CD Release:

  El Medico de Coqui

 

Featuring:
Nicki Denner
Julian Llanos
Anton Denner
Mark Miller
Rolando Morales-Matos
Shai Hayo
Willie Martinez
Jennifer Vincent

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Past CD Releases:

   Awake

"An album of unquestioned elegance, spunk and rich melodies, Awake is an engaging collection of music bound to capture your attention, hold your interest and never, never put you to sleep."

~~ Edward Blanco, eJazzNews.com, 7/2/07

Featuring:
Vinson Valega
Terell Stafford
Anton Denner
Chris Bacas
Jon Cowherd
Josh Ginsburg

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  Consilience


"Valega’s drumming continually evolves, steady rhythmically but given to frequent tonal shifts which create new environments which his band mates respond to with snap reflexes."

~~ Shaun Brady,
Philadelphia City Paper, 3/17/05

Featuring:
Vinson Valega
Anton Denner
Gary Wang

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CD Pick:
Duke Ellington - "...And His Mother Called Him Bill"

Ellington's alter ego was Billy Strayhorn, who penned many of Ellington's greatest hits, including "Take The 'A' Train," and one of jazz's greatest songs, "Lush Life." Ellington would become quite religious in his later years, which would lead to his "Sacred Concert" series of long-form compositions. In the midst of this period, Billy Strayhorn died in May, 1967, and Ellington recorded this fitting tribute. Johnny Hodges is almost unbearable to listen to, as his soul-wrenching sound is a testament to the anguish felt by Stayhorn's fellow musicians.

(posted 6/17/08)

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Book Pick:
American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic

by Joseph Ellis

Joseph Ellis guides us through the decisive issues of the nation’s founding, and illuminates the emerging philosophies, shifting alliances, and personal and political foibles of our now iconic leaders -- Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and Adams. He casts an incisive eye on the founders’ achievements, arguing that the American Revolution was, paradoxically, an evolution -- and that part of what made it so extraordinary was the gradual pace at which it occurred.

(posted 6/18/08)

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Essay:
Why Bother?

Award-winning journalist, Michael Pollan, addresses the question we all face today as we confront Global Warming:

"There are so many stories we can tell ourselves to justify doing nothing, but perhaps the most insidious is that, whatever we do manage to do, it will be too little too late. Climate change is upon us, and it has arrived well ahead of schedule. Scientists' projections that seemed dire a decade ago turn out to have been unduly optimistic: the warming and the melting is occurring much faster than the models predicted."

Read on...

(posted 6/18/08)

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Link:
Who owns our media?

Columbia Journalism Review's, "Who Owns What" site, details how only a few mutil-billion dollar companies own all the media, including, TV, radio, internet, publishing, and film. A fascinating resource for every citizen.

Concurrently, FreePress.net has summarized the findings in a concise, easy-to-read format here, detailing the "Big Six" and what they own.

(posted 6/18/08)