OK, so this is not one of your cheerful thanksgiving blogs espousing the joys of feasting, family and friends. At the excellent Tannery Reading Series in Newburyport last Saturday author Rishi Reddi summed it up about best for me when she said “Thanksgiving sucks.”
All holiday cheer aside congress will be tackling the extension of unemployment benefits in December. There has been much intellectual (and not so intellectual) debate on this issue by many leading economists and the Republican leadership. The argument centers on the idea that the extension of unemployment benefits effectively disincentivise work and actually further exacerbates the problem, and of course there is the “we can’t afford it” fallback position. Needless to say these economists can prove their cases using extensive historical data. I get it, the concept is rather simple, I am paid to stay home therefore I decide not to work, or I refuse work because my unemployment check is bigger than the pay at the job I was offered. I suspect the argument has some merit, in that there must be some drain on human incentive when a regular (free) check is coming in. That being said I have NEVER heard a client (in my office) receiving unemployment elucidate that thought; they would all rather be working. Very few people enjoy or derive pleasure in long term unemployment, it is demeaning and dehumanizing. Furthermore unemployment checks are not much more then subsistence and do not provide a comfortable living.
I see this issue in really simple terms, no need for any pie charts, graphs or historical data. Behind all these horrible unemployment numbers are real US citizens that are suffering, many with families, and these are folks that cannot find any job and (in many cases) cannot even move to a new part of the country to seek job opportunities because they cannot sell their house. Relocation has historically been a remedy for unemployment but these days that cure that been short circuited by our housing crisis. On the opposite side of this equation is a government that can spend millions of dollars defending Chinese workers busy in Afghanistan mining that countries national resources, spend millions on foreign aid and farm subsidies for corporate farms, support the obscene corporate welfare that is a significant part of our current defense budget and is willing to bail out all sorts of industries that have gotten themselves into trouble. Republicans passed the first bailout (TARP) under George Bush after only hours of “debate” but is perfectly willing to have a knuckle busting fight about helping its fellow citizens in trouble thru absolutely no fault of their own, are you fucking kidding me!
After all the economic analysis, good or bad, accurate or inaccurate we find our fellow citizens in trouble, how can we not help them? I feel like saying to all the economists that write on this subject with such alacrity, I really like your thesis and think there may be real merit in them but we still need to vote for the extension of unemployment benefits because at the end of the day we cannot continue the immediate suffering for our fellow citizens just to “bend the curve” of long-term unemployment a few points.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Weekend Music – Aimee and Zaney – local girl and boy makes good!
On Friday we took a short walk to see Amiee Mann at our own Nock Middle School here in Newburyport. I first saw Aimee Mann almost 30 years ago as the bass player in a band called “The Young Snakes” in Boston (she always laughs when I tell her that). She had a freak hit with “Voices Carry” in the band ‘Til Tuesday in 1985 and has gone on to a stellar career as a solo artist. She appeared in a trio setting Friday night with her playing acoustic guitar along with a bass and keyboard player. The resulting, rather short, set was somewhat of a mixed bag. In this spare setting you missed all the wonderful Brian Wilson/Beatles pop gloss that inhabits many of her records. The other outcome of this band was perhaps highlighting the somewhat limited nature of her melodic skill. All that being said it was a good show; her skills as a lyricist and singer are high even if she tends to return often too familiar chord changes and melodic hooks. Her set drew songs from many of her records, but favored her latest CD “@#%&*! Smilers” from which she drew 4 tunes. She also treated the audience with 3 new songs from a proposed musical based on her thematic disk about a boxer “The Forgotten Arm.”
On Saturday morning we when to the lovely Portsmouth Music Hall with our 6 year old to see Dan Zanes and Friends in concert. As parents of a 6 year old we have become acquainted with a lot of modern children’s music, and while much is junk there is a fair amount of stellar offerings, and one of those is Dan Zanes. NH native Dan Zanes rocked Boston back in the mid-1980’s with his band The Del Fugeos but 10 years ago launched his career as a children’s entertainer. I think if him as the Keith Richards of children’s music with his relaxed and scruffy rockers persona. Based in Brooklyn, his band tours the world with its enchanting mix of folk standards, traditional tunes mixed with great children’s music. There else are you gonna hear a Broadway tune by Frank Loesser along with Pete Seeger’s classic children’s song “All Around the Kitchen,” the traditional work anthem “Pay me my Money Down,” “Waltzing Matilda” and a few Spanish songs thrown in to boot! All are performed flawlessly by Zanes on guitar, mandolin and banjo and his friends which includes (gorgeous) Sonia de los Santoson on guitar, Elena Moon Park on violin and trumpet, Saskia Sunshine Lane on bass and Colin Brooks on drums. The band is all first-rate and has a wonderful organic vitality. They never played down to the many kids in the audience but simply treated them (and the adults) to a superb set of traditional and roots acoustic music performed with rollicking wit and energy. At the end of the day the fact that this wonderful show was a “children’s concert” became a moot point.
