Mo' Warriors, Anna's, Jon Stewart, Frederica Von Stade, Keith Jarrett and aging parents
Sigh…it was clear in high school and it remains clear today – you don’t have to be very smart to be an athlete…I am suffering through another woeful, execrable Warriors Bball performance, as the “brain trust” of White Montgomery and clean and sober Mullin continue their managerial brilliance. I know, I know – you are wondering.Is this a jazz or basketball blog? Yes.
White Dumbleavy has played 30 minutes with a stellar 1-8 shooting, Goy Murphy is a scintillating 6 points in 32 minutes, and of course I can understand why Ike underachiever Diogu is on the bench with a “mere” 4 points in 5 minutes. Meanwhile, Adonal hands of stone Foyle (despite his good politics) continues to fumble away every opportunity, Baron does his little kabuki channeling of I am too Kobe,I am too Kobe as he forces up shots he can’t make anymore and Fisher insists on passes into 3 defenders. Look, I am not making Ike out to be the messiah, but it clearly does not take a rocket scientist or someone who can play modern jazz to figure out that you have a guy in Diogu who is the only credible low post scoring threat and leads his team in field goal percentage. Meanwhile, when you opt for stiffs like Dunleavy and Foyle who have repeatedly demonstrated their incompetence, I have to say that either/or and/also Montgomery/Mullin need to go. The only untouchable on the Warriors is Jason Richardson, but all else needs to be on the table. Oh, just in case you are wondering, some of my best friends are White (including myself) and Nash is my favorite player and should repeat as MVP. It is just a drag to see lesser talents getting more PT, and in almost every case they are White. Why? So the largely white upper-middle class fan base that can afford these usurious prices can have someone to relate to. I think the calculation is, the lawyer in Danville or the CPA in San Ramon is going to relate more to a Dunleavy than to a Rasheed Wallace. Still, when you see someone who is such a disappointment as Dumbleavy raking in huge bucks while adding a subheading to overpaid, you have to wonder when Mullin is going to wise up. I will observe that Diogu may be the most mishandled talent since Jermaine O’Neal in Portland or at least Boris Diaw in Atlanta.
On the brighter side of things, Zilberella did its first Monday gig at Anna’s Jazz Island on March 6, and it went exceedingly well. I think it’s the best the group has played together as a group – more fire, exploration and a great feeling among the players. Matt Renzi, a very fine tenor player sat in, which added to the festivities. There is little I enjoy more than playing with another strong tenor player, since we speak exactly the same language so it makes for the best conversation. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we ended up playing a 2 hour set instead of breaking and doing two 45-50 minute ones. Hopefully, those of you who read this blog will get a chance to come down and check it out sometime…it’s a great room in a nice part of Berkeley and we hope it turns into a little bit of a scene, so spread the word. (www.annasjazzisland.com)
My folks have been in town, to see Carla’s show, Zilberella and just visit. It is poignant and bittersweet, as it is for all children when they see their parents age. In my case, my father, one of my three heroes when I was growing up, John Lennon and Bobby Kennedy being the other two, is getting rather foggy, memory-wise, and has slowed up considerably in the physical department. Still, he is a sweet and kind man and is blessed with a wife who nurtures and takes care of him. They’ve been married over 51 years now, and are truly each other’s romantic partners still. It is painful to watch the very natural process of a long goodbye…I was grateful that they were able to hear and enjoy our gig at Anna’s, one of countless they have been at over the years. They always have given me unstinting support for my music, and have bestowed all kinds of other gifts, large and small, not the least of which was the belief that music is its own reward and justification. Loss is in the air, lately, at least in my circles. A friend of mine’s mother just passed after a lengthy illness, another’s father just suffered a massive heart attack, and an older friend is recovering from a brain tumor, so it is crucial to remind myself to prioritize and enjoy what time I am given with those I love. I will say I have never met a more decent and honorable person than my father, who was also wise to a fault.
On a lighter note, Jon Stewart is, arguably, the subtlest humorist I know of. Even on a creaky, self-inflating spectacle like the Oscars, he managed to gently and deftly skewer the proceedings. I haven’t watched one of these tedious events in years upon years, but Stewart made the dreariness semi-palatable. My faves? His jest at Spielberg in light of Schindler’s List and Munich, “we Jews can’t wait to see what happens next…trilogy.” His add-on after the self-hagiographic montage on Hollywood’s fight against injustice “and there were never any problems again”. The mock attack ads he and Stephen Colbert did, as well as his wry line “I guess it just got a little easier to be a pimp” after three 6 mafia took home the oscar in a category where one song was worse than the next – also, what is the deal with Dolly Parton? She looks exactly the same as she did 30 years ago, and that is some kind of a testament to the surgical profession or Dr. Faustus’ friend.
