influence more competitive elections could have. Those victories will depend on reformers successfully marshaling the forces driving group identity, rather than assuming the balance of power in America has been set primarily by immutable psychologies. The way forward lies in convincing Americans not to retreat from national politics but to think even more broadly and abstractly about where this country ought to go. Why We're Polarized does some of the job, but leaves a daunting truth unsaid: To fight polarization, we'll have to get much more polarized. The only way out is through.

  • Workers deserve to be owners, too. I think extending significant ownership shares to workers is one of the most important things that can be done in America.

• Ari Rabin-Havt: Inside the latest plan to "bankrupt" and privatize Social Security: Bankrupting, sure, but I don't see anything here about privatizing, which -- beyond the push toward optional 401(k) plans -- has always been a pipe dream. One can imagine ending Social Security and plunging millions of elderly and disabled Americans back into poverty, but one cannot imagine a privatized system where most (let alone all) Americans would be better off.

• Aaron Rupar:

  • New Fox News poll finds Biden with healthy lead, sends Trump into tailspin: "The president is mad that Fox News isn't rigging polls for him."

  • Trump's remarks about firing the State Department IG show how he's destroyed the norm of oversight.

  • Trump's latest tweet about coronavirus testing is like a greatest hits of his favorite lies.

• Matthew Sitman: Why the pandemic is driving conservative intellectuals mad: Not as broad as I'd like, focusing as he does on one R.R. Reno, although he does bring Peggy Noonan into it.

• Danny Sjursen: US regional imperialism: big sticks, and even bigger guns.

• Sarah Stillman: Will the coronavirus make us rethink mass incarceration?

• Matthew Walther: A predictable catastrophe in Michigan: Multiple dams failed alog the Tittabawassee River, causing massive flooding.

  These are the sorts of problems no one wants to address until it's too late, not just in Michigan but across the United States, where the phrase "crumbling infrastructure" has been with us so long that it too is probably on the verge of collapse. We are an old broken-down country, physically and spiritually, incapable of meaningful action until we find ourselves in the middle of a totally predictable crisis. So many of the issues that have arisen during the current pandemic -- the dangers of nursing homes, racial inequality, social atomization -- were ones that should have been familiar to us and dealt with long before we found ourselves faced with a novel virus. Instead we waited as we always do until the dams burst, metaphorically and otherwise.

  Also see:

  • Sophia Tesfaye: Republican corruption and carelessness led to devastation in Michigan: Does Trump care?

• Alex Ward:

  • A massive cyclone battered India and Bangladesh. The coronavirus makes recovery even harder.

  • Anti-lockdown protests aren't just an American thing. They're a global phenomenon.

• Philip Weiss: Peace process was never intended to give Palestinians a state -- true confessions from Council on Foreign Relations. Cites an article by Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations.

• Matthew Yglesias:

  • A huge boost in infrastructure spending is very popular -- if rich people pay for it. Argues that it's going to be very hard to get a big boost in infrastructure (or other pubic service) spending if most people perceive it's being paid for out of their own pockets. (Paying for it by taxing the rich is OK, and indeed the most popular tax proposal on a long list is the wealth tax.) Personally, I think this would be a very good time to raise the gas tax. Sure, a flat sales or excise tax isn't progressive, but prices at present are so depressed consumers come out ahead anyway. And to the extent that the tax increase reduces demand (and global warming), that's not such a bad thing either.

• Neil J Young: Flooding the swamp: "Why Trump's many scandals never seem to stick." Alternate title: "There's always a bigger scandal.

• Li Zhou/Ella Nilsen: Congress should consider these 7 ideas for the next stimulus package. Bold ideas, no chance of surviving a Republican veto, and indeed it's not clear even to me where the money comes from.

Ask a question, or send a comment.

Friday, May 22, 2020

Aside from last week's Trump Books, this is my first Book Roundup since October 31, 2019, so lots of ground to cover. As usual, 40 books in the main section (well, 45), some with lists of extras tacked on. Then a bunch of "briefly noted" -- most just noted. Not inconceivable I could return and write more about some of them later. I've even been known to read the occasional book that first appeared there. But at least this includes them in the big file for future reference.

This time I have a third section, which includes leftovers from the Trump Books roundup. I didn't sort them out as I did before. Again, this section includes some forthcoming books -- some surprisingly close to the election, like they're deliberately planning on being irrelevant. [PS: On further reflection, I think I should move these new books back into the old post, but will hold off on doing that until later, so those reading in real time won't have to go back.]

My usual methodology here is to start with Amazon's tracking of my tastes and interests, and see where their recommendations lead me -- especially given that their book pages contain blurbs and user reviews, often even a partial "look inside," usually sufficient information to base my notes on. However, Amazon has become much more frustrating and much less useful lately. Their "my recommendations" page is now about 80% non-book clutter, and their book subject lists have generally been slashed from 50 to 15 books (I've seen them with as few as 4), so not much to explore from there. Their book pages used to have long lists of related books (usually books that others have bought or looked at), but the only thing they offer regularly now is "books you may like" -- pretty much the same list on every page. Their subject browsing has never been useful (it's even hard to find it). Even searches are pot shots. For the Trump books, I scoured through 50-60 screens of titles before posting last week. Most of the books below showed up in the next 20-30 screens.

I wound up going to Barnes and Noble for Trump books. Their subject browsing has been slightly better in the past, although it, too, seems worse than before. (Filters now seem to cancel each other out rather than further refine, and order by date is flat out broken.) Plus they don't have nearly as much aggregate information, so when I do find a book there, I wind up having to search it out on Amazon. I also looked at Indie Bound, but found no help at all. Looks like you can order there, but can't really shop. [PS: Finally, looked at Good Reads, which turns out to be more useful.]

In the future, it looks like I'm going to have to return to doing things like thumbing through the New York Review of Books looking for advertisements. (In the past, I went to libraries and bookstores to jot down lists of titles. From age 16 on I prowled around bookstores several times a week, regarding it as essential to my mental health, but that practice declined and ended when Borders went bankrupt.) I even tried doing a Google search for "new political books," which referred me to BookAuthority's 63 Best New Politics Books to Read in 2020. Some real crap, but at least 25% of the books there didn't show up in my Amazon searches. (Thanks to that list, I added Lawrence Lessig's book to the list, and after looking up Lessig I wrote the two Ganesh Sitaraman entries, increasing the main list to 42 books.)

Two of the longer sublists deserve special mention. I often list previous works by authors, but that went a little long with Joseph J Ellis. I look at the aforementioned "big file" often to see what other books someone has written, so it's always tempting to broaden that list -- currently, it's just everything mentioned in previous Book Roundups, but I can imagine stuffing it into a database. On the other hand, I didn't do that for the next author down, Eric Foner. That's partly because I've followed Foner more closely in the past, and indeed have read several of his books that predate the file (actually starting with Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party Before the Civil War (1970; paperback, 1995, Oxford University Press).

Also did a long list under Nathan J Robinson, but the other list I wanted to mention was the one under Laurie Garrett. You hear people arguing that no one could have anticipated the pandemic, but as the list shows, there's actually a pretty substantial literature on the subject, with Garrett's big 1994 book as a cornerstone. Admittedly, I padded the list with historical books on the 1918 influenza. That is the most similar historical event to the present one, so seems of special interest today. I wasn't finding much on older plagues, but given how much else I had I decided not to look harder. But I did think of a Robert Desowitz book I had read 20+ years ago, and thought it worth mentioning. Also stumbled across a new article by Garrett, which would have been good in a Weekend Roundup.

Hard to predict when the next Book Roundup will appear, given what a mess my scratch file is currently in, plus the recent search troubles. I currently have 49 books left over, but most of them are mere stubs (some of those I might as well add as such below). On the other hand, at least a dozen are ready to go, and even as I write this I'm finding more books I want to comment on.

Books (from the main section) I've read so far: Erwin Chemerinsky: We the People; Ani DiFranco: No Walls and the Recurring Dream; Matt Farwell/Michael Ames: American Cipher; Eric Foner: The Second Founding; Ezra Klein: Why We're Polarized; John McPhee: Draft No. 4; Suketu Mehta: This Land Is Our Land; Cailin O'Connor/James Owen Weatherall: The Misinformation Age; Charles Postel: Equality; Emmanuel Saez/Gabriel Zucman: The Triumph of Injustice; Joan C Williams: White Working Class. Most of these I picked up rather haphazardly from the library. I've also read all (or nearly) of Robert Christgau: Book Reports and Paul Krugman: Arguing With Zombies as pre-book essays. Wrote two of those up at the end, only after seeing them in my book feed.

Posting this without yet doing the indexing. The "big file," see above for link, currently has 4,505 books (paragraphs, approximately the same thing), so it is already pretty unwieldy (although I can still load its 1.8 MB into an emacs buffer and search it almost instantly, so it still works for me).

David A Ansell: The Death Gap: How Inequality Kills (paperback, 2019, University of Chicago Press): Doctor, has spent 40 years working in some of the poorest hospitals in Chicago, wrote a book about his experiences: County: Life, Death and Politics at Chicago's Public Hospital (2011, Academy Chicago Publishers). Problem here is not just that America's health care system fails poor Americans, inequality has stacked the deck against them even before illness or injury strikes. Related:

• Heather Boushey: Unbound: How Inequality Constricts Our Economy and What We Can Do About It (2019, Harvard University Press).
• Michael Marmot: The Status Syndrome: How Social Standing Affects Our health and Longevity (paperback, 2005, Owl Books).
• Michael Marmot: The Health Gap: The Challenge of an Unequal World (2015; paperback, 2016, Bloomsbury).
• Jonathan Rothwell: A Republic of Equals: A Manifesto for a Just Society (2019, Princeton University Press).
• Nelson D Schwartz: The Velvet Rope Economy: How Inequality Became Big Business (2020, Doubleday).
• Veronica Squires/Breanna Lathrop: How Neighborhoods Make Us Sick: Restoring Health and Wellness to Our Communities (2019, paperback, IVP Books).

