Blog Entries [640 - 649]Monday, April 22, 2019
Music Week
Music: current count 31400 [31371] rated (+29), 256 [252] unrated (+4).
Seems like pretty much everything is a struggle these days. My most
common complaint is that I'm getting sick and tired of not being able
to do things right. A typical example was trying to repair a screen door
lock. A nylon washer disappeared, and has proven impossible to replace.
I bought some things I thought I might be able to use, then lost them.
Bought some more, and turned out they were too thick, and hole was too
small. I tried drilling out the hole, and destroyed the washer. Finally
reassembled the door handle without the washer. The set screw is hard
to get a grip on. It will no doubt fall apart again in a matter of days,
at best a couple weeks. I have a bunch of other things that are falling
apart, many because I didn't do a good enough job building them in the
first place.
On the other hand, I have gotten a few things done. The new pantry
shelf unit is painted and bolted in place, although we haven't really
put it to use yet. That's waiting a second pantry improvement. I built
a rather neat storage unit, then screwed up hanging the door so it
never closed correctly (or at least easily). It finally dawned on me
that if I could shave a quarter inch off the bottom surface, it should
close without having to change the hinges. All that's left to do there
is to rehang the door, and see whether the theory worked. Tomorrow.
At least I finally got my computers moved, making my workspace much
more comfortable. Still haven't done the next step, which is to set up
virtual web servers on the secondary machine, so I can start redesigning
the Robert Christgau and Carola Dibbell websites. I should at least know
what I'm doing there.
Meanwhile, another routine week of music discoveries. Hard part for
me is deciding what to search out. This seems like a typical week with
two weeks of
Christgau picks, further
search down
Phil Overeem's list, and the first
Michael Tatum Downloader's Diary in quite a while. Unfortunately, I
found myself coming up short with their well-considered picks. Instead,
I went with the new Chemical Brothers album (I think someone on the
Expert Witness Facebook group raved about it, but don't recall who),
and a 1979 jazz album reissue that probably showed up in a
Bandcamp Daily list (which I started using a couple weeks back
when I couldn't play Napster).
Also, two rare regrades to from B+(***) to A-, originally reviewed
by streaming but given a few more changes after CDs arrived. People
shouldn't get the idea that all they have to do to get higher grades
is to send me CDs, but they do help in cases where I've held a grade
back due to some minor reservations.
April Streamnotes should be released with next Music Week, on April
29. Currently have 113 records in the draft file, so I'll probably
wind up with 140-150.
New records reviewed this week:
Art Ensemble of Chicago: We Are on the Edge: A 50th Anniversary
Celebration (2018 [2019], Pi, 2CD): Formed as a quintet in 1969,
out to make "great black music," recorded intensely at first, regularly
until the founders started to die out: they tried replacing Lester Bowie
(trumpet) in 1999, but didn't do much after Malachi Favors (bass) passed
in 2004. Now they are down to two: Roscoe Mitchell (reeds) and Famadou
Don Moye (percussion). Joseph Jarman died in 2019 after this was recorded,
but doesn't play on it. On the other hand, the Chicago avant-garde turned
out en masse here: some vocals I don't like, Moor Mother rap I do, too
much strings and flute, but with transcendent stretches, enough to register
who they are and what they're about.
B+(**)
The Chemical Brothers: No Geography (2019, Virgin EMI):
When I organized my database c. 2000 I filed all the electronica albums
under "techno," which is evidently a more limited (shall we say technical?)
term. But back then I was thinking of artists like this UK duo, with three
fairly major albums 1995-99. They've slowed down, with just four even spaced
albums since 2005. But this one sounds much like the early ones, with one
foot planted in disco, the other pushing metal hard to the floor.
A-
Martin Frawley: Undone at 31 (2019, Merge): Australian
singer-songwriter, solo after two albums with the Twerps.
B+(***)
Ahmed Ag Kaedy: Akaline Kidal (2019, Sahel Sounds):
Tuareg from northern Mali, just guitar and vocal, a steady, easy roll,
gentle blues minus the downside.
B+(**)
Salif Keita: Un Autre Blanc (2018 [2019], Naive):
A quite remarkable singer from Mali, born to royalty, cast out for
his albinismo, gained fame as "the golden voice of Africa," first
with his group Les Ambassadeurs then as a solo act from 1987. Past
70 now, with one of his better albums, the rhythm not quite as
effortless as I'd like.
B+(***)
Khalid: Suncity (2018, RCA, EP): Surname Robinson,
first album showed his mastery of his topic, American Teen,
now moving somewhat more cautiously into adulthood. Seven tracks
including an intro skit and an interlude, 21:09.
B+(*)
Khalid: Free Spirit (2019, RCA): Impressive second
album, attractive, catchy in spots, pleasant throughout, but runs a
bit longer than my interest holds out.
B+(***)
Larry Koonse: New Jazz Standards Vol. 4 (2019, Summit):
Guitarist, born in San Diego, based in Los Angeles, father was another
jazz guitarist, Dave Koonse, and they have a couple of duo albums (one
in 1978 when Larry was a teenager, another in 2003). Not much directly
under Koonse's name, but lots of side credits -- seems like every jazz
album recorded in LA over the last two decades. He leads a quartet here,
with Josh Nelson (piano), Tom Harrington (bass), and Joe LaBarbera (drums),
but the real auteur doesn't play: Carl Saunders, who's compiled 100 of
his compositions into the book New Jazz Standards, and recruited
the leaders of he previous volumes in this series: Sam Most, Scott
Whitfield, and Roger Kellaway. As a big band trumpeter, Saunders knows
what he's doing. But aren't standards supposed to be recognized first?
B [cd]
Joachim Kühn: Melodic Ornette Coleman: Piano Works XIII
(2018 [2019], ACT): German pianist, many albums since 1969, including
a live duo in 1996 with Coleman. This is solo, Coleman tunes plus one
original tribute. Makes a fair case for Coleman as a melodist, but that
always seemed rather tangential to his genius.
B+(*)
Russ Lossing: Changes (2018 [2019], SteepleChase);
Pianist, from Ohio, based in New York since 1986, at least 15 albums,
mostly trios (many unconventional), mostly original material, tends
to find his own idiosyncratic way (much like his long-time drummer
and mentor, Paul Motian). This is fairly conventional, a trio with
Michael Formanek and Gerald Cleaver, mostly standards (3 Monk, 2
Ellington, opens with "Bye, Bye Blackbird").
B+(***)
Russ Lossing: Motian Music (2019, Sunnyside): The
late drummer Paul Motian led kind of a dual life. On the one hand,
he played in a remarkable series of piano trios, starting with Bill
Evans and including Keith Jarrett, Paul Bley, Marilyn Crispell,
Enrico Pieranunzi, Martial Solal, Geri Allen, and Lossing. On the
other, he rarely used piano on his own records (a favorite trio was
with Joe Lovano and Bill Frisell). This, a trio with Masa Kamaguchi
(bass) and Billy Mintz (drums), is Lossing's second album of Motian
compositions. It effectively merges the two paths, but the results,
like Motian, are somewhat inscrutable.
B+(**)
Reba McEntire: Stronger Than the Truth (2019, Big
Machine): Country singer, from Oklahoma, in her sixties now, debut
album in 1977, this is her 33rd in 43 years. Neotrad sound, strong
drawl, some sad songs, some upbeat, a single ("Freedom") with the
potential to be abused something awful.
B+(*)
Sam Ospovat: Ride Angles (2018 [2019], Skirl): Drummer,
originally from Lincoln, Nebraska; based in Bay Area, has at least one
previous record. Trio with Matt Mitchell (most impressive on piano) and
Kim Cass (bass), plus scattered guests -- Brandon Seabrook (guitar), Nick
Lyons (alto sax), and Lorin Benedict (scat vocals) -- each adding an
interesting twist.
B+(**) [cd]
Hama Sankare: Ballébé: Calling All Africans (2018,
Clermont Music): From Mali, plays a style called calabash, guitar
has some drone and voice some moan giving him a desert blues vibe.
B+(***)
Hama Sankare: Niafunke (2019, Clermont Music):
Second album. Christgau prefers the first but they strike me as
pretty interchangeable.
B+(***)
Silk Road Assassins: State of Ruin (2019, Planet Mu):
UK electronica trio, from Bath, monikers Tom E Vercetti, LovedrOid,
Chemist. Vacillates between industrial and grime, picking up my ears
with the latter.
B+(*) [bc]
Marcos Silva: Brasil: From Head to Toe (2019, Green Egg):
Keyboard player, born in Rio de Janeiro, based in Bay Area, which has
become a major center for Brazilian music in the US. Band includes Gary
Meek on sax and flute. Mostly a pleasant groove album, soaring a bit.
B [cd]
Solange: When I Get Home (2019, Saint/Columbia):
Knowles, long overshadowed by her sister Beyoncé, got a lot of
attention for 2016's A Seat at the Table, follows that up
here. I find both albums subdued and inscrutable, this one perhaps
even more so. Cover art very similar, with her looking dazed and
sad.
B+(*)
Spellling: Mazy Fly (2018 [2019], Sacred Bones):
R&b singer-songwriter Tia Cabral, second album, "experimental"
in the sense that she doesn't fit the mold, or any other I can
think of.
B+(**)
Sunflower Bean: King of the Dudes (2019, Mom + Pop, EP):
Indie rock trio from Long Island, Julia Cumming the singer/bassist, with
two albums and three EPs -- this one 4 snappy cuts, 12:03.
B+(**)
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:
Infinite Spirit Music: Live Without Fear (1979 [2019],
Jazzman): One-shot Chicago group, best known member is percussionist
and singer Kahil El'Zabar, although Ka T' Etta Aton also sings, and
there are two more percussionists, plus Henry Huff (most impressive
on sax), Soji Abedayo (piano), and Michaka Uba (bass). I'm not a big
fan of the vocals (although the title hits home), but the music
transcends such concerns. Vol. 27 in Jazzman's Holy Grail Series.
Makes me wonder what else I've missed.
A- [bc]
Live at Raul's (1979 [2019], Steady Boy): Ten songs
from five punk/garage bands I'd never heard of -- The Explosives,
Standing Waves, Terminal Mind, The Next, The Skunks -- recorded live
in Austin, TX, released at the time. Reminds one what a shock to the
system punk was back then. Also that Austin was still a backwater.
B+(*)
Onda De Amor: Synthesized Brazilian Hits That Never Were
(1984-94) (1984-94 [2018], Soundway): Crate-digging, no one
here I recognize, and nothing that really stand out, but every cut
has energy and panache, and they all flow together nicely.
B+(**) [bc]
Weaponise Your Sound (2019, Optimo Music): British
electronica comp, on "Diet Clinic's sublabel," "all proceeds go to
London based charity, Focus E15, which demands social housing, not
social cleansing." No one I've ever heard of. Not all electronic,
veers a bit into exotica, all worth hearing.
B+(**) [bc]
Old music:
Salif Keita: The Mansa of Mali: A Retrospective
(1978-94 [1994], Mango): Mostly from three Mango albums, with one
long song from much earlier and three more songs from soundtracks.
Probably the place to start, though it trails off a bit toward the
end.
B+(***)
Russ Lossing: Dreamer (2000, Double Time): Pianist's
first album, a trio with Ed Schuller (bass) and Paul Motian (drums).
Seven originals, two Monks, one piece from Andrew Hill.
B+(**)
Russ Lossing/Ed Schuller/Paul Motian: As It Grows (2002
[2004], Hatology): Same piano-bass-drums trio, a couple years down the
road, with Lossing writing nearly everything.
B+(**)
Russ Lossing: All Things Arise (2005 [2006], Hatology):
Solo piano. Opens with a 4-part, 27:00 suite, featuring a fair amount
of drama, then tacks on six more pieces: one original, two Ellingtons,
Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman, "Alabama Song."
B+(**)
Timosaurus: I Love You More Than Yesterday (2011,
self-released): Avant sax-guitar-drums trio: Matt Nelson, Andrew
Conklin, and Sam Ospovat. Free jazz squall up front, energetic but
rough. Deconstructs later on, isolating the sounds while still
retaining interest.
B+(**) [bc]
Grade (or other) changes:
Kuzu: Hiljaisuus (2017 [2019], Astral Spirits/Aerophonic):
Chicago trio: Dave Rempis (alto/tenor/baritone sax), Tashi Dorji
(guitar), and Tyler Damon (percussion). This is very harsh free
jazz, similar to when the Thing hooks up with a rock guitarist
who just wants to freak out, but better (if you can stand it). I
wrote that back after streaming last fall, then got a CD in the
mail in February, causing various bookkeeping issues: the release
in September 2018 was vinyl and digital, so is the February 2019
CD a reissue, or should I treat the real new release as 2019? I
procrastinated, but when I finally did give it a spin, I was blown
away. I used to hate this kind of free jazz squall, then got to
where I could stand it, and once in a while even thrill to it --
this one of those rare cases. As for the bookkeeping, this gets
a double entry -- I'll leave it in the 2018 lists at the lower
grade, but include it in 2019's A-list as a new record. (Some
comparable cases: I still figure on treating Cardi B's Invasion
of Privacy as a 2018 release even though its CD didn't come
out until Feb. 22, as I, and pretty much everyone else, heard it
in 2018. On the other hand, I missed the 2018 digital release of
Eric Dolphy's Musical Prophet, only hearing it after the
CDs dropped on January 25, so I'm treating it as 2019.)
A- [cd]
Matthew Shipp Trio: Signature (2018 [2019], ESP-Disk):
Piano trio with Michael Bisio (bass) and Taylor Baker (drums). Seemed
like a typically solid performance when I streamed it, but I took more
time with it after the CD arrived, and it gradually fell into place --
less raw power than his best previous trios, but he keeps building.
[was B+(***)] A- [cd]
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- The Campfire Flies: Sparks Like Litle Stars (OverPop Music)
- Mark Dresser Seven: Ain't Nothing but a Cyber Coup & You (Clean Feed): May 10
- Four: There You Go Thinking Again (Jazz Hang)
- Bennett Paster: Indivisible (self-released): May 3
- Trapper Keeper: Meets Tim Berne & Aurora Nealand (Ears & Eyes)
- Mark Turner/Gary Foster: Mark Turner Meets Gary Foster (Capri): May 17
- The United States Air Force Band: The Jazz Heritage Series: 2019 Radio Broadcasts (self-released)
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Weekend Roundup
Let's start off with a range of reactions to the release (with
extensive redactions) of the final report of Special Prosecutor Robert
Mueller:
Alex Ward:
The Mueller report, explained in 500 words: Fair to start with this
executive summary of the report itself, but this falls far short of its
intent ("everything you wanted to know . . . but detailed as briefly as
possible"), mostly by not examining the context or process. One thing
I've long wondered about was to what extent low-level operatives in
Trump's (and his PAC allies') cyber operations were aware of let alone
had contacts with the Russian operatives who worked on Trump's behalf.
Even if they didn't explicitly coordinate, they very likely built on
and reinforced each other's work. Mueller seems to have taken a top-down
approach, looking at a few suspicious meetings, but it's not clear that
he did any investigation of the campaign staff most competent to actually
collude (not just with the Russians but with other foreign or nominally
independent organizations). Mueller may have had narrow legal reasons
for limiting his focus, but it would have been helpful to spell them
out. One big problem with the American political system is that a lot
of what campaigns -- both raising money and spending it -- do may not
technically be illegal but stikes me (and probably most people) as
profoundly corrupt. Scott R Anderson, et al. (long list of contributors at
Lawfare):
What Mueller found on Russia and on obstruction: a first analysis.
Also at
Lawfare:
Anne Applebaum:
Why was Trump so afraid of the Mueller investigation? We may never know.
