Daily Log

Came down at 11. We did some shopping yesterday. I bought the arak needed for Sunday, and the grappa for my birthday. We went to World Market and Whole Foods. At the former, I bought some salami for the antipasto, and a couple of jams and some trout caviar for the spread. I was upset that they didn't have the capers I usually buy there. At Whole Foods I bought mandarins (recipe calls for clementines), fennel, and a few other things, but their produce was very sorry looking, so I'll have to pick up most of what I need at Dillons today, along with the chicken. I also need to take my library books back today, so that trip will take a big chunk out of my afternoon. I should also knock out Music Week today. I don't have much to offer, but Saturday and Sunday will be impossibly busy, and it's best to terminate this week earlier rather than later.

I got very little writing done yesterday. It's now clear that I won't have a document to present when Phyllis Bennis is here, so I've blown that opportunity. I should work on it a bit today, but I don't expect to get much done. Beyond shopping, I don't really need to do any meal prep today. On Saturday, I need to marinate the chicken, and bake the cake. I might also make the mast va khiar. On Sunday, I can roast the sweet potatoes early, boil the barley, and start the eggplant and salad. I can also hold off on the ganache until Sunday. The chicken itself takes less than an hour to roast, which can be timed for serving. It should be pretty easy. Only thing to worry about is the possible pain.

Email (129 unread, including most of Thursday):

• Substack: got a recommendation from RIOTRIOT
• Tom Engelhardt: On Not Knowing What to Write
• HP Instant Ink tells me I'm "ready to print!"
• Danny Greenspan asks: "would you be open to a conversation about the Francis Davis Poll and Jazz.com?"

I did finally thumb through Chris Minnick et al., Artificial Intelligence All-in-One for Dummies (7 books in one!). It looks like it makes heavy use of Copilot, which turns out to be Microsoft's AI tool, integrated into all of their other crap. I asked Google for alternatives, and it suggested:

General Productivity & Web Search

• ChatGPT: general purpose AI assistant, with custom GPTs for specific tasks
• Google Gemini: direct competitor to Copilot, integrates with Google's tools
• Perplexity AI: AI-powered search engine

Creative Writing & Advanced Analysis

• Claude: for long-form writing, legal document analysis, and coding support

Coding & Programming Alternatives

• Cursor: AI-first code editor for software developers, a comprehensive replacement for GitHub Copilot
• Windsurf: Agentic IDE handles multi-step coding tasks and project-wide refactoring

Music Week

Expanded blog post, October archive (in progress).

Tweet: Music Week: 21 albums, 1 A-list

Music: Current count 46742 [46721] rated (+21), 24 [24] unrated +0).

Advance Music Week appeared October 16 on Substack as Music Week (10:3). It is also archived here. My cutoff was done before the Substack post, but the introduction is revised/rewritten.

New records reviewed this week:

• 300SkullsAndCounting/Jenny Sparks: This Is Spa Town! (2026, XL, EP): [sp]: B+(***)
• Adéla: Prima (2026, Capitol): [sp]: B+(**)
• Alexis Cole: Taking My Seat: A Musical Inheritance (2026, Tiger Turn): [cd]: B+(**) [11-09]
• Julieta Eugenio: Mi Boathouse (2026, Dox): [sp]: B+(**)
• Yosef Gutman: Perfect Traveler (2026, Soul Song): [sp]: B+(**)
• The Hanged One [Camila Nebbia]: Limbo (2026, Relative Pitch): [bc]: B+(**)
• Nathan Hanson/Steve Hirsh: Memory Is Subjective (2025 [2026], Mahakala Music): [bc]: B+(**)
• Marina Herlop: Dja Dja (2026, self-released): [sp]: B+(*)
• Brian Jackson: Now More Than Ever (2026, BBE): [sp]: A−
• Shai Jaschek: Portrait (2026, Jazz Bird): [sp]: B+(**)
• Matt Lavelle & the 12 Houses: Hymn to the Universe (2022 [2026], Mahakala Music): [bc]: B+(***)
• William Parker: Waltz for Gregory (2023 [2026], AUM Fidelity): [cd]: B+(***)
• Jason Robinson: Blue Salience: For Yusef Lateef (2025 [2026], Circumvention Music, 2CD): [cd]: B+(*) [10-29]
• Sha Ray and DJ Haram: Critical Thot (2026, Backwoodz Studioz): [sp]: B+(*)
• Nirosta Steel: My Skyscraper (2026, Ulyssa): [sp]: B+(*)
• Fumi Tomita: Yokai: Songs of the Japanese Supernatural (2025 [2026], OA2): [cd]: B+(**)
• Wild Up: Julius Eastman, Vol. 5: Gay Guerilla (2026, New Amsterdam): [sp]: A−
• Wishy: Nature's Pill (2026, Winspear): [sp]: B