Andrew Bacevich: The Age of Illusions (2020, Metropolitan Books): Ex-soldier, professed conservative, Bacevich has written a long series of books about the revival of militarism in America after Vietnam and how that renascent military was wasted and ruined in a series of wars in the Middle East. He looks to be retracing his steps here, focusing especially on the decision to maintain "sole superpower" status after the Cold War's sudden end, a decision that encouraged new enemies to replace the old. While that has been profitable for an arms industry and a bureaucracy always in need of enemies, the forever wars have only left America poorer and shabbier than before.

Christopher Caldwell: The Age of Entitlement: America Since the Sixties (2020, Simon & Schuster): This is regarded as a rare conservative attempt at serious cultural history, but as always the word "entitlement" gives the mythmaking impulse away. Caldwell takes "readers on a roller-coaster ride through Playboy magazine, affirmative action, CB radio, leveraged buyouts, iPhones, Oxycontin, Black Lives Matter, and internet cookies" to illustrate his case that "the reforms of the 1960s, reforms intended to make the nation more just and humane, instead left many Americans feeling alienated, despised, misled."

Erwin Chemerinsky: We the People: A Progressive Reading of the Constitution for the Twenty-First Century (paperback, 2018, Picador): Dean of UC Berkeley School of Law, previously wrote The Conservative Assault on the Constitution (2011), and The Case Against the Supreme Court (2014). His "progressive reading" emphasizes the preamble, which among other things permits the government to "promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity" -- about as progressive a directive as one can imagine. Also see:

• Erwin Chemerinsky: The Case Against the Supreme Court (2014; paperback, 2015, Penguin Books).
• Danielle S Allen: Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality (paperback, 2015, Liveright).
• Stephen M Feldman: The New Roberts Court, Donald Trump, and Our Failing Constitution (2017, Palgrave MacMilan).
• Eric J Segall: Originalism as Faith (paperback, 2018, Cambridge University Press).
• Ilan Wurman: A Debt Against the Living: An Introduction to Originalism (paperback, 2017, Cambridge University Press).

Robert Christgau: Book Reports: A Music Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading (paperback, 2019, Duke University Press): Second collection of essays, following up Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years of Rock Criticism 1967-2017 (paperback, 2018, Duke University Press) with a selection of book reviews -- some on music history and criticism, some on fiction, some loosely grouped as "Bohemia Meets Hegemony" and "Culture Meets Capital."

Adam Cohen: Supreme Inequality: The Supreme Court's Fifty-Year Battle for a More Unjust America (2020, Penguin Press): From 1936 to 1969 we were fortunate to have a Supreme Court that leaned left, for the only real period in American history when the Court worked to broaden and deepen the rights of all citizens, often in opposition to repressive and reactionary state and even federal laws. In 1969, Nixon started a campaign to pack the court with right-wingers (although his first two nominees were rejected by the Senate, his choice of William Rehnquist started to change the tide). Also see (plus the Robin Pogrebin/Kate Kelly book below, and the Erwin Chemerinsky book/list above):

• Mollie Hemingway/Carrie Severino: Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Supreme Court (2019, Regnery).
• Carl Hulse: Confirmation Bias: Inside Washington's War Over the Supreme Court, From Scalia's Death to Justice Kavanaugh (2019, Harper).
• David A Kaplan: The Most Dangerous Branch: Inside the Supreme Court in the Age of Trump (paperback, 2019, Broadway Books).
• Ruth Marcus: Supreme Ambition: Brett Kavanaugh and the Conservative Takeover (2019, Simon & Schuster).
• James D Zirin: Supremely Partisan: How Raw Politics Tips the Scales in the United States Supreme Court (2016, Rowman & Littlefield).

John Corbett: Pick Up the Pieces: Excursions in Seventies Music (2019, University of Chicago Press): Music writer and impressario (owns his own reissue label), reminiscences about 4-11 records from each year of the 1970s -- a pretty hip selection, many (even obscurities) I would have picked, probably more jazz than I knew at the time. Starts with the Kinks' "Lola," ends 1979 with the Raincoats' cover of same (plus one 1980 album, Grace Jones' Warm Leatherette).

William Dalrymple: The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire (2019, Bloomsbury): Major historian of British India, focuses here on the early period when English power was entrusted to private enterprise, the notorious East India Company -- a case example of what's likely to happen when the powers of state are directed exclusively for the profit of foreign shareholders. The progression is spelled out in chapter titles: "1599," "Sweeping With the Broom of Plunder," "Bloodshed and Confusion," "Racked by Famine," and "The Corpse of India." After the revolt of 1859, the British government had to step in and take over. They, too, did a lousy job.

Ani DiFranco: No Walls and the Recurring Dream: A Memoir (2019, Viking; paperback, 2020, Penguin Press): DIY folksinger from Buffalo, released her own records and made a business out of that, which she still regards as a pretty weird thing to do. I have a cousin who moved to Buffalo and knows her -- my cousin's family shows up here and there in the book, and I figure I probably caught a glance of Ani as a girl, long before I started hearing about how amazing she was, which was long before you did, so I've always felt a bit of a personal connection. Also I figure it's good for me to read the occasional memoir, especially of people growing up political, as I may write one myself some day. I found the early family/city parts fascinating, the music/industry less so. I suspect she does too.

EJ Dionne Jr: Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save Our Country (2020, St Martin's Press): The Washington Post columnist's second Trump book, perhaps a little more desperate than the first (One Nation Under Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet-Deported), but doubling down on his centrist pitch, that progressives have to give in and accept nothing for their votes, so the centrists can cut their own deals furthering oligopoly.

Barbara Ehrenreich: Had I Known: Collected Essays (2020, Twelve): Starts with the Harper's piece that grew into her bestseller, Nickel-and-Dimed, with more on inequality, health, men, women, science, joy, God, and "bourgeois blunders" -- a rather vast category. A good selection, but after two dozen books, not remotely close to collected.

Joseph J Ellis: American Dialogue: The Founders and Us (2018, Knopf): Historian, has written a number of books on the founding of the United States (partial list below). Notes the persistence of "what would the Founding Fathers think?" questions on current topics, tries to juxtapose several contemporary questions with thinking from those founders: Thomas Jefferson (racism), John Adams (inequality), George Washington (imperialism), and James Madison (the doctrine of original intent). I wouldn't put much stock in the answers (at least from the first two), but shows us again how the study of history is always (for better or worse) an interaction with the present. More Ellis books, and other recent period titles:

• Joseph J Ellis: After the Revolution: Profiles of Early American Culture (1979; paperback, 2002, WW Norton).
• Joseph J Ellis: Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams (1993; paperback, 2001, WW Norton).
• Joseph J Ellis: American Sphinx: the Character of Thomas Jefferson (1996; paperback, 1998, Vintage Books).
• Joseph J Ellis: Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation (2000; paperback, 2002, Vintage Books).
• Joseph J Ellis: His Excellency: George Washington (2004; paperback, 2005, Vintage Books).
• Joseph J Ellis: American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies in the Founding of the Republic (2007; paperback, 2008, Vintage Books).
• Joseph J Ellis: First Family: Abigail and John Adams (2010; paperback, 2011, Vintage Books).
• Joseph J Ellis: Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence (2013; paperback, 2014, Vintage Books).
• Joseph J Ellis: The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution 1783-1789 (2015; paperback, 2016, Vintage): Singles out George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison.

Matt Farwell/Michael Ames: American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the US Tragedy in Afghanistan (2019, Penguin Press): Bergdahl was a troubled teenager in Idaho, signed up and got thrown out of the US Coast Guard, joined the US Army as a private and got sent to Afghanistan. There, he wandered off his base, was captured by the Taliban and held for five years before being repatriated in a prisoner exchange. He was then reviled by the right-wing press, and as a result was court-martialed for desertion, convicted, and dishonorably discharged, without further incarceration. His story parallels America's futile and foolish war effort.

Eric Foner: The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution (2019, WW Norton): America's foremost historian of the period, his main book Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877 (1988; updated edition, paperback, 2014, Harper). This focuses most specifically on the three constitutional amendments of the period, including the one about "birthright citizenship" that Trump has most explicitly attacked. This details how and why they were passed, and how they've been reinterpreted by the courts ever since (e.g., how the 14th Amendment has been taken as carte blanche for corporate power).

Laurie Garrett: The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance (1994; paperback, 1995, Farrar Straus & Giroux): This is an old book, massive (768 pp), nothing remotely specific on this year's pandemic, but a solid rejoinder to anyone's insinuation that "no one could have anticipated this." Garrett, by the way, is still around, most recently writing Trump Has Sabotaged America's Coronavirus Response. Here are some more books on pandemics and plagues, broadening the net both going back and forward.