Indeed. Maybe, as the author implies, he had things to hide that Mueller
didn't uncover. Maybe he just couldn't stand the pressure of being picked
apart by investigators whose ambitions and/or biases could result in him
being framed? Trump knows as well as anyone how the system can be rigged.
The only thing you can be sure of is that Trump's word on what happened is
worthless. Bill Blum:
Five critical takeaways from the Mueller report. Zack Beauchamp:
Ryan Bort:
Trump will be attacking the 'Crazy Mueller Report' for the rest of his
life. Alvin Chang/Javier Zarracina:
The Mueller report redactions, explaind in 4 charts: Total redacted
content: 7.25%. Most heavily redacted were Russian "Active Measures"
Social Media Campaign (46%), Russian Hacking (23%), and Prosecution and
Declination Decisions (31%). Isaac Chotiner:
Neal Katyal on whether the Mueller report went far enough: Interview
with a law professor who helped "draft the special-counsel regulations"
after Ken Starr's protracted effort to crucify Bill Clinton. Katyal says:
I would say three people's colors have been revealed by this report. We
have learned Mueller's reputation is real. We have learned Trump's
disregard for the truth and the rule of law is real. And we have learned
Barr has become a total Trumpian Attorney General.
Jane Coaston:
The Seth Rich conspiracy theory needs to end now: "The Mueller report
confirms that the late DNC staffer had absolutely nothing to do with leaked
emails later shared by WikiLeaks." George T Conway III:
Trump is a cancer on the presidency. Congress should remove him. EJ Dionne Jr:
Mueller's report is the beginning, not the end. Masha Gessen:
The hustlers and swindlers of the Mueller report. Susan B Glasser:
The Mueller report won't end Trump's presidency, but it sure makes him
look bad. Glenn Greenwald:
Robert Mueller did not merely reject the Trump-Russia conspiracy theories.
He obliterated them. Katie Halper:
9 ways the media blew it in its 'Russiagate' coverage.
Sean Illing:
Does the Mueller report exonerate Trump? I asked 12 legal experts. Jen Kirby:
Confused about who's who in the Mueller report? Start here. Ezra Klein:
The best defense of Trump is still a damning indictment: "The Mueller
report's defense of Trump: exculpatory incompetence, misplaced rage."
The problem with impeachment. Despite the nesting, let's put the
impeachment eggs in this one basket:
I skipped over the stories of various politicians calling for
impeachment (or not). I basically agree with Rubin (and Pelosi): as long
as impeachment is a partisan divide, there's no way to do it, and
trying detracts from other efforts to expose Trump. Still, it doesn't
hurt to rattle that sword now and then, especially as its futility
is really an indictment of the Republicans protecting Trump. In the
long run, people need to think about better ways of limiting abuse
of presidential power. I think it should be possible for Congress
to overturn arbitrary Trump orders like his border emergency and
Yemen War support, to pick two recent examples, without having to
muster enough support to also override his veto -- especially given
that we have an electoral system which lets someone win a 4-year
term with as little support as Trump had in 2016. Dara Lind:
7 times the Mueller report caught Sean Spicer and Sarah Sanders lying
to press. Renato Mariotti:
The obstruction case against Trump that Barr tried to hide. Jane Mayer:
In the Mueller report, Erik Prince funds a covert effort to obtain
Clinton's e-mails from a foreign state. Ella Nilsen:
It's official: House Democrats subpoena the full, unredacted Mueller
report. Andrew Prokop:
The Mueller report's biggest mystery: "What did Mueller find out about
Trump associates and email leaks?" James Risen/Robert Mackey/Trevor Aaronson:
Annotating special counsel Robert Mueller's redacted report. Jennifer Rubin:
Five questions that still need to be answered in the Mueller report.
Aaron Rupar:
Charlie Savage:
How Barr's excerpts compare to the Mueller report's findings. Khushbu Shah:
Mitt Romney is "sickened" by the Trump administration's "dishonesty" after
reading Mueller report. Danny Sjursen:
Liberals sold their souls to the war machine on Russia. Jennifer Taub:
Don McGahn not listening to Donald Trump doesn't absolve the President
of a crime. Peter Van Buren:
Mueller's investigation is missing one thing: a crime:
Almost everything Mueller has, the perjury and lying cases, are crimes
he created through the process of investigating. He's Schrodinger's Box:
the infractions only exist when he tries to look at them.
On the other hand, a lot of things that aren't really prosecutable
crimes look and smell bad. Politicians lie about them because they
know this, and are trying to avoid exposing their faults.
I originally figured I'd try to write up my take on this, but at
this point I'm too exhausted (not to mention disgusted).
Some scattered links this week:
Peter Beinart:
Nobody knows anything about 'electability': Article runs with Biden's
picture up top, since pundits would much rather talk about his "electability"
than his policy views or track record, but touches on others, noting that
"they're making lots of dubious assumptions."
All this glib talk about electability has a cost. It leads commentators,
often implicitly, to give "electable" candidates a pass when their policy
views are fuzzy or flat-out wrong. So what should journalists do? It's
simple: Spend less time discussing which candidates can win the presidency
and more time discussing what they'd do if they actually won.
Jonathan Blitzer:
The unlawful ambitions of Donald Trump's immigration policy. Lee Camp:
Nearly 100,000 Pentagon whistleblower complaints have been silenced.
Jane Coaston:
Andrew Yang's plan to take on opioids: decriminalize heroin and fentanyl.
Marjorie Cohn:
America's coup efforts in Venezuela enter a frightening new phase. Coral Davenport:
Interior Dept. opens ethics investigation of its new chief, David
Bernhardt. That didn't take long, although few things could be
less surprising. Karen DeYoung:
Trump administration announces new measures against Cuba. Especially
clever is the line about Cuba expanding "its malign influence and
ideological imperialism across the region." Another example of the
recent fashion of attacking the left by using the same language the
left has traditionally used about the right. Also: Gregory Weeks:
The US is thinking of invading Venezuela. That's unlikely to lead to
democracy. And: Francisco Toro:
Pompeo reaches the dead end of Trump's Venezuela policy, and
With US military action, Venezuela could become the Libya of the
Caribbean.
Related: Alex Horton:
Trump soured relations in Latin America. China and Russia have welcomed
the chaos. Rob Evans:
Half of England is owned by less than 1% of the population. Next up:
Peter Hetherington:
So 1% of the people own half of England. Inheritance tax reform could fix
that. Masha Gessen:
The dangerous bullying of Ilhan Omar. Related:
Ilhan Omar's deeply American message. Tara Golshan:
Jen Kirby:
An art historian explains the tough decisions in rebuilding Notre
Dame. David D Kirkpatrick:
Trump endorses an aspiring Libyan strongman, reversing policy. Maybe
when he saw the memo he just misread the name (Khalifa Hifter)? Sarah Kliff:
CBO: over 1 million Americans have become uninsured since 2016. Paul Krugman:
Dara Lind:
Bernie Sanders's Fox News town hall wasn't a debate. Bernie won anyway.
German Lopez:
Marijuana legalization is very popular. Andrew Prokop:
7 winners from the first big presidential fundraising reports:
After sections on Sanders, Harris, and Buttagieg: "Donald Trump is
set to raise tons of cash while Democrats battle each other." No
self-funding this time around. He's back to cash in. Sigal Samuel:
The false choice between helping Notre Dame and helping poor people. Khushbu Shah:
Republican strategist Karl Rove says Bernie Sanders could beat Trump
in 2020: Much of this is based on Sanders' performance in facing
a Fox-hosted town hall, warning his fellow right-wing activists that
"beating Sanders by attacking his democratic socialist views 'won't
be as easy as Republicans may think.'" Still, he's trying:
However, the Republican strategist wasn't completely glowing in his
analysis of the Democrat, arguing in his Wall Street Journal piece,
"Such platitudes go only so far in masking what drives Mr. Sanders'
philosophy: resentment, grievance, and a desire to take from those
who have and redistribute the wealth, all to expand government. He
may describe socialism in benign terms, but he regularly drops his
guard, opening himself up to devastating counterpunches."
I started to compile a list of recent right-wing books, noticing
a trend of trying to paint Democrats as resentful, embittered, and
vindictive -- traits that sure sound to me like the hate mongering
that has bent the right-wing base so far out of shape and elected
demagogues like Trump. Some examples, to give you a flavor of how
desperate right-wing propagandists have become: Noah Rothman's
Unjust: Social Justice and the Unmaking of America; Derek
Hunter's Outrage, Inc.: How the Liberal Mob Ruined Science,
Journalism, and Hollywood, and Arthur C Brooks' Love Your
Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America From the Culture of
Contempt. Those titles (with minor tweaks) could easily have
been used for books critiquing the right. That right-wingers have
adopted them shows that they recognize that their credibility has
worn out. Danny Sjursen:
Who are the real terrorists in the Mideast?
American history for Truthdiggers: Vietnam, a US tragedy: Number 29
in the author's series recapping American history, starting in 1607 with
Original sin. I've always found this history interesting, both
for what it tells us about where we came from, and why we keep making
the same mistakes over and over again, but I've never felt like beating
myself up over the sins of my ancestors. On the other hand, having
grown up and lived through Vietnam, I feel no sympathy whatsoever for
anyone who refuses to acknowledge that the American War in Vietnam
was anything less than a colossal mistake. Still:
It is the war that never dies. Vietnam, the very word shrouded with
extraordinary meaning in the American lexicon. For some it represents
failure; for others guilt; for still more, anger that the war could
have and should have been won. Americans are still arguing about this
war, once the nation's longest. For those who lived through it -- the
last war the U.S. fought partly with draftees -- it was almost
impossible not to take sides; to be pro-war or anti-war became a
social and political identity unto itself. This tribal split even
reached into the ranks of military veterans, as some joined antiwar
movements and others remained vociferously sure that the war needed
to be fought through to victory. Indeed, today, even the active-duty
U.S. military officer corps is rent over assessment of the Vietnam
legacy.
I've been reading recently about how the reaction against Germany's
defeat (most notoriously the "stab-in-the-back" myth) in 1918 fueled
the rise of Nazism in Germany. The same thing has happened with the US
right and Vietnam, leading conservatives (dedicated as ever to keeping
a social order which raises the rich up and beats the poor down) more
often than not to wrap themselves up in militarist myths of past and
future martial glory. Nor is Vietnam the only war that those invested
in "America's war machine" refuse to learn from. See: William J Astore:
America's generals haven't learned anything from Iraq.
We are all complicit in America's war machine.
Who will be the last to die for a lie? The Afghan War drags on.
With friends like these: abusive frenemies and American Mideast policy.
Mike Spies:
Secrecy, self-dealing, and greed at the NRA. Joseph E Stiglitz:
Progressive capitalism is not an oxymoron: This is real basic:
Standards of living began to improve in the late 18th century for two
reasons: the development of science (we learned how to learn about
nature and used that knowledge to increase productivity and longevity)
and developments in social organization (as a society, we learned how
to work together, through institutions like the rule of law, and
democracies with checks and balances).
Key to both were systems of assessing and verifying the truth. The
real and long-lasting danger of the Trump presidency is the risk it
poses to these pillars of our economy and society, its attack on the
very idea of knowledge and expertise, and its hostility to institutions
that help us discover and assess the truth.
There is a broader social compact that allows a society to work and
prosper together, and that, too, has been fraying. America created the
first truly middle-class society; now, a middle-class life is increasingly
out of reach for its citizens.
America arrived at this sorry state of affairs because we forgot that
the true source of the wealth of a nation is the creativity and innovation
of its people. One can get rich either by adding to the nation's economic
pie or by grabbing a larger share of the pie by exploiting others --
abusing, for instance, market power or informational advantages. We
confused the hard work of wealth creation with wealth-grabbing (or, as
economists call it, rent-seeking), and too many of our talented young
people followed the siren call of getting rich quickly.
Also see Andrew Ross Sorkin's interview with Stiglitz:
Socialist! Capitalist! Economic systems as weapons in a war of words.
Stiglitz has a new book: People, Power, and Profits: Progressive
Capitalism for an Age of Discontent (WW Norton). Simon Tisdall:
Trump's veto over Yemen is a scandalous abuse of presidential power.
Alexia Underwood:
The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is dead. An expert explains why.
Interview with Khaled Elgindy, author of Blind Spot: America and the
Palestinians From Balfour to Trump. Some more links on Israel and
last week's election:
Alex Ward:
Iran labels all US troops in the Middle East "terrorists": It's
a response to America's similar designation of Iranian troops the
day before." Actually, both designations raise into question the
self-conception (and conceits) of the designator. On the other hand,
US troops have killed a lot more people over the last two decades,
so there's something to the charges. See Danny Sjursen, above, for
more details.
This is how Bernie Sanders thinks about foreign policy: "The
senator wants to create a global democratic movement to end oligarchy
and authoritarianism." That would be a major change from US policy
under both parties ever since the start of the cold war, which was
to support and extend capitalist property rights everywhere, while
to undermine labor and anti-colonial political movements, and very
often to support local oligarchs and authoritarians against their
people. Matthew Yglesias:
What Pete Buttigieg learned from Donald Trump: "In a crowded field,
it pays off to say 'yes' to everything and get attention."
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Monday, April 15, 2019
Music Week
Music: current count 31371 [31344] rated (+27), 252 [251] unrated (+1).
May just be seasonal allergies, but feeling too lousy to even take
a stab at writing an introduction. I still have
XgauSez to edit
and post before I go to bed tonight, so need to get onto that while
I can.
A couple of notes, though. I've been talking about moving computers
around for a month or more. I finally got that done this week. Best
thing so far is that I have two relatively uncluttered desks to work
on, instead of one hopelessly messy one. Also I moved the speakers
above the desk, where they sound better and I can access the controls.
(Also, now both computers have speakers. Subwoofers are still under
the desk, where they should be, and that space is less cluttered than
before. No website work yet, but I should get to that soon.
Delighted to see Michael Tatum's
A Downloader's Diary (49) finally posted. I checked out a couple
of his recommendations below (also found a new live Pet Shop Boys he
didn't mention). Also continuing to pick albums off from Phil Overeem's
25% through the briar patch list.
Finally, I finally did manage to cast a Downbeat Critics
Poll ballot, a day past the deadline, but seems likely to be counted
(not that I could ever tell from the results). I didn't do a very
good job of collecting notes this time, but here is
what I have.
New records reviewed this week:
Charlotte Adigéry: Zandoli (2019, Deewee, EP):
Belgian singer, roots in French Caribbean, electronic dance grooves,
second EP (5 tracks, 22:56).
B+(**)
Etienne Charles: Carnival: The Sound of a People Vol. 1
(2019, Culture Shock Music): Trumpet player, from Trinidad, studied
in Florida and at Juilliard, teaches at Michigan State, seventh album
since 2006. Plays up his Afro-Caribbean roots, and parties down.
B+(**)
Ben Lamar Gay: Confetti in the Sky Like Fireworks [This Is
Bate Bola OST] (2018 [2019], International Anthem): Soundtrack
to a short film that appeared in 2018, so I'm guessing that's the date
(could be earlier). Mostly electronics, mostly atmospheric, aside from
a bit at the end I zoned out before.
B
Ariana Grande: Thank U, Next (2019, Republic): Pop
star, fifth album coming rather fast after her well-reviewed (except
by me) Sweetener. This suggests to me that she's stabilizing
as a top-tier pro, rather than (as I thought at the time) declining
into a hack. Will keep an eye on her.
B+(**)
William Hooker: Cycle of Restoration (2018 [2019],
FPE): Avant drummer, discography goes back to 1975, trio with Mark
Kirschenmann (trumpet) and Joel Peterson (drums), sounds like some
uncredited electronics mixed in. One improv set live in Detroit,
starts "serene" so takes a while to get interesting ("Panchromatics
1" and "2").
