The Wynton Marsalis Quintet meets Le Hot Club de France, in the form of Mark O’Connor (violin) and Frank Vignola (guitar). Wynton Marsalis (trumpet); Dan Nimmer (piano); Walter Blanding (sax); Carlos Henriquez (bass); Ali Jackson (drums). Posted by Wynton Marsalis.
Pseudo-New Yorker
Legal humor here. The conclusion of “Survivor, Manhattan Edition” proved particularly gripping. “I hope I land on your mother, Jeremy. I want you to know that.” “I may be falling to the street, but you are falling into the hands of Satan.” “May I suggest that we postpone the group edit until such time as…
China, land of the future
A three-hundred foot section of a ramp leading to a 9.6-mile bridge over the Songhua River collapsed today, nine months after the bridge opened, the New York Times reports. It’s the sixth major bridge to collapse this year. Last year, a crash involving a brand-new high speed rail line cost the lives of 40 people….
Imagine if his position hadn’t been his position
Over at the New York Times’ “Room for Debate” page, Ramesh Ponnuru tries to explain how Todd Akin ran off the rails: Akin’s position on abortion inspired some of the controversy, of course. So did his clear implication that some rapes are not real rapes. He managed, however, to add more toxic ingredients to the…
What’s Chinese for “Solyndra”?
Chinese solar panel manufacturers, who helped put the Obama-embarrassin’ Solyndra Corp. out of business, are now struggling as well, according to the Associated Press: “Chinese solar panel makers that grew fast over the past decade are suffering big losses due to slumping global sales and a price war that threaten an industry seen by communist…
Richard Posner, so not one for strumming the guitar
How Much Is Enough? ask Brits Robert and Edward Skidelsky, father and son, the dad being well known as the author of a famous, three-volume biography of John Maynard Keynes and the son a not as well known philosopher. How Much Is Enough? springs off an essay Keynes wrote back in the day, imagining life…
Casuistry, left and right
Todd Akin—“If you’re pregnant, then you weren’t raped.” Obama—“If you’re dead, then you were a militant.”
Jessica Williams—“Nutty”
https://youtu.be/pFFDkqFeBV4 In an earlier review of several dozen albums devoted to Thelonious Monk’s music, I wasn’t too crazy about Jessica Williams’ In the Key of Monk. But her new one, Deep Monk, sounds pretty good. Catch up with Jessica at her website here.
Niall Ferguson, Thelonious Monk-loving slimeball
Last week, I praised Niall Ferguson for having the chops to quote Thelonious Monk in his recent book, Civilization. Well, don’t buy the book. Niall is an arsehole, as Matthew O’Brien explains here. Hey, the Nazis listened to Mozart. Listen to Thelonious, not Ferguson.
Republicans, so not walking on water
Well, what would you do if you were walking by the Sea of Galilee? Cut loose! Foot loose! And trousers loose too, if you were Kansas Republican Kevin Yoder, who jumped nude into the sea, along with about 20 more inhibited Republicans, according the latest mega-scoop from Politico. For some reason, the FBI took it…