Well, I finally won one and, I have a feeling the new guy is going to be better than I thought.

Obama's first press conference today was impressive. His command of the press reminded me of old tape one sees on occasion of the legendary JFK press conferences. I'm not sure the President-Elect is that good, but he's not far behind and he's the best at it I've ever seen. Clinton was a master politician (but that also meant you could never know what to believe). Obama is somebody you believe, he's competent and just never... blows it. He stays cool, he thinks things through (as he's speaking) and usually says exactly what he means. Pretty extraordinary. Besides all that, at any time he can lay on a light touch that utterly disarms people.

He entered with an all-star group of economic advisers standing behind him (Robert Rubin was one of them - I hope he remains in some role). On either side stood Biden and Rahm Emanuel (more on him in a moment). The symbolism of unity and teamwork to that staging was intelligent and anything but accidental. Just another sign that at the very outset, this guy gets it like few in public life ever have.

You also got the feeling that he realized that he was being assessed and judged by friends and enemies around the world - his image and language was sure to give the withering impression that America's enemies have a formidable new foe. One that not only has all the best toys, but can easily out think them without having to use the toys (which in some ways is a scarier thing).

Like I mentioned above, Obama's first appointment was Rahm Emanuel as Chief Of Staff. I love this choice because one of my concerns about Obama has been that he's just too damn nice and can't say no. He needs a "bad cop" to run the west wing who also understands congress and how to get votes. Emanuel is that guy and a fascinating cat.

He was a fund-raising machine for a while in the 90's and Clinton picked him up. He quickly became a star at getting legislation passed. After Clinton left office he spent some time as a stock broker (I guess that went pretty well for him too). Now he's a Congressman from Illinois (so he's seen things from both sides - inside the White House and on the hill). He's known as a fairly profane and irate pit bull (quite a bastard), but competency is not an issue.

Many presidents don't have people around them who know how to run an office (and it really hurts). One of my bigger Obama worries is put to rest - he's addressing an area I consider one of his weaknesses during the very first days of the transition. Also, everyone is getting the message, the Obama White House will not be a pushover.

Final point. Everything in America is irrevocobly changed by Obama's election. The powerful symbolic effects of the new president will define our times. We'll never look at ourselves the same way, and we'll never be perceived from outside the US in the same way either. Suddenly we're living in one of those historic stretches that defines generations and the better part of a century. Enjoy it kids, Barack Obama will be dominating the scene for a long time (a lot longer than his actual presidency). Remember, the idea of Obama will far eclipse anything the 44th president will actually do (even though those achievements may very well be considerable).

I love the Greg Oden story. Love it.

Sports intelligentsia anoints basketball player second coming. Player is the number one pick an the draft and signs enormo-contract despite health concerns. Player has injury that will keep him out for his first professional season, yet still lives the superstar life even though he's never played. Player finally plays his first game (last night) and looks like a 50 year old man - is soon hobbling to the sidelines and out of the game with an injury. When he will be back? Nobody knows.

What's not to like (of course I'm sorry for the kid who I fear is going to be terribly screwed in the coming months and years by the same scumbag media and sports franchise that made him a basketball demi-god a few years ago).

If he cannot come back (or if there's another injury that causes his career to end early) keep an eye out for how fast the Portland Trailblazers (the sports franchise in question) tries to get their money back - money, of course, they should have never spent in the first place and should be forfeit simply because of the recklessness with which they have handled it and for being a part of creating the monster they are now being savaged by.

If there isn't karma and morality play written all over this one, then I must be really missing the boat.

Did we learn nothing from Sam Bowie (who also was drafted by Portland - ahead of Michael Jordan as I recall)?

Answer? Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!!!!

We learned NOTHING!!!

God, sports can be awesome!

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If the Phillies win, my baseball pain will only become more untenable.

The only bright spot is it does make you wonder about all the "American League is clearly superior" folks out there. If the Phillies win, the World Series will have been split evenly in the past eight years. Yes, I understand the inter-league numbers go against the National League and that's a fair argument (don't start with me about the All Star Game, because it does not, and never has, proven anything) and the American league may, in fact, be "better", but if there was such a clear, obvious and unimpeachable superiority... then we wouldn't have had the Diamondbacks beating the Yankees, the Marlins beating the Yankees, the Cardinals beating the Tigers and the Phillies on the brink.

It. Would. Not. Happen.

For the first time in my life a political candidate that was my favorite during primary season has a chance to win the presidency. This has never happened before. In fact, my second and third picks that have usually ended up becoming the standard bearer for the party I more or less root for has usually lost.