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

• The Go-Betweens: Fountains of Youth: Live at the Town and Country Club, London, 10th May 1987 (1987 [2026], Beggars Banquet): [sp]: A−

Old music:

• Coleman Hawkins: Coleman Hawkins and Confrères (1958 [1960], Verve): [sp]: B+(*)
• Freddie Jackson: Rock Me Tonight (1985, Capitol): [sp]: B+(*)
• New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble: Collection 1995-2004 (1995-2004 [2005], Megalith): [sp]: B+(**)
• Wild Up: Julius Eastman, Vol. 4: The Holy Presence (2024, New Amsterdam): [sp]: B+(*)

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• Sylvie Courvoisier: Amalthea (Pyroclastic) [11-13]
• Satoko Fujii Orchestra Tokyo: Kappa Ondo (Libra, 2CD) [11-06]
• Brandon Sanders: The Game Changer (Savant) [10-30]
• Ed Hazell: Energy Center: A History of Studio Rivbea (NoBusiness): book

Daily Log

Went to bed shortly after 2AM, but read until 3AM. Slept poorly, getting up at least five times, but able to move without crippling pain. Read some in bed, before my last attempt at sleep. Read more once I got up. The Weizman book is literally heavy, but full of interesting detail, all the way down to the geology. Came down at 11:30. Registered 419 minutes of sleep. It is still dark, still raining, probably about 60°F outside. I did get a fair amount of writing done last night, but it mostly goes to show that much more will be needed. Scant chance I will finish the piece by the time Phyllis Bennis arrives. I probably have 3-5 more paragraphs to write on "why Israel?" before I start getting into the programs. I've sketched them out previously, so might dig up earlier drafts, or just rewrite them from scratch. They should go faster than the introductory parts.

Laura has a doctor appointment at 2, so I will probably go out with her. I was planning on shopping for the Sunday dinner on Friday. (Saturday early is possible, but we have the film at 5, then Bennis's presentation after that, so I expect to be squeezed.) I wanted to make a preliminary round, especially to pick up some of the more esoteric ingredients, like arak and clementines, yesterday, but couldn't move. I'll try to do that today, and may go ahead and pick up most of what I need. I'm going to have to go out on Friday to return my library books, so I may hold off on the chicken until then.

I wanted to print out my dinner shopping list, so I had to install new HP ink cartridges. When I did, the printer immediately printed 20+ pages Laura had queued up and given up on. That's 2-3 months of my ink allocation, so I'll probably be charged for overages. I hate HP. I really hate HP. Note that they only replaced the color cartridges, not the black. I almost never print anything in color.

Email (after snap update, 71 unread in inbox).

Daily Log

Woke up in the middle of the night with intense sacroilliac pain. Made my way to the bathroom and back, and took some ibuprofen. Noted that AHI was 5.9. Tried to go back to sleep. Woke up around 10:30, still in pain. Took some tylenol. Again made the bathroom trek, and read the end of Galbreath's The Power to Destroy. Laid down for a bit, before getting up to venture downstairs. More ibuprofen. Finally came down around noon. Worked a bit on the puzzle, but it's nearing completion, so had to stop. Started reading Eyal Weizman's The Ungrounding. Opened a new yogurt for breakfast, and found it was completely liquid, way beyond mere draining. I bought four the other day. I poured it out, and opened another, which was ok.

Cold front came through last night, bringing rain, which continues today (currently 1:08 PM), with temperature down to 60°F. It hit 92°F yesterday, making 102 days this summer at 90+°F, which either tied or broke the record. There have been 29 days at 100+°F, which if memory serves is above average (about 20?) but nowhere near the record (over 40). Feeling exceedingly glum right now. I not only didn't make any progress on my genocide essay yesterday, I did spend a lot of time thinking about the upcoming dinners. I wanted to go out shopping today for some of the more esoteric items (e.g., arak), but I'm unable to do that, and not much in the mood. The hip pain calls into question my ability to make either dinner. I did manage to do a Christmas dinner one year in similar pain, having recruited a helper. This is no worse, but I'm shorter on willpower.

The first (Bennis) dinner is pretty streamlined, so there's not much that can (or should) be done to simplify it. The birthday dinner is still pretty wide open. I started to order the veal yesterday, then balked over the delivery schedule. I should go ahead and do that, keeping the option open. Aside from that, the biggest work is the pasta. I have equipment coming, but I'm not under any real obligation to use it. I could get by with a nice potato gratin, the veal, maybe some green beans, a salad, and tiramisu. I was figuring on an antipasto platter, with crostine and bruschetta, which of course can be as big or as small as is practical.

