tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33792277981495860462011-11-27T19:16:41.373-05:00"United, our thing will stand" -- James BookerBWBnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-49281143161494296442009-04-07T17:35:00.001-04:002009-04-07T17:36:58.386-04:00

Dear Friends--I have made a fresh start. Please visit this new blog. Love to all, big up, big up.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-88407453588121772782008-12-15T10:09:00.000-05:002008-12-15T10:10:20.576-05:00

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-70901518488307374542008-12-04T12:38:00.003-05:002008-12-04T12:41:21.704-05:00

Notes on last night's game up on SLAM. Come check out the party next Sunday, too.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-63461606323589904232008-11-18T11:45:00.001-05:002008-11-18T11:48:26.913-05:00

This is the first piece I've done for Tribes on the Prospect 1 Biennial. More to come.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-30577393505871112122008-11-11T16:45:00.005-05:002008-11-11T16:53:01.424-05:00

You can go here to see the Mayor's power point presentation and the full budget proposals. Lot to see in there. And a tone like weird, disfigured version of a Franklin Covey seminar. I guess this is how business gets done!!

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-60551179546116978352008-11-05T10:30:00.002-05:002008-11-05T10:41:31.173-05:00

This was the about when it hit me. When two families, black and white, at least 3 generations, stood up there in victory, with the flags and the crowd--that happened last night.As cynical as I leaned for the last few months, this beat it. Even in this warped land in 2008, the very fact that they could all win, together...And after all that bullshit of the last 8 years, we can still win, can

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-48774765131911910282008-10-28T11:02:00.001-05:002008-10-28T11:05:51.295-05:00

Alright, the GreyTone preview is up on SLAM right huurr.And the Hornets247 party hosted by myself and Ron Hitley is right huurrr.So we'll see you there, right?

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-45904661472532292832008-10-13T14:40:00.000-04:002008-10-13T14:41:12.738-04:00

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-7131826595636533302008-09-26T09:52:00.003-04:002008-09-26T10:00:50.901-04:00

What if they'd done the right thing and scheduled this debate in New Orleans? And then the Great Spasm happened and McCain pulled this latest stunt? Would he have cancelled on New Orleans? Could he escape the irony of the next Republican administration leaving the city hanging? Seems like that might've given the Obama people an even riper fruit to toss at this increasingly twisted opponent.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-85256309974216555032008-09-26T09:48:00.002-04:002008-09-26T09:52:39.375-04:00

Welcome to the internets, F. Baby.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-35971930793771990012008-09-24T22:26:00.002-04:002008-09-24T23:50:47.191-04:00

Idea: why doesn't Obama say, you know what? I'll see your request to cancel our debate and go listen to Bush babble about this panic attack. But why don't we have our VP candidates debate in our place? The whole point of a VP, after all, is that he or she is prepared to step in if necessary on a moment's notice. We can stick to your format, and we'll meet up on October 2nd, the scheduled VP

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-19316368818253892632008-09-16T13:47:00.005-04:002008-09-16T15:13:01.841-04:00

This is how the Bush years end: millions in Texas without power, the coast ravaged, with gas prices over $4 a gallon, Wall Street collapsing in on itself, and the fundamentalist governor of another oil state on the precipice of the presidency.Mission accomplished.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-18934618266865032472008-09-15T10:14:00.005-04:002008-09-15T10:21:06.947-04:00

Again, when are we going to demand that the Gulf South and disaster become campaign issues? While two horrendous hurricanes blow through the bottom half of the country, followed by bungled responses by the federal government in the aftermath, why has neither candidate given a major speech on recent events? Not simply a name drop of Katrina, but a real, powerful speech about what we're going to

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-56201796509000506152008-09-14T12:44:00.002-04:002008-09-14T12:52:25.838-04:00

In the saddle again. And starting next Sunday, on WTUL 91.5FM doing--dig it--the Country Show from 2pm-4pm. Streamingling online at www.wtulneworleans.com.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-88385079035415092482008-08-30T08:55:00.000-04:002008-08-30T08:56:05.756-04:00

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-83624117885748259642008-08-28T23:18:00.008-04:002008-08-29T13:04:20.997-04:00

We booked a hotel room in Memphis and then I went to Superdome. It is August 28th, 1 day shy of the 3 year anniversary.I pulled the bike in and our guy who runs the lot was sipping whiskey with water and ice on the tailgate of a pick-up. His co-worker had me stick a business card in the bike's spedometer so his boss would know that I belong.Fans crawled through the lots and sidewalks on the

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-83294516659750537532008-08-28T17:18:00.003-04:002008-08-28T17:33:18.645-04:00

"What are y'all going to do?"Funny, I hadn't thought of that.You know somewhere out in the ocean, a menace is making decisions for you. You see photos of Haiti and recognize it even though you've never visited the island. You tell your mother it'll be OK.You watch people who suffered through Katrina grow anxious, agitated. A few days ago, you drove around St. Bernard Parish and said how good