• Laurie Garrett: Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health (paperback, 2001, Hachette Books).
• Laurie Garrett: I Heard the Sirens Scream: How Americans Responded to the 9/11 and Anthrax Attacks (paperback, 2012, CreateSpace).
• Warren A Andiman: Animal Viruses and Humans: A Narrow Divide: How Lethal Zoonotic Viruses Spill Over and Threaten Us (paperback, 2018, Paul Dry Books).
• Katherine Arnold: Pandemic 1918: Eyewitness Accounts From the Greatest Medical Holocaust in Modern History (paperback, 2020, St Martin's Griffin).
• John M Barry: The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History (2004; paperback, 2005, Penguin Books).
• Thomas J Bollyky: Plagues and the Paradox of Progress: Why the World Is Getting Healthier in Worrisome Ways (paperback, 2019, MIT Press).
• Nancy K Bristow: American Pandemic: The Lost Worlds of the 1918 Influenza Epidemic (2012; paperback, 2017, Oxford University Press).
• Jeremy Brown: Influenza: The Hundred-Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History (paperback, 2019, Atria Books).
• Alfred W Crosby: America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918 (2nd edition, paperback, 2003, Cambridge University Press).
• Molly Caldwell Crosby: The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic That Shaped Our History (2006; paperback, 2007, Berkley).
• Mike Davis: The Monster at Our Door: The Global Threat of Avian Flu (2005, New Press; paperback, 2006, Holt).
• Robert S Desowitz: Who Gave Pinta to the Santa Maria? Tracking the Devastating Spread of Lethal Tropical Diseases Into America (1997; paperback, 1998, Harcourt Brace).
• Michael Greger: Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching (2006, Lantern Books).
• Oscar Harway: Spanish Flu 1918: Data and Reflections on the Consequences of the Deadliest Plague, What History Teaches, How Not to Repeat the Same Mistakes (paperback, 2020, independent).
• Mark Honigsbaum: The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria, and Hubris (2019, WW Norton).
• Ali S Khan: The Next Pandemic: On the Front Lines Against Humankind's Gravest Dangers (2016, PublicAffairs).
• Christian W McMillen: Pandemics: A Very Short Introduction (paperback, 2016, Oxford University Press).
• Michael BA Oldstone: Viruses, Plagues, and History: Past, Present and Future (paperback, 2009, Oxford University Press).
• Michael T Osterholm/Mark Olshaker: Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs (paperback, 2020, Little Brown).
• David Quammen: Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic (2012; paperback, 2013, WW Norton).
• David Quammen: Ebola: The Natural and Human History of a Deadly Virus (paperback, 2014, WW Norton).
• David Quammen: The Chimp and the River: How AIDS Emerged From an African Forest (paperback, 2015, WW Norton).
• Pardis Sabeti/Lara Salahi: Outbreak Culture: The Ebola Crisis and the Next Pandemic (2018, Harvard University Press).
• Soia Shah: Pandemic: Tracking Contagions, From Cholera to Ebola and Beyond (2016, Sarah Crichton Books; paperback, 2017, Picador).
• Alan Sipress: The Fatal Strain: On the Trail of Avian Flu and the Coming Pandemic (paperback, 2010, Penguin Books).
• Laura Spinney: Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World (2017, PublicAffairs).
• David Waltner-Toews: On Pandemics: Deadly Diseases From Bubonic Plague to Coronavirus (paperback, 2020, Greystone Books). [May 28]
• Nathan Wolfe: The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age (2011, Times Books; paperback, 2012, Griffin).
• Slavoj Zizek: Pandemic! Covid-19 Shakes the World (paperback, 2020, Polity).

Kim Ghattas: Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unravaled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East (2020, Henry Holt). There's a natural dynamic to revolution to try to expand -- one thinks of the French wars against European monarchies, and Russia's appeal to proletarian revolution elsewhere. When Iran threw off the Shah, one of the first things the new Islamic Republic did was to mount a challenge for leadership of the Muslim World -- something Saudi Arabia had assumed since occupying the "holy cities" of Mecca and Medina. Hence the "forty-year rivalry" documented here. While revolutionary fervor in Iran has ebbed, isolation orchestrated by the Saudis, Israel, and the United States (as always, the sorest of sore losers) has kept a desperate edge on the conflict.

Dan Kaufman: The Fall of Wisconsin: The Conservative Conquest of a Progressive Bastion and the Future of American Politics (2018, WW Norton): The Kochs put a lot of money and organization into flipping Wisconsin, and had their most remarkable success these, with Scott Walker winning two terms as governor, Ron Johnson twice defeating Russell Feingold for the Senate, and a state legislature so gerrymandered Republicans still have a massive edge despite losing the popular vote -- Democrats did manage to rebound some in 2018. Moreover, Republicans won not by sugar-coating their ideology, but by taking advantage of their wins to implement some of the most radically right-wing policies in the nation.

Marc Hetherington/Jonathan Weiler: Prius or Pickup? How the Answers to Four Simple Questions Explain America's Great Divide (2018, Houghton Mifflin): Sure, badly. On the other hand, if you tell someone what your politics are, then ask them to answer the questions for you, the answers will probably correlate, at least in that people with different politics will probably put you into the authors pigeonholes. All that proves is that you can lie with statistics, as opposed to the usual process of just spouting nonsense. Authors also wrote:

• Marc J Heherington/Jonathan D Weiler: Authoritarian and Polarization in American Politics (paperback, 2009, Cambridge University Press).

AG Hopkins: American Empire: A Global History (2018, Princeton University Press). I thought I'd slip this in under Daniel Underwahr's How to Hide an Empire, but at 960 pp this is by far the more sweeping book, basically a recasting of the whole history of America as viewed through its imperialistic proclivities. Author is British, which no doubt helped set up the global imperial framework.

Ezra Klein: Why We're Polarized (2020, Simon & Schuster): Polarization per se doesn't bother me. Indeed, given that Republicans have moved significantly to the right, it's good that Democrats have moved somewhat left, and would I'd be happier if they moved even further. Sure, this does cause problems, like when one party (almost always the Republican) tries to obstruct the other from doing it would do itself if under different circumstances (like pass stimulus bills). Klein cites a lot of political science research on how people identify themselves in groups, but he refuses to credit any kind of "identity politics" strawman (unlike, say, Mark Lilla, in The Once and Future Liberal: After Identity Politics). He sees identity as inevitable but also flexible and multi-layered, which strikes me as right.

Paul Krugman: Arguing With Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future (2020, WW Norton): New York Times columnist and sometime economist recycles his columns, organized into thematic sections, like how Obamacare was supposed to work, why the Euro didn't, why tax cuts aren't always good, why deficits aren't always bad, and how politics affects (and infects) everything.

Michael Lind: The New Class War: Saving Democracy From the Managerial Elite (2020, Portfolio): Started out as a thinker with conservative impulses, gradually turned on the right without abandoning those instincts. Seems to be intent on defending working class Trump voters here from the charge of bigotry, arguing that they're caught in the grip of a class war against them, and for a "class compromise that provides the working class with real power."

Andrew Marantz: Anti-Social: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation (2019, Viking). You know, there's a lot of incoherent shit on the internet. If you look for it, you'll find it, and if you take it seriously, you'll start to worry about, oh say, the future of civilization. As near as I can tell, that's what Marantz is doing here, plus a little legwork to meet up with some of the people who play assholes in virtual space. I'm not sure any of it matters, but he does spend enough time chatting up the alt-right to draw out their general maleficence, so that's something. Just not sure it's worth the trouble.

Branko Marcetic: Yesterday's Man: The Case Against Joe Biden (paperback, 2020, Verso): Intended as "a deep dive into Joe Biden's history and the origins of his political values," argues that "far from being a liberal stalwart, Biden often outdid even Reagan, Gingrich, and Bush, assisting the right-wing war against the working class, and ultimately paving the way for Trump." Even though Biden's been the Democratic frontrunner, we haven't seen many books reviewing his life and record. But I'm reminded here that the publisher has a history of dredging up dirt on Democratic candidates -- back in 2000, I read one of their more brutal hatchet jobs, Al Gore: A User's Manual (by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair). Biden is a much easier target -- Gore at least seemed to have the gravitas and smarts to make his frequent maneuvers to the right seem merely opportunistic, whereas Biden simply does whatever seems easiest. On the other hand, Biden's running less on his own record than on someone else's, and few have seen fit to call him on that. More on Biden:

• Mike McCormick: Joe Biden Unauthorized: And the 2020 Crackup of the Democratic Party (paperback, 2020, 15 Years a Deplorable).

Michael J Mazarr: Leap of Faith: Hubris, Negligence, and America's Greatest Foreign Policy Tragedy (2019, PublicAffairs): A RAND Corporation senior analyst, the sort of person who would have rubber-stamped the Bush administration's plot to invade Iraq, claims to have figured out how it all went so horribly wrong. He blames the decision on "a strain of missionary zeal that lives on" -- clearly, John Bolton is a particularly odious example. But while it's pretty easy these days to find politicians who admit that Iraq was a mistake, it's much harder to find ones who question the assumptions that went into that miscalculation. As such, even with books like this on the shelf, we have little reason to expect future war planners to have learned from past disasters.

John McPhee: Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process (2017; paperback, 2018, Farrar Straus and Giroux): My favorite nonfiction writer constructs a memoir of his writing, stories of who and when and why, mixed with occasional grammar tips. I was hooked at the latter, although his thoughts on structure will challenge me more. Still, I'm reluctantly coming to suspect that at 89 his major works are behind him: The Founding Fish was 2002, Uncommon Carriers 2006, and since then just collections, most recently The Patch (2018), which I passed up at the library: essays on fishing, football, golf, lacrosse, bears, and something called "An Album Quilt."

Suketu Mehta: This Land Is Our Land: An Immigrant's Manifesto (2019, Farrar Straus and Giroux): Born in India, grew up in New York, wrote journalism all around the world, giving him the feel and perspective to write his major book, Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found (2004). "Mehta juxtaposes the phony narratives of populist ideologues with the ordinary heroism of laborers, nannies, and others . . . also stresses the destructive legacies of colonialism and global inequality on large swaths of the world: When today's immigrants are asked, 'Why are you here?' they can justly respond, "We are here because you were there.'"

Cailin O'Connor/James Owen Weatherall: The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread (2018; paperback, 2020, Yale University Press): Useful anecdotal history of many cases where blatant falsehoods were propagated far and wide, both recent and fairly deep into the past (e.g., the "health benefits" of bleeding). Also a series of approximate mathematical models of how such ideas are transmitted, ranging from gossip to propaganda.

Kevin C O'Leary: Madison's Sorrow: Today's War on the Founders and America's Liberal Ideal (2020, Pegasus Books): A research fellow at the Center of the Study of Democracy at UC Irvine, previously wrote Saving Democracy: A Plan for Real Representation in America (paperback, 2006, Stanford University Press). Argues that Madisonian democracy was essentially liberal, and that the Republican Party has "unleashed an illiberal crusade against the ideals of the Founding Fathers." Both liberals and conservatives have tried to claim the Founders and their Constitution as their own. I've long thought that Scalia's "originalism" is a crock. On the other hand, the liberal case has mostly been aspirational, as they recall best sentiments and overlook how often those ideals have been failed. Still, I recall that my own politics started with a naive embrace of our noble past, leading me to turn against modern politicians of both parties for their many failures to live up to those ideals. But since then, one party has stood out in its desire to wreck the very foundations of democracy and equality: the Republicans, as O'Leary makes clear here.