So, I am hopeful that the "Bradley Effect" will not hit us too terribly hard and that Barack Obama will actually win next week.

Without getting too in depth about all this, I would simply like to state that I am an independent and that I find both major parties to be ethically bankrupt. I have no issue with liberalism or conservatism per se (I find excellent thinkers on all sides) and find that defining things that way makes it a lot easier to have a free exchange of ideas with as little hostility as possible.

However, to be fair it should also be stated that when push comes to shove I am almost always in favor of the Democratic candidate. I would remind my Republican friends (who are so fond of portraying the Founding Fathers as if they personally owned their legacy) that the great lights of the American Revolution (Adams, Jefferson and Franklin) were not just liberals, but radical liberals and the conservatism of that time consisted of wealthy southern land/slave owners that saw nothing good for themselves in independence from Britain.

In fact, it can be argued quite easily (and this is astounding when you stop and think about it) that virtually none of the major steps forward that this nation has made from a social or cultural standpoint has been spearheaded by conservative America. The conservatives are almost always... on the wrong side of the issue. Civil War? Wrong side. America's participation in the second world war? Wrong side. Civil rights? Wrong side. Women's rights? Wrong side. Gay rights? Wrong side. One could go on all night... Whenever we do something good, the conservatives have to be pulled along kicking and screaming.

I should also point out that although the Democrats are not my favorite crowd and can play dirty pool (for every Rudy Giuliani, there's a Hillary - for every George W. Bush there's an Elliot Spitzer), I cannot allow myself to forget what the likes of Lee Atwater and Karl Rove did in the name of their party. There is no depth the Republican strategists will not plumb if it'll eek out a vote.

I suppose I could go on about McCain at this point, but I'm not sure it's worth it. The short version is I've always liked McCain, but when it got to crunch time he caved in to the RNC and listened to the strategists too much (going negative, picking Palin). His best moment was when he took the mic out of the hand of the midwestern loony at a rally who was calling Obama an "Arab" (which to her tortured brain apparently meant "terrorist/anti-Christ") and explained that the Senator from Illinois was not evil but simply somebody he disagreed with philosophically.

So, considering all of that, I've come to the conclusion that if the President's greatest power is the overall tone they set for the nation and Supreme Court nominations, then an Obama presidency will probably be a good thing. Trust me, he won't be the greatest (and in a first term he'll make plenty of mistakes), but he can't possibly be worse than what we've had.

Being momentarily apolitical for a moment, after eight years of any party in control isn't there something to be said for the pendulum swinging the other way (assuming the candidate in question isn't a total idiot)?

A Great Race

Politics is actually fun for me right now and, for the first time in many years, personal. For the first time in my life, the person I liked at the beginning of the primary season has become the nominee (Obama). I have rarely voted for anybody that has won. My decisions have almost always been about voting against an evil or abstaining simply out of a sense of disgust.

Obama's speech is something I've been waiting to hear for a long, long time. "Finally!", I suppose, was one of my overwhelming feelings. It was the third time he had truly impressed me. The first time was four years ago at the Democratic convention - I kept saying to myself, "Why isn't this the guy?!?!?" The second time was his race speech this year. That one blew me away and is the best political speech I've ever heard. Now he had to hit the big one and he did.

Not for a moment do I feel he'll be the greatest President ever. In my view, a President's greatest power is the tone they set for the nation at large. It outshines everything else - even the ability to make Supreme Court appointments (arguably, the most lasting influence of an administration). My feeling is that Obama is a tone-setter extrordinaire - that his influence will be far greater than any decision he makes in office. The idea of Obama will be far more influential than the person, and that, right now, we could use the infusion of energy and imagination that this tone-setting will provide.

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McCain's VP pick is quite possibly the greatest gamble in modern political history. Ms. Palin is certainly likable and interesting on first blush and it certainly changed the nature of the conversation today (kudos to the GOP strategists for making themselves the story). We may find, once we get to know Governor Palin, that she is very much not to our taste (which I'm already starting to suspect) and that choosing somebody so utterly unprepared (she makes Obama look seasoned) is so reckless and desperate an act that, by itself, this decision could torpedo the campaign. I tend to think that she'll hold her own and in the short term be a boon to the Republicans, but I don't think it can last. Obama is a force of nature and although Palin is an interesting and on some level inspired pick, I don't see how it can possibly be enough in this campaign. Fear not, Sarah Palin will be in our lives for many years to come. She has talent and should be underestimated at your own peril, but because she is on the wrong side of so many issues, I'm comforted by the idea that her and her convictions cannot win in the long run.