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-53406805017725158302008-08-26T22:28:00.013-04:002008-08-26T23:16:12.772-04:00

(Begun in the last third of his speech)Mentions McCain's backyard and crouches. "How bout it?" I think he actually did a "ya-hooo."BILL CLINTON IS EATING IT UP. This fella is like an 8th grade teacher. He's talkin Green.The More of the Same/Four More Years of the Same Ol' Same Ol'*Does that mean the Clintons, too?Governor of Montana wears a bollo tie: they can never take our sunshine.In the

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-77232402949793413932008-08-25T15:34:00.002-04:002008-08-25T15:38:11.865-04:00

The man has his finger on the pulse...of 2005.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-70170662547386492752008-08-21T09:37:00.005-04:002008-08-21T09:57:17.250-04:00

New Orleans, August 2008 "Not to be an 'I-told-you-so, ' but I was in Jackson Square, and I predicted that New Orleans would come back as a stronger and better city, " Bush said. "That's the prediction I made."Yep, you are a fcking soothsayer, alright. The "vision thing," that's what got you here, what got us through, what's kept this country on such a glorious path for these last 8 years. "An '

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-80718878220765187322008-08-20T16:24:00.004-04:002008-08-20T16:34:17.450-04:00

I meant to go the press conference for this report, but work intervened. It'll be interesting to hear LSU's response and the silence from City Hall.Last Sunday, I rode up to Charity to do some Booker musing. On the loading dock/ambulance entrance in the back, I parked and sat down in an old office chair someone'd left there. I figured I'd write a little and wait out the rain.After a half-hour, an

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-22027998314906158952008-08-13T18:01:00.002-04:002008-08-13T18:06:20.680-04:00

Well, at least when the NOAH story made the NY Times, it featured the leader of the good fight, Karen Gadbois of Squandered Heritage (they could've linked to the site). Damn you, New York Times, you're hurting the recovery!

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-14111265944004262892008-08-07T14:03:00.006-04:002008-08-07T16:40:04.584-04:00

After sending his possible regrets due to a scheduling conflict, the Mayor appeared at the Council today to talk NOAH. He was in fine form.When I arrived, the normal stuff was playing out: talk of better preparation for voting locations, particularly for handicapped citizens; an apology to the gathered firemen--decision on their pay was delayed because the corresponding report still had errors;

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-81881052730107080392008-08-07T10:50:00.006-04:002008-08-07T11:11:14.839-04:00

This could end up being the story/controversy of the year. In terms of the effect on the national perception of the city, its government, and, sadly, its citizens, this is a bad one."'A group of kids took the stuff out," she said. "The only people who helped me was people from outside the city.'" -Doris Dupre, whose house was gutted by volunteers but was on a list billed to the city by NOAH,

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-51993631928203750002008-08-04T22:54:00.009-04:002008-08-05T11:34:29.817-04:00

What, what, wHAT!Irresponsive, but with not much left in the tank for fronting, as the lurching-along has caught up to them, the population of Nagina dickers with the locks inside City Hall. The locks are either corroded and not yet replaced, a hand-wringing “how could…?” Or newly minted fingerprint sensors, with a code for each day of the month and a finely engraved imprint: Out of Order. Either

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-73506418015378298752008-07-30T14:05:00.003-04:002008-07-30T14:07:36.476-04:00

New essay about the oil spill at Gathering of the Tribes.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-76723374090615150122008-07-10T17:34:00.003-04:002008-07-10T23:03:43.526-04:00

Democracy is a puffy, mottled face thing in City Hall, where everyone looks slightly tazed, and slightly bloated. Paper shuffling, "thank you," "no, thank you," stone-faced Nagin spies, and the side entrances all mark the organism's mediocre pomp n' circumstance. "Wow," I thought as I exited today. "Even the militant who spoke during the public response portion was below average and sorta

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-42381782994065960372008-07-10T13:50:00.005-04:002008-07-10T14:00:11.072-04:00

New piece on hip-hop in Morocco at the Gathering of the Tribes site.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-8911381697319041432008-07-03T10:00:00.001-04:002008-07-03T10:01:08.794-04:00

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-40110314517832635992008-06-03T17:19:00.005-04:002008-06-03T17:38:02.720-04:00

On the heels of unanswered questions re: the city's 311 system, we learn that the City is investigating the credentials of the interim director of the Office of Technology, which oversees 311. Apparently they suspect that Anthony Jones isn't just a few credits short of a bachelor's degree at Tulane, but may not be enrolled there at all. His claim of a business degree from the great online

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-48771657573583905732008-05-29T12:32:00.003-04:002008-05-29T13:15:17.517-04:00