On Saturday morning we when to the lovely Portsmouth Music Hall with our 6 year old to see Dan Zanes and Friends in concert. As parents of a 6 year old we have become acquainted with a lot of modern children’s music, and while much is junk there is a fair amount of stellar offerings, and one of those is Dan Zanes. NH native Dan Zanes rocked Boston back in the mid-1980’s with his band The Del Fugeos but 10 years ago launched his career as a children’s entertainer. I think if him as the Keith Richards of children’s music with his relaxed and scruffy rockers persona. Based in Brooklyn, his band tours the world with its enchanting mix of folk standards, traditional tunes mixed with great children’s music. There else are you gonna hear a Broadway tune by Frank Loesser along with Pete Seeger’s classic children’s song “All Around the Kitchen,” the traditional work anthem “Pay me my Money Down,” “Waltzing Matilda” and a few Spanish songs thrown in to boot! All are performed flawlessly by Zanes on guitar, mandolin and banjo and his friends which includes (gorgeous) Sonia de los Santoson on guitar, Elena Moon Park on violin and trumpet, Saskia Sunshine Lane on bass and Colin Brooks on drums. The band is all first-rate and has a wonderful organic vitality. They never played down to the many kids in the audience but simply treated them (and the adults) to a superb set of traditional and roots acoustic music performed with rollicking wit and energy. At the end of the day the fact that this wonderful show was a “children’s concert” became a moot point.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Rocking @ the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame or, the second line comes to Cleveland!
I have just returned from a weekend @ the R&R Hall of Fame in beautiful Cleveland, Ohio, the occasion was their 15th annual Music Master’s series which was honoring New Orleans legends Antoine “Fats” Domino and Dave Bartholomew. The week offered a variety of events highlighting the careers of these seminal musician’s but I chose to attend the 2 main events on Saturday.
The first was the all-day conference @ Case Western followed by an evening concert that showcased the magnificent music of New Orleans. The week was co-sponsored by my friend Ira “Dr. Ike” Padnos and the Ponderosa Stomp Foundation and the keynote speaker at the conference was my buddy and Fats Domino biographer Rick Coleman.
The 2 honorees are the godfathers of New Orleans R&B; Fats Domino and his band leader & arranger Dave Bartholomew. Dave is a lesser known name but he and Fat’s had an almost Lennon/McCartney kind of symbiotic creative partnership. Fat’s was the performer but Dave was the band leader, arranger and trumpet player. Even outside of his work with Fats’ Dave is one of New Orleans greatest arrangers, musicians and talent scouts and directly responsible for many, many groundbreaking recordings coming out of that great city from the mid-1940’s right thru the 1950’s and beyond. By the way, the 3rd element of this holy trinity of New Orleans music was also present at the conference and that was engineer and the owner of J&M Recording Studio Cosimo Matassa.
The conferences were similar to the ones run by the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans but not as focused on direct oral histories, and a bit more of an expert “talking heads” approach. The day started with an excellent and informative keynote address by Rick Coleman, his deep love of the music always enthusiastically apparent – Rick wears his musical heart firmly on his sleeve. New Orleans writer Jeff Hannusch’s interview Lloyd Price was superb as was Dr. Ike’s extraordinary panel with all the surviving original members of the great Dave Bartholomew band that backed Fats on so many hits (the youngest being in his 70’s, the oldest in his 90’s!); Billy Diamond, tenor sax man Herb Hardesty, drummer Bob French, guitarist Ernest McLean, and songwriter/producer Eddie Ray. The day was capped with music historian John Brovan’s insightful interview with honoree Dave Bartholomew.
After a quick dinner we arrived at the gorgeous Palace Theatre for the VIP reception and the evening’s concert. The show was emceed by Hall of Fame president Terry Stewart and actor Wendell Peirce and started out on a perfect note when the Rebirth Brass Band marched into the grand theatre playing Professor Longhair’s “Mardi Gras in New Orleans.” One of the most exciting aspects of the show for me was the house band; Mac “Dr. John’’ Rebennack and his Lower 9-11. Many years ago I was privileged to see Mac back up an entire roster of performers during the Newport R&B festival and he was a stunning combination of restrained taste and subtlety and I knew he was going to provide the perfect backing for this evening of (mostly) aging performers.
Most of the evenings performers did a tune made famous by Fat’s and Dave and then performed one of their own signature songs. The Dixie Cups did a rollicking “I’m Walking” followed by their own hit “Chapel of Love.” Robert Parker did “I Hear you Knocking” followed by his smash “Barefootin’.” Irma Thomas lent her molasses smooth voice to a bluesy “Blueberry Hill” and followed it with her seminal hit “Time is on my Side” (move over Mick!). Lloyd Price romped thru “Ain’t That a Shame” followed by his 1952 chartbuster “Lawdy Miss Clawdy.” Reggae masters Toots and the Maytals highlighted the deep influence that Fat’s and New Orleans R&B had on Jamaican music with smoking versions of “Be My Guest” and “Let the Four Winds Blow.” Dave Bartholomew at almost 90 then took the stage with the “Blues in B Flat” that clearly proved he still had his trumpet chops, this was followed by his definitive “The Monkey (speaks his mind).” There was a wonderful duet with Irma and Lloyd Price on the Fats Domino signature tune “Walking to New Orleans.”
