FTW, 12.1.2020

1) The election is done, although Trump and some of his followers continue to cling to the fiction that it was "stolen." The fact that half of the populace views the concepts of truth and reality as mutable is disturbing. One way or another, Biden will be a transformational president. If both Georgia Senate seats can be flipped, McConnell's ability to obstruct will be checked, if not negated. We live in hope (because, as my "lapsed" Catholic wife would have it, to live in despair would be a sin) that a real reckoning on race and economic inequality can at least begin here. The status quo wasn't working; Covid-19 was the proof of Bernie Sanders (who, to his credit, worked his ass off to elect Biden-Harris). For the time being, hearing responsible adults who can speak in complete sentences on real issues and use social media in an age-appropriate way (probably managed by staffers) rather than like an attention-starved teenager is refreshing. Meanwhile, I'm leaving my Biden sign in the yard until they swear in.

2) I don't need to hear every damn new thing that comes out (becoming a cranky pandemic hermit, as infection rates climb and climb, and our government remains loath to do anything about it, as rumors of a vaccine are accompanied by anti-vaxx propaganda that ensures people who don't need to die from the virus, will) -- although I did pull the trigger on the new Mary Halvorson Code Girl side, on which she has Robert Wyatt singing three songs. If I could have only one record, it would be Trout Mask Replica, which I continue obsessing on, inspahrd by Joel Bakker's great podcast back in October. Transcribing the material has me using faculties I didn't know I had, and playing them on heavy strings like the Magic Band guitarists used has my chops at a level they haven't been at in years. And when I finish these, there are still the bass parts (and a friend has a bass he says I can borrow). If I live another 20 years, maybe I can get to where I can play these songs without charts (although it's gratifying to discover that I am able to use my non-standard notation to remember stuff I learned quickly, then forgot).

3) That said, occasionally something worthy and unsolicited does cross my threshold. To wit, a new release from estimable Portuguese indie Clean Feed Records that includes Soundpath, a late work (premiered in 2012, recorded in 2018) for large ensemble by Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians godfather Muhal Richard Abrams (whose proteges have gone on to prominence in academia, including a Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur "genius grant"). The piece was commissioned by the Warriors of the Wonderful Sound, a Philadelphia-based ensemble led by altoist Bobby Zankel that had previously worked with Julius Hemphill, Rudresh Mahanthappa, and Steve Coleman. Abrams' piece wends its way through several movements that are alternately searching, pensive, swinging, and turbulent, with ample space allotted for solo improvisation. The musicians, conducted by eminent multi-reedist Marty Ehrlich, include six woodwinds, eight brass, and a rhythm trio; everyone solos at some point. The net effect is like traveling on a busy city street, observing the hubbub of activity and the flavors of different neighborhoods. A lot like life, in fact, when one isn't constrained (by the need to survive) to living virtually.