When I sat down at the computer today, I was thinking I should just sign off, announcing I'm done with it all. I didn't put on any music when I got up. When I got to the computer, the easiest thing was to replay the last CD from last night: didn't even have to get up, just two remote control buttons got me Coleman Hawkins. It's sounding pretty great. Laura is up now, so maybe we can finish the puzzle. Not sure what else. I suppose I could look at:

Email (73 unread):

• Tom Carson: The Gloomy Side of Everything: Sam Peckinpah revisited, part 3: Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
• Frank and Sal Italian Market: I ordered my veal.
• Amazon: Ravioli press delivered. 2 more items to come.
• Brian JW Morton: Charlie Parker, and a somewhat forgotten follower . . . : truncated.
• Substack: You told us you wanted more control over your feed. Here's the dial: New content preferences let you see more or less video, mute keywords, prioritize longform, and more. At some point, maybe I should break down and get the Substack app and/or make more use of Notes (probably and, as that seems to be the point). I'm still annoyed that they don't have an app for Linux.
• TomDispatch: Nick Turse: Reflecting on the Trump Era

Daily Log

Came down around 10. Turns out Galbreath has multiple concluding chapters, so I still have 10-15 pages to go. His chapter on austerity and precarity had little to say about either. I've entered into a section on George Kennan's "Long Telegram." Hopefully, I'll finish the book today. Not sure what comes next, but I have lots of options. No writing yesterday on Genocide piece. I talked to MH about making fresh pasta, and wound up ordering tools: Govide's electric rolling and cutting machine, a frame for cutting ravioli, and a drying rack. Doug came over, and cleared the flat roof and cleaned the siding of cobwebs. I had done some of that over the last couple weeks, but he made fairly quick work of it. Meanwhile, I replaced the cabin air filter in the Toyota. (Dealer thought it needed to be replaced, but my "free service" didn't cover it, and they wanted $55. I bought 2 for $12 at Amazon. When I opened it up, it wasn't very dirty, but I replaced it anyway.) Dumpster full of tree pieces out to the curb, waiting pickup. I probably have two more loads to go.

I worked out menu for dinner Sunday, mostly from Ottolenghi's Jerusalem (O), Nathan's Foods of Israel Today (N), and Mallos' Complete Middle East (M):

• Roasted chicken with fennel, clementines & arak (O)
• Roasted sweet potatoes & dates (O)
• Parsley & barley salad (O)
• Baby spinach salad with dates & almonds (O)
• Old city eggplant with tomato sauce (N)
• Yogurt with cucumber, scallions, and mint (M)
• Eretz Israel cake (N), with chocolate icing (O)

We have movie and speech the night before, so I'll probably shop on Friday. I may venture out earlier to try to find the arak (or, failing that, ouzo), fennel, clementines, marzipan, dates, and maybe candied orange slices (I have some leftover, enough to get by, but it's likely to be old). I should make the cake on Saturday, and marinate chicken. The chicken cooks fast in a hot oven. The sweet potatoes can be roasted early, and served room temp. The salads are also room temp or cold, so can be made whenever. The eggplant is basically a simpler ratatouille. It takes an hour on the stove, but very little attention. Looks pretty easy. Birthday dinner, a week later, will be more challenging. I still need to work out a menu for that.

Email (66 unread):

• Wichita Public Library: 2 books not renewed, so due Friday. I haven't really opened either. I should look through them.
• Tom Engelhardt: Donald Trump, the President of Decline (in a Big Time Way)

Hazan doesn't have much on ravioli. Aside from the dough, we need to pair the stuffing and the sauce. (Hazan has lots of sauces.) Scrounging around for ideas:

• [Pasta Evangelists] Black truffle and burrata.
• Creamy salmon: smoked salmon and ricotta, with lemon and chives sauce is butter, dill, lemon.
• Lemon and ricotta
• Lobster and crab: with mascarpone, ricotta, butter, white wine, shallot, parsley, garlic. Sauce is butter, sage, stale bread, lemon zest, samphire.
• 'Nduja and taleggio: sausage and cheese.
• Wild mushroom:
• Lamb and rosemary: serve with sage butter.

Let's also consider bruschetta, as anything that could be served on a piece of bread (crostini):

• Classic tomato topping: tomatoes, basil, garlic, oil & vinegar, salt & pepper.