I IS ANOTHER (2008)I’m going to take you on a river journeyMerci beaucoup. Thank you.Connecting the dots: how far we’ve comeThat helicopter turned up river.Newfound vigilance in our citizensOk Daddy you take fishyIt was August in New Orleans with no electricity. It was so hot.And fishy survived.City that normally spendsCaribbean flavored bright orange with two palm trees in the frontreinventing,

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-54206340540914439932008-05-28T14:38:00.003-04:002008-05-28T14:50:29.033-04:00

Nagin's State of the City goes down tonight at 6:30pm. Last year's was the infamous tribute to 1990's No Limit Records and Smokey Johnson. This year's will apparently mention the great corporate investment in the city over the last year, apparently symbolized by the new Nike Store next to Rock n' Bowl. No, really, a shoe store is "corporate investment." More to come on another historic

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-54797769117872290052008-05-15T09:54:00.006-04:002008-06-03T17:35:07.664-04:00

Playaz Circle ft. Kenya Smith ...'"If you're lobbying a council member or a state representative on something and you bring them to an environment where they're more comfortable and they feel more at ease talking -- as opposed to the drive-through window at McDonald's -- there's a greater likelihood of being able to prevail on the issue," Smith said."This is within the standards of how it's done

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-28635190022260490892008-05-15T09:52:00.001-04:002008-05-15T09:53:54.198-04:00

These might get to SLAM today, but here's what I had....Pre-game-Due to some confusion, I’m at the top of the lower bowl and Aggrey’s down at courtside. Pretty diverse crowd up here, as I sit next to a French reporter, whose next to a Chinese reporter, whose next to this (don’t make me have to go and see the) Rasta, who Aggrey is best boys with. Also: two rows down, a white dude with gold

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-7104599608741259312008-05-13T10:40:00.001-04:002008-05-13T10:40:57.652-04:00

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-25070956914360769102008-05-06T10:24:00.003-04:002008-05-06T10:32:41.002-04:00

Notes up on SLAM. I don't think this thing is done, but there's nothing the Bees lack right now. The defense is crazy, Peja (my x-factor) is hitting threes and diving for loose balls, and CP3 looks possessed, even more than the previous 88 games. They win this and they've blown through the last 3 defending Western Conf. champs. The crowd is the greatest vent/pride session in town right now,

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-66443042419521702592008-04-30T12:03:00.005-04:002008-05-01T11:05:01.275-04:00

Giant Sits-Is this still how it sounds when the world falls apart? -Brotzmann on soprano, I am digging the cieling fan. -Bennink, in a bandana, so often ignores the cymbals, which to me is a real shame during Brotzmann's long notes (this manifests thru the evening...). -Thinking about the reference points they work from, i.e. how their ears and art evolved. Probably the N.O. in me. More math

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-83755214873768075322008-04-30T09:54:00.003-04:002008-05-01T11:33:23.431-04:00

Good one last night, dedicated to Bonzi Wells and the city of Lafayette. Jean Luc Ponty-of-View was a request for a statement of purpose from the folks at the Shell Oil Jazz & Heritage Foundation. In the middle, did a run of Tuts-Fess-Touissant in anticipation of tomorrow's movie night (and then I lost track). Be nice to see you there...Artist - Track - Album - LabelJames Booker - Classified -A

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-14808837809306779192008-04-30T09:52:00.001-04:002008-04-30T15:30:55.533-04:00

The Hornets sure ain't. “Everything that we have done is all about this city,” Paul said. “It’s about rebuilding the city of New Orleans.”

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-2599836753996426642008-04-26T10:08:00.002-04:002008-04-26T10:12:59.588-04:00

Sorta predictable loss, and actually not that frightening. Notes up on SLAM. Honestly, timeouts are a good thing in the playoffs, Byron. Especially when you go down 16. Really, they're OK.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-54634231896647526442008-04-23T10:45:00.003-04:002008-04-23T10:53:24.355-04:00

Our GreyTone production is up at SLAM. This was a full-scale beating, and if we expected to witness a passing of the torch from Kidd to CP3, Chris turned into one angry pro-Tibetan protestor, shutting the ceremony down in front of the entire world. One other thing I noted in the report: the Hornets now have a real hometown crowd, which erupts, boos, stands, dances, and does everything it can to

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-72813721577327443252008-04-22T11:23:00.004-04:002008-04-22T12:15:34.259-04:00

How does this pass?"'You can see hope in the fact that people (who frankly I could give two shts about, 'cept for this funny hornman) are absolutely determined to make it better than it was before...(which was, heh heh, a place where, runny-nosed and loudly)...I spent many a fine day here in New Orleans," he said, pausing for the punchline, "and a pretty good night, too."'Dig the blackheart.I'm

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-76305297945519345102008-04-20T22:12:00.002-04:002008-04-20T22:14:19.838-04:00

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-36486620694987000352008-04-17T12:06:00.001-04:002008-04-17T12:07:38.814-04:00