B+(*)
Amber Mark: Conexão (2018, Virgin EMI, EP): Pop/r&b
singer-songwriter, has some self-released singles before graduating to
this 4-song, 17:32 EP. Despite title, songs in English. I'm not finding
any bio. A promising outing.
B+(**)
Wynton Marsalis: Bolden: Music From the Original Soundtrack
(2019, Blue Engine): Dan Pritzker directed the movie, released May 3,
starring Gary Carr as Buddy Bolden (1877-1931, but unrecorded and locked
up after 1907), the first of the legendary New Orleans cornet players,
and Reno Wilson his better known successor, Louis Armstrong. Marsalis
was the obvious choice to score this, using his Jazz at Lincoln Center
crew and guest vocalists: Catherine Russell, Brianna Thomas, and most
often Wilson, who does his best to sing like Pops and isn't really up
to it.
B+(***) [cd]
Xose Miguélez: Ontology (2018 [2019], Origin):
Tenor saxophonist, from Galicia in Spain, the panhandle due north
of Portugal, an autonomous region of Spain with its own language
and folk culture -- something Miguélez specializes in. With guitar,
bass, drums, and vibes on a couple cuts, an extra saxophonist (Matt
Otto) on a few more. Ends with a 1981 field recording, but all along
seemed a bit off the beaten path.
B+(**) [cd]
Billy Mohler: Focus! (2019, Make): Bassist, based in
Los Angeles, Bandcamp page talks about "returns his Focus to jazz
after a successful career in rock, pop and R&B production and
songwriting." This may be his first album, a pianoless free jazz
quartet, with Chris Speed (tenor sax/clarinet), Shane Endsley (trumpet),
and Nate Wood (drums). Starts with a bit of bass solo, then the band
cuts loose. Slows down toward the end, but still holds your interest.
A- [cd]
OGJB Quartet [Oliver Lake/Graham Haynes/Joe Fonda/Barry Altschul]:
Bamako (2016 [2019], TUM): Alto sax, cornet, bass and drums.
Haynes the youngest (b. 1960), the least avant, most African-oriented,
but manages to fit in. Lake speaks on the Haynes' title piece. Mostly
interesting mish-mash, except when Lake gets up a full head of steam
and runs away with everything.
B+(***) [cd]
Nicki Parrott: From New York to Paris (2019, Arbors):
Bassist from Australia, based in New York, sang a bit at first, and
was so appealing she moved on to whole albums, mostly standards from
the swing era. Plenty of New York and Paris songs to choose from --
my favorite is the one in French, "La Mer." Gil Goldstein's accordion
adds that Gallic touch, with John DeMartino (piano), Alvin Atkinson
(drums), and Harry Allen on tenor sax.
B+(**)
Jeremy Pelt: Jeremy Pelt the Artist (2018 [2019],
HighNote): Trumpet player, close to twenty albums since 2001, leads
this off with his layered five-part "Rodin Suite." Two keyboard
players (Victor Gould on piano), guitar, the vibraphone/marimba
stands out (Chien Chien Lu). Balance of album inches toward hard
bop.
B+(*)
Pet Shop Boys: Agenda (2019, X2, EP): Four songs,
short, punchy hits (13:08), mostly topical ("On social media," "What
are we going to do about the rich?," "Give stupidity a chance").
B+(**)
Pet Shop Boys: Inner Sanctum (2018 [2019], X2):
Live at the Royal Opera Hall, released as a DVD although I'm just
going by the audio. I don't think the duo gains anything in the
concert hall, although the crowd noise draws (even a singalong on
"West End Girls") you into the experience, and they have no trouble
drawing twenty-plus terrific songs -- sometimes two or three to a
cut -- from their deep discography. Ends with a reprise of "The Pop
Kids" -- their latest, a pure throwback to their heyday, although
songs like "It's a Sin" and "Go West" tower even higher.
A-
Joshua Redman Quartet: Come What May (2018 [2019],
Nonesuch): Second-generation tenor saxophonist, was an instant star
back in 1992 so seems like he's been around forever, but he's still
under 50. Standard quartet: Aaron Goldberg (piano), Reuben Rogers
(bass), Gregory Hutchinson (drums). Solid set, sounds like he's got
his own sound back, some spark too.
B+(***)
Ruby Rushton: Ironside (2018 [2019], 22a): British
jazz group, led by Ed Cawthorne (aka Tenderlonious; flute, soprano
sax, synth, wah pedal, percussion), with Aidan Shepherd (keyboards)
also writing a couple of songs, plus Nick Walters (trumpet) and Tim
Carnegie (drums). Has some ambition, edge and drive, but nothing
really sticks with me.
B
Jim Snidero: Waves of Calm (2019, Savant): Mainstream
alto saxophonist, couple dozen albums since 1984, last album celebrated
Cannonball Adderley, here goes for "deep reflection and restrained
maturity," occasioned by "his father's ongoing struggle with Parkinson's
disease." Lovely album, with help by Jeremy Pelt (trumpet), Orrin Evans
(piano), Nat Reeves (bass), and Jonathan Barber (drums).
B+(***)
Dave Stryker: Eight Track III (2019, Strikezone):
Guitarist, been around, soul jazz groove with organ (Jared Gold),
vibraphone (Stefon Harris), drums (McClenty Hunter), and congas on
a few cuts. Covers include Steely Dan and a lot of Motown.
B+(**) [cd]
James Suggs: You're Gonna Hear From Me (2018, Arbors):
Trumpet player, from Pennsylvania, teaches at University of South Florida,
seems to be his first album, lined up some impressive backup: Houston
Person (tenor sax), Lafayette Harris (piano), Peter Washington (bass),
and Lewis Nash (drums).
B+(**)
Fumi Tomita: The Elephant Vanishes (2018 [2019], OA2):
Bassist, based in New York for 15 years, teaches at U. Mass in Amherst,
evidently his first record, subtitled "Jazz Interpretations of the
Short Stories of Haruki Murakami." Easy-flowing postbop, with Jason
Rigby (sax), Mike Baggetta (guitar), Art Hirahara (piano), and drums.
B [cd]
Warren Vaché: Songs Our Fathers Taught Us (2019, Arbors):
Cornet player, retro swing when he started out in the late '70s, plays
standards here from "My Melancholy Baby" and "Slow Boat to China" to
"Birks Works." Guitarist Jacob Fischer is a steady force here, carrying
most of the songs. Also with Neal Miner (bass) and Steve Williams (drums).
B+(***)
Dann Zinn: Day of Reckoning (2018 [2019], Origin):
Saxophonist (tenor/soprano), also plays wood flute, teaches in Bay
Area, fifth album since 2003 (or 1996?), backed by piano trio (Taylor
Eigsti), upbeat, in commanding form throughout.
B+(***) [cd]
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:
Louis Armstrong: Sparks, Nevada 1964! (1964 [2018],
Dot Time): Late in his career -- he didn't record much after 1966,
and died in 1971 -- but this catches him on top of the world, with
a smash single ("Hello Dolly"), a crack (if no longer All Star) band
(Billy Kyle and Arvell Shaw are still in). His voice has an extra
load of gravel, but he's still remarkably nimble, especially as he
pushes his hit to 7:05, and his trumpet is as brilliant as ever.
Still, he takes a break, giving Shaw a long solo on "How High the
Moon," then turning the microphone over to Jewel Brown for two cuts.
But she's terrific, and he returns for the closing crowd pleaser:
"When the Saints Go Marching In."
A-
Imamu Amiri Baraka: It's Nation Time: African Visionary Music
(1972 [2018], Motown): Poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, wrote an
important book on music (Blues People), made his name as Leroi
Jones then changed it in 1965, appeared on a record that year with New
York Art Quartet. This builds on his 1970 book It's Nation Time,
a potent mix of black power politics and avant-jazz, notably with Gary
Bartz (alto sax), various keyboards and guitar, scattered horns, Reggie
Workman (bass), and lots of percussion -- intense, angry, frazzled.
B+(***)
Duke Ellington: In Coventry, 1966 (1966 [2018],
Storyville): Solo piano for the 9:13 openener, "New World A-Comin',"
then joined by the orchestra. Set in Coventry Cathedral, he decided
to go sacred, most melodramatically with 20:39 of "In the Beginning
God" -- lifted midway with a bit of gospel hoedown, before he gets
way too serious again.
B
Ben Lamar Gay: 500 Chains (2013-14 [2018], International
Anthem): Chicago-based musician, sings/speaks, plays cornet, probably more,
recorded seven unreleased albums since 2010 before his "greatest hits"
debut, Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun. This is the
first of the seven "source albums" to appear. Hard to wrap my head
around the spoken parts, but spots (especially with the horn) impress
(actually a bit more than the "best of"; he's a project).
B+(***)
Ben Lamar Gay: Grapes (2013-14 [2018], International
Anthem): Very experimental, closer to rock or soul than to jazz, which
isn't to say it's predictable or easy.
B+(*)
Ben Lamar Gay/Edinho Gerber: Benjamin E Edinho (2011-13
[2018], International Anthem, EP): Adds a tropicalia vibe with Brazilian
guitar master, from a couple stretches when the duo co-resided in Rio de
Janeiro and Chicago. Eight cuts, 28:27.
B+(*)
Joanne Grauer: Introducing Lorraine Feather (1977
[1978], MPS): Pianist, based in Los Ageles, eponymous debut in 1974,
only a few albums after this sophomore effort. Trio on the A-side,
three B-side tracks introduce the singer and also mark an early
appearance for tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts.
B+(*)
Kankyo Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental and New Age
Music 1980-1990 (1980-90 [2019], Light in the Attic): Beware
the version differences: the full 3-LP package has 25 tracks, the
2-CD a bit less at 23, but the digital, which is the only one I've
heard, stops at 10 (41:47). This doesn't sound like much at first:
a bit of quiet piano, a shift to synth and more electronics, the
occasional light rhythm track. Nice and calming, not meditative (at
least not exactly). Grows on you, or maybe just gets comfy.
A-
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- Juan Álamo & Marimjazzia: Ruta Panoramica (Summit)
- Larry Koonse: New Jazz Standards Vol. 4 (Summit)
- Lisa Maxwell's Jazz Orchestra: Shiny! (Uncle Marvin Music): May 17
- Sam Ospovat: Ride Angles (Skirl)
- Marcos Silva: Brasil: From Head to Toe (Green Egg): May 3
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Weekend Roundup
I don't feel up to writing much about
Julian Assange, but following his arrest in London, I anticipate
that I'll find a bunch of links this week and should collect them
together. Assange is an Australian, a computer programmer who came
up with Wikileaks, a system to collect and publish anonymously
submitted documents. That's always seemed like a noble endeavor,
an aid in exposing how the rich and powerful conspire in private
to manipulate and profit, and for a while he seemed to be doing
just that. He quickly ran afoul of those powers, most notably the
US government, which set out to charge him with various crimes,
and quite possibly orchestrated a broader smear campaign against
him. Assange, in turn, sought asylum from criminal charges, and
since 2012 has been sheltered by the Ecuadorean embassy in London.
I don't know how much Assange has had to do with Wikileaks since
2012 (or how much freedom he has had to do anything), but his
brand name wound up playing a role in Trump's 2016 campaign when
it framed the release of hacked emails from the Clinton campaign.
One effect of the DNC dump was to expand the Democratic side of
bipartisan outrage against Assange, especially as Clinton's drones
tried to paint him as a Putin accomplice.
I don't have strong opinions about Assange one way or the other,
but I did welcome his release of leaked documents on the Iraq War
and the US State Department. (See my September 2, 2010 entry,
Troops,
on the "Collateral Murder" video, anti-war vet Ethan McCord, and
a related speech by Barak Obama -- what I said then is still pretty
relevant today.) Releasing the DNC emails didn't particularly bother
me either, although the timing was suspicious (immediately after the
release of
Trump's Access Hollywood tape, allowing the media to spin
scandal on top of scandal), as was the lack of any RNC/Trump campaign
emails to balance the picture.
Anyhow, the Assange links:
Let's also break out multiple links on Israel's elections:
Scattered links on other topics this week:
Matthew Yglesias:
Julian Castro really wants to talk about immigration, but it's most
impressive talking about his work.
Trump's sister quietly retired in February, and it's actually a big deal:
Something here I didn't know: that Trump has a sister,
Maryanne Trump Barry, who is a US Court of Appeals judge (appointed,
by the way, by Bill Clinton in 1999, although Ronald Reagan appointed
her to US District Court in 1983). She retired to escape an investigation
into the possibly fraudulent scheme whereby Fred Trump transferred
property to his children to evade taxes.
Elizabeth Warren's new plan to make sure Amazon (and other big companies)
pays corporate tax, explained: "No more claiming big profits to
investors while paying nothing to the IRS."
Progressives should worry more about the odds that Joe Biden will win:
"Liberals are assuming the former vice president will fade on his own, a
trap Republicans fell for with Trump." They may both be front-runners,
but not many similarities beyond that. Trump campaigned as an outsider,
whereas Biden is the most complete insider even considering a run. The
most comparable 2016 Republican is Jeb Bush, although I'd give Biden
better odds than I gave Bush -- he may not have much of a program or
a real following, but at least he's not a laughingstock.
Immigration makes America great. This is a good general "explainer"
on most of issues related to immigration. I'm more of a moderate (or
maybe skeptic?) when it comes to promoting immigration: I'm concerned
about the downward pressure on labor markets immigrants pose; I worry
that immigration feeds our right-wing tendencies to ignore the needs
of impoverished natives; I've noted that many immigrants lean to the
political right (in many cases becoming jingoistic -- the Cubans are
an obvious case, since US immigration law favors anti-communists).
I've noted, for instance, that no less than five (of 16) Republican
presidential candidates in 2016 has at least one foreign-born parent
(including Trump, who also has a foreign-born wife). Still, I don't
doubt the general economic advantages of immigration at present (or
slightly elevated) levels. And the problems I've noted would go away
if we had a better political atmosphere.
Trump's flailing shake-up of the Department of Homeland Security,
explained: Key subhed here: "Trump's been in tantrum mode for
weeks."
But Trump is an all-stick, no-carrot kind of guy. His idea of doing a
deal with Democrats was to cancel DACA protection for young undocumented
immigrants and then offer to reinstate it in exchange for sweeping
concessions. And he wants to get Mexico to do favors for him by
threatening to hurt both countries' economies unless they do what he
wants. This incredibly punitive, wildly ineffective approach to
dealmaking has been a hallmark of Trump's approach to the presidency
from Day 1, and it appears to be derived from his success as a business
executive at using his greater wealth to stiff contractors and
shareholders.
But in the presidency, this kind of bullying doesn't work at all,
as you can see from his lack of success in getting border wall money
appropriated. A reasonable response to policy failure would be to try
to go in a new direction, but Trump seems entirely uninterested in
that. So rather than rethink his approach, he's now inclined to burn
through administration personnel, even though shuffling the names on
an org chart around isn't going to alter any of the fundamentals of
the situation.
Howard Schultz only has one idea about politics, and it's bad:
"Making him president won't fix the problems of partisanship."