Thomas Philippon: The Great Reversal: How America Gave Up on Free Markets (2019, Belknap Press): By which he means: stopped worrying about monopoly power and shied away from antitrust enforcement. Economist, teaches finance at Stern School of Business. That's a reasonable position: capitalists wax eloquent about the efficiencies of the free market, but the first thing they learn to do in business school is to undermine and thwart competition. But I've seen this book picked apart by none other than James K Galbraith -- to some extent in defending his father (who was tolerant of well-regulated monopoly), but also for lionizing Wright Patman (D-TX), who had a reputation as a populist in the 1930s but didn't impress me much when he was chairing the House Banking Committee in the 1960s.

Thomas Piketty: Capital and Ideology (2020, Belknap Press): Massive successor to the French economist's Capital in the Twenty-First Century, runs 1104 pages. Krugman panned this for wandering too far afield, but one suspects that a good part of the complaint has to do with Piketty's more radical political leanings. Goes deep in time, and all around the world, seeking to understand the roots of inequality and its extension today.

Robin Pogrebin/Kate Kelly: The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation (2019, Portfolio): The authors dug up some of the background exposés that crowded out discussion of judicial philosophy -- reason enough to keep him far away from the Supreme Court. Book includes several revelations that resurfaced questions as to whether Kavanaugh lied to Congress during his confirmation hearings, and whether he should be impeached for it. Clearly, as a Supreme Court Justice, he's well positioned to do immense damage to our rights under the Constitution.

Charles Postel: Equality: An American Dilemma 1866-1896 (2019, Farrar Straus and Giroux): A history of several political movements following the Civil War that took the notion of equality, given renewed emphasis following the end of slavery and the constitutional promise of equal rights, and tried to expand it to various groups -- farmers, women, labor. It's worth noting that several of those movements made alliances with the restoration of white power in the South, and as such compromised the equality they sought on the fractured ground of racism. Postel wrote a previous book, The Populist Vision.

Jedediah Purdy: This Land Is Our Land: The Struggle for a New Commonwealth (2019, Princeton University Press): Philosopher, I guess, although he makes his living teaching law. Hailing from West Virginia, he's haunted by the relationship between environmental destruction and poverty. A blurb touts this as a "Thoreauvian call to wake up," but surely he realizes that lifting a title from Woody Guthrie suggests a more straightforward revolution.

Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen: The Ideas That Made America: A Brief History (2019, Oxford University Press): Intellectual history, "from the Puritans to Postmodernism, and everything in between." That's a tall, probably impossible order, especially given how much actual thinking in American history simply cancels one another out. To come up with something more usually requires an agenda. This one isn't clear, not least because what we might have recognized as a liberal/progressive consensus a generation or two ago has been widely trashed of late, mostly (but not only) by the right. Author previously wrote American Nietzsche: A History of an Icon and His Ideas (2011; paperback, 2012, University of Chicago Press).

Nathan J Robinson: Why You Should Be a Socialist (2019, All Points Press): Editor of Current Affairs, has a pile of books since 2013, including ones focused on Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, but more intent on explaining how much better life could be with democratic socialism. Other books by Robinson and other books on democratic socialism:

• Nathan J Robinson/Oren Nimni: Blueprints for a Sparkling Tomorrow: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (paperback, 2015, Demilune Press).
• Nathan J Robinson: Superpredator: Bill Clinton's Use and Abuse of Black America (paperback, 2016, Demilune Press).
• Nathan J Robinson: The Current Affairs Mindset: Essays on People, Politics, and Culture (paperback, 2017, Demilune Press).
• Nathan J Robinson: Trump: Anatomy of a Monster (paperback, 2017, Demilune Press).
• Nathan J Robinson: Interesting Times: Arguments & Observations (paperback, 2018, Demilune Press).
• Nathan J Robinson: The Current Affairs Rules for Life (paperback, 2018, Demilune Press).
• Paul S Adler: The 99 Percent Economy: How Democratic Socialism Can Overcome the Crises of Capitalism (2019, Oxford University Press).
• Kate Aronoff/Peter Dreier/Michael Kazin, eds: We Own the Future: Democratic Socialism -- American Style (paperback, 2020, New Press):
• Micah Uetricht: Bigger Than Bernie: How We Can Go From the Sanders Campaign to Democratic Socialism (2020, Verso).
• Richard D Wolff: Understanding Socialism (paperback, 2019, Democracy at Work).

David Rohde: In Deep: The FBI, the CIA, and the Truth About America's "Deep State" (2020, WW Norton). All bureaucracies have their own special interests, and those that act in secrecy are especially likely to hide their own agendas. The FBI, especially but not exclusively under J Edgar Hoover, often put its own agenda first, which led to numerous abuses, especially directed at what they dubbed "subversive" groups, like civil rights activists and labor unions. The CIA has been even more secretive, and their remit to run clandestine operations has been even more widespread. Moreover, they've enjoyed direct private access to the president -- at least since 9/11 on a daily basis, so their ability to shape US foreign policy, whatever their motives may be, is nonpareil but also obscure. Indeed, it's not uncommon for presidents-elect to reverse course following their first briefing, which only adds to the aura of mysterious power. So much as been obvious to everyone on the left since Harry Truman, but the last few years it's been Trump et al. who've been up in arms over the "deep state" -- an epithet they tend to apply indiscriminately to the whole civil service. This book provides some background, but mostly to help sort out the charges that the FBI and CIA, with their Obama-era leadership, were out to get Trump. I don't doubt there's something to those charges, but Trump's demands are such an overreach not just of decent policy but of law that it's hard to side with him, even against adversaries this bad.

Heather Cox Richardson: How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America (2020, Oxford University Press): Historian, argues not just that the defeated Confederacy was able to restore its old system of white supremacy for a century after the Civil War, but that a the American West provided a key vector for Southern political influence, notably through the "movement conservatives" like Barry Goldwater. Thus we see that their efforts to maintain supremacy did not end with the civil rights movement, but continue to influence the Republican Party today. Richardson previously wrote:

• Heather Cox Richardson: West From Appomattox: The Reconstruction of America After the Civil War (2007, Yale University Press).
• Heather Cox Richardson: To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party (2014, Basic Books).

Emmanuel Saez/Gabriel Zucman: The Triumph of Injustice: How the Rich Dodge Taxes and How to Make Them Pay (2019, WW Norton): Saez is the world's foremost statistician of inequality, so expect a fair amount of number crunching here. Zucman, who I associate with French economist Thomas Piketty, has a previous book more specific to this concern: The Hidden Wealth of Nations: The Scourge of Tax Havens (2015; paperback, 2016, University of Chicago Press). Makes a strong case for cracking down on tax havens, showing that the failure of the US and other countries to do so is a deliberate choice in favor of oligarchy. Also makes a case for a wealth tax.

Gabriel Sherman: The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News -- and Divided a Country (2014; paperback, 2017, Random House). This is the basis for Showtime's TV series, with Russell Crowe playing Ailes. I had missed the book, which sounds like it's meant to blow smoke up Ailes' ass, and couldn't stand watching the show -- mostly because I didn't find Ailes' bloviating speeches credible (not so much that I couldn't believe he gave them but I couldn't stomach the notion that anyone bought them). Still, probably the single most important political story of the last quarter-century, so someone had to tell it.

Ganesh Sitaraman/Anne L Alstott: The Public Option: How to Expand Freedom, Increase Opportunity, and Promote Equality (2019, Harvard University Press): The most often hear "public option" these days as Joe Biden's preferred way of patching up Obamacare's failure to assure competitive private health insurance. As such, it's seen as an alternative to Medicare for All, but the latter is a much better example of what the authors mean by "public option": a case where the government provides a public service, not bound by the private sector's need to maximize profit. The section on history offers examples like public libraries and Social Security, and admits "mixed results in education and housing." Part Three plots out where this could go, and probably shortchanges "And More" with just 12 pages.

Ganesh Sitaraman: The Great Democracy: How to Fix Our Politics, Unrig the Economy, and Unite America (2019, Basic Books): Author of The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution: Why Economic Inequality Threatens Our Republic (2017, Knopf), which offered a pretty convincing account of the founding of the nation as an egalitarian ideal struggling to become real. Here he focuses on more recent history: the rise of the right from Reagan on (which he roots in and doesn't distinguish from neoliberalism, a term he uses a lot but I'd prefer to limit). Prescriptions follow. [PS: In his "Acknowledgments" I was surprised to find generous mention of Pete Buttigieg.]

Gene Sperling: Economic Dignity (2020, Penguin Press): Cover adds: "Chief White House Economic Adviser to President Obama and President Clinton." Sperling advertised himself as The Pro-Growth Progressive in 2005, with his "economic strategy for shared prosperity." At that time, he was cooling his heels, working at the Brookings Institution, waiting to become Hillary Clinton's chief economic adviser for her ill-fated 2008 campaign (2008 was, however, very good to Sperling, as he received $2.2 million "from a variety of consulting jobs, board seats, speaking fees and fellowships" (that's prosperity, but not what I'd call shared). He easily made the transition from Clinton to Obama, and was a prominent player in Ron Suskind's 2011 book Confidence Men: Wall Street, Washington, and the Education of a President. The new book leads off with a blurb from Hillary Clinton, who says "it should be our North Star for the recovery and beyond." There are people with worse resumes in Washington (e.g., those currently working for Trump), but few "progressives" have aimed so low and still failed to deliver. Even now, he's trying to buy us off with "dignity" (which, by the way, he defines as "you know it when you see it"). Good luck with that.

Matt Stoller: Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy (2019, Simon & Schuster): Big book on the dangers of concentration of economic power as companies connive to prevent or limit competition: something antitrust law was meant to prevent, but has been hobbled by loose definitions and lax enforcement, not unrelated to the ever-greater role that lobbying and campaign "contributions" play in American politics.