I'm also considering some kind of antipasto platter:

• Cured meats: prosciutto, genoa salami, capocollo, mortadella, hard soppressata.
• Cheesees: parmigiano reggiano, aged or mild provolone, pecorino, marinated mozzarella balls or burrata.
• Olives & pickled/marinated items: artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, pepperoncini.
• Bread & accompaniments: crostini, focaccia, long grissini breadsticks.
• Caponata; cherry pepper spread; peperonata; artichoke pesto, cannelini bean dip.

Daily Log

Came down around 10:30. Getting near the end of the Galbraith book. I tend to lose track of global finance arguments, which is what a lot of this boils down to. Is it possible that as long as the world perceives Trump as doing more harm to his own people than to the world, they'll just keep playing along, treating him as a useful idiot? If exorbitant privilege really was the prize, don't you think China would be trying to replace the US in that? He has what I think of as an accurate view on what China's real aims are, which are not to replace the US as any sort of global hegemon. It also occurs to me that we may be seeing a flip of the classic arms race strategem: in the 1950s, the US launched an arms race against the Soviet Union, figuring that the Soviets had much less economic power to waste, so competing would bankrupt them. It took a long time, but that's basically what happened. These days, China's arms expenditures are bankrupting the US. They may even be more efficient, in that they don't have offensive desires, and their focus on defensive weapons requires ever more expansive measures to ensure deterrence (which has always been a phantom goal).

I still need to wrap up and shut down X. I've had my account there since April 2014. Having had trouble searching through my notes, I asked Google, which also noted: "If you want to explore more about his work, I can help you look into his jazz critic polls or his music reviews on his personal blog. Would you like details on either of these?" Nice to know that someone reads me, even if it's only a machine.

I am happy that I have some cooking lined up. Sunday, Oct. 18, for the Phyllis Bennis visit. Sunday, Oct. 25, for my birthday. Looked at the cookbooks last night. Former will be some Ottolenghi, although I may slip a couple other items in (e.g., mast va khiar, which is hard to improve on). Latter will be Italian, and rather more ambitious. I did nothing on the genocide piece yesterday, but need to get back to it today.

Email (61 unread):

• X: I sent in a request for my account information and public posts.

Phil Overeem's top 50 albums of 2026 (so far). Let's use this as a checklist (despite numbers, just realized this is alphabetized; 6 unheard):

1. Dave Adewumi: The Flame Beneath the Silence (Giant Step Arts) [***]
2. [ahmed]: Play Monk (Otoroku) [A-]
3. Amyl & The Sniffers: Truth or Consequence Live Album (Rough Trade UK) [*]
4. Laurie Anderson & Sexmob: Let X = X (Live) (Nonesuch) [A]
5. Bitchin' Bahas: Isle Peaks (Drag City) [**]
6. Carsie Blanton & The Burning Hell: Everything is Great [A]
7. Christer Bothén / Oren Ambarchi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werliin: Serpentine (Black Truffle) [**]
8. Bobby Bradford /Mark Dresser/ Hafez Modirzadeh: Sonic House Reunion (No Business) [**]
9. Buck 65: Do Not Bend (self-released) [A-]
10. Mara Calder: We Stay Ugly Til the Pretty Decays (Black Metal Archives) [A-]
11. The Cramps: Gravest Gravy (Vengeance) [**]
12. CS Cleaners: What's This? (Wharf Cat)  [***]
13. Curly Castro: yaphet (Backwoodz Studios) [A-]
14. Sylvia Courvoisier: Amalthea (Pyroclastic) [U]
15. Def Cee and steel-tipped dove: We Will be Brief (Fused Arrow) [A-]
16. The Delines: The Set-Up (decor) [***]
17. doseone & Height Keech: Wood Teeth I & II (Handsmade EPs) :: II [**]
18. Art Edmaiston and Chad Fowler : Memphis Mandala (Mahakala Music) [*]
19. EDU & JUDGITZU: Nuku (Nyege Nyege Tapes) [**]
20. Emperor X: Unified Field (Bar/None) [A-]
21. Margaret Glaspy: I Am Both (ATO) [A-]
22. The Go-Betweens: Fountains of Youth (Live at the Town and Country Club) []
23. Gogol Bordello: We Mean It, Man (Casa Gogol) [A-]
24. Itak Tek: Mind Abandon (Planet Mu) [**]
25. Anthony Joseph: The Ark (Heavenly Sweetness) [A-]
26. Kin'Gongolo Kiniata: Kiniata (Helico Music '25) [A-]
27. Kneecap: FENIAN (Heavenly) [A-]
28. kwn: all pride aside (RCA) [**]
29. Matt Lavelle's The 12th House: Hymn to the Universe (Mahakala Music) [***]
30. Mark Lomax II: The Unity Suite (CFG Multimedia) [A-]
31. David Maranha / Rodrigo Amado: Desolation Row (self-released) [A-]
32. Jason Moran: Jason Moran Plays Duke Ellington (Yes Records) [+]
33. Kasey Musgraves: Middle of Nowhere (Lost Highway) [***]
34. Adam O'Farrill: Elephant (Out of Your Head) [A-]
35. Bill Orcutt: Music in Continuous Motion (Palilalia) [**]
36. Rapsody: God Gotta Afro & Gold Hoops (We Each Other) [A-]
37. RAYE: THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE (Human Re Sources) [***]
38. Talibah Safiya: Eternal (self-released) []
39. Sha Ra and DJ Haram: Critical Thot (Backwoodz Studioz) [*]
40. Tyshawn Sorey: Members...Don't! (Pi Recordings) [A-]
41. Vince Staples: Cry Baby (Loma Vista) [A-]
42. Louis Stewart: Joyce Notes (Livia Records) [A-]
43. Tanya Tagaq: Saputjii (Six Shooter) [A-]
44. Tinashe: Pop Star (A Nice Life / Atlantic) [***]
45. Twisted Teens: Florida Water Blues (cpnpc) [***]
46. Various Artists: CONCRETE ROCK--New York DIY (Desert Island Recordings) []
47. Lex Walton: Ultimate Love Forever (Sub Pop) [**]
48. Wild Up: Julius Eastman, Vol. 5--Gay Guerilla (New Amsterdam) []
49. Work Money Death: A Portal to Here (ATA) [A-]
50. XG: The Core (XGALX) [A-]