Trump's possibly illegal designation of a new acting homeland security
secretary, explained. Zack Beauchamp:
Republicans are taking Ilhan Omar's comments on 9/11 out of context to
smear her. Well, when did they ever let context complicate a good
smear? David Dayen:
Betsy DeVos quietly making it easier for dying for-profit schools to rip
off a few more students on the way out. Sean Illing:
Why conspiracy theories are getting more absurd and harder to refute:
Interview with Nancy L Rosenblum, co-author (with Russell Muirhead) of
A Lot of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on
Democracy. Umair Irfan:
A brief guide to David Bernhardt, Ryan Zinke's replacement at the
Interior Department: "Three things to know about the former oil
lobbyist who's just been confirmed as the new Secretary of the
Interior." Kalpana Jain:
4 key things to know about India's elections Thursday. Jen Kirby:
The new Brexit deadline is October 31. Dara Lind:
The post-purge agenda: what the White House wants next on immigration:
"Donald Trump and Stephen Miller are pushing for a multi-pronged asylum
crackdown." German Lopez:
Ella Nilsen:
Why the Senate is blocking a new net neutrality bill, a year after trying
to save it. The House passed a bill. McConnell refuses to allow the
Senate to consider it. Trump says if passed he will veto it. Anna North:
A Texas bill would allow the death penalty for patients who get abortions:
"The bill is unlikely to pass, but it's part of a larger trend." Trita Parsi:
Trump's Iran terrorist designation is designed to lock in endless enmity.
Related:
Daniel DePetris/Richard Sokolsky:
Bolton and Pompeo are steering Trump toward war with Iran;
Robert Mackey:
On the eve of Israel's elections, Netanyahu thanks Trump for sanctioning
Iran at his request. Andrew Prokop:
Gabriela Resto-Montero:
Josie Duffy Rice:
Jussie Smollett and the impulse to punish. Chicago's outgoing
mayor Rahm Emmanuel, cementing his reputation as a grandstanding
dickhead, ordered the city to sue Jussie Smollett for the costs of
investigating him before dropping charges, some $130,000.
Given the failures of law enforcement in Chicago, [F.O.P. president
Kevin] Graham is not in a strong position to castigate [Cook County
states attorney] Foxx. In the first half of 2018, Chicago police made
an arrest or identified a suspect in just fifteen per cent of murder
cases. Similarly, Emanuel's concern about the costs of the Smollett
investigation is misguided at best; in 2018 alone, the city paid a
total of a hundred and thirteen million dollars in police-misconduct
settlements and related legal fees. . . .
As Matthew Saniie, the chief data officer for Foxx's office, recently
wrote, in Cook County, cases in which the defendant, like Smollett,
pleads not guilty to a fourth-degree felony end in a deferred prosecution
seventy-five per cent of the time. Foxx runs the second-largest prosecutor's
office in the country, responsible for prosecuting crimes in Chicago and
a hundred and thirty-four municipalities. Her staff sees almost half a
million cases every year. Prosecutorial discretion is one of the pillars
of our justice system, and it is her job to discern what deserves her
staff's attention, as opposed to what has grabbed the most public attention.
Aaron Rupar:
Trump promised his sons would keep business out of politics. He's admitting
that was a lie. This links to: Elaina Plott:
Inside Ivanka's dreamworld: "The 'first daughter' spent years rigorously
cultivating her image. But she wasn't prepared for scrutiny." Kirk Semple:
Central American farmers head to the US, fleeing climate change. Peter Stone:
Trump hotels exempted from ban on foreign payments under new stance.
Benjamin Wallace-Wells:
Bernie Sanders imagines a progressive new approach to foreign policy:
While the rest of the field plays catch up with his 2016 platform, he
breaks new ground. But his main break with the bipartisan orthodoxy is
thus far limited to sensibility. He's more likely to promote peace and
respect than the others because he values them, but he's yet to get
down to the specifics it will take to deal with Israel/Palestine, to
pick the one case other politicians most fear. Alex Ward:
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Monday, April 8, 2019
Music Week
Music: current count 31344 [31312] rated (+32), 251 [249] unrated (+2).
Back in business. I figured all it would take to get Napster working
again was a reboot -- it broke following a software update that didn't
require one but involved a new Flash module, so I suspected that threw
things out of sync. Still, I didn't want to do that for other reaasons,
but was forced to when the computer freaked out and gave me a swizzle
patterned screen. That suggested something far worse, but the reboot
fixed that too.
Working Napster gave me a chance to catch up with the last couple
weeks of Robert Christgau picks --
Stella Donnelly/Sharon Van Etten and
Pedro the Lion/Jason Ringenberg -- where only the B+ record didn't
disappoint. (Actually, I couldn't find Ringenberg's Stand Tall
on Napster, but was able to fish a Soundcloud link from my email trash,
so thanks to the publicist.) Guess I'm still missing the
Ariana Grande/Amber Mark week -- I had the former's Sweetener
way down at B, a grade split matching Mitski's Be the Cowboy, but
haven't heard the more recent one.
Took a dive into George Strait after panning his new one, mostly because
I noticed an unheard Christgau A- in the database (Something Special),
and it panned out. I had his first Greatest Hits (1985) at A-, so
it made sense to check out its source albums (just three of them). I'm not
sure that grade holds up, but didn't recheck it. Still, after dismissing
most of his songs as unmemorable, I've wound up with "You Look So Good in
Love" stuck in my mind all week.
Other records suggested by various sources, most prolifically
Phil Overeem. The tip on Angel-Ho came from breathless hype in
The Nation ("Angel-Ho is the future of pop music"). I dug up Petra
Van Nuis after she wrote to me (so sometimes that works). Strait and
Mandy Barnett just showed up in Napster's featured lists.
Making fair progress on most projects, although not enough on moving
the computer. (Will do that after I post this, I promise.) Biggest one
is a new piece of badly-needed pantry shelving, which needs one more
coat of paint before I drag it in and bolt it to the wall. I have a
couple more projects in that space, ready to roll as soon as the first
one is operational. Still, more projects seem to present themselves all
the time. Dug up a couple plastic drawers full of CDs today, and my wife
argued that I should get rid of them (something about the hoarding being
psychotic). I had a plan a couple years back to start donating CDs to a
local library, but never followed through on it -- partly because I was
working on the Jazz Guide, maybe because they kept naming various
buldings after the Kochs. The reason for having a substantial library is
to look things up, but I'm fast losing my ability to do so, not to mention
my prospects of ever writing anything worthwhile on the subject.
Still, the project I feel more pressing need for is to come up with a
system so I can quickly identify where all my tools (and hardware) are.
I'm forever thrashing, trying to find things I know I have somewhere,
sometimes even having to buy more tools to replace those I've lost (most
recently, a set of hole saws). In fact, thrashing seems to be the word
for the week, maybe even the season.
New records reviewed this week:
Angel-Ho: Death Becomes Her (2019, Hyperdub): South
African electronica producer Angel Antonio Valerio, trans, veers
between hip-hop and electro-noise, beat-heavy but not that simple.
B+(*)
Art "Turk" Burton: Ancestral Spirits (2019, T N' T
Music): Percussioist (conga and bongo drums) from Chicago, rooted in
Latin jazz but also involved in AACM, playing in Muhal Richard Abrams'
big band and Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble. Gathers up three
more percussionists here, Eddie Beard on piano and organ, Ari Brown
and Edwin Daugherty on saxes, and singer/narrator Maggie Brown. Opens
with a nod to Mongo Santamaria, followed by "A Night in Tunisia" and
"Killer Joe," and later adds memorable takes of "Summertim" and
"Freedom Jazz Dance." Latin groove throughout, although the saxes
sometimes get out of hand.
A- [cd]
Romain Collin: Tiny Lights: Genesis (2019, XM):
French pianist, studied at Berklee, debut album in 2007, joined
here by Matthew Stevens (guitar), Obed Calvaire (drums), and the
Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, with string arrangements by Kazuma
Jinnouchi. Starts fusion, a hard groove album, gets fancier when
they slow it down. Hype sheet promises two more volumes shortly,
Blood and Gold.
B+(**) [cd]
The Comet Is Coming: Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep
Mystery (2019, Impulse!): London-based band, names listed as
King Shabaka (Shabaka Hutchings, tenor sax), Danalogue the Conqueror
(Dan Leavers, keyboards), and Betamax Killer (Max Hallett, drums).
Second album. Inspired by spiritual jazz artists like Alice Coltrane
and extraterrestrials (similar but not quite the same thing) such as
Sun Ra.
B+(**)
Jordon Dixon: On! (2019, self-released): Tenor saxophonist,
born in Baton Rouge, based in DC, second album, backed by piano-bass-drums
(plus trumpet on one cut). Mainstream, original pieces, lovely tone, soulful.
B+(***) [cd]
Stella Donnelly: Beware of the Dogs (2019, Secretly
Canadian): Singer-songwriter from Perth, Australia, offers what Christgau
calls "a catalogue of assholes" -- males, "boys will be boys" -- although
I'm also struck by the allergies and bearers of infectious diseases.
B+(***)
Steve Earle & the Dukes: Guy (2019, New West):
Sings the Guy Clark songbook, marginally better than the originals
but not significantly different or even distinctive. Could broaden
Clark's audience a bit.
B+(***)
Fleurine: Brazilian Dream (2018 [2019], Pure Imagination):
Dutch jazz singer-songwriter, last name Verloop, fifth album since 1995,
all self-penned Brazilian tunes here, plays some guitar, with a mostly
Brazilian band -- Vitor Gonçalves, Rogerio Boccato, and Chico Pinheiro
the best known -- augmented by Brad Mehldau and Chris Potter, strings on
one cut, horns on another. Dreamy, indeed.
B+(**) George Freeman: George the Bomb! (2018 [2019],
Blujazz/Southport): Jazz guitarist, born 1927 so he's edged over 90,
leans heavy on funk and blues here, with the Southport house band,
with vocals shared by Billy Branch and Joanie Pallatto. Couple of
standout food songs: "Where's the Cornbread?" and "Home Grown Tomatoes."
B+(**) [cd]
Polly Gibbons: All I Can Do (2019, Resonance):
Jazz singer qua blues belter, third album, wrote 2 (of 12) songs,
the best surprise from Prince. Backed with piano, organ and guitar
(Paul Bollenbeck).
B [cd]
Girls on Grass: Dirty Power (2019, self-released):
Brooklyn alt/indie band, led by singer-songwriter Barbara Endes (also
plays guitar), with girl drummer Nancy Polstein and two blokes. Second
album. One lyric jumped out at me: "Capitalism ruins everything that's
worth doing." Also something about "Commander in Thief."
B+(**)
Pablo Lanouguere Quintet: Eclectico (2019, self-released):
Bassist, from Argentina, based in New York, plays electric as well as
upright, first album, original compositions that feature Nick Danielson
on viola, backed by guitar (Federico Diaz), piano (Emilio Teubal), and
drums (Franco Pinna). Struck me as avant-classical, so took me a while.
B+(**) [cd]
Jenny Lewis: On the Line (2019, Warner Bros.):
Singer-songwriter, fourth studio album (not counting her tenure
with Rilo Kiley or various other ad hoc projects). She has good
pop sense, but I'm not picking up much here.
B+(*)
Helado Negro: This Is How You Smile (2019, RVNG Intl):
Singer-songwriter Roberto Carlos Lange, born in Florida, parents from
Ecuador, half-dozen albums since 2009. Woozy tempo with shifting shapes,
reminds me a bit of Arto Lindsay at his most Brazilian, but even more
deliberately -- so much I doubt I really caught much of it.
B+(*)
New Orleans Jazz Orchestra: Songs: The Music of Allen
Toussaint (2018 [2019], Storyville): Directed by drummer
Adonis Rose, a big band, several guest vocalists -- Dee Dee
Bridgewater, Phillip Manuel, Gerald French -- nine songs, as
advertised.
B+(**) [cd]
Pedro the Lion: Phoenix (2019, Polyvinyl): Indie rock
band formed in Seattle in 1995, broke up after their fourth album in
2004, singer-songwriter David Bazan going on to a checkered solo career.
Bazan is an interesting guy with things to say, but his music never did
much for me. The band beefs it up.
B+(**)
Jason Ringenberg: Stand Tall (2019, Courageous Chicken):
Country rocker from Illinois, called his first band Jason & the
Scorchers -- their 1983 EP Fervor earned the name -- tried a solo
album in 1992, occasionally recorded as Farmer Jason, this his first since
a Christmas album in 2014. In 2017, he got a gig as artist-in-residence
at Sequoia National Park, and wrote a couple of songs about the tall trees
there, as well as the title instrumental. Added a Ramones tribute, and a
few titles like "John the Baptist Was a Real Humdinger," "Hobo Bill's Last
Ride," and "Many Happy Hangovers to You." Sixty now, and still scorchin'.
A- [sp]
Royal Trux: White Stuff (2019, Fat Possum): Garage rock
band from DC, formed 1988 by Neil Hagerty (ex-Pussy Galore) and Jennifer
Herrema, released ten albums by 2002, regrouped here, as part of a deal
to reissue their old records. Reports are they've already broken up again,
beause Hagerty refuses to tour. I haven't heard their old stuff, and
probably won't, but seems likely they have a cult following somewhere.
B+(**)
Sir Babygirl: Crush on Me (2019, Father/Daughter, EP):
Kelsie Hogue, started in hardcore bands, solo debut is a 9-track (but
if you scratch the reprises and outro more like six songs), 26:24 mini.
Christgau: "So fake they're funny and so shiny they squeak."
B+(***)
George Strait: Honky Tonk Time Machine (2019, MCA
Nashville): Dependable, predictable: his first two albums were called
Strait Country and Strait From the Heart, but he was
smart enough not to return to that well, moving on to One Step
at a Time and Always Never the Same in the late 1990s,
and more recently Here for a Good Time and Cold Beer
Conversations. This is his 30th album, a little more explicit
in honky tonk references, probably because the songs speak less.
B
Terraza Big Band: One Day Wonder (2017 [2019],
Outside In Music): Co-led by Michael Thomas (alto sax) and Edward
Perez (bass), who composed most of the pieces, arranged the rest.
Standard sections, mostly New York names I recognize, plus guitar
and (3/9 cuts) extra percussion (Samuel Torres).
B+(*) [cd]
Sharon Van Etten: Remind Me Tomorrow (2019, Jagjaguwar):
Singer-songwriter from New Jersey, fifth album, finds an engaging groove
and haunts it.
B+(*)
Petra Van Nuis & Dennis Luxion: Because We're Night People
(2018, String Damper): Voice and piano duo from Chicago. Fifth album for
the singer (-songwriter?), including a couple of previous duos with guitarist
(husband) Andy Brown. The pianist played with Chet Baker in the 1980s, and
with vocalist Diane Delin -- Discogs credits him with one album each, but
his own website lists 6 and 4, as well as a dozen more albums with various
leaders.
B+(*)
Dave Zinno Unisphere: Stories Told (2018 [2019],
Whaling City Sound): Bassist, third album, all under this group rubric,
a hard bop quintet with Mike Tucker (tenor sax), Eric 'Benny' Bloom
(trumpet/flugelhorn), Tim Ray (piano), and Rafael Barata (drums).
Bright and upbeat, except for the cover of "Michelle," which (Like
most Beatles songs) is a tarpit for jazz musicians.
B+(*) [cd]
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:
Burnt Sugar/The Arkestra Chamber: Twentieth Anniversary Mixtapes:
Groiddest Schnizzits: Volume Two (2001-17 [2019], Trugroid/Avantgroidd):
Back in 1999 rock critic Greg Tate decided to try his hand at cosmic
jazz, rounding up friends and acquaintances, his own credit most often
"conduction" -- the Butch Morris term for a conductor trying to direct
improvisers. Tate's a word guy, so he recruited singers. I'm not, so
I've always had trouble following that aspect. For their 20th, they
came out with three discs of remixes -- this is the only one I've found
so far (otherwise I'd be tempted to review them as a set).
B+(***)
Old music:
Mandy Barnett: I Can't Stop Loving You: The Songs of Don
Gibson (2013, Rounder): She built her career in Patsy Cline
tributes, and has the voice for the job. Turns her attention here
to the writer of Cline's signature song, "Sweet Dreams," which she
nails perfectly. Elsewhere I miss Gibson's own self-effacing swing,
not that I mind her torching his laments -- she has the voice.