Come check it out on Saturday.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-55765284692146808812008-04-16T10:01:00.002-04:002008-04-16T10:10:00.358-04:00

Happy Birthday, Bessie Smith (1894).Artist - Track - Album - LabelJames Booker - Gonzo's Blue Dream - Spiders on the Keys - RounderRoy Campbell Ensemble - Aten and Amarna - Akhenaten Suite - AUM FidelityLindah Kallerdahl - Body & Soul - Gold - Esp-DiskRight Hemisphere - Falling In - Right Hemisphere - RogueartVandermark 5 - Speedplay (for Max Roach) - Beat Reader - AtavisticBessie Smith -

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-12284212516298782732008-04-08T01:53:00.009-04:002008-04-08T17:15:27.101-04:00

On Saturday morning, we woke up early and headed to Freret Street to prepare for the festival. Preparations at the neighborhood center went well, though the work began with me and a very strong man digging heavy sludge out of a storm drain, not exactly the fairest of sights. Up and down the street, tents went up and vendors prepared for the thousands of festival-goers. By 11am, I was done and

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-83338545674038167032008-04-04T09:14:00.006-04:002008-04-04T11:18:01.020-04:00

Imagine my shock when I unsheathed the Times-Pic from the plastic wrap this morning and saw the hoarders on the front page. Then try and imagine them at the exact same time as the demolition crew descended on their family's home, leaving them with no place to live and a flat plain where their world stood just the day before. Then focus on the honk-honk up the block, the one with the marble porch

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-83677122934907835772008-04-02T10:56:00.002-04:002008-04-02T11:39:57.751-04:00

Order this album right away Premiered three new discs--this one (thanks to Matt Shipp for the mail), Irvin Mayfield & Ellis Marsalis new release (the first from Basin St. Records since the storm), and The Roy Campbell Ensemble's live recording from the 2007 Vision Fest (dope). Jean-Luc Ponty-of view: at a recent panel/performance, I heard two local clarinetists bemoan a "lost generation" of

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-73358355380324819772008-04-01T14:06:00.004-04:002008-04-01T14:56:54.265-04:00

Sunday was a rambler. I worked the Tennesse Williams Festival's music events at the Palm Court, which mostly involved sitting at the bar and sipping some beer, occasionally tilting my head at a comment or verse. At one point, I strolled back to headquarters at the Bourbon Orleans to pick up checks and credentials for a few of the performers, and got caught behind these men (and woman) of the

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-66960184588053665942008-03-26T10:16:00.002-04:002008-03-26T10:36:28.006-04:00

Henry ButlerGood first show online. Included the Jean Luc Ponty-of-view questions: Ray Nagin really has a company called Stone Age? And, if it not sheerly for bribery's sake, who in their right mind would hire Ray Nagin to do their countertops?Artist - Track - Album - LabelBigga Raiji - Size - VA - Japan RecordJames Booker - Classified - Live at Tipitina's 1977Jason Kato Hwang - From East Sixth

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-50518960008292187022008-03-25T10:32:00.005-04:002008-03-25T10:51:56.608-04:00

I'm a little late on this, but pour a little fountain Coke on the ground for Al Copeland, Popeye's founder and true G of New Orleans low culture.Really, I have a special spot in my heart for the man and his creation. A Popeye's meal was the first one I ever shared with Kim, probably one of the most memorable 30 minutes of my life. A friend of mine babysat for Copeland's grandchildren one summer

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-90712270004512485842008-03-24T10:35:00.004-04:002008-03-24T10:48:01.775-04:00

WTUL is broadcasting online again right HERE. Check us out on Tuesdays, 6-8pm, for some jazz and things. Personally, I'm amped.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-29917392312620299882008-03-23T21:20:00.006-04:002008-03-23T22:16:22.513-04:00

On Saturday morning, the Crescent City Classic blocked our route uptown, so we ended up cutting over to St. Bernard to get onto 610. New rubble stood in the place of the St. Bernard projects, which we'd passed only a week ago, and which were on the front page of the TP just a few days back. In the photo, the pitiful, racist, supposed mouthpiece of public housing residents (as selected by some

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-25896953630346807322008-03-20T10:29:00.009-04:002008-03-20T10:47:14.786-04:00

Most of this is from outside of Marcus Garvey Park at S. Derbigny and Washington Avenue. I wasn't quite as delirious as last year, but we showed some friends from outta town how the heart of the city beats.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-46805200632601070422008-03-19T10:16:00.002-04:002008-03-19T10:31:26.537-04:00

Steve LacyFeatured a long track from a Lacy session in Buenos Aires in 1966, recently released by ESP, and a thought about Jelly Roll, also an even weirder Lee Perry snippet. I thought the Harlem Experiment sounded good, too.Artist - Track - Album - LabelJames Booker - All By Myself - Resurrection of the Bayou Maharajah - RounderSteve Dalachinsky & Matthew Shipp - Trust Fund Babies #1 -