So in addition to playing Anna’s and other joints, I am going to catch 2 icons in the next couple of weeks: Frederica Von Stade on the 17th and Keith Jarrett on the 19th, going solo to both, as Carla has performances. With Von Stade, I have to confess to being more curious than compelled, but it’s all for a good cause, the Jazzschool benefit. Also, I have never heard one of the world’s great sopranos in person, and want to be open to that experience. I have been listening deeply and regularly to Jarrett’s version of It’s All In the Game, as discussed in a previous blog, so am very much looking forward to what he’s like solo, having heard him 3-4 times with his trio. Anyway, to coin a phrase, good night and good luck, I’m off to work on that cold fusion project in the basement…
White Dumbleavy has played 30 minutes with a stellar 1-8 shooting, Goy Murphy is a scintillating 6 points in 32 minutes, and of course I can understand why Ike underachiever Diogu is on the bench with a “mere” 4 points in 5 minutes. Meanwhile, Adonal hands of stone Foyle (despite his good politics) continues to fumble away every opportunity, Baron does his little kabuki channeling of I am too Kobe,I am too Kobe as he forces up shots he can’t make anymore and Fisher insists on passes into 3 defenders. Look, I am not making Ike out to be the messiah, but it clearly does not take a rocket scientist or someone who can play modern jazz to figure out that you have a guy in Diogu who is the only credible low post scoring threat and leads his team in field goal percentage. Meanwhile, when you opt for stiffs like Dunleavy and Foyle who have repeatedly demonstrated their incompetence, I have to say that either/or and/also Montgomery/Mullin need to go. The only untouchable on the Warriors is Jason Richardson, but all else needs to be on the table. Oh, just in case you are wondering, some of my best friends are White (including myself) and Nash is my favorite player and should repeat as MVP. It is just a drag to see lesser talents getting more PT, and in almost every case they are White. Why? So the largely white upper-middle class fan base that can afford these usurious prices can have someone to relate to. I think the calculation is, the lawyer in Danville or the CPA in San Ramon is going to relate more to a Dunleavy than to a Rasheed Wallace. Still, when you see someone who is such a disappointment as Dumbleavy raking in huge bucks while adding a subheading to overpaid, you have to wonder when Mullin is going to wise up. I will observe that Diogu may be the most mishandled talent since Jermaine O’Neal in Portland or at least Boris Diaw in Atlanta.
On the brighter side of things, Zilberella did its first Monday gig at Anna’s Jazz Island on March 6, and it went exceedingly well. I think it’s the best the group has played together as a group – more fire, exploration and a great feeling among the players. Matt Renzi, a very fine tenor player sat in, which added to the festivities. There is little I enjoy more than playing with another strong tenor player, since we speak exactly the same language so it makes for the best conversation. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we ended up playing a 2 hour set instead of breaking and doing two 45-50 minute ones. Hopefully, those of you who read this blog will get a chance to come down and check it out sometime…it’s a great room in a nice part of Berkeley and we hope it turns into a little bit of a scene, so spread the word. (www.annasjazzisland.com)
My folks have been in town, to see Carla’s show, Zilberella and just visit. It is poignant and bittersweet, as it is for all children when they see their parents age. In my case, my father, one of my three heroes when I was growing up, John Lennon and Bobby Kennedy being the other two, is getting rather foggy, memory-wise, and has slowed up considerably in the physical department. Still, he is a sweet and kind man and is blessed with a wife who nurtures and takes care of him. They’ve been married over 51 years now, and are truly each other’s romantic partners still. It is painful to watch the very natural process of a long goodbye…I was grateful that they were able to hear and enjoy our gig at Anna’s, one of countless they have been at over the years. They always have given me unstinting support for my music, and have bestowed all kinds of other gifts, large and small, not the least of which was the belief that music is its own reward and justification. Loss is in the air, lately, at least in my circles. A friend of mine’s mother just passed after a lengthy illness, another’s father just suffered a massive heart attack, and an older friend is recovering from a brain tumor, so it is crucial to remind myself to prioritize and enjoy what time I am given with those I love. I will say I have never met a more decent and honorable person than my father, who was also wise to a fault.
On a lighter note, Jon Stewart is, arguably, the subtlest humorist I know of. Even on a creaky, self-inflating spectacle like the Oscars, he managed to gently and deftly skewer the proceedings. I haven’t watched one of these tedious events in years upon years, but Stewart made the dreariness semi-palatable. My faves? His jest at Spielberg in light of Schindler’s List and Munich, “we Jews can’t wait to see what happens next…trilogy.” His add-on after the self-hagiographic montage on Hollywood’s fight against injustice “and there were never any problems again”. The mock attack ads he and Stephen Colbert did, as well as his wry line “I guess it just got a little easier to be a pimp” after three 6 mafia took home the oscar in a category where one song was worse than the next – also, what is the deal with Dolly Parton? She looks exactly the same as she did 30 years ago, and that is some kind of a testament to the surgical profession or Dr. Faustus’ friend.
So in addition to playing Anna’s and other joints, I am going to catch 2 icons in the next couple of weeks: Frederica Von Stade on the 17th and Keith Jarrett on the 19th, going solo to both, as Carla has performances. With Von Stade, I have to confess to being more curious than compelled, but it’s all for a good cause, the Jazzschool benefit. Also, I have never heard one of the world’s great sopranos in person, and want to be open to that experience. I have been listening deeply and regularly to Jarrett’s version of It’s All In the Game, as discussed in a previous blog, so am very much looking forward to what he’s like solo, having heard him 3-4 times with his trio. Anyway, to coin a phrase, good night and good luck, I’m off to work on that cold fusion project in the basement…
posted by Michael Zilber at 11:23 PM
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