May 27, 2020 No matter how hard I try to stay positive, the world keeps finding ways to dampen my spirits. The other day, I realized I was driving myself crazier by reading too much and too often about the state of things. So I picked up what I thought was a covid-free alternative: the… Continue reading A pandemic diary: Back pages
Category: music
A pandemic diary: Being here
May 17, 2020 Saturday I attended an online meeting of the Atlanta Writers Club, an organization that predates the last pandemic and is rolling with the punches during this one. Sadly, another much-loved Atlanta event has gone dark: a monthly jam session for singers, including my wife. A bandstand plus a roomful of vocalists and… Continue reading A pandemic diary: Being here
When the ordinary is plenty
Long before the pandemic, those of us who live with chronic conditions knew that normalcy is precious. It’s easy to take for granted, yet fragile – and once lost, it can be very, very hard to get back. I've had to learn that lesson all over again, but also rediscovered another truth: There’s always hope.… Continue reading When the ordinary is plenty
Un visiteur grincheux dans le grand pas si facile, or A grumpy visitor in the big not-so-easy
My wife and I just returned from a jazz education conference in the city where jazz was born, the one that greets the suckers tourists with the slogan “Laissez les bon temps rouler!” or “let the good times roll.” However, after a few days in the conference hotel, les bon temps became le mauvais moment*… Continue reading Un visiteur grincheux dans le grand pas si facile, or A grumpy visitor in the big not-so-easy
My Woodstock memories
They finally pulled the plug on Woodstock 50 and I for one am not sorry. Anniversaries aren’t created equal and re-creating this one made no sense to me, despite being part of the generation it supposedly defined. I’ve never liked being branded by others—especially now, when I’m one of those selfish old coots who are… Continue reading My Woodstock memories
Shrinkage: the other kind
I’m not the man I used to be. No matter how hard I try to live a proper life in all ways physical, intellectual, and emotional, I am a lesser person. How lesser am I? About an inch. Relax: this has nothing to do with the “Seinfeld” that so eloquently portrayed the shrinkatory effect of… Continue reading Shrinkage: the other kind