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-43764759713321843772008-03-13T11:27:00.002-05:002008-03-13T12:37:03.155-05:00

"So, I stand before you, a vagina-friendly Mayor. I am in! And you know what? It is so appropriate right now." Off the script again. (via Your Right Hand Thief)

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-68230746254408712572008-03-13T09:12:00.002-05:002008-03-13T09:22:11.242-05:00

New enforcer Bonzi Wells My notes, done in conjunction with my man, Aggrey Sam, are up on the SLAM Site now. The Hornets thrashed the champs, refusing to back down when things got physical and shooting the lights out. Final Score: 100-75.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-71153629678085881492008-03-12T15:08:00.005-05:002008-03-12T15:43:46.956-05:00

Milford Graves/J DillaHighlights included the new Mia Doi Todd (I know my man Steve 1989 at EVR is amped about this); the New York Art Quartet (ft. Mr. Graves) reissue, which went into a mix of Tyondai/Parker/J-Dilla; and this week's Jean Luc Ponty-of-view, which asked, "If you were known as the Sheriff of Wall Street, wouldn't you be completely paranoid--to the point of abstinence--about being

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-67626092317469317332008-03-11T22:07:00.020-05:002008-03-11T23:08:00.752-05:00

Looking at the Mississippi We went to Memphis this weekend. There's certainly a lot to see, with more than a few ghosts blowing around through it's overly-gentrified downtown and the rusty rim that surrounds it. Here are some photos... Where Ike Turner invented Rock n' RollA lot of Memphis looks like this, in various stages of decay or nostalgia We stayed at the Heartbreak Hotel. That's the pool

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-84064731954249794362008-03-05T10:44:00.003-05:002008-03-05T10:53:58.538-05:00

RIPSort of an odd show, with a brief Buddy Miles tribute and this week's Jean Luc-Ponty-of-View editorial on what has become a sad, sad squabble session between two failures. Otherwise, a lot of good sounds.Artist - Title - Album - LabelJames Booker - Save Your Love For Me - Resurrection of the Bayou Maharajah - RounderCharles Gayle/Sunny Murray/William Parker - Beset Souls - Kingdom Come -

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-58332135431861670832008-03-03T14:10:00.002-05:002008-03-03T20:51:08.849-05:00

My notes from Friday's game are up on the SLAM site now. From the pregame through the halftime show to the incredible last quarter, this was the best one so far, and the 4th sellout in 6 games. Go buy a ticket.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-46687376829907935272008-02-27T12:01:00.008-05:002008-02-27T14:53:05.840-05:00

Konono No. 1 One thing I got into was the connections in this Long Hidden CD from William Parker. A few tracks are with a group called Doson Ngoni, and a few with the Olmec Group. The former is the quieter, mrimba-centered sound, the latter a Latin-esque tribute to the original natives of the Dominican Republic. I crossed these with music from a "Dominican Music in New York City " compilation,

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-36673422645244408692008-02-26T13:43:00.007-05:002008-02-26T15:59:56.910-05:00

There is a hidden community in this city, visible only when on ladders or rooftops, or milling around gas stations and Loews parking lots. It continues to grow, the conditions of its expansion both dangerous and unclear--how did they get here and from where? Texas? El Salvador? Bolivia? How did they hear about the work? How many have been murdered for their cash on Friday evenings? Will this

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-27417093655908974732008-02-21T10:21:00.003-05:002008-02-21T10:56:38.096-05:00

In some ways, the new homeless population of New Orleans have become the litmus paper for city government's ineptitude and the consequences thereof. While many cities have homeless problems, ours is a particular case where the cause is known (the storm) and the response follows an ugly chain of denial-additional displacement-allowing someone else to handle it--and, now, counterproductive

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-12928240117586047952008-02-20T10:38:00.004-05:002008-02-20T10:47:51.530-05:00

Lester YoungDid a short tribute to Prez in honor of the holiday, and I highly recommend Electric Kulintang, new project from Susie Ibarra & Roberto Rodriguez.Artist - Track - Album - LabelJames Booker - Gonzo's Blue Dream -Spider on the Keys - RounderNervous Cabaret - Grand Palace of Love - Nervous Cabaret - nervouscabaret.comWilliam Parker - Pok-A-Tok - Long Hidden - AUM FidelityAnthony Braxton

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-31966129697622707502008-02-14T10:37:00.005-05:002008-02-15T13:03:36.700-05:00

"What're you gonna do?""Same ol! How about you?""Maybe raise some cash, ha!"So this photo goes up on the TP, people have a big laugh, then retch a little under their desks, and then Nagin whines through Ms. Quiett. We should always expect apathy or cheap thrills from the TP, followed up by....silence and after-the-fact notification. And Nagin's sensitivity is in line with the grandiose/paranoid