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MSNBC's coverage of the Democratic convention bordered on shameful. Keith Olbermann's gushing illuminated nothing - it only served to show how insultingly and brazenly he has involved himself in this story when the dictates of his profession require him to stay above the fray. Likewise, featuring Rachel Maddow (who I suppose is the left's answer to Rush/Hannity/Coulter) is a tremendous embarrassment. Clearly,the answer to Fox News is not to become them, but this and any sense of objectivity are ideas that leave the bosses at MSNBC unmoved.

It ain't cool to think...

It's occurred to me recently that we live in a time remarkably lacking in any kind of free thinking. There is an orthodoxy in the way that we relate to our knowledge that seems... bizarre. Hard to fathom - ridiculous. I remember reading once how at various times in the history of science there's been a feeling that humankind was reaching the end of knowledge. That we were figuring it all out. Then, Newton or Einstein or somebody comes along that sees all of that knowledge as simply a part of a greater whole and perspective changes, or to paraphrase James Burke, the "universe changes". Everything that was true before is still true, it just doesn't mean the same thing.

When many of us look back at the history of science and learning and notice these moments when the body of knowledge changes, we're often guilty of thinking that people living just prior to the next big advance were silly to buy into archaic concepts that we laugh at and for not anticipating the change on the horizon. But, you know, we're wrong and they weren't silly. They were no different than us. Certainly no more guilty than us - if anybody should be ready to think freely and recognize the patterns and pitfalls of human history it should be us (particularly at a time when knowledge has never been more easy to acquire).

What are we guilty of? That close-mindedness, selfishness and overconfidence that a sense of "we're at the end of history" brings. Are we not surrounded by, in fact ruled by, traditions based on obsolete and irrelevant data? Many profess profound belief in religions, but rarely live up to the imperatives such a belief demands. We cherry pick the religions and wear it like a piece of clothing that we fancy for certain occasions. We don't really buy into the whole thing and since we're too lazy to figure out what we actually believe, we remain... hazy. Religion, morals and ethics remain on a hanger in a closet somewhere until there's a crisis. Then we wear it and are comforted. That's crazy isn't it? Even those clear-headed enough to have removed religious shackles seem unable to get clear of the influence of the info-glut/keep-you-distracted culture. One way or another, we're asleep at the switch. Can we really afford to be like that as a society?

Since we can't, why not question our most basic societal assumptions? Why not? How can it harm anything but entrenched power? If we don't, how are we any better than those that burned witches in Salem?

Haven't we reached a point where it's high time we fundamentally rethink our means of governing ourselves, our economics, our superstitions, our legal systems and the source of any moral or ethical codes? Shouldn't it all be up for grabs?

I think, at some point relatively soon (from an historic perspective - 30, 40 or 50 years), that change will have to come. Enormous change. Radical, revolutionary change. After it does, we may all be looked upon, rightly or wrongly, as particularly backward.

The Great Updating

So...

Dave disappeared for a long time. For a long, long time. Why? What happened? Let's hit it quickly, shall we?

First off, Ran and I sold off the Co-Op in Manhattan and bought a house about an hour north of the city. By itself this is a story that could take a lot of space; however, let's just say that after many twists and turns we managed to get what we considered the "dream house". Of course, the "dream house" (a contemporary shrouded by trees and hills with ridiculously high ceilings and tons of glass), has had it's share of "broken stuff" (electrical issues, fireplace issues, a whole series of broken pipes, malfunctioning kitchen appliances, a front stoop that disintegrated, a sinkhole... I could go on). Although we had not planned on getting a "fixer-upper" (and the house is by no means that), it has had it's share of unplanned renovations during our first year here. Would I change anything? No way, we love the place, but all this "house stuff" has kept us inordinately busy. Another element to this story, of course, is getting used to living in America again after 18 years of fun in the big city. Much like my growing up experience in Maine, I love the place, but I have no great love for the human beings (which is fine, we came here to retreat into the woods and as you can tell, by the number of blog posts, we've succeeded).

I am now the proud father of a two year old. You know the whole thing about "terrible twos"? Well, they're really not that terrible, but... it is, in some ways even more crazy than having an infant. Still, trust me, there are no complaints. One of the joys of this existence, for me, is spending time with Beck. He is one amazing little dude.