B+(***)
The Comet Is Coming: Channel the Spirits (2016, The
Leaf Label): First album, more groove and harder grind, but not quite
all the way through.
B+(***)
George Strait: Strait Country (1981, MCA): First
album, ten songs none running more than 3:06 (27:51 total), mostly
draws songs from Dean Dillon and Frank Dycus, relationship songs
that understand it's complicated: "Every Time You Throw Dirt on
Her (You Lose a Little Ground)," "She's Playing Hell Trying to Get
Me to Heaven," "Her Goodbye Hit Me in the Heart."
B+(**)
George Strait: Strait From the Heart (1982, MCA):
Second album, marginally longer (28:45), recorded his first original
("I Can't See Texas From Here"), better than "Marina del Rey" let
alone "Lover in Disguise."
B
George Strait: Right or Wrong (1983, MCA): Another
short one, but his voice is maturing, and his roots are spreading.
After three albums the label decided they had enough to release a
Greatest Hits, and I thought it was pretty good. But I won't
complain about the filler here, except to note that he didn't write
any of it.
B+(***)
George Strait: Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind
(1984, MCA): No fluff, his shortest album yet (25:55), the honky tonk
songs done elegantly and/or plaintively, which is to say with a bit
less inspiration than one would wish for.
B+(**)
George Strait: Something Special (1985, MCA): Hits
his stride here, even if he doesn't break a sweat trying. Better songs
are the key, nothing especially classic, but tapping ten different
writers/teams suggests he's looked high and low. And he's so relaxed
singing them he delivers his longest album to date (32:49).
A-
George Strait: The Best of George Strait [20th Century Masters:
The Millennium Collection] (1983-93 [2002], MCA Nashville): The
standard Strait compilation these days is probably 50 Number Ones
(2004), but rather than wallow in all that I thought I'd first check this
short one (12 songs, 39:01), as I missed it last time I tried going deep
on the series. But aside from one 1983 hit ("You Look So Good in Love")
this sticks to a fairly narrow time slice, 1987-93. Given his career
(even just to date), I doubt I'd pick more than 3-4 of these.
B+(**)
George Strait: 50 Number Ones (1982-2004 [2004], MCA
Nashville, 2CD): He released one album nearly every year from 1981
through 2009 (skipping 1995, 2002, and 2007), usually with 3-4 singles
from each, so steady production adds up. He has four albums and no
hit singles since 2009, but Wikipedia credits him with the most number
one Billboard US country singles ever (45, disputing ten songs
here) and the second-most top-tens (86, behind Eddy Arnold's 92). One
new song here, making 51 total (and yes, it was released as a single
and went number one). His always sounds fine, never rubs you the wrong
way -- his consistency is truly remarkable, but I doubt he's turned out
a stone cold classic, here or elsewhere.
B+(***)
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- Art Ensemble of Chicago: We Are on the Edge: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (Pi, 2CD): April 26
- Art "Turk" Burton: Ancestral Spirits (T N' T Music): May 3
- George Freeman: George the Bomb! (Blujazz/Southport)
- Wynton Marsalis: Bolden: Music From the Original Soundtrack (Blue Engine): April 19
- Xose Miguélez: Ontology (Origin): April 19
- Billy Mohler: Focus! (Make)
- New Orleans Jazz Orchestra: Songs: The Music of Allen Toussaint (Storyville): April 19
- OGJB Quartet [Oliver Lake/Graham Haynes/Joe Fonda/Barry Altschul]: Bamako (TUM): May 17
- Dave Stryker: Eight Track III (Strikezone): May 3
- Fumi Tomita: The Elephant Vanishes (OA2): April 19
- Dann Zinn: Day of Reckoning (Origin): April 19
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Weekend Roundup
One of my principles here is not to bother with politician horserace
links, especially presidential candidates. One thing I've long held is
that a president is only as good as his (or someday her) party, so the
big question to ask any presidential candidate is: what are you going to
do to get your party elected and make it an effective force? Still, every
now and then I have opinions on specific people. When Greg Magarian griped
about
Tim Ryan and
Michael Bennet getting a burst of press attention, as have recent
stories about
Beto O'Rourke and
Pete Buttigieg raising great gobs of money, I commented:
Worth noting that O'Rourke and Buttigieg are principled neoliberals, and
are raising money as such. They can do that because their youth and
inexperience hasn't saddled them with the sort of baggage the Clinton
establishment bears. That's bad news for Biden, who would be the obvious
next-in-line for Clinton's donors if they didn't suspect that the brand
is ruined. They may also be thinking that running someone young and
outside might help crack Sanders' lead among young voters -- something
Biden has no prayer of doing.
The one candidate I've been hearing the most (and most negative) about
is Joe Biden. He hasn't announced yet, but evidently the decision has been
made, the timing around Easter. Biden has led recent polls, but that can
be attributed to his much greater name resolution. I've always figured the
decision would turn on whether he's willing to risk his legacy on a very
likely loss, but I suppose the decision will turn mostly on whether he can
line up sufficient funding. (I had some doubts that Bernie Sanders would
run, but when I saw his early funding reports, I immediately realized I
was being silly.) Clearly, he didn't run in 2016 because Hillary Clinton
had locked up most of his possible funding. That's less obvious this year,
but a lot of competitive candidates have jumped in ahead of him.
Biden isn't awful, but he has a lot of baggage, including a lot of
things that wound up hurting Clinton in 2016 (like that Iraq War vote).
Some of those things could hurt him in the primaries, especially his
rather dodgy record on race and crime, and with women. Other things,
like his plagiarism scandal, will hurt him more in the general election.
But the big problem there is that he was a Washington insider and party
leader for so long that he makes it easy for Republicans to spin this
election into a referendum on forty years of Democratic Party failures.
Obama was largely able to avoid that in 2008, but Clinton couldn't in
2016.
Also, there is the nagging suspicion that he isn't really a very good
day-to-day candidate. Last time he ran for president he was an also-ran,
unable to get more than 1-2% of the vote anywhere. He got the VP nod from
Obama after Clinton decided she'd rather be Secretary of State, and one
suspects that the Clintons pushed for Biden as VP because they didn't
regard him as a serious rival in 2016 (when a sitting VP would normally
have the inside track to the nomination). And he's exceptionally prone to
gaffes. He managed to avoid any really bad ones running with Obama, but
running on his own he'll get a lot more scrutiny and pressure. Nobody
thinks he's stupid or evil -- unlike Trump, whose base seems to regard
those attributes as virtues -- but nobody is much of a fan either (well,
except for the fictional
Leslie Knope, which kind of proves the point).
For more, if you care, see Michelle Goldberg:
The wrong time for Joe Biden:
Beyond gender, on issue after issue, if Biden runs for president he will
have to run away from his own record. He -- and by extension, we -- will
have to relive the debate over the Iraq war, which he voted to authorize.
He'll have to explain his vote to repeal the Glass-Steagall Act, which,
by lifting regulations on banking, helped create the conditions for the
2008 financial meltdown. (Biden has called that vote one of the biggest
regrets of his career.) In 2016, Hillary Clinton was slammed for her
previous support of the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement
Act, which contributed to mass incarceration. Biden helped write the law,
which he called, in 2015, the "1994 Biden crime bill." . . . No one should
judge the whole span of Biden's career by the standards of 2019, but if
he's going to run for president, it's fair to ask whether he's the right
leader for this moment. He is a product of his time, but that time is up.
Other political news last week included the death of Ernest Hollings,
the long-time South Carolina senator, at 97. I was, well, shocked to see
him referred to in an obituary as a populist -- a thought that had never
crossed my mind. I would grant that he was not as bad as the Republicans
who served in the Senate alongside him (Strom Thurmond and Lindsey Graham),
or his Republican successor (Jim DeMent). Still, those are pretty low
standards.
By the way, a couple of non-political links below: subjects I used to
follow closely in more carefree times. See if you can pick them out.
Some scattered links this week:
Matthew Yglesias:
Jonathan Blitzer:
How climate change is fueling the US border crisis: "In the western
highlands of Guatemala, the questio is no longer whether someone will
leave but when." Two further installments:
The epidemic of debt plaguing Central American migrants, and
The dream homes of Guatemalan migrants. Philip Bump:
Nearly everything Trump just said about Puerto Rico is wrong. Jane Coaston:
FBI director: White nationalist violence is a "persistent, pervasive
threat". Related: Weiyi Cai/Simone Landon:
Attacks by white extremists are growing. So are their connections. Sean Collins:
Barack Obama warns against a "circular firing squad" over ideological
purity in politics: Sounds like Obama is attacking the left, once
again counseling compromises that ultimately prove ineffective, but
his centrist-neoliberal allies are every bit as ideological, and if
anything have more experience in using their spite against the left
to make sure even their lame compromises rarely change anything. I'm
reminded how John Lewis refused to purge Communists from the UMW,
because he appreciated that they were the union's most passionate and
effective organizers. The centrists need to realize that they need
the left in order to attain anything significant once they've worked
their compromises. And as the article shows, left-leaning polticians
aren't actually doing things to undermine party unity -- other than
making solid policy proposals and arguing them on their merits. Obama,
on the other hand, is showing himself to be irrelevant. Some may feel
nostalgic for his basic competence and his devotion to the threadbare
pieties of Americanism, but as a politician you have to judge him on
his inability to deliver the change he campaigned for and his failure
to build a party that could protect, sustain, and extend even his most
modest dreams. Tara Golshan:
Congress passes historic resolution to end US support for Saudi-led war
in Yemen. David M Halbfinger:
If you've followed Israeli elections, you may have noticed that since
the late 1970s, the only time Israeli politics have shifted left was when
the Bush I administration made clear its displeasure with Yitzhak Shamir's
obstruction of the Madrid Peace Talks. Israeli voters noticed, and voted
the more flexible Yitzhak Rabin in, leading to the Oslo Accords, which
Clinton allowed Netanyahu and Ehud Barak to turn into a charade. But as
Clinton, Bush, Obama, and even more explicitly Trump kowtowed to Israel,
Israelis had no reason not to indulge their chauvinist prejudices, with
each election pushing the government ever further to the right. Sean Illing:
How digital technology is destroying our freedom: Interview with
Douglas Rushkoff, exploring the theme of his recent Team Human
and earlier books like Life Inc.: How the World Became a Corporation
(2009), Program or Be Programmed (2011), Present Shock: When
Everything Happes Now (2013), and Throwing Rocks at the Google
Bus (2016) -- he's sort of a latter-day Neil Postman. (The one book
I've read by him is Nothing Sacred: The Truth About Judaism,
where he sees Judaism as an evolutionary step toward atheism. I could
make a similar claim for Calvinism, based more on personal history.) Sarah Kliff:
Trump does have a health care plan. It would cause millions to lose
coverage. Mike Konczal:
Should the Green New Deal repeat the failures of Cap-and-Trade? Paul Krugman:
Donald Trump is trying to kill you: "Trust the pork producers; fear
the wind turbines." I will add this quibble: if you ever find yourself
standing under a wind turbine, you'll find that they are very ominous
and unpleasant, emitting loud noises as the huge blades screech and
whine above your head.
Republican health care lying syndrome: "Even Trump supporters don't
believe the party's promises."
The incredible shrinking Trump boom: "At least corporate accountants
are having some fun." I suspect this title could be used for a much broader
investigation than this note on the effects of the Trump tax cut.
GOP cruelty is a pre-existing condition: "Republicans just won't stop
trying to take away health care."
Republicans really hate health care: "They've gone beyond cynicism
to pathology." Related: Jamelle Bouie:
An opening for Democrat: "On health care, this isn't what Trump's
voters bargained for." Bouie writes:
But while Trump's decision to govern for conservatives has netted him
high approval ratings with Republicans who remain loyal to him, it has
also undermined the coalition that put him in the White House,
threatening his prospects for re-election.
We saw some of this with the midterms. The drive to repeal Obamacare
was a major reason Republicans lost their majority in the House of
Representatives. The attempt made Trump's approval rating plunge to
the mid-30s, lower than that of other presidents at that point in their
first term. Large majorities opposed the bill to repeal and replace the
health care law, and 60 percent said it was a "good thing" it failed to
pass. Forty-two percent of voters named health care as their top issue
in the midterms, and 77 percent of them backed Democrats.
In 2016, Trump ran without the burden of a record. He could be
everything to everyone -- he could say what people wanted to hear. And
he used that to reach out to working-class whites as a moderate on the
economy and a hard-line conservative on race and immigration.
Now, as president, Trump is a standard-issue Republican with an almost
total commitment to conservative economic policy. Those policies are
unpopular. And they have created an opening for Democrats to win back
some of the voters they've lost.
Dara Lind:
German Lopez:
Jonathan Mahler/Jim Rutenberg:
How Rupert Murdoch's empire of influence remade the world: Part 1: Imperial
reach, followed by
Part 2: Internal divisions, and
Part 3: The new Fox weapon. Louis Menand:
What baseball teaches us about measuring talent: Review of Christopher
Phillips' new book Scouting and Scoring: How We Know What We Know About
Baseball. Noted because this is a subject I've spent a lot of time on,
albeit not very recently. Kelsey Piper:
Google cancels AI ethics board in response to outcry: I can imagine
many angles to this, but the best reported one was opposition to Heritage
Foundation president Kay Coles James, underscoring the notion that
conservatives have no credibility when it comes to ethics -- although
Google's inclusion of a "drone company CEO" was even more blatant. - Douglas Preston:
The day the dinosaurs died: "A young paleontologist may have discovered
the most significant event in the history of life on Earth."
Andrew Prokop:
Some Mueller team members aren't happy with Barr's description of their
findings. Aaron Rupar:
Trump plans to nominate a second loyalist to the Fed: Herman Cain:
You got to give Trump some credit for learning here. When the Fed chair
opened up, his staff gave him two options. While he picked the lesser
inflation hawk, he still wound up with a guy who repeatedly raised the
Fed funds rate, constricting the economy (and especially speculators
and scam artists like himself who benefit most from cheap money). No
doubt this got him thinking: Why not pick some loyal political hacks
instead of letting the bankers limit his choices? Stephen Moore was
his test case, and while Cain isn't as much of a hack as Moore, he's
even less "qualified" (in normative terms). Amanda Sakuma:
Trump attacks Rep. Ilhan Omar hours after a supporter was charged with
threatening to kill her: Subhed: "He wants to drive a wedge between
Jewish voters and the Democratic Party." TPM emphasized the latter in
its coverage of Trump's speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition:
Zeke Miller:
Trump tries to lure Jewish voters: Dems would 'leave Israel out there'.
Related: Matt Shuham:
American Jewish orgs to Trump: Netanyahu is ot 'our' Prime Minister.
On the other hand, Netanyahu is Sheldon Adelson's Prime Minister --
Adelson owns the newspaper in Israel most closely associated with
Netanyahu, and Adelson is the Republican Party's most visible Jewish
bankroller, so that's probably close enough for Trump. Emily Stewart:
What's going on with Mar-a-Lago and Chinese spies, explained.
Related: Fred Kaplan:
Mar-a-Lago is a foreign spy's dream come true. Matt Taibbi:
The Pentagon wins again: "In an effort to prevent non-defense cuts,
House Democrats grant the DOD exactly the raise it wanted." Alex Ward:
Philip Weiss:
Sean Wilentz:
The "reputational interests" of William Barr. Related:
Benjamin Wittes:
Bill Barr has promised transparency. He deserves the chance to deliver.
TomDispatch:
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Monday, April 1, 2019
Music Week
Music: current count 31312 [31297] rated (+15), 249 [253] unrated (-4).
Rated count way down, about half of what I consider a solid week.
When I dropped to 29 last week, I described that as a "lazy week."