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-89809955534795106502008-02-13T12:50:00.004-05:002008-02-13T12:55:55.988-05:00

Charles Gayle Artist - Track - Album - LabelJames Booker - Papa Was A Rascal - Classified - Night TrainSun Ra - Yucatan - Atlantis - EvidenceSusie Ibarra & Assif Tsahar - Happy Disillusion - Home Cookin' - HopscotchCharles Gayle Quartet - Our Sins - Daily Bread - Black SaintHoward Wiley - No More My Lawd - Angola Project - HNICBilly Martin/Grant Calvin Weston/DJ Logic - Rice Glue -For no one in

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-75447741279866736112008-02-06T12:01:00.000-05:002008-02-06T13:41:48.699-05:00

We awoke today surrounded by boas and sunglasses. An overcast sky dissolved slowly in the living room window after an evening of tropical showers and low rumbling thunder and sky-wide lightning. Beads hang from the front door and down the railing on the frontsteps. Picked up off the floor, the following images and recalls...Friday Night LightsThrough a work connection, I got us into a party on

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-77547205453372814252008-02-04T14:37:00.000-05:002008-02-04T15:15:33.755-05:00

“He’s wasted!” Yep, Hulk Hogan is wasted, alright. He sits down on his throne and crosses his legs. And a dynasty ends an hour later, and the brother from the Wonder Years is on the bow of the rolling ship, and a burned up Miata sits outside our house to start the entire thing off (we'll get to that another time). On the whole, the weather is very, very fine. I AM A REAL AMERICAN/WHEY THE

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-37797627073464574102008-01-31T11:00:00.000-05:002008-01-31T11:21:40.966-05:00

This here blog started, for all intents and purposes, with last year's Mardi Gras so I suppose we've reached an anniversary of sorts. But rather than bury ourselves in nostalgia or, say, make some wild predictions for the coming year... ...we're going to say, thanks to all of you for coming by, and now let's rush into the foray. Things start for real tonight and we ain't stopping until Wednesday

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-17957333702553678782008-01-30T10:05:00.000-05:002008-01-30T11:59:51.838-05:00

Andrew CyrilleArtist - Song - Album - LabelJames Booker - Classified - A Taste of Honey - Night TrainWilliam Parker & Hamid Drake - Japeru - Piercing the Veil, Vol. 1 - AUM FidelityDavid S. Ware Quartet - Ganesh Sound (reprise) - Renunciation - AUM FidelitySaco Yasuma - Straight Upwards - Another Rain - Leaf Note ProductionsHoward Wiley - The Conversation - The Angola Project -

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-47364517575155225092008-01-29T12:05:00.000-05:002008-01-29T12:09:51.664-05:00

Something very special is happening with this team. My notes from last night are up on the SLAM site now. It's a little scary, a little nerve-wracking even, to see how good this team is. Hopefully more people will want to buy tickets and find out. The Hornets are real.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-84984981120865355882008-01-23T11:55:00.000-05:002008-01-23T12:06:15.122-05:00

The new stuff on AUM Fidelity from Kidd Jordan, William Parker, & Hamid Drake were particularly great and made for an interesting reunion with the jazz slot for me.James Booker United - Our Thing Will StandPeter Brotzmann Ocet - ResponsibleCharles Brown - What a life3 Now 4 - My Back PagesTriptych Myth - TridentWilliam Parker & Hamid Drake - SKYSun Ra Arkestra - Discipline No. 1Lonnie Liston

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-27657072281857946852008-01-22T13:06:00.000-05:002008-01-22T13:12:02.050-05:00

Starting tonight, we're doing the Tuesday jazz shows on 91.5fm, 6-8pm. Playlists will be posted but the form will be free. Check it out.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-24310687001558124842008-01-18T14:11:00.000-05:002008-01-18T14:13:54.615-05:00

(from Deadspin)

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-81750854238654827132008-01-18T11:29:00.000-05:002008-01-18T11:40:41.975-05:00

Apparently, if you have a mole, though, you're all the same to the NOPD. As usual, the police were ok with presumed frontier justice handling things that their force of 1,300 can't, even if we know that one killing begets another and another, with innocents just as likely to step into that chain. So if that's the careless "technique" of the police, I suppose there's no surprise that one mole is

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-7855149351749680002008-01-09T10:25:00.000-05:002008-01-09T12:07:01.027-05:00

Some thoughts...-So, in this election to determine the leader who'll bring us back from the brink, who'll fix this war, save the Gulf South, and perhaps even address issues like immigration and social security, the mere suggestion of tears changes the entire momentum of a race?Of course not, but these almost-tears might've fallen on the print, tv, and online media coverage that has bought in from

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-62773129417970389512008-01-02T16:08:00.000-05:002008-01-02T16:11:30.070-05:00

My game notes and Chris Paul and Co.'s victory on Dec. 29 are up here on the SLAM site. Now go to some games, y'heard me?