Joan C Williams: White Working Class: Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America (paperback, 2019, Harvard Business Review Press): Sympathetic enough to her subjects, emphasizing how the desire for stability and belief in self-sufficiency offer the white working class a conservative ethos, a point which could be extended to the non-white working class if they only had a party option that wasn't as offensive as the Republicans. Contrasts this to the urban professionals who may be more liberal socially but also lack the grounding in community and its identities, and may wind up more alienated as a result. In passing, she mentions "class migrants," who typically come from the working class but are able to function in the professional world, appreciating bits of both.

Other recent books noted with little or no comment:

Alberto Alesina/Carlo O Favero/Francesco Glavazzi: Austerity: When It Works and When It Doesn't (2019, Princeton University Press).

Charlotte Alter: The Ones We've Been Waiting For: How a New Generation of Leaders Will Transform America (2020, Viking). Profiles of young politicians, the eldest Pete Buttigieg (b. 1982), the only other one I recognize Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (b. 1989).

Andrew J Bacevich, ed: American Conservatism: Reclaiming an Intellectual Tradition: A Century of Writings From Henry Adams to the Present (2020, Library of America).

Molly Ball: Pelosi (2020, Henry Holt).

Frida Berrigan: It Runs in the Family: On Being Raised by Radicals and Growing Into Rebellious Motherhood (paperback, 2015, OR Books).

Rutget Bregman: Humankind: A Hopeful History (2020, Little Brown): "A more politically radical Malcolm Gladwell."

Vincent Brown: Tacky's Revolt: The Story of an Atlantic Slave War (2020, Belknap Press).

Oren Cass: The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America (2018, Encounter Books): Former "domestic policy director for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign."

Panashe Chigumadzi: These Bones Will Rise Again (2020, The Indigo Press): On Zimbabwe and overthrowing Robert Mugabe.

Michael D'Antonio: The Hunting of Hillary: The Forty-Year Campaign to Destroy Hillary Clinton (2020, Thomas Dunne Books).

Alan Dershowitz: Guilt by Accusation: The Challenge of Proving Innocence in the Age of #MeToo (2019, Hot Books).

Joan Marans Dim/Antonio Masi: Lady Liberty: An Illustrated History of America's Most Storied Woman (2019, Fordham University Press).

Mike Duncan: The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic (2017; paperback, 2018, PublicAffairs).

Anna Fifield: The Great Successor: The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jung Un (2019, PublicAffairs).

Marc Fleurbaey, et al: A Manifesto for Social Progress: Ideas for a Better Society (paperback, 2018, Cambridge University Press).

Kristen Ghodsee: The Left Side of History: World War II and the Unfulfilled Promise of Communism in Eastern Europe (paperback, 2015, Duke University Press).

Ted Gioia: Music: A Subversive History (2019, Basic Books).

Malcolm Gladwell: Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know (2019, Little Brown).

Thom Hartmann: The Hidden History of Guns and the Second Amendment (paperback, 2019, Berrett-Koehler).

Thom Hartmann: The Hidden History of the Supreme Court and the Betrayal of America (paperback, 2019, Berrett-Koehler).

Thom Hartmann: The Hidden History of the War on Voting: Who Stole Your Vote -- and How to Get It Back (paperback, 2020, Berrett-Koehler).

Nolan Higdon/Mickey Huff: United States of Distraction: Media Manipulation in Post-Truth America (And What We Can Do About it) (paperback, 2019, City Lights).

Jonathan Horn: Washington's End: The Final Years and Forgotten Struggle (2020, Scribner).

Susan Jacoby: The Age of American Unreason in a Culture of Lies (paperback, 2018, Vintage Books): Revised edition of her 2008 The Age of American Unreason, itself a return to Richard Hofstadter's famous Anti-Intellectualism in American Life.

Sean Kay: Rockin' the Free World! How the Rock & Roll Revolution Changed America and the World (2016, Rowman & Littlefield; paperback, 2018, RL).

Stephen Kinzer: Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control (2019, Henry Holt).

Michael T Klare: All Hell Breaking Loose: The Pentagon's Perspective on Climate Change (2019, Metropolitan Books).

Michael J Klarman: The Framers' Coup: The Making of the United States Constitution (2016, Oxford University Press).

Mikael Klintman: Knowledge Resistance: How We Avoid Insight From Others (2019, Manchester University Press).

Nicholas D Kristof/Sheryl WuDunn: Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope (2020, Knopf).

Peter La Chapelle: I'd Fight the World: A Political History of Old-Time, Hillbilly, and Country Music (paperback, 2019, University of Chicago Press).

Rob Larson: Capitalism vs. Freedom: The Toll Road to Serfdom (paperback, 2018, Zero Books).

Erika Lee: America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States (2019, Basic Books).

Lawrence Lessig: They Don't Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy (2019, Dey Street Books).

Steven Levingston: Barack and Joe: The Making of an Extraordinary Partnership (2019, Hachette Books).

Matthew Lockwood: To Begin the World Over Again: How the American Revolution Devastated the Globe (2019, Harvard University Press).

Agusto Lopez-Claros/Bahiyyih Nakhjavani: Equality for Women = Prosperity for All: The Disastrous Global Crisis of Gender Inequality (2019, St Martin's Press).

Allen Lowe: God Didn't Like It: Electric Hillbillies, Singing Preachers, and the Beginning of Rock and Roll, 1950-1970 (paperback, 2013, Constant Sorrow Press).

Annie Lowrey: Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, and Remake the World (2018, Crown).

George Monbiot: Out of the Wreckage: A New Politics for an Age of Crisis (2017; paperback, 2018, Verso).

Jenny Odell: How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy (2019, Melville House).

Michael O'Sullivan: The Levelling: What's Next After Globalization (2019, PublicAffairs).

Robert B Reich: The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It (2020, Knopf).

Ruth Reichl: Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir (2019; paperback, 2020, Random House).

Thomas E Sheridan/Randall H McGuire, eds: The Border and Its Bodies (2019, University of Arizona Press).

Frank Smyth: The NRA: The Unauthorized History (2020, Flatiron Books).

Rebecca Solnit: Recollections of My Nonexistence: A Memoir (2020, Viking).

Joseph E Stiglitz: Globalization and Its Discontents Revisited: Anti-Globalization in the Era of Trump (paperback, 2017, WW Norton).

Cal Thomas: America's Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers . . . and the Futrure of the United States (2020, Zondervan).

Jia Tolentino: Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion (2019, Random House).

Rick Van Noy: Sudden Spring: Stories of Adaptation in a Climate-Changed South (2019, University of Georgia Press).

Michael Walzer: A Foreign Policy for the Left (2018, Yale University Press).

Jesse Wegman: Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College (2020, St Martin's Press).

Tara Westover: Educated: A Memoir (2018, Random House).

Kevin D Williamson: The Smallest Minority: Independent Thinking in the Age of Mob Politics (2019, Gateway).

Even after trying hard to round up all but the flimsiest and most ridiculous books on Trump, his administration, and the 2020 election, I find I still missed a few:

Seth Abramson: Proof of Conspiracy: How Trump's International Collusion Is Threatening American Democracy (2019, St Martin's Press): Previously wrote Proof of Collusion: How Trump Betrayed America (2018, Simon & Schuster), and has a third volume in the works, each over 400 pp range (this one 592).

Seth Abramson: Proof of Corruption: Bribery, Impeachment, and Pandemic in the Age of Trump (2020, St Martin's Press): A third volume, after Proof of Collusion (2018) and Proof of Conspiracy (2019). This seems to me like far and away the fattest subject, even before the author tacked on something about the pandemic, probably making it one of the first books to broach the subject. Still, seems too early to tell much. [September 8]

Jeffrey F Addicott: Trump Judges: Protecting America's Establishment Pillars to "Make America Great Again" (paperback, 2020, Imprimatur Press).

Dan Alexander: White House, Inc: How Donald Trump Turned the Presidency Into a Business (2020, Portfolio). Senior Editor at Forbes, so it's unclear whether this is muckraking or just their usual run of business puff pieces. But possibly useful to the extent he shows how it's done. [August 11].

Martin Amis: The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabakov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump: Essays and Reportage, 1986-2016 (2017, Joathan Cape).

Sara Azari: Unprecedented: A Simple Guide to the Crimes of the Trump Campaign and Presidency (2020, Potomac Books): Author is "a practicing lawyer who specializes in white-collar crime," and at least starts with cases that led to prosecutions -- first chapter is on George Papadopoulos). Doesn't read "simple," but at 176 pp is short.

Kobby Barda: The Key to Understanding Donald J Trump (2019, Simple Story).

Edwin L Battistella: Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels: Insulting the President, From Washington to Trump (2020, Oxford University Press).

Joy Behar: The Great Gasbag: An A-Z Study Guide to Surviving Trump World (2017; paperback, 2018, Harper).

Pablo J Boczkowski/Zizi Paracharissi, eds: Trump and the Media (paperback, 2018, MIT Press).

Dan Bongino: Spygate: The Attempted Sabotage of Donald J Trump (2018, Post Hill Press).

Ben Bradlee Jr: The Forgotten: How the People of One Pennsylvania County Elected Donald Trump and Changed America (2018, Little Brown).

Donna Brazile: Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House (2017, Hachette Books).

Laura Briggs: How All Politics Became Reproductive Politics: From Welfare Reform to Foreclosure to Trump (2017, University of California Press).

Martha Brockenbrough: Unpresidented: A Biography of Donald Trump (2018, Feiwel Friends).

FH Buckley: The Republican Workers Party: How the Trump Victory Drove Everyone Crazy, and Why It Was Just What We Needed (2018, Encounter Books).

Leonard Cruz/Steven Buser, eds: A Clear and Present Danger: Narcissism in the Era of Donald Trump (paperback, 2016, Chiron Publications).

Brian Francis Culkin: The Meaning of Trump (paperback, 2018, Zero Books).

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah: The Donald J Trump Presidential Twitter Library (2018, Spiegel & Grau).