Could say that again, but the real reason for the drop off is that
the Flash plugin on my computer is fucked up, making it impossible to
use Napster (or, for that matter, Spotify). That left me with playing
CDs (9) and using Bandcamp (6), and I didn't really have much to
choose from or look for on either. Unplayed CD queue is currently
only 7
deep, and I don't just randomly play unknowns on Bandcamp. On the
other hand, the Bandcamps generally got two spins, and the CDs more
than that (I'd guess Larry Fuller got 7-8 plays -- not that I needed
more than 2, but it made for pretty pleasant background music). All
that lead to a couple anomalies. Only one A- is the lowest weekly
total in quite some time, and I'm actually not real solid on it --
I've never been much of a
Betty Carter fan,
and should probably go
back and check some of her earlier releases (and re-check The
Audience With Betty Carter, which I have at B- even though it
wears a Penguin Guide crown). It could be that I promoted
it at the last minute because I came up with nothing else.
The other anomaly is the high percentage of B+(***) grades (8/15).
Certainly the multiple replays helped out. At this point, I'm pretty
sure the jazz records (especially the CDs) have plateaued, but three
of the Bandcamps might merit further investigation: Mekons, Quelle
Chris, and Mdou Moctar. I think I have those three pegged right, but
they're close, and it's worth noting that I have the immediately
previous albums by all three at A- (It Is Twice Blessed,
Everything's Fine, and Blue Stage Sessions).
Priorities for the coming week will be to reconstruct my crashed
tax file, finish (paint) a new pantry shelf, and finally get my
computers rearranged and reconnected (hopefully fixing the Napster
problem, and allowing me to get onto some website work). Also have
my DownBeat Critics Poll invite, so that will be another
(pretty much wasted) chunk of time. One website task I did manage
to get done last week was to build a
book page for
Robert Christgau's new essay collection, Book Reports: A Music
Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading, due out from Duke
University Press on April 12. Info and various links on that page.
Still to be done is the nasty task of embargoing most of the pieces
that appear in the book, so this is your last change (for several
years) to squirrel away free copies of most of the book.
New records reviewed this week:
Laura Antonioli: The Constant Passage of Time (2018
[2019], Origin): Singer, writes some (lyrics, I think), cut a record
with George Cables in 1985, restarted around 2004, working with Richie
Beirach, and picked up the pace after her 2014 Joni Mitchell tribute.
Two Mitchell pieces here -- she has the voice and manner down pat --
along with Sheryl Crow and Neil Young. With Sheldon Brown on sax and
clarinet, Dave McNab on guitar, Matt Clark on piano, plus bass and
drums.
B+(**) [cd]
Michaël Attias: Ëchos La Nuit (2018 [2019], Out of
Your Head): Alto saxophonist, parents Moroccan, born in Israel, grew
up in Paris and Minneapolis, based in New York, albums since 2002,
fewer than I expected. This one is solo improv, somehow imvolving a
piano ("the sympathetic resonance of the piano strings set into
vibration by the sound of the saxophone"). Slow, contemplative, or
maybe just cautiously deliberate.
B+(**) [cd]
Blu & Oh No: A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night
(2019, Native Sounds): Rapper Johnson Barnes, active since 2007, and
rapper/producer Michael Woodrow Jackson (since 2004), reinforcing each
other, building tension and urgency of their Los Angeles fable.
B+(**) [bc]
Chord Four: California Avant Garde (2016 [2019],
self-released): Pianoless free jazz quartet, based in Los Angeles,
the horn players Andrew Conrad (tenor sax/clarinet/bass clarinet)
and Brandon Sherman (trumpet/flugelhorn), backed by bass (Emilio
Terranova) and drums (Colin Woodford). Eponymous album in 2010.
This seems to be their fourth. Smart, intricate, doesn't grate,
could even be characterized as understated.
B+(***) [cd]
Larry Fuller: Overjoyed (2018 [2019], Capri): Pianist,
from Toledo, Ohio, recorded a trio album in 1998 with Ray Brown and
Jeff Hamilton but more often appeared as the pianist in their piano
trios. Released a trio album I liked under his own name in 2014, and
follows that up here, with Hassan Shakur and Lewis Nash. Two originals,
more standards that catch your ear, the title cut from Stevie Wonder.
B+(***) [cd]
Ross Hammond & Sameer Gupta: Mystery Well (2018,
Prescott): Guitar and tabla duo. Guitarist has been prolific over a
decade, including a previous duo album with Gupta. Doesn't have the
twang of a sitar, but fits in nicely.
B+(***) [bc]
Remy Le Boeuf: Light as a Word (2017 [2019], Outside
In Music): Alto saxophonist, from Santa Cruz, California, based in
Brooklyn, first album under his own name following three with brother
Pascal as the Le Boeuf Brothers. Sextet with Walter Smith III (tenor
sax), Aaron Parks (piano), guitar, bass, and drums. Postbop, a little
slick but goes somewhere.
B+(**) [cd]
Mekons: Deserted (2019, Bloodshot): Venerably Anglo
(now Chicago?) cowpunk group reunited for another roundup, starts out
sounding strong (and angry), hits a skid spot midway, and and I tend
to lose interest after that, not that I don't hear things that make
me wonder if more plays might bring it around.
B+(***) [bc]
Mdou Moctar: Ilana: The Creator (2019, Sahle Sounds):
Tuareg from Niger, plays guitar, sings, got me thinking that if Ali
Farka Tuareg was the John Lee Hooker of the Sahara, he just might be
the Jimi Hendrix. Then he tails off a bit, the old groove and trance
getting the upper hand.
B+(***) [bc]
Ivo Perelman/Mat Maneri/Nate Wooley: Strings 3 (2018
[2019], Leo): Continues the prolific tenor saxophonist's series from
last year, all albums (so far) featuring Maneri on viola -- the first
with two violins, the second with cello. This one adds some trumpet
dischord to the core ugliness, although in the end you could learn
something from the messiness of freedom.
B+(*) [cd]
Ivo Perelman/Mat Maneri/Nate Wooley/Matthew Shipp: Strings
4 (2018 [2019], Leo): Add the pianist and it all becomes much
more coherent, even if he never seems to be conspicuous.
B+(***) [cd]
Quelle Chris: Guns (2019, Mello Music Group): Rapper
Gavin Tennille, underground division, pretty good duo album last year
with Jean Grae (cameo here), like the beats here, I'm a little slow on
the words. Choice cut: "Obamacare."
B+(***) [bc]
SOL Development: The SOL of Black Folk (2019, self-released):
Oakland hip-hop collective, acronym stands for Source of Light, title
reflects on W.E.B. DuBois's best-known book. So much talent the styles
clash, but "Nobody" puts it all together, and I'd probably find more
if I put in the time.
B+(**) [bc]
Tiger Hatchery: Breathing in the Walls (2017 [2018],
ESP-Disk): Avant-sax trio, with Mike Forbes, Andrew Scott Young (bass),
and Ben Billington (drums), group together since 2010 (Forbes has a
2009 album with Young and Weasel Walter). Rugged, striking, relatively
short (30:18).
B+(***) [cd]
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:
Betty Carter: The Music Never Stops (1992 [2019],
Blue Engine): Jazz singer, dubbed Bebop Betty when she started out in
the mid-1950s, deep voice, nimble scat, her work on Verve from 1980
up to her death in 1998 is especially revered -- albeit not by me:
I've been impressed by her bands, but never cared much for the vocals.
I should probably reacquaint myself, as she shows remarkable poise
and range here, in a previously unreleased Jazz at Lincoln Center
tape. Some small group cuts, more big band, some strings arranged
by Geri Allen: I doubt any of those are really up to her standards,
but they work well enough.
A- [cd]
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- Romain Collin: Tiny Lights: Genesis (XM): April 12
- Jordon Dixon: On! (self-released): June 7
- Polly Gibbons: All I Can Do (Resonance): April 19
- Pablo Langouguere Quintet: Eclectico (self-released): May 31
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Weekend Roundup
Started late, figuring I'd "just go through the motions," and
I'm giving up with maybe half of my usual sources unexamined.
Anyhow, this should suffice as a sample on what's gone on this
past week.
One piece I intended to link to was an article in the Wichita
Eagle a few days ago about sex abuse in the local Catholic diocese,
going back to the 1960s or earlier. My closest neighborhood friend
attended Catholic schools and often talked about how sex-obsessed
the priests were -- not that he was himself abused, but something
I found completely baffling at the time. That was something I often
wondered about When the scandals in Boston and elsewhere were finally
exposed, but until this article appeared I had never seen mention of
Wichita. Can't find the article on the Wichita Eagle website --
although I did find an earlier one,
KBI investigating clergy sex abuse cases in Kansas, asks victims to
come forward, mostly on Kansas City, KS.
Some scattered links this week:
Matthew Yglesias:
Trump EPA appointees want more air pollution -- that's a very bad idea:
"Fine particulates are, if anything, massively under-regulated. . . . The
question of exactly how much we are under-regulating particulates seems
somewhat open to me, but the sign of the error is very clear."
The emerging 737 MAX scandal, explained: "It's more than bad
software."
Amy Klobuchar's $1 trillion infrastructure plan, explained: "Fulfilling
a pledge Trump infamously left on the cutting room floor." Seems like a nice,
round ballpark figure, but I suspect the need is much more. Also note that
you could triple it and it would still cost less than the Iraq War
debacle.
Elizabeth Warren's plan to make farming great again, explained: "A
crackdown on agribusiness conglomerates, and more."
The panic over yield curve inversion, explained: "A key financial
indicator says a recession is coming soon (maybe)."
It's time for Congress to do its job and investigate Trump:
It's worth remembering how Mueller's investigation came into existence.
Back in 2017, Trump's relationship with Russia was the only question
that Republicans, who controlled Congress, wanted to investigate.
Even on Inauguration Day, there were plenty of obvious lines of inquiry
into Trump to pursue. There were the credible allegations of sexual assault
(allegations that have only multiplied since then), the campaign contributions
that helped Trump University investigations go away, the fake charity Trump
ran for years, the dubious financing of his real estate ventures, and, of
course, the mystery of his tax returns.
Since he's taken office, the list of questions worthy of investigation
has only grown. There's his family members' weird security clearances,
reporting that a group of Mar-a-Lago club members appear to be running
the Veterans Administration, and the prosecution of Trump's personal
attorney Michael Cohen, which seems to have implicated Trump personally
in a crime.
The problem with all of this has been that Republicans didn't and don't
care. It was not until Nancy Pelosi took over as speaker of the House this
January that there was anything Democrats could do to take on these
questions without Republican help.
Democrats got behind Mueller's investigation because it was the only
game in town, not because it seemed incredibly promising. It was Trump's
abrupt decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, followed by months of
incredibly guilty-sounding tweets and other statements from the White
House, that led many of us to believe Mueller was likely to uncover
something big.
Michael Ames:
How Bowe Bergdahl may end up being the key to peace with the Taliban:
Author of the book American Cipher: Bowe Bergdahl and the US Tragedy
in Afghanistan, which my wife recently read and touts as one of the
best books written on the whole misbegotten Afghanistan fiasco. Ross Barkan:
Will Rachel Maddow face a reckoning over her Trump-Russia coverage?
I've done my best to avoid her for more than the two years she's been
obsessed with Trump/Russiagate, but I've seen enough to suspect that
she's earned her winning spot in
The Post's Mueller Madness bracket -- she beat Ann Navarro, John
Oliver, John Brennan, and Stephen Colbert along the way. I've watched
Colbert regularly over the period, although he's sometimes stretched my
patience with his jokes on Mueller, Putin, and "treason" (a word that
should never be uttered). Of the other 30 bracket picks, I recognize
about two-thirds of the names, but only follow a couple regularly --
Jimmy Kimmel, Paul Krugman -- with another half-dozen I've read on
occasion. Most of those have a much broader critique of Trump, so I
doubt they'll have problems moving on. Jamelle Bouie:
Oliver North showed Republicans the way out: "Belligerence, shamelessness
and partisanship can take you far." Alexia Fernandez Campbell:
Jane Coaston:
The Mueller investigation is over. QAnon, the conspiracy theory that grew
around it, is not. Steve Coll:
The media and the Mueller Report's March surprise. Coral Davenport:
Trump's order to open Arctic waters to oil drilling was unlawful, federal
judge finds. David A Farenthold/Jonathan O'Connell:
Mary Fitzgerald/Claire Provost:
Trump-linked US Christian 'fundamentalists' pour millions of 'dark money'
into Europe, boosting the far right. Masha Gessen:
After the Mueller Report, the dream of a sudden, magic resolution to
the Trump tragedy is dead.
Of course, Donald Trump has not single-handedly destroyed the American
public sphere. It had been in decline for a while, with the horse-race
culture of its political campaigns, the anti-intellectual posture of
many of its politicians, and its media's obsession with entertainment.
But Trump has forced the deterioration to new lows. This is true of
Trumpism in general: its elements -- corruption, xenophobia, isolationism,
disdain for the media, denigration of the government, and lack of
transparency -- are not new phenomena but are, rather, long-standing
trends. But Trump represents a quantum shift, a leap into the abyss.
And much of the descent has gone underdiscussed by public figures and
undercovered by the media, which has been focussed on the investigation
by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, to the exclusion of much else.
The Mueller investigation, as a media story and a conversation topic,
has been irresistible largely because it promised a way to avoid thinking
of Trump as an American development. The Russian-collusion story dangled
the carrot of discovering that Trump was entirely foreign to U.S. politics,
a puppet of a hostile power. It also held the appeal of a secret answer to
our catastrophe, one that would make the unimaginable suddenly explicable.
The truth about Trump has been in plain view all along. The President has
waged an attack on political institutions, the law, and culture, and has
succeeded to an astonishing extent. We are no longer surprised, for example,
that more than a month passes between White House press briefings, or that
the President and his spokespeople lie openly and routinely. The assumption
that the Administration should at least act as though it were accountable
to the public has vanished, and we barely took notice.
Tara Golshan:
Joshua Gotbaum:
The federal government gave up on retirement security: "As companies
shortchange employees with pensions, Treasury and Labor look the other
way." David A Graham:
The Steele Dossier set the stage for a Mueller letdown. Sean Illing:
Did the media botch the Russia story? A conversation with Matt Taibbi.
Also see links to Taibbi's latest pieces, below. Jen Kirby:
Sarah Kliff:
Donald Trump is very committed to taking away your health insurance:
But in office, Trump has attempted to implement an agenda that does the
opposite. He's backed legislation, regulations, and lawsuits that would
make it harder for sick people to get health insurance, allow insurance
companies to discriminate against patients with preexisting conditions,
and kick millions of Americans off the Medicaid program.
This week, his Justice Department filed a legal brief arguing that a
judge should find Obamacare unconstitutional -- a decision that would
turn the insurance markets back into the Wild West and eliminate Medicaid
coverage for millions of Americans. By at least one estimate, a full
repeal could cost 20 million Americans their health care coverage.
Elizabeth Kolbert:
Louisiana's disappearing coast: "The state loses a football field's
worth of land every hour and a half. Now engineers are in a race to
prevent it from sinking into oblivion." Dara Lind:
Dylan Matthews:
The government failed to stop the last recession. It can prevent the next
one. A smorgasbord of ideas, none of which strike me as especially good
(or even appropriate), but perhaps worth thinking about. My impression is
that recessions are mainly caused by asset bubbles and excessive leverage,
and none of these really address those problems. Some do fit under the
rubric of "automatic stabilizers," which don't prevent recessions but do
limit the damage. Ella Nilsen:
Michael Paarlberg:
Enough collusion talk. It's time to focus on Trump's corruption:
"If there is a silver lining to the confusion and disappointment of
Russiagate, it is that we can now pay attention to the real fleecing."