Daily Log

Stayed up late last night, looking at Italian cooking tools, like a pasta machine. Sleep was a struggle, but I got up around 11 and came down just before noon. 85°F already. I fed the dog, and took him out back, and tried to knock down some cobwebs and crap. The hose didn't get it all the other day, so I thought I'd try a dry brush. Helped some, but not a lot. I need to get the ladder out, to get closer, and possibly just wipe down some surfaces. I could also use some soap, especially on the white vinyl, which has picked up a lot of dirt in the texture. The hose only gets so much of that. Of course, I could use the new power washer, and add some soap to that.

Should work on the genocide essay today. I'm curious to get to the bottom of the X suspension, but I suspect it's not worth the trouble. I'm pretty close to saying I'm done with them.

Email (68 unread):

• Substack: Music Week (10:2): +1 like.
• Posspo offered "a CD player to test in your vehicle." I asked them for more details.

Daily Log

Came down around 10:30. I seem to be losing the ability to recall just when I got up, how much I read, etc. I did manage to send out an Agha-Malley-based Gaza Apocalypse post last night. I doubt there will be much interest, but we'll see. I wrote the first two paragraphs last, and I think they help the piece a lot. I didn't get anything done on the "gentler genocide" piece. I need to crank out Music Week today, before I can get back to that. My thinking continues to evolve in re genocide. I'm more inclined to see it as a continuum of values, which only emerge as mass killing under extraordinary circumstances. That moment has possibly passed for Israel, but the feelings and intentions persist, likely to erupt again whenever the opportunity arises. I suspect that if you looked back at the history of European (especially Nazi) antisemitism, you'll find that the violence is episodic, but built on underlying currents that feed the outbreaks of violence. Same for the American "genocide," which over several centuries and varying political regimes seems to have reduced native population by 70-90%.

Email (91 unread, 27 spam [a misread, as I reduced that to 2 yesterday]):

• Substack: Apocalypse; 4 likes; stats: 4 likes, 0 comments, 1 restack, 123 email views, 17 other views; Music Week (10:2): shareable assets, 3 likes, 1 comment.
• Chuck Eddy: Streaming is Free-(ish)
• X: "You account, tomhull747, was reported and has been suspended for violating the X Rules. Specifically, for: Violating our rules against inauthentic behaviors. You may not use our sevices to engage in inauthentic activity that undermines the integrity of X." I read through their list of inauthentic behaviors, and have found nothing there remotedly applicable. I have a link open to contact their support team to appeal the suspension. We'll see where that leads. Meanwhile, I clicked on my own website link to my X account, and was asked to verify that I'm human. When I did so, it then asked me to further verify my humanity by opening the X app on my phone. I don't have any such app, so evidently per Elon Musk I am not human. They also allowed that if I had "an active X Premium subscription, it will not be automatically canceled by X."