The night was capped by a brilliant set with the good Dr. doing 5 Domino classics including Fat’s first hit from 1949 (and arguably the first Rock and Roll record) “The Fat Man” with original guitarist Ernest McLean playing along!
The joyous 3 hour concert came to a close with the entire cast on stage doing (what else!) “When the Saints go Marching In.” Led by the ebullient Rebirth Brass Band the party spilled out down the aisles and into the grand lobby in a Cleveland style second line and the band continued its impromptu lobby concert for about 15 minutes to the ecstatic audience that lined the lobby stairs and up into the balcony.
A fitting and joyous end to a well-deserved week that hopefully began to shine a light on the importance of Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew and all the great music that has come out of New Orleans.
The first was the all-day conference @ Case Western followed by an evening concert that showcased the magnificent music of New Orleans. The week was co-sponsored by my friend Ira “Dr. Ike” Padnos and the Ponderosa Stomp Foundation and the keynote speaker at the conference was my buddy and Fats Domino biographer Rick Coleman.
The 2 honorees are the godfathers of New Orleans R&B; Fats Domino and his band leader & arranger Dave Bartholomew. Dave is a lesser known name but he and Fat’s had an almost Lennon/McCartney kind of symbiotic creative partnership. Fat’s was the performer but Dave was the band leader, arranger and trumpet player. Even outside of his work with Fats’ Dave is one of New Orleans greatest arrangers, musicians and talent scouts and directly responsible for many, many groundbreaking recordings coming out of that great city from the mid-1940’s right thru the 1950’s and beyond. By the way, the 3rd element of this holy trinity of New Orleans music was also present at the conference and that was engineer and the owner of J&M Recording Studio Cosimo Matassa.
The conferences were similar to the ones run by the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans but not as focused on direct oral histories, and a bit more of an expert “talking heads” approach. The day started with an excellent and informative keynote address by Rick Coleman, his deep love of the music always enthusiastically apparent – Rick wears his musical heart firmly on his sleeve. New Orleans writer Jeff Hannusch’s interview Lloyd Price was superb as was Dr. Ike’s extraordinary panel with all the surviving original members of the great Dave Bartholomew band that backed Fats on so many hits (the youngest being in his 70’s, the oldest in his 90’s!); Billy Diamond, tenor sax man Herb Hardesty, drummer Bob French, guitarist Ernest McLean, and songwriter/producer Eddie Ray. The day was capped with music historian John Brovan’s insightful interview with honoree Dave Bartholomew.
After a quick dinner we arrived at the gorgeous Palace Theatre for the VIP reception and the evening’s concert. The show was emceed by Hall of Fame president Terry Stewart and actor Wendell Peirce and started out on a perfect note when the Rebirth Brass Band marched into the grand theatre playing Professor Longhair’s “Mardi Gras in New Orleans.” One of the most exciting aspects of the show for me was the house band; Mac “Dr. John’’ Rebennack and his Lower 9-11. Many years ago I was privileged to see Mac back up an entire roster of performers during the Newport R&B festival and he was a stunning combination of restrained taste and subtlety and I knew he was going to provide the perfect backing for this evening of (mostly) aging performers.
Most of the evenings performers did a tune made famous by Fat’s and Dave and then performed one of their own signature songs. The Dixie Cups did a rollicking “I’m Walking” followed by their own hit “Chapel of Love.” Robert Parker did “I Hear you Knocking” followed by his smash “Barefootin’.” Irma Thomas lent her molasses smooth voice to a bluesy “Blueberry Hill” and followed it with her seminal hit “Time is on my Side” (move over Mick!). Lloyd Price romped thru “Ain’t That a Shame” followed by his 1952 chartbuster “Lawdy Miss Clawdy.” Reggae masters Toots and the Maytals highlighted the deep influence that Fat’s and New Orleans R&B had on Jamaican music with smoking versions of “Be My Guest” and “Let the Four Winds Blow.” Dave Bartholomew at almost 90 then took the stage with the “Blues in B Flat” that clearly proved he still had his trumpet chops, this was followed by his definitive “The Monkey (speaks his mind).” There was a wonderful duet with Irma and Lloyd Price on the Fats Domino signature tune “Walking to New Orleans.”
The night was capped by a brilliant set with the good Dr. doing 5 Domino classics including Fat’s first hit from 1949 (and arguably the first Rock and Roll record) “The Fat Man” with original guitarist Ernest McLean playing along!
The joyous 3 hour concert came to a close with the entire cast on stage doing (what else!) “When the Saints go Marching In.” Led by the ebullient Rebirth Brass Band the party spilled out down the aisles and into the grand lobby in a Cleveland style second line and the band continued its impromptu lobby concert for about 15 minutes to the ecstatic audience that lined the lobby stairs and up into the balcony.
A fitting and joyous end to a well-deserved week that hopefully began to shine a light on the importance of Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew and all the great music that has come out of New Orleans.
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