This piece could have been written two years ago, and would still have
come too late. I always hated the "collusion talk" -- basically, four
reasons: it lazily recirculated cold war prejudices, ignoring the fact
that Russia's motives have fundamentally changed (from left to right,
from inept socialism to the oligarchy of mafia capitalism); it assumed
that a temporary alignment of interests (both Putin and Trump wanted
to bend their governments to better support the rich, and both were
deeply cynical and contemptuous of democracy) amounted to an alliance;
and they saw Trump (even as president) as naive and submissive to the
stronger and more cunning Putin; and finally, it was embraced most
fervently by Hillary Clinton's fans, because it seemed to offer an
explanation for her loss that she couldn't be held responsible for --
by a devious, hostile foreign power dedicated to hurting Americans by
denying us the blessings of her wise and generous rule, which brings
full circle to the lazy thinking of the first point. As Masha Gessen
notes above, Russiagate seemed to have the appeal of a magic bullet,
but it ignored the simpler explanation, which was that Trump was no
more than a "useful idiot" for Putin, the Kochs, the Mercers, and a
cast of others (including Israelis and Saudis and Chinese and less
notorious "foreigners") -- made useful precisely because he was and
is so utterly, shamelessly corrupt. So sure, let's talk about his
corruption now, as many of us have been doing since he selected his
cabinet and started cashing in chits at his hotels. But we should
also acknowledge that a big part of why Clinton lost was that she
was tainted by the same corruption as Trump: in fact, he could even
brag about the favors his campaign dollars bought from her. Still,
I suspect that corruption misses the real crux of the problem with
Trump. There is a deeper problem with Trump, and indeed with nearly
all Republicans these days, and that is worldview: their understanding
of how the world works, and of how people should live and act in the
world. Martin Pengelly:
Trump is the 'world's worst cheat at golf,' new book says. The
book is Rick Reilly's Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump.
Andrew Prokop:
Mueller's many loose ends: "What comes next now that the probe is
finished." David Roberts:
The Green New Deal aims to get buildings off fossil fuels. These 6 places
have already started. Aaron Rupar:
Amanda Sakuma:
Georgia passes 6-week 'fetal heartbeat' bill that bans most abortions.
Dylan Scott:
Sabrina Siddiqui:
From victory to vengeance: Trump scents blood in 2020 fight:
t felt like a victory lap. At a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan on
Thursday night, surrounded by a sea of red Make America Great Again
hats, a defiant Donald Trump held the podium before a raucous crowd.
"After three years of lies and smears and slander, the Russia hoax
is finally dead," the president declared in a 90-minute speech.
Basking after the conclusion of special counsel Robert Mueller's
investigation, which clouded the first two years of his presidency,
Trump falsely claimed "total exoneration."
He vowed retaliation against some of his sharpest critics and
suggested consequences for the media were in order. He spoke of doing
away with Barack Obama's healthcare law. And he threatened to shut
down the US-Mexico border as early as next week.
It was a stark reminder of how Trump views his executive authority
and a glimpse of his looming fight for re-election.
Emily Stewart:
Matt Taibbi:
On Russiagate and our refusal to face why Trump won:
Trump would already be president-elect before he was taken seriously as
an electoral phenomenon. Right up until the networks called Florida for
him on election night, few major American media figures outside of Michael
Moore -- who incidentally was also right about WMDs and ridiculed for it --
believed a Trump win possible.
The only reason most blue-state media audiences had been given for
Trump's poll numbers all along was racism, which was surely part of the
story but not the whole picture. A lack of any other explanation meant
Democratic audiences, after the shock of election night, were ready to
reach for any other data point that might better explain what just
happened.
Russiagate became a convenient replacement explanation absolving an
incompetent political establishment for its complicity in what happened
in 2016, and not just the failure to see it coming. Because of the
immediate arrival of the collusion theory, neither Wolf Blitzer nor
any politician ever had to look into the camera and say, "I guess people
hated us so much they were even willing to vote for Donald Trump."
Post-election, Russiagate made it all worse. People could turn on
their TVs at any hour of the day and see anyone from Rachel Maddow to
Chris Cuomo openly reveling in Trump's troubles. This is what Fox looks
like to liberal audiences.
Worse, the "walls are closing in" theme -- two years old now -- was
just a continuation of the campaign mistake, reporters confusing what
they wanted to happen with what was happening.
As the Mueller probe ends, new Russiagate myths begin. Peter Wade:
Poll: Only 29 percent of Americans say Mueller Report clears Trump.
Alex Ward:
Russia is a threat to American democracy, with or without collusion:
Two subheds: "Russia is still a threat to American elections" and "There
was still a lot of Trump campaign contact with Russia." Both statements
are certainly true, but also taken out of context and blown out of
proportion. The biggest threat to American democracy is the outsized
influence of special interest money, especially its ability to focus
and control media. Putin's Russian state is essentially a protection
racket for international oligarchs. It's no surprise that they would
want to steer other countries' elections and politicians to advance
their interests -- indeed, pretty much everyone with the means tries
to do the same thing (not least, Americans who have interests/allies
all around the world). On the other hand, Russia's budget is trivial
compared to (to pick one of many domestic example) the Koch network,
and due to history they have to lurk in the shadows (in stark contrast
to Israel and Saudi Arabia). Li Zhou:
The Joe Biden and Anita Hill controversy: "He just keeps apologizing --
without saying anything new." New York Times Editorial Board:
The secret death toll of America's drones: "President Trump is making
it harder to know how many civilians the government kills by remote
control."
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Monday, March 25, 2019
Music Week
Music: current count 31297 [31275] rated (+22), 253 [251] unrated (+2).
I expected a "lazy week," so my lowest rated count this year shouldn't
be a surprise. Was real low until the weekend, when I settled down to
write up a lengthy
Weekend Roundup.
Even then, I ran into a problem when Napster stopped playing (could search
and select records, but couldn't fetch any music). Probably the Flash plugin
got hosed, and could get restarted by rebooting, but I had too much stuff
up in the air to bother). Played some CDs -- the week's three two A- and
one B+(***) records. Beyond that, I mostly searched on Bandcamp (9 this week,
vs. 5 on Napster).
I didn't get around to moving the computer last week, even though I had
planned to do it right after last week's
Music Week. I'm
going to swear off predicting when I'm going to get that done. Weather
should be relatively nice next week, and I have a couple of woodworking
projects on tap, so that may be more fun. Took a couple of days last
week making a rather spectacular dinner. Menu, as best I recall:
- Roasted chicken with fennel, clementines, and arak [Ottolenghi]: sub
ouzo for arak.
- Sweet potato gratin [Ottolenghi].
- Cauliflower bacon gratin [Greenspan].
- Pumpkin gorgonzola flan [Greenspan]: did one large one instead of
individuals.
- Spiced butter carrots [Greenspan].
- Piperade stir-fry [Greenspan].
- Orange & olive salad [Greenspan, but I mostly did Wolfert from
memory].
- Profiteroles [Reichl], with coffee/chocolate chip ice cream and hot
fudge sauce.
I used a lot of eggs and cream. I originally wanted to do veal marengo
[Greenspan], but the one grocery store that routinely stocks veal chops
had none (no veal at all, no lamb, seafood counter already shut down. I've
made that chicken recipe a number of times, so was able to amend my shopping
list from memory. Might even have been an improvement on the veal, although
that's another marvelous dish. I had to make the fudge sauce and assemble
the profiteroles after dinner, and couldn't serve them all at once, but
our guests coped.
This is the last Monday in March, so my
Streamnotes (March 2019)
file is complete.
New records reviewed this week:
Cyrille Aimée: Live (2018, Mack Avenue): French jazz
singer, ninth album since 2009, writes some, mostly covers, mostly in
English, touching on Michael Jackson and Stephen Sondheim. Backed by
two guitars, bass, and drums.
B+(**)
Cyrille Aimée: Move On: A Sondheim Adventure (2019, Mack
Avenue): Never a fan of musical theater, I have little sense of Sondheim
other than the vague whiff of his fame -- enough to think that by now his
songs would have eased into the standards repertoire, even though there's
scant evidence of it. Sure, the French jazz singer has dabbled before,
and here dives in whole hog. Still, two plays and nothing memorable.
B
Chat Noir: Hyperuranion (2018 [2019], RareNoise):
Italian group, Michele Cavallari (keyboards) and Luca Fogagnolo (bass)
founding members from 2006, half-dozen albums, now a quartet with Daniel
Calvi (guitar) and Moritz Baumgartner (drums). Instrumental semi-pop,
doesn't do much as jazz but that's where they're pitching it.
B [cdr]
Stephan Crump/Ingrid Laubrock/Cory Smythe: Channels
(2017 [2019], Intakt): Bass, tenor/soprano sax, piano trio, listed
alphabetically and jointly credited, but strikes me as the bassist's
show, setting and breaking up time in a way that gives Laubrock a
lot of leeway.
A- [cd]
Ex Hex: It's Real (2019, Merge): Punk trio, led by
Mary Timony, who's been doing this sort of thing since her 1994-97
band Helium, using Ex Hex as a solo album title in 2005, and
adopting it as her band name in 2014. Second group album, straight
and hard and more than a little catchy.
B+(**)
Paolo Fresu/Richard Galliano/Jan Lundgren: Mare Nostrum III
(2018 [2019], ACT): Trumpet/accordion/piano, third album for this trio,
like its predecessors, a tidy little chamber jazz act.
B+(**)
ICP Orchestra: Live at the Royal Room: First Set: 6 May 2015
(2015 [2018], ICP): Dutch avant tentet, founded 1967 by pianist-composer
Misha Mengelberg, drummer Han Bennink, along with a who's who of future
(and in some cases, like Willem Breuker, now past) stars. Mengelberg
retired before this tour, replaced by Guus Janssen but they're still
playing three of his old pieces. In Seattle, getting warmed up.
B+(*) [bc]
ICP Orchestra: Live at the Royal Room: Second Set: 6 May 2015
(2015 [2018], ICP): Getting warmer, the improvs often reminding me of
circus music.
B+(**) [bc]
Anthony Joseph: People of the Sun (2018, Heavenly Sweetness):
Singer-songwriter, poet, novelist, born in Trinidad, moved to UK in 1989, has
several albums. Big beat, lot of groove and flash, but did run on.
B+(*) [bc]
Liebman Rudolph & Drake: Chi (2018 [2019], RareNoise):
Saxophonist David Liebman, tenor and soprano plus he plays some surprisingly
impressive piano, with two percussionists: Adam Rudolph, who draws ideas
and instruments from all over the world, and Hamid Drake, whose frame drums
are wonderfully distinctive. It's their record, even when Liebman tries to
run away with it.
A- [cdr]
Dan McCarthy: Epoch (2019, Origin): Vibraphonist, from
Canada, based in New York, several previous albums. This is a string-heavy
quartet with Mark Feldman (violin), Ben Monder (guitar), and Steve Swallow
(electric bass), with Feldman carrying most of the weight. I've never much
cared for Feldman before, but he's consistently sharp here, as well as
gorgeous.
B+(***) [cd]
Levon Mikaelian Trio: Untainted (2019, self-released):
Pianist, from Yerevan, Armenia, moved to US after the collapse of the
Soviet Union. Has at least one previous. This is a trio with Jon Steele
(bass) and Kelton Norris (drums). One original, rest based on traditional
folk songs. Runs long (69:30), very listenable.
B+(**) [cd]
Sean Noonan Pavees Dance: Tan Man's Hat (2018 [2019],
RareNoise): Drummer, self-described "Irish griot," launched this group
in 2014, has gone through several guitarists to get to Ava Mendoza here,
with Jamaaladeen Tacuma on electric bass and Alex Marcelo on keyboards.
Still, major collaborator is ex-Can vocalist Malcolm Mooney. My first
reaction was "aims for Beefheart, misses Zappa." Missing Zappa isn't
necessarily a dis, but the slippery slop is pretty hit and miss.
B [cdr]
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah: Ancestral Recall (2019,
Ropeadope): Trumpet player from New Orleans, debut in 2005, Africanized
his name in 2012, released a well-regarded trilogy in 2016. This follow
up builds on his popularity by throwing everything at it: his own synths,
guest flute and alto sax, lots of African percussion, lots of voices.
Best when the clutter clears and his trumpet breaks out like the sun
on a cloudy day.
B+(*) [bc]
Dexter Story: Bahir (2019, Soundway): Multi-instrumentalist
from Los Angeles, studied at UC Berkeley, member of Build an Ark and the
Life Force Trio, two previous albums (plus remixes), cites East African
influences ("Ethiopian jazz, Tuareg grooves, ekista dance rhythms, Afro-funk,
Somalian soul, and conteporary jazz influences"), with various featured
guests (like Ethiopian singer Hamelmal Abate).
B+(*) [bc]
Urbanity: Urbanity (2018 [2019], Alfi): Smooth jazz duo,
Albare (Albert Dadon, guitars) and Phil Turcio (keyboards/programming),
second album, each has an album or two on their own. They split the writing
credits, aside from one cover -- a very genteel "Desperado." A guest vocal,
of course, and a bit of tenor sax (Tim Ries). Not exactly bland, but pretty
damn blasé.
B [cd]
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:
Sun Ra and His Spirit of Jazz Cosmos Arkestra: WUHY Radio,
Philadelphia, 1978 (1978 [2019], Enterplanetary Koncepts):
Radio shot, bits of interviews and other distractions from the often
remarkable music.
B+(*) [bc]
Townes Van Zandt: Sky Blue (1973 [2019], Fat Possum):
Folkie singer-songwriter from Texas, released six albums 1968-72, just
three more before he died at 52 in 1997, some kind of legend in his
niche, but never a star, and the two records I managed to check out
didn't impress me much. Eleven previously unreleased tunes, eight of
them originals, all just acoustic guitar and voice,
B+(*) [bc]
Old music:
Aceyalone: All Balls Don't Bounce (1995, Capitol):
Rapper Eddie Hayes, first album, cover looks familiar but no grade in
my database.
B+(**) [bc]
Aceyalone: A Book of Human Language (1998, Project
Blowed): Second album, just before the first one I noticed -- the
excellent Accepted Eclectic. Cover credit: "Accompanied by
Mumbles." Beats, I presume,
B+(**) [bc]
Carol Leigh: Go Back Where You Stayed Last Night
(1984 [1996], GHB): Trad jazz singer, starting with Turk Murphy and
Bob Scobey, mostly recorded with the Salty Dogs and in a duo with
James Dapogny, but has a few albums under her own name. Credits on
this one include Ernie Carson (cornet), John Otto (clarinet), Knocky
Parker (piano), Shorty Johnson (tuba), and Hal Smith (drums). CD adds
parts of another album with a different group. Mostly blues, echoes
from the 1920s.
B+(**)
Carol Leigh/Dumouster Stompers: Back Water Blues (1993
[2016], GHB): Another trad jazz group, recorded five albums (as far as
I can tell) 1993-2005, originally on the French Black & Blue label,
with the singer getting top billing here. Cover says "Dedicated to
Montauban."
B
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- Michaël Attias: Ëchos La Nuit (Out of Your Head): April 5
- Betty Carter: The Music Never Stops (1992, Blue Engine): March 29
- Stephan Crump/Ingrid Laubrock/Cory Smythe: Channels (Intakt)
- Fleurine: Brazilian Dream (Pure Imagination)
- Larry Fuller: Overjoyed (Capri): May 17
- Remy Le Boeuf: Light as a Word (Outside In Music): May 24
- Matthew Shipp Trio: Signature (ESP-Disk)
- Terraza Big Band: One Day Wonder (Outside In Music): May 3
- Tiger Hatchery: Breathing in the Walls (ESP-Disk)
- Dave Zinno Unisphere: Stories Told (Whaling City Sound)
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Weekend Roundup
Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller handed a report in to Attorney
General Bill Barr on Friday, and Barr released a letter to Congress
"summarizing" the report, spun primarily to let Trump off the hook.
