since eye been gone

As soon as I left, Do The Math interviewed Stanley Crouch and drew responses and an interesting tangent.

Sarah Deming suggested a way for Ethan to learn the clave. Here are some Cuban sombreros of mine (and IVN's) that might help him get started:

Darcy posted a new Secret Society concert.

Bill Shoemaker published a new issue of Point Of Departure. I have a particular fondness for POD's layout: its minimalism (not even a navigation menu!) contrasts strongly with most sites and creates a relaxed, distraction-free atmosphere more conducive to reading than the cluttered look of, say, AAJ.

Le Monde said that "the shelf space allocated to records dropped by 15 to 25% in 2006. But without reducing the amount of titles." The first sentence concords with what I've seen here in Brussels, the second doesn't.

Various aspects of the state of jazz were discussed:
- Taylor Ho Bynum persuasively disputed J@LC's economic hegemony (cf. the Ratliff review that sparked it, Darcy's take and Jeff Albert's conundrum) and gave a great account of the first chapter of Matana Roberts's Coin Coin.
- Vijay Iyer made an incisive statement (responses: Soundslope, Improvising Guitar) and another, but on Rifftides.
- Doug Ramsey (see comments), visionsong and Settled In Shipping on jazz education, which James Hale's anecdote relates to.
- Stochasticachtus spun his own series of thoughts.

And, of course, Destination: Out was as sensational as ever. Re: John Gilmore, his work on Andrew Hill's Andrew!!! (an album perhaps a little less known than some of Hill's other Blue Notes, but stands up to any of them) is great. He meshes so well with Hill for some of the reasons Oliver Trager cites, capturing ambiguities that a number of Hill sidemen, even in the early Blue Note halcyon years, don't really get to (which is one of the reasons I find Time Lines so brilliant):

What is it about Gilmore’s sound that is so gripping? It swings and yet it is so out –- simultaneously tormented and lovely, dusky and bright, experienced and naive, grounded and airborne, primitive and modern –- an angel/demon glad to be unhappy.

Speaking of Hill and Gilmore, Compulsion!!!!! (Blue Note) is being reissued! as!! a!!! single!!!! disc!!!!!

I'm saddened to hear of the dramatic robbery and kidnapping Tom Hull and his wife were victims of.