First the Music: Chiaroscuro, by Darol Anger and Mike Marshall [1]
This is unquestionably one disc I would have in my Desert Island connection. It’s that good.
The artists listed are only part of the talent that is on this record. All of the people involved with this recording, then went on to record as the Jazz Group “Montreux”.
I’ve seen copies of this disc going for $40.00 and more. I actually have a copy on wax somewhere in the storage area, which is exactly the same as the CD, with the exception that there are two more classically oriented tracks missing from the wax copy. Functionally, these people generated the sound that Windham Hill was really famous for.
The style can be listed as acoustical jazz, but the style is more intricate than that, being comprised of Mike Marshall’s mandolins and guitars, Darol Anger’s violin, Barbara Higbie’s keyboards, Mike Manning’s fretless bass, Andy Nerrel’s Steel Drums , Tom Miller and Will Kennedy’s percussion instruments and some tastefully done recording overlays. In describing it, it doesn’t sound like it would work. But it works like crazy. Every one I have ever played this recording for has left it, and wanted to know who it was. And I mean everyone, including people who really can’t stand jazz. I’ve played this at Wedding receptions for years… particularly the classier places… and it always goes over very well.
I recognize this sounds like I’m gushing… but this disc comes with my highest recommendation.
* So, a Washington DC jury, has managed to cough up a conviction for Scooter Libby [2]. If there is any group of people who are more solidly leftists, then the government workers infesting the Washington DC area, I can think of one. Thereby, a conviction regardless of the facts was bound to occur. That appears to be the attitude of Mr. Libby’s lawyers as well. As such, you shouldn’t a separate a new trial in a separate venue. If there is any one that thinks that this was not about vengeance by the democrats on the bush administration, one need only have listened to DIrty Harry:
“It’s about time someone in the Bush administration has been held accountable for the campaign to manipulate intelligence and discredit war critics,” Reid said.
Which, of course, it is a crock of the thick brown stuff that the Democrats seem to surround their arguments with of late.
By the way, should you run across someone who is busy celebrating this conviction, you may want to entertain yourself and educate them by asking them what the convictions were for. You’ll be surprised but not amazed at the wide variance of answers to that question.
This will be retried, and overturned. You read it here first.
* It would seem, that I have an additional reason to be thankful that we managed to set up a separate domain for this blog. The reason being, that we’re no longer blocked in China, as the Blogspot domain is. A nod and a tip of the ball cap to Billy Beck. [3]
* Speaking of Billy, he applies himself to addressing the huge scan that is “peak oil” [4], and in that doing, crosses paths with what I wrote the other day [5] as regards the free market:
…what’s happening here is that untold millions of little nobodies like you and me are commanding, with our dollars, geniuses to go about the world finding new ways to exploit it for our comfort. If we just pay them to do that and they are left free [6] to do so, they will do a splendid job of it…
I tend to like in the phenomena to crossing a stream on horseback; with most forces, in water, the trick is to give the horses had been let him figure out where the best footing is. After all, he’s the one that’s gonna do the walking anyway. If you trying to micromanage what the worse is doing, he’ll follow your commands most likely, but you’ll also most likely wash the two of you downstream faster than you can say “woah”.
* Near zero temperatures tonight again, with subzero Wind chills again. And of course I have to drive perhaps 75 to 80 miles away to go to a call tomorrow. Figures. To make matters even more attractive, it’s not supposed to warm up really, until Friday. My guess is that spring and summer are going to come on us in a relatively fast fashion this year, to the point where he’ll be 70° outside and we still have snow in some shaded spots.
* Cliff May [7] points out an important distinction made by Canadian Irshad Manji, [8]and the author of “The Trouble with Islam ”
“Moderate Muslims denounce terror that’s committed in the name of Islam but they deny that religion has anything to do with it,” she says. “Reform-minded Muslims denounce terror that’s committed in the name of Islam and acknowledge that our religion is used to inspire it.”
In reading that quote, it occurs to me that the author would have been forcibly removed from Dean Esmay’s site [9] for saying this.
Look, his site, he can do whatever he wants to do. But I would be a liar of the first order if I didn’t say to you that I’m troubled by what I see over there. it’s out of character, out of place, and unwelcome.
The point that Dean refuses to recognize, and yet Manji and others have made central to their arguments is one that’s brought up by one of his own readers: [10]
…on the whole, what percentage of muslims hate us and want to kill us, in contrast to those who believe in freedom, democracy and religious tolerance?
Recognizing that the latter of the two is decided minority, and the former is the biggest threat we faced in many years, is not an attack on all of Islam, but simple recognition of fact.
As another of his readers suggests:
there are lots of Muslims who are actively on our side in this war and many of them have died as heros. These Mulsims deserve our respect and admiration. The majority of Muslims don’t wish us (meaning the West) any harm and most of the violence (including the riots) actually comes from a tiny minority of Muslims. I have no ill feelings at all towards Mulsims that have no wish to harm me or others (like Israel) and I have no wish to attack or harm them. Yet Islam is a violent and dangerous religion and is one of the primary sources of violence in the world today.
And as for that minority, it becomes a matter of trust. We have seen at numerous times over the last 50 or 60 years, where people such as the Palestinians, for example, have merely pretended to have peaceful intentions, and yet turn on a dime at the first opportunity to kill more westerners. I am not suggesting that we should not trust people who claim to be our friends, rather I am suggesting that after that long history, trust is earned.
Fran [11]speak to this indirectly today, by means of comments from one of HIS readers…
One supposes there are moderate Muslims out there somewhere for the same reason one supposes there are giant squid: examples of dead ones pop up on occasion.
I’m watching the situation over at Dean’s, at a distance. Mostly, because I think we haven’t heard the last of the situation. And I am not happy with what I see developing. I can’t help but wonder if what drove him to this illogical conclusion, it isn’t the organized hate mail he’s been getting, such as what Fran reposts at his place today. [11] If that’s the case, then what we have here is someone’s courage disappearing. In any event, what we’ve seen in the link I provided from there, is definitely the “Jump the Shark” moment [12] at Dean’s world.
Sorry Dean… what it is.
* Alex continues to improve, to those who were asking. I continue to be pleased with how well he is adapting to his new situation. Indeed, I wonder if I would do as well. I imagine I’ll find out about 30 years. I am amazed, at the cost of insulin. I’m dealing with it, but it was still a bit of a surprise.