One of my favorite tales of the past several months has been building a home project studio. Steep learning curve for me, but once I identified the obstacles, things went fairly smoothly. I can tell you that I've received fantastic advice and support from the good people at Real Traps for helping me sound condition my space and from Fred Maher at Obedia and PC Audio Labs for putting together a digital audio workstation that has proven perfect for my needs. All I need now is a cool name for the place (and I simply can't decide).

Of course the next natural question would be "When are you going to record and release something?". Well, I'd love for that to be a few months down the road, but I can already tell it will take much longer. What I've decided to do is not put any timetable on my first project(s). I'm simply going to compose and see what happens for a while. Once the composition and recording process is done, I'll mix and master etc. Then, somebody has to like it and I need to get it out there to anybody and everybody who might have an interest.

As far as what I'm composing stylistically, things are already all over the place, which I consider a good thing. Because I'm working so closely with synthesizers etc, it would be fair to expect any output to have a strong electronic leaning. I will compose for what is available to me - and since what is available to me is soft synths, loops and my horns I think it's obvious (and a great deal of fun) that I will go in an entirely new direction.

The horn goes very well. One day I'll go into lots of detail, but let's just say that I'm pleased with developments right now.

Music/film recommendation: Solaris. The film is a sleeper and the music by Cliff Martinez is a revelation. Find it - do yourself a favor.

Okay, let's hit small stuff.

The Mets suck. The collapse was an abomination. Keeping Willie and everything that went with firing him was a mess. Although I think Willie definitely had to go, it would seem that the team simply is not that good and cannot handle any kind of pressure.

The Celtics beating the Lakers (and Kobe) healed many old sports wounds. I am very pleased with the result. Beck, by the way, wore a Kevin Garnett jersey throughout the finals and the good luck could not have hurt.

Wow... If you look at my last post, boy was I wrong about the New York Football Giants. Looking back, I still don't think they were that good, but they got on what is possibly the most amazing roll in the history of professional sports. I've decided that they can lose for many years to come in typically agonizing Giants fashion because of the gift they bestowed on all of us (especially the Super Bowl). For the record I considered the year a great success after beating Dallas and Tony Romo. Anything beyond that was gravy... but what gravy!

Phantom Regiment won the Drum Corps International World Championships held recently in Indianapolis (for those of you who follow this particular sub-culture) and I'm thrilled. I saw them at DCI East and figured I was probably seeing a third place corps (as that was their seeding at the time and these rankings usually don't move around a hell of a lot, especially a week before finals), but the corps jumped to second on the second night of the three show championships and then jumped again into first at the final show, winning by a quarter of a point. I remember that I kept thinking to myself after seeing them in Allentown, PA, "BD and Cavies must really be good..." because Regiment had something special about them.

Also was very pumped that Carolina Crown (a corps I usually cannot stand) did everything I've been wanting a corps to do for some time. They were not afraid of a fortissimo (thank you Donnie Van Doren) and they played standard repertoire. Keep in mind that standard repertoire had become a dirty word - lately if you had not played an unknown composition by an equally unknown composer of concert band music (Ugh - double ugh with nuts!!! Concert band music?!??! Shoot me!!!) then you clearly were not in any way cultured. This is the sort of attitude that keeps concert band composers safely tucked away in their academic cloisters where their music remains almost entirely unheard (but they feel pure and superior, so I guess every thing's okay). Lastly, there was no theatrical element (like awful narration that makes "Up With People" look like "The Godfather"). They played really well and had a nice visual package... Hey, a drum corps! Imagine that! The best part of all this of course was that they were rewarded for this. Maybe, just maybe, the pendulum is starting to swing in another direction.

Ya know what? I think that's enough for now. It's getting late and I want do the "twenty minute G" before I go to sleep.

Peace,

Dave

Okay, long time between updates, but I imagine anybody who reads this stuff has an idea that the wee dude keeps me hoppin’ and away from the blogosphere. Anyway, here’s what’s up.

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Listening recommendations: I’ve discovered a few things I’d wanted to get around to and rediscovered some old shit that really held up.

Josh Redman’s albums “Elastic” and “Momentum” deserve a listen – a nice melding of styles and a good direction for anybody to head in these days. The recordings are a few years old now, but don’t let that throw you.

Some Ahmad Jamal records have been re-released and should be gobbled up. “Rossiter Road”, “Digital Works” (from the 80’s) and “The Awakening” (late 60’s or early 70’s) – Jamal has his weaknesses, but is a singular voice that still speaks to me in a big way. He’s just a graceful player.