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-90510297398621441372007-12-27T09:43:00.000-05:002007-12-27T10:18:38.950-05:00

Something is definitely up here. I said this when things first exploded on Eddie Jordan two months ago, and I'll say it again--we don't have the whole story on Elton Phillips, Eddie Jordan, Thelonious Dukes, or the criminal justice system as a whole. Let's focus on the travels of Elton Phillips as we know them. After a day spent in Baton Rouge with Jordan's girlfriend, he returns to the city and

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-87904588074160403372007-12-25T19:21:00.000-05:002007-12-25T19:35:16.878-05:00

In memory of Ike Turner, who won't be around this Christmas. Also, in recognition of the return of the streetcar to the S. Carrollton tracks.James Booker - Send Me Some LovingHeavenly Gospel Singers - When Jesus Was BornIke Turner - You've Got To LoseBessie Smith - The Christmas BallRobert Jr. Lockwood & Johnny Hines - Lonesome WhistleJohnny Adams - I'll Never Fall In Love AgainIke & Tina Turner

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-33608239505185936932007-12-23T20:13:00.001-05:002007-12-23T20:18:47.908-05:00

Three days prior to X-mas,front porch set-up, new mixer/CD players, about 72 degrees = Perspective.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-30253808197287844772007-12-21T10:06:00.001-05:002007-12-21T12:49:33.737-05:00

The vote was unanimous for demolition and now what? Some thoughts...-According to the TP, the NOPD had 150 officers report for the meeting. They faced around 100 protesters (numbers are always disputed in this type of thing) and a chamber of 250, about 50 of whom could be called protestors, maybe 20 of them only there to disrupt and shout.So for every 1.25-1.6 possible trouble maker (200-350 if

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-365615068513430722007-12-20T12:13:00.000-05:002007-12-20T16:46:06.925-05:00

Standing in line to get into the City Council chamber, you could feel that things were going to go wrong. I was in conversation from a cameraman from 2-cent when voices rose behind us. An older black woman and a younger black man shouted at a well-dressed, middle-aged white woman."Get off my back!""What are you doing here!"The addressed feigned calm, saying that her adversaries had tried to cut

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-53498647330942008152007-12-17T20:57:00.000-05:002007-12-18T10:12:56.006-05:00

December 17th would have been James Booker's 68th birthday. This list comes from several recordings, including boardtapes given to me by Dan Phillips of Home of the Groove. They are: Rozy's, 1976; a BBC Session from 1978; Dream Palace, 1978; Jazzfest, 1978; Tipitina's, 1977; and the Toulouse Theater, 1977.James Booker - Papa Was A RascalJames Booker - United Our Thing Will StandJames Booker -

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-64497688709805028682007-12-13T10:25:00.000-05:002007-12-13T10:59:05.468-05:00

(Note: this should be up on the Tribes site sometime soon, but it took me way too long to write, is in a lot of ways incomplete, and I wanted to get it up and away)Under a tent in a darkened, overgrown neighborhood, I scoop bowlfuls of rice and hand the bowls to the British kid next to me, who tops the rice with gumbo and hands a bowl to person after person in a line of hundreds passing by our

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-72487946381761034522007-12-10T12:12:00.000-05:002007-12-10T12:19:22.704-05:00

Big Bill BroonzyJames Booker - Make A Better WorldChampion Jack Dupree - DoomedKeb' Mo' - Victims Of ComfortBessie Smith - Nobody's Blues But MineOtis Spann - Brand New HouseMuddy Waters - Hurtin' SoulBlind Willie McTell - I Got To Cross The River Of JordanSonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - Bring It On Home To MeJohnnie Lewis -

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-82247566324482395072007-12-09T09:02:00.000-05:002007-12-12T15:44:33.781-05:00

I really dug the kids on the dirtbike doing laps around the park.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-31620175851915658402007-12-03T17:15:00.000-05:002007-12-03T17:22:55.717-05:00

James Booker - Stormy MondayBig Joe Turner - Money FirstJohn Fahey - Hawaiin Two-StepToussaint McCall - Nothing Takes The Place Of YouSunnyland Slim - Nervous BreakdownCarolina Slim - Pour Me One More DrinkSkip James - Jesus Is A Mighty Good LeaderJames Thunderbird Davis - Blues Monday BluesCorey Harris & Henry Butler - What Man Have DoneThe Woes - Why Don't YouJohn Lee Hooker - King Of The

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-52492336633066165432007-11-27T17:00:00.001-05:002008-06-03T17:35:34.425-04:00

"That's a joke."With that, at least for now, the new Inspector General won my support.Mr. Cerasoli had followed the mayor's intergovernmental office, represented by Kenya Smith, who included in his budget $2 million for a 311 system. The system will be run by a consultant and manned by 14 operators, and Fielkow and then Midura tried to pry more info re: the consultants take. Essentially, they