Publication of the full report would be a fairly major news story,
but all we have to go on now is just Barr's spin. For example, see:
Tierney Sneed:
Barr: Evidence Mueller found not 'sufficient' to charge Trump with
obstruction. That's always seemed to me to be the probable outcome.
Anyone who thought Robert Mueller would treat Trump like Ken Starr and
his crew did the Clintons clearly knew nothing about the man. Moreover,
letting Barr break the news is resulting in much different headlines
than, say, when James Comey announced that he didn't find sufficient
evidence to charge Hillary Clinton with any crimes in her email case.
At the time, Comey buried the conclusion and spent 90% of his press
conference berating Clinton for her recklessness and numerous other
faults. You're not hearing any of that from Barr, although when the
final report comes out -- and presumably if not released someone will
manage to leak it -- the odds that someone else less in Trump's pocket
could have reported it more critically of Trump are dead certain. As
I write this, reactions are pouring in. For instance: William Saletan:
Look at all the weasel words Bill Barr used to protect Trump.
No time to unpack this now, and probably no point either. I started
to write something under Matt Taibbi below, wasn't able to wrap it up
neatly, and left it dangling. I'll return to the subject at some point,
hopefully with better perspective. But I would like to make two points
here. One is that anyone who tried to pin the word "treason" on Trump
has committed a grave mistake. The word assumes that we are locked in
a state of war that is fixed and immutable, something that we are not
free to make political decisions over. It is, in short, a word that we
should never charge anyone with, even a scoundrel like Trump. Moreover,
it is a word that through its assumptions indicts its user much worse
than its target. Those Democrats who used it should be ashamed and
apologetic. (Needless to say, the same goes for Republicans who hurled
the same charge at Obama and the Clintons.)
The second point is that we need to recognize that what we allow
politicians (like Trump, or for that matter the Clintons) to get away
with legally is a much bigger scandal than whether they ever get caught
violating the law. Indeed, if you take the Mueller Report as exonerating
Trump, you're inadvertently arguing that anything a person can get away
with is fair and acceptable.
Little bit of insight I picked up from Greg Magarian on Facebook:
It's so fucking easy to be conservative. That's maybe the gratest
under-the-radar reason to hate conservatives: because all they have
to do is stand around and let the world keep sucking.
Best news I've seen this week:
A century with Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
Some scattered links this week:
Matthew Yglesias: Probably his least interesting bunch of
pieces since Trump was elected -- maybe he's letting his election as
"Chief Neoliberal Shill" (beating out Scott Linciome in the finals, and
a host of other obvious candidates along the way) go to his head, or
maybe he's just letting his mind wander as presidential campaign news
starts to heat up (although it looks to me like 16-18 months too early
for that).
Fred Barbash/Deanna Paul:
The real reason the Trump administration is constantly losing in
court. Zack Beauchamp:
Walden Bello:
Why free trade is bad for you (or most of you at any rate): "Free
trade is simply a euphemism for the corporate capture of international
trade." Ajay Singh Chaudhary:
The Amazon drama: "The Amazon HQ2 story is a microcosm of twenty-first
century capitalism and a parable about the changing nature of politics for
the left." Jane Coaston:
Gaby Del Valle:
Boeing and other companies put safety at a premium. Vikram Dodd:
Anti-Muslim hate crimes soar in UK after Christchurch shootings.
Coincidentally: Ayal Feinberg/Regina Branton/Valerie Martinez-Ebers:
Counties that hosted a 2016 Trump rally saw a 226 percent increase in hate
crimes. Juliet Eilperin:
Federal judge demands Trump administration reveal how its drilling plans
will fuel climate change. Nicholas Fandos:
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump use private accounts for official business,
their lawyer says. John Feffer:
After Trump: "Centrist liberalism is dead, and Trump is a disaster.
But progressives can use what he's done to remake America and its place
in the world." I doubt the first premise here, but that may just be
semantics: neoliberal foreign policy -- support for globalized capital
protected by a world-wide military umbrella cemented through alliances
with dependent countries and occasional fits of fury with any countries
that aren't adequately deferential -- is so embedded in the psyches of
centrist Democrats that it's automatic even if they are dead. Still,
Trump's "America first" doctrine fractures those alliances, revealing
the underlying weakness of American hegemony, and it's going to be hard
to restore anything like the Pax Americana that thrived after WWII and
through the collapse of the Soviet Union.
What's missing from Bernie Sanders' 'Progressive International':
"To challenge fascists and weak-tea liberals, Sanders has called for
a Progressive International . . . but it's not very international." Masha Gessen:
Jacinda Ardern has rewritten the script for how a nation grieves after a
terrorist attack. Lloyd Green:
Kushner, Inc review: Jared, Ivanka Trump and the rise of the American
kakistocracy: Review of Vicky Ward's book, Kushner Inc.: Greed.
Ambition. Corruption. The Extraordinary Story of Jared Kushner and
Ivanka Trump. New word for me, reportedly coined in the 17th century:
kakistocracy: "a system of government which is run by the worst,
least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens." Karen J Greenberg:
Trump wants to take away your citizenship: "The current administration
is bent on making it easier to denaturalize American citizens." [Title from
The Nation.] Also at TomDispatch: William Astore:
The Death of Peace: "America's senior generals find no exits from
endless war." Conn Hallinan:
Nuclear powers need to disarm before it's too late: "The world's major
nuclear powers are treaty-bound to move towards disarmament. The India-Pakistan
clash underscores the need to get moving." Rosalind S Heiderman/David A Fahrenthold:
Trump's legal troubles are far from over even as Mueller probe ends.
Sean Illing:
How the politics of racial resentment is killing white people:
Interview with Jonathan Metzl, author of Dying of Whiteness: How
the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America's Heartland,
who says:.
I look at the rejection of the Affordable Care Act in the South. I look
at policies that make it far easier for people to get guns and carry
guns everywhere. I look at tax cuts that benefit wealthy Americans
but cut roads, bridges, and schools in poor and working-class areas.
Every one of those policies has been sold as a policy that will make
America great again. But they have devastating consequences for
working-class populations, particularly working-class white populations,
in many instances. . . .
I found that if you lived in a state that rejected the Medicaid
expansion and blocked the full passage of the Affordable Care Act, you
lived about a 21- to 28-day shorter life span on the aggregate. So it
was costing people about three to four weeks of life in those states.
When I looked at states that made it incredibly easy for people to
buy and carry guns pretty much anywhere they wanted, I found that this
correlated with hundreds of deaths that wouldn't have happened otherwise,
particularly in white populations, because gun suicide rose dramatically.
And I found that if you lived in a state that cut away infrastructure and
schools and funding, that correlated with higher high school dropout
rates.
All these variables are associated with shorter life expectancies, so
this is what I mean when I say these policies are killing people.
Umair Irfan:
The Midwest floods are going to get much, much worse: "An 'unprecedented'
flood season lies ahead this spring, according to NOAA." Fred Kaplan:
Trump's North Korea strategy is an incoherent mess: I think Kaplan
is way off-base here (although I wouldn't dispute "incoherent" either
viz. Trump or his free-wheeling administration). Starting talks should
have started a process to unwind sanctions, even with only the loosest
general agreement of reducing tensions. The fact that Kim has called a
halt to testing of rockets and nuclear warheads is significant, as is
Trump's decision to suspend "war games" in the region. Both sides have
gotten the other's attention, and made some tangible progress, so why
not start to unwind the sanctions that had so severely isolated North
Korea as to convince them of the necessity of building a nuclear threat?
The only reason the US hasn't budged on this issue is that hard-liners
like Bolton have convinced Trump to keep up maximum pressure, that all
he has to do is to hang tough until Kim surrenders everything. Yet what
happened was that Treasury tried to add even more sanctions, only to
have Trump publicly withdraw them. Kaplan thinks "Kim is gaining the
upper hand," but aside from making Trump and his administration look
even more schizophrenic I can't think of any advantage Kim accrues.
Sure, he can go back to sabre rattling, but the only reason for that
in the first place was to get Washington's attention, to start the
process of talking. But until he gets some sanctions relief, all he's
got to show for his scheming is some pictures socializing with one of
the world's most reprehensible oligarchs. The only good news on this
front since the Hanoi summit ended is that South Korea is starting to
act on its own, in its own search for peaceful resolution, rather than
letting Trump and Bolton mess things up. See: Josh Rogin:
The United States and South Korea now openly disagree on North Korea.
Gun crazy: "Trump's record-setting military budget is bloated, illegal,
and doomed."
Base instinct: "Trump thinks US military deployments are a protection
racket, and nothing will convince him otherwise." Sarah Kliff:
Nikki Haley is wrong: Finland takes care of new moms way better than the
US. /Dylan Scott:
We read Democrats' 9 plans for expanding health care. Here's how they
work. Since I have it up (it was foolishly recommended by a FB friend),
here's a link to Ezekiel J Emanuel:
Bernie Sanders thinks he can vanquish health insurers. He's wrong.
I read Emanuel's book, Healthcare, Guaranteed: A Simple Solution for
America, when it came out in 2008, along with another dozen books
on the subject. What he recommended then was marginally better than what
we had then, and his new plan is marginally better than what we have now,
but he's always been a shill for the insurance companies (see his "full
disclosure" buried deep in this piece), and his only core belief is that
billionaires shouldn't be inconvenienced by politicians, who in any case
will never be able to buck the rigged system. (His brother is Rahm Emmanuel,
so he should know something about how that system works.) On the other hand,
why would you even consider health care policy from someone who wrote
Why I Hope to Die at 75?
A spinal surgery, a $101,000 bill, and a new law to prevent more surprises:
"How New York state fought surprise medical bills -- and won." Jen Kirby:
The brewing fight over making the Mueller report public, explained. German Lopez:
It took one mass shooting for New Zealand to ban assault weapons. Dylan Matthews:
Nicholas Mulder:
Who's afraid of the International Criminal Court/ Mike Pompeo, for
one. Ralph Nader:
Greedy Boeing's avoidable design and software time bombs. Andrew Prokop:
Brian Resnick:
What Mozambique's unfolding flooding catastrophe looks like. Aaron Rupar:
Stephen Moore, the Trump loyalists nominated to the Fed, explained.
Oddly enough, when Trump picked Larry Kudlow as his chief economic adviser
I had him confused with Moore. Maybe I'll be able to keep them straight
from here on, although their stupidities are pretty interchangeable.
Presumably Moore will back Trump and fight for low interest rates. On
the other hand, as Catherine Rampell reminds us in a tweet:
Funnily enough, when we DID have deflation -- during the depths of the
financial crisis -- he argued for tighter monetary policy, suggesting
that the Fed was about to stoke hyperinflation. Of course, a Democrat
was in the White House then.
Trump's untruths about Veterans Choice illustrate the sheer audaciousness
of his lies: "Trump takes credit for a program he didn't create in
order to demean the late war hero who in fact created it." I'm not opposed
to giving McCain credit where credit is due, but can we please stop this
reflexive reference to him as a "war hero"? It's true that he fought in
a war, and one may certainly sympathize with his suffering during that
war, but nothing he did was heroic, and indeed the only thing Americans
should feel about that war is ashamed. In fact, I have more respect for
Trump's (no doubt selfish) efforts to avoid that war than I do for the
"gung ho" enthusiasm of McCain, Kerry, and many others. [PS: I wrote the
above before I read this piece on POW fetishism: H Bruce Franklin:
Trump vs McCain: an American horror story. If pressed, I would have
guessed that the reason Trump's base so hates McCain has nothing to do
with Vietnam; what they can't forgive him for is losing to Obama. I feel
that same way about Hillary Clinton losing to Trump.]
Kellyanne Conway's stunningly irresponsible advice: read New Zealand
mosque shooter's manifesto. Dylan Scott:
Matt Taibbi:
16 years later, how the press that sold the Iraq War got away with
it:
In the popular imagination, the case for war was driven by a bunch of
Republicans and one over-caffeinated New York Times reporter
named Judith Miller. . . . It's been forgotten this was actually a
business-wide consensus, which included the enthusiastic participation
of a blue-state intelligentsia. The New Yorker of [David] Remnick,
who himself wrote a piece called "Making the Case," was a source of many
of the most ferocious pro-invasion pieces, including a pair written by
current Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg, one of a number of WMD
hawks who failed up after the war case fell apart. Other prominent Democrat
voices like Ezra Klein, Jonathan Chait, and even quasi-skeptic Nick Kristof
(who denounced war critics for calling Bush a liar) were on board, as a
Full Metal Jacket character put it, "for the big win."
The Washington Post and New York Times were key
editorial-page drivers of the conflict; MSNBC unhired Phil Donahue and
Jesse Ventura over their war skepticism; CNN flooded the airwaves with
generals and ex-Pentagon stoolies, and broadcast outlets ABC, CBS, NBC
and PBS stacked the deck even worse: In a two-week period before the
invasion, the networks had just one American guest out of 267 who
questioned the war, according to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting.
This is an excerpt from a new book, Hate Inc.: Why Today's Media
Makes Us Despise One Another, which seems to be available as some
kind of
subscription deal [actually, here's a
better link]. Following that link led me to another title:
"It's official: Russiagate is this generation's WMD." I'd like to
quote something here, but I'm having trouble making sense of Taibbi's
point -- other than the broader one that the media (both right and
"left") is corrupt, stupid, and vain, and as such rarely credible,
but you know that by now, don't you?.
PS: Pulled this from Taibbi's twitter feed:
As a purely journalistic failure, however, WMD was a pimple compared
to Russiagate. The sheer scale of errors and exaggerations this time
around dwarfs the last mess. Worse, it's led to most journalists
accepting a radical change of mission. We've become sides-choosers,
obliterating the concept of the press as an independent institution
whose primary role is sorting fact and fiction.
The problem I have here is that the WMD lie was simple, coherent,
and obviously directed by the White House, US security services, and
their allies, "Russiagate" is a vacuous mix of charges and innuendo,
poorly sourced, and reeking of sour grapes from the excuse-hunting
sore losers around Hillary Clinton. If you take that as a strict
definition, journalists like Taibbi and Glenn Greenwald are right to
be critical, but how much of the media has chosen to be that narrowly
partisan? Rachel Maddow is certainly one, and I'm sure there are many
more -- including a bunch I habitually avoid. On the other hand, some
journalists have helped sort fact from fiction, and those facts note
that: a fair number of Trump campaign staff had considerable contacts
with Russians and instinctively lied about them afterwards; also it
is clear that Russian cyber operators actively campaigned for Trump,
often reinforcing Trump's own campaign messages, although it is not
clear to what extent (if any) the two campaigns coordinated (in this,
Russia was acting much like the many "independent" PACs that favored
Trump for supposedly didn't coordinate with the Trump campaign); and
after the election, Trump and his circle lied about the contacts and
eventually organized a massive PR campaign to counter and discredit
the Mueller investigation, which led to uncovering further embarrassing
facts and behavior. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has turned out
to be the most thoroughly corrupt ruling clique in American history,
with dozens of inadequately reported scandals -- perhaps because it's
been convenient for both sides (originally Trump/Clinton, with varying
degrees of party allegiance) to focus on the banner charges: "collusion
with Russia" (often hysterically inflated to "treason") and "obstruction
of justice." [ . . . ]
How to blow $700 billion.
The Pentagon's bottomless money pit.
Trump wants more war money than last year and Democrats don't seem to
mind.
Turns out that trillion-dollar bailout was, in fact, real. Alex Ward:
Jennifer Williams:
The massive anti-Brexit protest march in the UK, in 19 photos. Richard Wolfe:
No collusion, plenty of corruption: Trump is not in the clear.
Ask a question, or send a comment.
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