Kim Darroch: Collateral Damage: Britain, America, and Europe in the Age of Trump (2020, PublicAffairs): Former British Ambassador to the US, resigned under fire "after a series of cables containing unflattering descriptions of President Trump." [September 15]

Alan Dershowitz: Defending the Constitution: Alan Dershowitz's Senate Argument Against Impeachment (paperback, 2020, Hot Books).

Ian Doescher/Jacopo della Quercia: MacTrump: A Shakespearean Tragicomedy of the Trump Administration, Part I (paperback, 2019, Quirk Books): An adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, or possibly Barbara Garson's Macbird (1967)?

Lou Dobbs: The Trump Century (2020, Broadside Books): The Thousand Year Reich in an age of diminished expectations. [September 1]

Jesse Duquette: The Daily Don: All the News That Fits Into Tiny, Tiny Hands (paperback, 2019, Arcade).

David A Farenthold: Uncovering Trump: The Truth Behind Donald Trump's Charitable Giving (paperback, 2017, Diversion Books).

John Bellamy Foster: Trump in the White House: Tragedy and Farce (paperback, 2017, Monthly Review Press): Marxist sociologist, editor of Monthly Review, has a number of books on ecological and financial crises. This is a short (144 pp), early take on Trump's election, by a guy who knows a "neo-fascist" when he sees (or smells) one.

John Gartner/Steven Buser, eds: Rocket Man: Nuclear Madness and the Mind of Donald Trump (paperback, 2018, Chiron Publications): Some chapters: "If Trump Were a Policeman I Would Have to Take Away His Gun"; "Trump's Sick Psyche and Nuclear Weapons: A Deadly Mixture"; "Facing the Truth: The Power of a Predatory Narcissist"; "Trump's No Madman, He's Following the Strongman Playbook"; "Visions of Apocalypse and Salvation."

John Glaser/Christopher A Preble/A Trevor Thrall: Fuel to the Fire: How Trump Made America's Broken Foreign Policy Even Worse (and How We Can Recover) (2019, Cato Institute).

Mardy Grothe: Deconstructing Trump: The Trump Phenomenon Through the Lens of Quotation History (2019, Quoterie Press).

Pete Hegseth: American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free (2020, Center Street): Flag-waving "old school patriot" with military background and tattoos, sees Trump as a "sign of a national rebirth," while decrying "Leftists who demand socialism, globalism, secularism, and politically-correct elitism." Parlayed his conceits into a job as co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend.

Donald Heinz: After Trump: Achieving a New Social Gospel (paperback, 2020, Cascade Books).

Rosanna Hildyard: Ubu Trump (paperback, 2017, Eyewear Publishing): Alfred Jarry's 1888 play Ubu Roi, "translated and entirely updated" by Hildyard. When I first saw MacTrump, I flashed on this as the more apt production . . . and here it is!

Gene Ho: Trumpography: How Biblical Principles Paved the Way to the American Presidency (paperback, 2018, iUniverse).

Adam Hodges: When Words Trump Politics: Resisting a Hostile Regime of Language (paperback, 2019, Stanford University Press): Analysis of Trump's words (you know, "the best words"), especially via Twitter.

Carl Hoffman: Liar's Circus: A Strange and Terrifying Journey Into the Upside-Down World of Trump's MAGA Rallies (2020, Custom House). Katy Tur's Unbelievable (2017) provides a sense of what Trump's rallies are like, or at least were during the 2016 campaign, but this promises to be both more in-depth and more up-to-date. While the fans and the appeal are likely to be the same, I can't help but wonder if Trump being president doesn't intensify the sense of power. [September 22]

Charles Hurt: Trump Saves America: Our Last Hope to Be Great Again (2019, Center Street).

Aaron James: Assholes: A Theory of Donald Trump (2016, Doubleday).

Brittany Kaiser: Targeted: The Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower's Inside Story of How Big Data, Trump, and Facebook Broke Democracy and How It Can Happen Again (2019, Harper).

David King: Why Trump Deserves Trust, Respect, and Admiration (paperback, 2016, CreateSpace): Blank pages -- not the first such Trump book I've seen.

Edward Klein: All Out War: The Plot to Destroy Trump (2017, Regnery).

Howard Kurtz: Donald Trump, the Press, and the War Over the Truth (2018, Regnery).

Gary Lachman: Dark Star Rising: Magick and Power in the Age of Trump (paperback, 2018, TarcherPerigee).

Martin E Latz: The Real Trump Deal: An Eye-Opening Look at How He Really Negotiates (2018, Brisance Books).

David Limbaugh: Guilty by Reason of Insanity: Why the Democrats Must Not Win (2019, Regnery).

Trevor Loudon: White House Reds: Communists, Socialists & Security Risks Running for US President, 2020 (paperback, 2020, independent): Quotes Trump saying the 2020 election would be about "Communism versus Freedom," then proceeds to red-bait "ten high profile contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination." Previously wrote Barack Obama and the Enemies Within (2011, 688 pp), and The Enemies Within: Communists, Socialists and Progressives in the US Congress (2013, 702 pp).

Michael Maccoby, ed: Psychoanalytic and Historical Perspectives on the Leadership of Donald Trump (paperback, 2020, Routledge).

Derek Mailhiot: Trump: America's First Zionist President (paperback, 2019, independent): Author means this as a compliment, but where exactly does that leave America First? Even if you see Trump's "deep relationship" is really with Christian Zionism, what does that mean but a yearning for Armageddon? And that's a longing Israeli Zionists want to encourage?

Stephen Mansfield: Choosing Donald Trump: God, Anger, Hope, and Why Christian Conservatives Supported Him (2017, Baker Books).

Gerardo Marti: American Blindspot: Race, Class, Religion, and the Trump Presidency (paperback, 2020, Rowman & Littlefield).

Mike McCormick: Fifteen Years a Deplorable: A White House Memoir (paperback, 2019, 15 Years a Deplorable).

Rachel Montgomery: All I Ever Wanted to Know About Donald Trump I Learned From His Tweets: A Psychological Exploration of the President Via Twitter (paperback, 2017, Skyhorse).

Samhita Mukhopadhyay/Kate Harding, eds: Nasty Women: Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump's America (paperback, 2017, Picador).

Stephanie Muravchik/Jon A Shields: Trump's Democrats (2020, Brookings Institution Press). [August 25]

Jack Murphy: Democrat to Deplorable: Why Nine Million Obama Voters Ditched the Democrats and Embraced Donald Trump (paperback, 2018, independent).

Caitríona Perry: In America: Tales From Trump Country (2018, Gill Books).

Carol Pogash, ed: Quotations From Chairman Trump (2015, RosettaBooks). I'm surprise this hasn't been revised and reissued, given how much additional verbiage Trump has spewed in the meantime. Maybe the editor thinks it was already perfect? By the way, this wasn't the first attempt to parody Chairman Mao's "Little Red Book": I had a copy of Quotations From Chairman LBJ back in the day; and it was followed by a little blue book of Richard Nixon quotes, Poor Richard's Almanack.

Joel Pollak/Larry Schweikart: How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution (paperback, 2017, Regnery).

Kevin Powell: My Mother. Barack Obama. Donald Trump. And the Last Stand of the Angry White Man (2018, Atria Books).

Jack Rasmus: The Sourge of Neoliberalism: US Economic Policy From Reagan to Trump (paperback, 2020, Clarity Press).

Ted Rall: Trump: A Graphic Biography (paperback, 2016, Seven Stories Press).

Ian Reifowitz: The Tribalization of Politics: How Rush Limbaugh's Race-Baiting Rhetoric on the Obama Presidency Paved the Way for Trump (paperback, 2019, Ig Publishing).

Sheldon Roth: Psychologically Sound: The Mind of Donald J Trump (Bombardier Books). Against every other psychologist and psychiatrist who's weighed in on the subject, argues that Trump is "remarkably complicated, often brilliant, comfortingly human, and most importantly, of completely sound mind."

David Rubin: Trump and the Jews (2018, Shiloh Israel Press): Note that Amazon's "frequently bought together" adds David Rubin: God, Israel, and Shiloh: Returning to the Land (paperback, 2011, Shiloh Israel Press), and Mark Blitz: Decoding the Antichrist and the End Times: What the Bible Says and What the Future Holds (paperback, 2019, Charisma House).

John Bernard Ruane: The Real News! The Never-Before-Told Stories of Donald Trump & Fake News (paperback, 2018, Post Hill Press).

Michael Savage: Stop Mass Hysteria: America's Insanity From the Salem Witch Trials to the Trump Witch Hunt (2018, Center Street).

Steven E Schier/Todd E Eberly: The Trump Presidency: Outsider in the Oval Office (paperback, 2017, Rowman & Littlefield).

Ben Shapiro: The Establishment Is Dead: The Rise and Election of Donald Trump (2017, Creators Publishing).

Marsha Shearer: America in Crisis: Essays on the Failed Presidency of Donald Trump (paperback, 2019, GoMyStory).

James B Stewart: Deep State: Trump, the FBI, and the Rule of Law (2019, Penguin Books).

David A Stockman: Trumped! A Nation on the Brink of Ruin . . . And How to Bring It Back (2016, Laissez Faire Books): Ronald Reagan's Budget Director, turned libertarian iconoclast, fantasizes a bit about Trump making "ten great deals" -- which, of course, he never came close to considering, and not just because he doesn't really consider anything.

Gene Stone: The Trump Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Living Through What You Hoped Would Never Happen (2017, Dey Street Books).

Roger Stone: The Making of the President 2016: How Donald Trump Orchestrated a Revolution (2017, Skyhorse). I missed this, but did list Stone's later book, The Myth of Russian Collusion: The Inside Story of How Donald Trump Really Won (paperback, 2019, Skyhorse).

Stephen E Strang: God, Trump, and Covid-19: How the Pandemic Is Affecting Christians, the World, and America's 2020 Election (paperback, 2020, Frontline): Short (128 pp) follow up to the author's God, Trump, and the 2020 Election: Why He Must Win and What's at Stake for Christians if He Loses (2020, Frontline), and for that matter his 2017 book, God and Donald Trump.