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-21471923878497169702007-11-26T11:46:00.000-05:002007-11-26T11:57:28.201-05:00

James Booker - LifeThe Spiders - 21 (3 X 7 = 21)Joe Henderson - Snap Your FingersJohnny Otis - MiseryEarl King - The Things That I Used To DoJames The Sleeping Giant Winfield - Now You KnowThe Staples Singers - Who Took The Merry Out Of ChristmasRay Charles - One Man's MadT-Bone Walker - Long Distance BluesSkip James - Look Down The RoadL.C. Green - Going Down To The RiverFurry Lewis - I Will

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-36034210811091730102007-11-20T10:59:00.000-05:002007-11-20T12:32:12.597-05:00

Could've used the guy in the smoking jacketMonday night was the first Hornets game in the ridiculously cheap ticket package we purchased for the season--10 games (9 of 10 against the cream of the league) for $100 a seat. Combine that with the free parking you can find on the downtown side of Poydras and the (hypothetical!) ease of slipping into the lower bowl seats, and these games are one of the

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-73989831429491771052007-11-19T10:10:00.000-05:002007-11-19T12:50:49.983-05:00

In the continuing, ironic litany of parallels between the city government's handling of its crisis condition and the federal government's own methods of deadly mismanagement, we find this story in the Sunday Times-Pic.After admirably opening it's doors and officers to an outside review, the NOPD put out a severely edited, positivist version of the review for the public to, I don't know,

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-68640791788156980992007-11-19T09:53:00.000-05:002007-11-19T12:50:20.146-05:00

Little Brother Montgomery Here it be. We were locked out of the vinyl stacks, and took the opportunity to stretch things out a bit, using some selections from the family collection...James Booker - Junco PartnerTurner Parrish - Ain't Gonna Be Your Dog No MoreAretha Franklin - So Swell What You're WellFats Domino - Walk You HomeCorey

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-6085521775437499162007-11-13T10:39:00.000-05:002007-11-13T10:44:19.900-05:00

Really fresh interview with Willie Birch in the Brooklyn Rail. "Birch: The religion we call voodoun has a nature of embracing everything. It pulls it in and when it shoots it back, it’s disguised but it’s still Yoruba. I see New Orleans’ culture the same way. New Orleans culture is a culture that allows everything to come in but when it tweaks it and pushes it back out, you still hear those drum

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-91741187913810773062007-11-12T14:42:00.000-05:002007-11-12T14:55:46.973-05:00

Still haven't solved the technical puzzle that would allow us to archive and post our Sunday Blues shows on 91.5 WTUL (12-2pm), but I'm going to start putting up the set lists on Monday.James Booker - Let Them TalkCorey Harris & Henry Butler - L'espri De JamesBrownie McGhee & Sonny Terry - Best of FriendsJohn Bentley & His Buddies - Trouble In MindThe Delta Boys - Black Gal SwingJohnny Young &

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-59722109376577275592007-11-08T11:11:00.000-05:002007-11-08T11:14:22.944-05:00

So an essay I wrote for Tribes if finally up on their site. I admire Steve Cannon more than almost anyone in the world, but whoever put up the post cleverly titled it "Untitled Essay About New Orleans," which, when you think about it, is really what I'm usually doing anyway.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-62885435268435364092007-11-08T10:55:00.001-05:002007-11-08T11:05:11.141-05:00

I'm trying to get some things done/started, hopefully posted, but in the meantime, check out this bit of history from Paul Stekler. Back soon.

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-63196605209531544922007-10-25T11:30:00.000-04:002007-10-25T11:38:55.286-04:00

Once again, words fail. Personally, I don't possess the gifts to make up such things as this and this. Eddie Jordan: sign of the times, symbolic vestibule of all wrongs, befuddled participant in many sides of a sad, cruel cycle. A busy man with no time to check his messages, he dodders on, malfunction, bloodshed, acrimony, and short circuits fizzling in his wake."I don't know if you've been

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-25227414375516360162007-10-23T00:45:00.000-04:002007-10-23T10:10:58.647-04:00

On the morning of the election, we walked across the street to the International School, the polling place for our district—First Ward, District 2. Just as we reached the steps on Terpsichore, who should enter the school before us but the two hoarders from down Magazine. Check it out, I remarked to Kim.The only other time I’d been to the school--I believe it was one evening in the first few weeks

BWBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379227798149586046.post-1364091959985631552007-10-17T15:32:00.000-04:002007-10-17T15:41:00.195-04:00

For those of you in New Orleans, please come by the LEH on Friday evening to view 2 documentaries from our vault, "Uncle Earl," and "Louisiana Boys." Saturday is the primary, so this trip down memory lane oughta gear us all up to pull the lever. Directors of both films will be on hand, we have more than enough wine, and this is the first event I've put on in our new space. I hope to see you

BWBnoreply@blogger.com