David Leheny

Live Updates: Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump’s Sweeping Tariffs

Wow - a stirring Roberts opinion: "The Founders made clear in the Constitution and the Federalist Papers that the President's authority extends to detaining citizens and residents indefinitely, building concentration camps, and executing protesters, but not to a 20% tax on building materials."

Couldn't it survive with like 170 Singapores?

No shit - one Japanese news editor reposted it with an astonished "this Waseda professor doesn't know anything about sports" and an angry person in France (I think) reposted it to Waseda in the hope that they would discipline me

Wow! He really is a great musician.

YouTube video by Bobby Watson - Topic Elementary, My Dear Watson 2020

Jazz OTD: The career of alto saxophonist Bobby Watson has taken him from musical director of Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers through the worlds of soul jazz and R&B. He draws widely from this experience in the joyful "Keepin' It Real," recorded February 14, 2020. #jazzsky

YouTube video by Johnathan Blake Quartet - Topic Broski

Jazz OTD: Johnathan Blake, one of the best jazz drummers over the past couple of decades, led a phenomenal two-saxophone quartet with Chris Potter and Mark Turner for his excellent, moving album "Gone, but not Forgotten" on February 20, 2014. Great work here as well by Ben Street on bass. #Jazzsky

YouTube video by J.D. Allen - Topic Cathedral

Jazz OTD: Some gems from the last 15 years today. First, on February 20, 2012, saxophonist/composer JD Allen led his brilliant trio with Gregg August (b) and Rudy Royston (d) for "The Matador and the Bull," one of the best examples of their stirring collaboration. #jazzsky

I get it. But I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on this.

I guess so - though to be honest, I don’t really believe in national cultures either, at least as behavioral predispositions (though certainly as ideological tropes). I don’t think that Japanese are any more “collectivist” than anyone else.

That was some bullshit

Just thinking back fondly to the 2018 Olympics, when I got prison-jumped on the old site for making a joke about Japan's communitarian culture and its resulting difficulty in winning gold medals in individual sports like figure skating and gymnastics (in which it's been exceptionally successful).

I feel unhealthily invested in the outcome of the figure skating competition just starting now.

YouTube video by Joe Farnsworth - Topic Bud-Like

Jazz OTD: Drummer Joe Farnsworth led a trio - with the magnificent Kenny Barron on piano and the great Peter Washington on bass - at Smoke Jazz Club in New York for the recording of "City of Sounds" from February 19-21, 2021. Here's a Barron composition with telling Bud Powell elements. #jazzsky

Good luck!

My only takeaway was that the filmmakers hate jazz and want to destroy it. Hence the frequent references in the film to Buddy Rich as some kind of role model for jazz drummers. So leaving aside the film's take on obsessive training and cruel teaching, it's pretty racist!

In defense of maintaining your account on X, I’ll just note that if you’re only on Bluesky, you’re in an echo chamber and have clearly written off persuadable Nazi bots.

YouTube video by Frank Kimbrough - Topic It Didn't Happen

Jazz OTD: The late Frank Kimbrough, a remarkably brainy, sensitive pianist and composer, led The Herbie Nichols Project, a superb band dedicated to interpreting the music of the late (and equally brainy and sensitive) Nichols. They recorded “Dr. Cyclops’ Dream” on February 18-19, 1999. #jazzsky

YouTube video by The Leaders - Topic Luna

Jazz OTD: From February 18-19, 1987, The Leaders (Arthur Blythe, Lester Bowie, Chico Freeman, Cecil McBee, Kirk Lightsey, and Don Moye) recorded their second album as a unit, "Out Here Like This." It's by turns wild, rambunctious, eerie, and accessible, and always remarkably well-played. #jazzsky

No, I'm in the US (rural, far from jazz clubs) on sabbatical

YouTube video by David Binney - Topic Seen

Jazz OTD: Saxophonist and composer David Binney recorded the emotionally rich "The Time Verses" on February 17, 2017 with Jacob Sacks (p), Eivind Opsvik (b), and Dan Weiss (b), and, on this beautiful track, Jen Shyu on vocals, just a couple of years ahead of her Guggenheim Fellowship. #jazzsky

YouTube video by Desmond Duke Ellington Acht O'clock Rock

Jazz OTD: Duke Ellington recorded one of his late-career gems, the stirring "The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse," on February 17, 1971. #jazzsky

“I mean, once we realized that you can sort of rhyme Uighur with Bieber, we knew that we had comedy gold.”

Who’s Pulling the Strings on the World Stage? Ask the Puppets.

This goes beyond painfully unfunny. It's so awful that, after watching a clip, I'm worried that I will never laugh again.

YouTube video by Junko Onishi - Topic GL/JM

Jazz OTD: Pianist Junko Onishi led her trio with Robert Hurst (b) and Kariem Riggins (d) in live performances at the Blue Note Tokyo from February 16-18, 2019 for their splendid, vibrant album “Junko Onishi Presents Jatroit.” #jazzsky

We don’t rent pigs

two cowboys are sitting on a horse in a field . ALT: two cowboys are sitting on a horse in a field .

RIP to the great Robert Duvall.

YouTube video by Renee Rosnes - Topic Children's Song No. 3

Jazz OTD: The imaginative pianist, arranger, and composer Renee Rosnes recorded "Art & Soul" from February 16-18, 1999 with several great guests, but anchored by her wonderful trio with Scott Colley (b) and Billy Drummond (b). Here, a thoughtful take on Bartók. #jazzsky

YouTube video by David Berkman - Topic Fairy Tale

Jazz OTD: Pianist/composer David Berkman led the session for his excellent album "Handmade" on February 16, 1998 with Steve Wilson (saxes), Tom Harrell (tp, flugelhorn), Ugonna Okegwo (b), and Brian Blade (d). #jazzsky

YouTube video by Frank Sinatra - Topic Mood Indigo (Remastered 1998)

Jazz OTD: Frank Sinatra recorded a handful of tracks for his classic album "In the Wee Small Hours" on February 16, 1955, including this rendition of Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo." #jazzsky

Wait. “Dead Poets Society” and “Good Will Hunting” are two different films?