Joe Walsh: F*ck Silence: Calling Trump Out for the Cultish, Moronic Authoritarian Con Man He Is (2020, Broadside Books): Author is a "rock-ribbed conservative," a former Republican congressman from Illinois who briefly challenged Trump in the 2020 Republican presidential primary.

Jonathan Weisman: (((Semitism))) Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump (2018, St Martin's Press).

Shannon Wheeler: Sh*t My President Says: The Illustrated Tweets of Donald J Trump (2017, Top Shelf Productions).

John K Wilson: President Trump Unveiled: Exposing the Bigoted Billionaire (paperback, 2017, OR Books).

Byron York: Obsession: Inside the Democrats' War on Trump (2020, Regnery). Chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner, and Fox News hack. Previously wrote: The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy: The Untold Story of How Democratic Operatives, Eccentric Billionaires, Liberal Activists, and Assorted Celebrities Tried to Bring Down a President -- and Why They'll Try Even Harder Next Time (2005, Crown Forum). [September 8]

Also: books that I've written about (or noted) before, that I missed when looking for old Trump books:

Tucker Carlson: Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution (2018, Free Press).

Andrew C McCarthy: Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency (2019, Encounter Books).

Ask a question, or send a comment.

Saturday, April 18, 2020

Expanded blog post, May archive (in progress).

Music: Current count 33277 [33244] rated (+33), 214 [212] unrated (+2).

First a reminder that you can use this form to ask me a question, or just make a comment. I'll start answering when they've piled up to a presently undetermined critical mass. The form is similar to the one I created for Robert Christgau. Both use a free software captcha package to cut down on spam. I've heard it cuts down on legit submissions as well, although Christgau has received close to 1,000, so it seems to work well enough.

I hadn't noticed any prominent musician deaths in the past week. Well, Phil May, 75, singer for The Pretty Things, a Brit Invasion group that had a cult following among my Terminal Zone comrades.

I did find out about a couple of older deaths last week, when I received a PDF booklet with biographical sketches of a few dozen people who participated in antiwar protests at Washington University in St. Louis in 1970. I moved to St. Louis a couple years later, so wasn't directly involved at that stage, but wound up knowing close to a third of the people in the booklet, as well as others unlisted. Two had died a few years back: Larry Kogan, who I knew as the owner of Left Bank Books but had been one of the main figures prosecuted for burning down the ROTC building in 1970; and Fred Faust, who had edited the student newspaper and been the main technical guy for every radical publication of the period. Fred started a typesetting business called Just Your Type, and one day he came up to me in Larry's book shop and offered me a job. That was the first job I ever had, and it changed my life: taught me I could make a living and survive on my own. Incidentally, when I left academia, I got into reading rock crit, and started my own checkered career as a record reviewer.

I noticed that JazzTimes is running a readers' poll to pick the 10 best jazz albums of the 1980s. I've jotted down their ballot for future reference (162 albums). First thing I'm struck by is that I missed a majority of the albums (100, 61.7%). I bought some jazz in the late 1970s, and lots from 1995 on (increasingly shifting to promos and streaming), so what I know of jazz in the 1980s has mostly been backfill, and almost all from purchases, so I've been pretty selective. Still, I can't complain that the ballot has a lot of obviously mediocre pop jazz (some: one Kenny G, one Bob James, two George Benson, one Yellowjackets, two Bobby McFerrin). Still, a lot of stuff on that list I would like to hear sooner or later (including 12 from ECM, 6 from Soul Note/Black Saint, 3 from Enja). Still, I've only graded 17 records on the list A- or above (4 by Don Pullen, 3 by Ornette Coleman), so a lot of fairly typical B+ material.

I'm not prepared to offer a list, but here's one that Chris Monsen posted on Facebook (with my grades in brackets -- checked out the last three while writing this):

• David Murray Octet, Ming [A-]
• Air, 80° Below '82 [A-]
• John Carter Octet, Dauwhe [**]
• Tim Berne, Mutant Variations [***]
• Detail, Okhela [] -- reissued as Day Two [**]
• Jimmy Lyons Quintet, Sneezawee [A-]
• Bill Dixon, Thoughts [B-]
• Ganelin Trio, Poco-A-Poco [***]
• Geri Allen, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian, Etudes [A-]
• Henry Threadgill Sextett, Rag, Bush and All [+]

I looked for their 1970s poll, but the page has been taken down. I did manage to scrounge up a results page from Google's cache, so added it to my notebook. The results page only listed 82 albums. With a shorter list of more famous records, the share I've listened to rose to 63.4% (up from 38.3% for the 1980s). The number of A- or better albums remained close to constant (16 vs. 17, 30.7% of graded albums vs. 27.4% for the 1980s). More really low grades, too (8 B- or lower in the 1970s vs. 3 in the 1980s).

Several points on this week's haul:

• I made a much procrastinated effort to catch up with whatever promo vinyl I've received (never much, but Astral Spirits sent three LPs recently and I had a couple more leftover from 2017). I also found an ungraded Pamelo Mounk'a album in the pile (which led me to look at streaming archives). I almost never play LPs, and I'm not equipped very well to do so. My ancient Bang & Olufsen turntables (I've had two, one from the 1970s and one from around 1980) died long ago, so I'm using Laura's 1980s Technics -- seems to run my old LPs OK, but the new platters were all warped and slipped (I wound up using downloads for reference). I got rid of most of my vinyl when we moved to Wichita in 1999, so there's never been much need to make it accessible. I should search for more ungraded records, just to clean up dangling bits in the database. But the whole setup is pretty inconvenient right now. I certainly don't see any need to invest in a new turntable, no more than I enjoy this one.

• Robert Christgau mailed out his May 2020 Consumer Guide last week. He recommended two full A records: one by Lucinda Williams (which I gave a solid A- to last week), and the one by Fiona Apple everyone seems to love (I hedged it down to B+(***) a couple weeks ago, then nudged it up a bit on revisiting it this week, but I'm still not a huge fan). I checked out some of his other picks, and a few Phil Overeem likes.

• Tim Niland pointed me to one of Jazz Club Ferrara's releases, which led me to their Bandcamp page, where I found sixteen volumes of "unpublished live recordings selected from [their] archives." This is one of possibly many digital releases meant to provide relief from the pandemic quarantine.

After no unpacking last week, this week bounced back to something more normal, maybe even a bit above normal.

New records reviewed this week:

The Bad Plus: The Tower Tapes #4 (2019 [2020], Jazz Club Ferrara): Trio, formed in 2000 with Reid Anderson (bass) and David King (drums), Orrin Evans taking over the piano slot in 2018. Two sets (42:48 and 57:59). B+(**) [bc]

Danny Barnes: Man on Fire (2020, ATO): Singer-songwriter from Texas, plays banjo, best known for his 1991-2000 group Bad Livers, less so for his 2014-18 group Test Apes, more than a dozen solo albums, can sound old-timey country with a hint of bluegrass, or postmodern. B+(***)

Majid Bekkas: Magic Spirit Quartet (2018 [2020], ACT Music): Moroccan singer, plays various instruments (guimbri, oud, guitar), in a Scandinavian quartet with Goran Kajes (trumpet), Jesper Nordenström (keyboards), and Stefan Pasborg (drums), with Chaouki Family adding karkabas and backing vocals on two tracks. B+(*)

Josh Berman/Paul Lytton/Jason Roebke: Trio Discrepancies (2018 [2019], Astral Spirits): Cornet, percussion, bass, second of two records for this trio. [PS: Side B didn't play cleanly.] B+(**) [lp]

Tim Berne's Snakeoil: The Tower Tapes #1 (2017 [2020], Jazz Club Ferrara): Part of a large stash of live recordings from Ferrara, Italy -- sixteen volumes at the moment, wide range of jazz groups, quickly dumped for your quarantine listening pleasure. Leader on alto sax, with his main group since 2011: Oscar Noriega (clarinet, bass clarinet), Matt Mitchell (piano), Ches Smith (percussion). Two long sets (51:41 and 51:59), no attempt to identify pieces within. B+(**) [bc]

Broken Shadows: The Tower Tapes #2 (2020, Jazz Club Ferrara): More quarantine tapes. Quartet name comes from an Ornette Coleman piece, with Tim Berne (alto sax), Chris Speed (tenor sax), Reid Anderson (bass), and Dave King (drums). Two sets (47:16 and 57:35), no songs let alone song credits. Reminds me how terrific Berne's 1990s group with Speed was, and this rhythm section may be even more of a powerhouse. A- [bc]

Wayne Escoffery: The Humble Warrior (2019 [2020], Smoke Sessions): Tenor saxophonist (some soprano), born in London, based in New York, albums since 2001. Mostly quartet with piano (Dave Kikoski), bass (Ugonna Okegwo), and drums (Ralph Peterson), adding trumpet (Randy Brecker) and/or guitar (David Gilmore) to four tracks in the middle, one with a vocal (Vaughn Escoffery). B+(*)

Bob Gluck: Early Morning Star (2019 [2020], FMR): Pianist, rabbi, professor, has written books on Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Paul Winter; composed electronic music before moving into jazz; fifth album since 2011, group has clarinet, bass, drums, and voice (Andrea Wolper). I find the voice uncomfortably operatic, but the music is engaging. B+(*) [cd] [06-15]

The Howling Hex: Knuckleball Express (2020, Fat Possum): Rock group, principally Neil Hagerty, who co-led Royal Trux 1987-2001, closer to grunge than to punk, but similarly straightforward and sharp. More than a dozen albums since 2003. This one is on the short side (ten songs, 28:48, but two of them top 4:45). B+(**)

Sam Hunt: Southside (2020, MCA Nashville): Country singer-songwriter, second album (plus a "mixtape"), both hits, has a big sound which occasionally puts a single over. B+(*)