I wrote this to X:

I received email from you stating that my account is suspended, due to a complaint about "inauthentic behavior." I've read your page on such behavior, and can find no rules against anything I have done. I have one and only one account. I've posted to it today 2 times. Both posts were short descriptions of pieces I had written, with links to the Substack articles. I used Substack's widget to enter X, as it conveniently initializes the form with the link. When I went to look up the text of my tweets, I was told that in order to prove that I'm a human being, I have to use my phone. I do not have your app on my phone, and have no desire to add it, least of all as some sort of "2 factor security scheme." So it may well be that even if you admit your error in suspending my account, you've decided you simply don't want people like me online.

Music Week

Expanded blog post, October archive (in progress).

Tweet: Music Week: 41 albums, 2 A-list.

Music: Current count 46721 [46680] rated (+41), 24 [31] unrated -7).

Advance Music Week appeared October 10 on Substack as Music Week (10:2). It is also archived here. My cutoff was done before the Substack post, but the introduction is revised/rewritten.

New records reviewed this week:

• Jocelyn Balu: Borumba (2026, Vu Prod): [sp]: A−
• Rahsaan Barber: Eternal (2025 [2026], Jazz City Music): [cd]: B+(**) [10-09]
• Matt Berninger: Type It Up (2026, Concord, EP): [sp]: B+(*)
• David Binney: History:Memory (2026, Mythology): [sp]: B
• Nat Birchall Quartet: Live at Low Four Studio, Manchester (2026, Ancient Archive of Sound): [bc]: B+(***)
• Michael Blake: Halloween Tales (2026, Baby Tank): [sp]: B+(**)
• Sam Blakeslee Large Group: New Blood (2023 [2026], Brooklyn Jazz Underground): [sp]: B+(*)
• Curly Castro: Yaphet (2026, Backwoodz Studioz): [sp]: A−
• Amalie Dahl's Dafnie & Lisa Ullén: Live at Kafé Hærverk (2025 [2026], Trost): [sp]: B+(**)
• Marty Ehrlich: Open Air: The Complete Saxophone Quartet Compositions of Julius Hemphill (2025 [2026], Out of Your Head): [sp]: A−
• Event Horizon Jazz Quartet: Consternation (2026, self-released): [sp]: B+(**)
• Enzo Favata: Ritornare (2026, ECM): [sp]: B+(**)
• Firelife Trio: The Space Around the Sound Resounds (2025 [2026], Sonic Transmissions): [sp]: B+(***)
• Satoko Fujii Orchestra Nagoya: Kore Kara (2026, Libra): [cd]: B+(**)
• Phil Haynes 2 Horns & What?: Avant Modern/Jazz Now (2026, Corner Store Jazz, 2CD): [cd]: B+(***)
• Kiefer: Memory Bomb (2026, Blue Note): [sp]: B−
• Kirk Knuffke/Marilyn Crispell/Thommy Andersson: Paintbrush (2024 [2026], Sunnyside): [sp]: B+(**)
• Kwn: And All Pride Aside (2026, RCA): [sp]: B+(**)
• Miranda Lambert: Crisco (2026, Vanner): [sp]: B
• Gregory Lewis: Organ Monk Sings: Introducing Ms Raina (2026, Sunnyside): [sp]: B+(*)
• Buddy Miller: Buddy Miller (2026, New West): [sp]: B+(**)
• Billy Mohler: Live in Europe (2025 [2026], Dox): [bc]: B+(***)
• Tommy Muellner: Solitary Moon (2026, Calligram): [cd]: B+(**)
• Ekep Nkwelle: Caged Bird (2026, Mack Avenue): [sp]: B+(*)
• Marek Pospieszalski Octet: Ever (2025 [2026], self-released): [bc]: B+(**)
• Jamie Safir: Momentum (2026, Chill Tone): [cd]: B+(**)
• Brandon Seabrook: Utility Modern (2026, Out of Your Head): [sp]: B+(***)
• Judi Silvano's Garden Winds: First Flight (2024 [2026], JSL): [cd]: B−
• Kevin Sun: Kevin Sun, II (2024 [2026], Endectomorph Music): [cd]: B+(***)
• Kevin Sun: Kevin Sun, I (2024 [2026], Endectomorph Music): [cd]: B+(**)
• Trio Imagination: Creative Inspirations (2025 [2026], Pi): [cd]: B+(*)
• Chris Whiteman/John Toomey Quartet: Live at Révéler (2025 [2026], self-released): [cd]: B+(***)
• Jerry Z: Break Allegro (2026, Drawbar): [cd]: B+(**) [10-09]