I think I’ve mentioned it before, but Arve Henriksen’s “Chiaroscuro” is a gem and a roadmap to anybody trying to find a quiet, restrained sound without lapsing into something that’s just boring.

If you can find Brian Eno’s “January 07003”, get it.

Rediscovered Eno’s and Harold Budd’s “The Pearl” – holds up great.

Speaking of dated stuff that still seems good – Dave Sanborn’s “Voyeur” and “Backstreet” (real obvious 80’s production) come off well as does Scofield’s “Still Warm” and “Blue Matter” and the original “Vital Information” recording by Steve Smith.

“This Binary Universe” (out this year believe it or not) by LA producer BT has some really gorgeous moments.

Chick’s 70’s “Friends”, “My Spanish Heart” and 60’s “Tones For Joan’s Bones” are worth a return visit and seem far more relevant than anybody would have given them credit for say… Oh, ten years ago or so.

Keith Jarrett’s “Spheres” (from the 70's) remains a revelation – I’m still amazed how underappreciated this record is while things by Jarrett I find weak are loved by the critics (but I have a theory about that, of course).

Mike Stern’s “Who Let The Cat’s Out” is a winner (but I love Stern, so…).

Went through a major Freddie Hubbard phase recently and would recommend highly returning to “Hub Tones”, “Goin’ Up” Hub Cap”, “Here To Stay” and “Keystone Bop – Sunday Night”. He’s as good as it ever got. Sound, lines, ideas… he had it all.

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Have you ever received holiday greetings from George Hrab? Trust me, it’s an experience. Let’s just say… The man is… sick.

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I’ve been playing with loop-based production software lately (Acid by Sony). What a fun way to lay down a groove and stimulate some ideas. Like the camcorder, it allows anybody to do what only a few could do before. I think that’s great. It also proves that some people can do it (compose) and some can’t or simply come to realize “Hey, you need some training to do this…”. Just like the advent of the camcorder didn’t suddenly allow us to discover a whole mess of unknown incredibly talented directors out there, I don’t think this stuff artificially creates composers. It does, however, allow anybody to organize their musical thoughts and get some instant gratification which has been a thing heretofore unknown to composers (again, that’s a good thing and I like the tool).

Like the blog, the podcast, digital cameras and all the other benefits of technology and digital networks, it doesn’t bestow talent (for instance, I am not a writer and yet I can publish online), but it does allow everybody to participate. Again, this strikes me as a very positive development.

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The Mets are making some good moves to shore up that team. It’s a pity about Zito (I’m disappointed in Zito, actually, I expected better of him), but I think they’ll be all right.

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The New York Football Giants turn out to not only to be a disgrace on the field and in the coach’s office, but in the owner’s offices as well. Tom Coughlin being retained and given a contract extension should make everyone painfully aware that the organization is incompetent from the top on down.

They will continue to flounder and I will cease to root for them (as I’m sure many Giants fans will do in increasing numbers) until there is fundamental change over there. Talk about guys who simply do not get it.

In the meantime, the Jets, and “Mangenius” (the best nickname in years) clearly get it and will only get better.

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Randy Johnson back to Arizona. What was Arizona thinking? And if you’re a fan of that franchise living in Phoenix why do you want this old guy coming back who couldn’t wait to leave in the first place. Sad stuff.

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Mark McGwire can’t make the hall of fame? Good news!

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The Saddam hanging made for some interesting video. The most fascinating aspect of all of this to me was how differently the event could be perceived depending upon if you saw the edited version that the networks and the Iraqi government provided as opposed to the complete unexpurgated cell phone version.

Because I didn’t think I was getting the whole story, I checked out the cell version (complete with sound – that changed your appreciation of the situation in a hurry). Lo and behold the truth was twisted in a variety of ways. It’s sad that you’ve got to watch a hanging to find out what happened at a hanging (in this case, an event that will have political ramifications for some time), but it is the sad truth that you will not get a straight story unless you check it out yourself.

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The President’s speech?

Nah, too easy.

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I know a lot of you don't watch a lot of children's programming - I mean the stuff for toddlers and earlier, but "The Wonder Pets" simply has to be seen to be believed. Brilliant and under the radar.

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Was gifted this holiday season with the complete DVD version of Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos” from 1980. Talk about ideas that hold up (and for some reason have no advocate in these frightening times). I know this, we collectively miss Carl and his vision very much these days.

Talk to you soon (or when I can),

Dave