KVL: Volume 1 (2019, Astral Spirits): Trio, initials for Quin Kirchner (drums), Daniel Van Duerm (keyboards), and Matthew Lux (bass), each with a side of electronics. Jaimie Branch (trumpet) has a stellar turn on one cut. [PS: Vinyl was warped so bad I couldn't play Side B.] B+(*) [lp]

Rob Luft: Life Is the Dancer (2019 [2020], Edition): British guitarist, second album, quintet with Joe Wright (tenor sax), Joe Webb (organ/piano), bass, and drums. Two tracks add trumpet and voice -- latter is a problem. Some adventurous sax spots, but not much else. B

Chad Matheny: United Earth League of Quarantine Aerobics (2020, Dreams of Field, EP): Singer-songwriter, better known as Emperor X, American but based in Berlin, offers a quickie quarantine special. Seven songs (four versions of "Stay Where You Are"), 26:06, the others every bit as topical, including an inspirational labor anthem. A- [bc]

Mdou Moctar: Mixtape Vol. 1 (2020, self-released): Singer-songwriter from Niger, plays guitar, half-dozen albums, some among his region's finest. This one's a single 44:37 rack, mixed together from demos and live scraps -- the latter especially intense. B+(***) [bc]

Lido Pimienta: Miss Colombia (2020, Anti-): Singer-songwriter, born in Colombia, raised in Canada, based in Toronto, second album. In Spanish, beats a little choppy, then gets even choppier. B+(**)

Charles Rumback: June Holiday (2018 [2020], Astral Spirits): Chicago drummer, eight album since 2009, leads a trio here with Jim Baker (piano) and John Tate (bass). [NB: Couldn't play second side of LP, which slipped due to warpage. I did play an MP3 dowloads of the entire album.] B+(**) [lp]

Shabazz Palaces: The Don of Diamond Dreams (2020, Sub Pop): Hip-hop duo from Seattle, fifth album, an anomaly on their indie rock label, where they tend toward dark atmospherics and obscure iconography. B+(**)

Snotty Nose Rez Kids: Born Deadly (2020, Fontana North, EP): Canadian "First Nations" rap duo, Yung Trybez and Young D, three albums, the most recent (Trapline) recommended. Five tracks, 15:48. B+(**)

Craig Taborn/Dave King: The Tower Tapes #3 (2019 [2020], Jazz Club Ferrara): Piano-drums duo, both also credited with electronics. Two parts (57:04 and 18:22). Taborn is one of the top pianists today, but he first started winning polls in the less competitive electric keyboard category, which he returns to impressively here. B+(***) [bc]

Azu Tiwaline: Draw Me a Silence Part I (2020, IOT, EP): Electronica producer from Tunisia, Nice beat and ambience. Six songs, 27:04. A Part II is due late May, as is a 2-LP that combines the two. B+(**)

Rod Wave: Pray 4 Love (2020, Alamo): Young rapper from Florida, Rodarius Green (how young? "grew up listening to E-40"). Second album, a hip-hop lovers rock. B+(**)

Hayley Williams: Petals for Armor (2020, Atlantic): Singer-songwriter, first solo album after five fronting Paramore. Organized as three discs, but at five songs each, totals 55:47. B+(*)

Charli XCX: How I'm Feeling Now (2020, Asylum): English pop star, Charlotte Aitchison, fourth album, a quickie recorded under quarantine in her home studio in Los Angeles. Doesn't allow her the usual kitchen sink pop production, but she cranks the synths up loud enough it doesn't matter. B+(***)

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

Derek Bailey/Greg Goodman: Extracting Fish-Bones From the Back of the Despoiler (1992 [2017], The Beak Doctor): Duo, guitar and "objets d'intérieur" (mostly percussion). Goodman has played on a dozen-plus albums 1978-2017, mostly improv settings with everyone's name on the top line. B+(**) [lp]

Emperor X: Nineteen Live Recordings (2005-13 [2020], Dreams of Field): Singer-songwriter Chad Matheny, debuted under his alias in 1998, got some notice for his 2011 album Western Teleport, released this in 2013, the date still on Bandcamp despite adding a "2020 Preface" to the page (sounds like a reissue to me, especially as the label has changed). Interesting guy, but expect rough spots. B+(*) [bc]

The Good Life: The Animals Took Over (2009 [2020], self-released): Drummer Scott Amendola put this together, taking the name from a piece on the Pat Matheny/Ornette Coleman album Song X, recorded it live in Oakland, and finally decided to donate it to Food Bank NYC. With two guitarists (John Dieterich and Nels Cline), clarinet (Ben Goldberg), and electric bass (Trevor Dunn) -- a slightly augmented Nels Cline Singers. Two Coleman tunes, an opener by Jimmy Giuffre, three originals from the band. Could be tighter, but nearly ever song peaks. A- [bc]

John Gruntfest/Greg Goodman: In This Land All the Birds Wore Hats and Spurs (1984-2008 [2017], The Beak Doctor): American alto saxophonist, only other album Discogs lists is from 1977, plus a couple of side credits. Goodman, a British gadfly who shows up on widely scattered platters with various avant-gardists, is credited with "Every Thing Else." That seems to be about right. A- [lp]

Fela Anikulapo Kuti and Egypt 80: Perambulator (1983 [2020], Knitting Factory): Two tracks, "Perambulator" (14:36) and "Frustration" (13:42). Title track appears to date from a 1978 release of Shuffering and Shmiling, but when MCA did their 1978 reissues it was replaced by "No Agreement" (the title of a 1977 album that didn't get reissued). Fairly classic groove pieces, dubious discography. B+(***)

Nina Simone: Fodder on My Wings (1982 [2020], Verve): Originally released as Fodder in Her Wings on Carrere in France, reissued in France by CY in 1988, and by Sunnyside in 2015. A mixed bag of pieces, including some Latin rhythm, an upbeat gospel, and the aptly titled "Liberian Calypso." B+(**)

Stone Crush: Memphis Modern Soul 1977-1987 (1977-87 [2020], Light in the Attic): Crate digging, 19 songs from 15 artists I've never heard of. Title cut was by O.T. Sykes, a dentist, and has a bit of Commodores funk to it. Nothing brilliant here, but the soft ballads are fetching, the nods toward disco and funk functional. B+(**)

Old music:

Luís Lopes: Noise Solo at ZBD Lisbon (2011-12 [2013], LPZ): Portuguese guitarist, has impressed me, especially with his Humanization 4tet, plays solo, focus on noise but not for its own sake. B+(*) [lp]

Pamelo Mounk'a: No. 1 Africain: Ça Ne Se Prete Pas (1982, Star Musique): Congolese singer-songwriter (1945-96), from Brazzaville, had a hit "L'Argent Appelle L'Argent" (1981), later recorded with Rochereau and M'Bilia Bel. Christgau recommended his 1983 album Propulsion!, but this was the only LP I managed to track down. Soukous groove music, but first side sounds off to me, like the speed is wobbling. Nice ballad on the flipside, and better groove. B+(*) [lp]

Pamelo Mounk'a: Propulsion! (1983, Disques Sonics): Four-track LP (30:05), found them on a compilation (L'Essentiel, on Syllart), but thought I'd review them separately as I've long looked for this particular album. Relatively light touch for soukous, but the groove wins out. A-

Pamelo Mounk'a: L'Essentiel (1981-84 [1993], Syllart): Minor soukous star from Brazzaville, on the other side of the Congo River. Ten-track compilation, the first four tracks (including hit "L'Argent Appelle L'Argent") from his eponymous 1981 album, next four from 1983's Propulsion!, plus two more I haven't found any other home for ("Le Travail, Toujours Le Travail," "Adjoussou D'Abidjan"). High point is the album Propulsion!, which you're most likely to find here. A-

Pamelo Mounk'a: L'Indispensable (1982-85 [1993], Syllart): As far as I can tell, Syllart's three compilation all appeared at the same time, and don't have clear chronology or pecking order. This starts off with the 1982 album Samantha, then adds five tracks from I know not where. At least two tracks here belong on his best-of: "Samantha" and "Camitina." B+(***)

Pamelo Mounk'a: L'Incontournable (1982-85 [1993], Syllart): Starts with Africain No. 1: Ça Ne Prete Pas (1982), adds five more songs of unknown providence. As with the other volumes, gets stronger as it goes. B+(***)

William Elliott Whitmore: Kilonova (2018, Bloodshot): Folk/country singer-songwriter from Iowa, ninth album since 1999, went with covers this time, "punk rock without the breakneck tempos." The best are the most obscure. B+(**)

Hal Willner: Whoops, I'm an Indian (1998, Pussyfoot): Record producer, best known for a series of tribute albums where various artists rehash the works of some notable composer -- my favorite has long been Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill, but he's also honored Nino Rota, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Harold Arlen, Leonard Cohen, and several genres, like Walt Disney songs, or pirate ballads, sea songs, and chanteys. But while I've filed several albums under his name, this is the only one he put his own name on, crediting Martin Brumbach and Adam Dorn (Mocean Worker) and himself as co-authors and producers. Audio collage with occasional references to trad tunes, and Ralph Carney adding some reeds. B+(***) [bc]

Grade (or other) changes:

Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters (2020, Epic): Best regarded/most hyped album of the year so far. I played it two or three times when it came out, was impressed by the drums, less convinced by the songs, so I hedged. Played it more, impressed by how effortlessly it flows together without ever seeming formulaic, so hedging it the other way. [Was: B+(***)] A-

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• Dave Glasser: Hypocrisy Democracy (Here Tiz)
• Daniel Hersog: Night Devoid of Stars (Cellar Live)
• Alain Mallet: Mutt Slang II: A Wake of Sorrows Engulfed in Rage (Origin)
• Ted Moore Trio: The Natural Order of Things (Origin)
• Rent Romus/Heikki Koskinen/Life's Blood Ensemble: Manala (Edgetone)
• Shelly Rudolph: The Way We Love (OA2)
• Thank Your Lucky Stars: Girl in Her 29s (self-released)
• Bill Warfield and the Hell's Kitchen Funk Orchestra: Smile (Planet Arts/43 Street)

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