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

• Roland Brival: Créole Gypsy (1980 [2026], Soundway): [sp]: B+(*)
• Can: Live in Arles 1975 (1975 [2026], Mute): [sp]: B+(***)
• Stanley Cowell Trio: Illusion Suite (1972 [2026], ECM): [sp]: B+(***)
• Sir Roland Hanna: Songs of Hope, Inspiration and Joy (1990s-2002 [2026], IPO): [sp]: B+(**)
• Peace Anthems (2026, Red Hook): [sp]: B+(**)
• John Prine: Found Dogs (1995 [2026], Oh Boy): [sp]: B+(***)

Old music:

• The Modern Lovers: Precise Modern Lovers Order: Live in Berkeley and Boston (1971-73 [1994], Rounder): [sp]: B+(*)

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• Peter Brendler: And Then, Nothing (Lost Song) [11-13]
• Stephan Crump: Passerine (Out of Your Head) [10-23]
• Marty Ehrlich: Open Air: The Complete Saxophone Quartet Compositions of Julius Hemphill (Out of Your Head) [08-28]
• Mali Obomsawin: Automatic (Out of Your Head) [10-16]
• Marc Ribot Quartet: Hurry Red Telephone (Pi) [10-30]
• Brandon Seabrook: Utility Modern (Out of Your Head) [10-02]

Daily Log

Came down around 11. Fed the dog, and took him into the backyard. I spent some time trying to wash down cobwebs, but didn't have much success. Wrote more on Genocide, then got stuck again. I should take a break today and do Music Week. I'm also considering writing up that Agha/Malley quote on Oct. 7, 2023. Seems like the right time to do that. Weight up to 233.0. I'm pretty depressed.

Email (187 unread in inbox; I moved some "spam" over, but had to use the webmail app, as Thunderbird crashed when I tried moving a message from Spam to Inbox; lots of leftover unread email from yesterday):

• Substack: Apocalypse: shared assets; . +2 free subscribers.
• Mike Konczal: I Disagree With the Tax Foundation, Labor Share Is Collapsing: Getting into the guts of NIPA and what prop income really does when you include it.
• Tom Engelhardt: America's Archvillain.

Daily Log

Woke up after 10, and came down before 11:30. Read Galbreath's chapter on inflation. I flagged a paragraph that makes a key point, which is that businesses were normally reluctant to press their pricing advantages, but that once the story of inflation and its expectation set in, they not only raised prices to cover their own rising costs, but added extra profit in while they could. Another key point is that upper income people used their stimulus not to increase consumption but to bid up the value of assets.

I made some progress on the genocide essay yesterday, but I'm stuck again. Shouldn't be a big problem, but I'm having a hard time developing any enthusiasm for the job.

Email (130 unread):

• Tom Engelhardt: China? A Rising Imperial Power? Well, Yes . . . and Strangely, No.

Daily Log

Woke up around 7:30. Read some. Tried to go back to sleep. Logged some more minutes, but couldn't. Gave up at 285 minutes, 85 score. Came down at 9:30. Laura'a soup was on the porch, so I unloaded it. Jigsaw is nearly complete, so I should leave it for Laura. I came up with a first line for the Genocide essay, so I'll work on that. Marked a section of Galbreath's book on evolutionary models. I should use that for further writing. Updated software, so I need to reboot. I'll put that off a few minutes/hours, probably until breakfast.

• Cam Patterson tells me: "if the last CT of your aorta that you had was in 2006, you need another one. Regardless of echoes." Not something I wanted to hear.
• Sorting out dinner plans with Laila. Nothing possible until end of October, so wait and see.
• Toyota Rewards Visa wants to give me 5000 points. Further proof of the company's descent into hell.
• Substack: Music Week (10:1): +1 like.
• Matty Winshow: confirms 2 tickets for Oct. 17 screening of The Last Critic. I guess we pick them up? Ouma Amadou is the festival contact.
• Jim Eigo: 2026 recap and download links.

Daily Log

Slept 400 minutes. Came down at 10:30, after reading a bit of Galbreath. Doug came over yesterday afternoon, and did considerable hacking on the ash tree in the front. It was at least a third dead, so now it's looking rather lopsided, but healthier. We went to Rannfrid's 4PM talk at WSU, then out for sushi. I worked on the puzzle later, we watched TV, and I got to bed early (for me), so I got virtually nothing done (on writing, at least) yesterday. Didn't even look at my email. I should try to do some writing today.

Email (142 unread in inbox):

• Posspo asks "are you still interested in our CD player?" If so, now they're offering a unit to test "at no cost to you."
• Substack: Loose Tabs (9): +1 like.
• Tom Engelhardt: America's Archvillain.
• Tom Carson: Frankenride 12

Daily Log

Woke up multiple times during night, but in the end slept until after 11. Didn't come down until 12:30. Doug was going to come over to work on yard, but I put that off (leaving open just the work on the tree, if he's so inclined). Laura wants to go to Rannfrid's lecture at 4. It's at WSU, and I'm worried about parking. She has a new book on the history of the Bible. Started work on genocide piece last night. Looks like it could sprawl, so I need to figure out how to contain it. Didn't write much, but beginning to make sense of the structure. I'm about 20 pages into Galbraith. It's going to be a good book.

Email (183 unread in inbox, maybe 25 new?):

• Doesn't look like I got to any.

Daily Log

Woke up after 8, but couldn't go back to sleep. Got up around 9. Finished reading the Neiman book. Thinking about the genocide essay. Didn't bother even trying to go back to bed, so came down around 9:30. It's going to be a long day. Music Week post is almost done, so that should go up today, fairly early. Meanwhile, I'll work a bit on the jigsaw, then breakfast, then see what I can do.

Email (164 unread in inbox, looks like 13 from today):

• Substack: Music Week (10:1): 5 likes; stats: 4 likes, 0 comments, 0 restacks, 0 subs, 133 email views, 24 other views (views seem to me to be declining).
• Brian Morton: Thoughts on Tennessee.
• Robert Christgau: Xgau Sez: October, 2026. So no making up for missing September. Didn't include my jazz question. I need to write notice and post.
• Semipop Life: 1996 poll: The results!
• Riot Riot: Conflict of Interest #1
• Sam McAfee: First, AI ruined my book . . . then, I guess, fixed it, based on many corrections that it evidently picked up on and systematized into something McAfee could sell (or at least palm off) as a "writing engine."

Daily Log

Came down at 11:45. Reading Neiman: against Marxism, but in favor of socialism. Could be worth a post on its own. Did the cutoff for Music Week. Plenty albums rated (40), but only one new A-list, plus one old music from the 1996 search. Decided I would play Kevin Sun this morning. If it (actually two albums) rates, I could still have time to pick it up. Otherwise, I may try Tinashe again, but I doubt another spin will move my mind. In any case, Music Week must go out today. I'm leaning more and more toward actually writing up the "gentler genocide" piece, so that may be next.

Email (277 unread in inbox, most old):

• Substack: Loose Tabs (9); shareable assets; 1 like; 1 comment ("That's a lot of truly worthless people in that photo."); stats: 1 like, 1 comment, 1 restack, 136 email views, 24 other views. Music Week (10:1); shareable assets; September 2026 stats: 161 subscribers (+6), 1157 post reads (-45).
• Karen Kurtz (Farmers Insurance): Thanks for being a great customer. Actually, we're just stuck, and none too happy for that.
• Chuck Eddy: . . . And a Dollar Short (For a Few Dollars More): This got me interested enough to click on "150 Best Albums of 1991," but you have to have the Substack App to "claim your free article."
• Robert Wright: The Singularity is Clear: Part III: The Inexorable Logic of International Governance. "Inexorable" only if you assume a happy ending. Some reason to doubt that.
• Mike Konczal: Is The Actual Inflation Rate PCE and High or CPI and Low? We normally fight about what goes in the basket; this is a debate about which is the correct overall measure.
• Tom Carson: Our Nixon (obituary from 1994). Key line: "Oh, how we hated him!" And: "There are still millions of people in their forties and older whose political self-esteem is founded on their hatred of Nixon."

Music Week

Expanded blog post, October archive (in progress).

Tweet: Music Week: 40 albums, 4 A-list

Music: Current count 46680 [46640] rated (+40), 31 [25] unrated +6).

Advance Music Week appeared October 3 on Substack as Music Week (10:1). It is also archived here. My cutoff was done before the Substack post, but the introduction is revised/rewritten.

New records reviewed this week:

• 1-800-Mikey: In Yun (2026, Goner): [sp]: B+(*)
• RJ Chesney: A Southern Man (2026, Man of Straw): [sp]: B+(**)
• Mike Dana Jazz Orchestra: Farther (Still) (2025 [2026], Origin): [cd]
• Defcee & Steel Tipped Dove: We Will Be Brief (2026, Fused Arrow): [sp]: A−
• Daniel DeLorenzo: Can You Not (2026, self-released): [cd]: B+(**)
• Dinosaur Jr.: Near There (2026, Jagjaguwar): [sp]: B+(*)
• FaithNYC: Love Is a Wish Away (2024, Creation Youth): [sp]: B+(**)
• Diego Figuerido: Horse Blues (2026, Arbors): [sp]: B+(**)
• Chad Fowler/Eri Yamamoto: Polkadots & Moonbeams (2024 [2026], Mahakala Music): [bc]: B+(**)
• Shelley Hirsch/Christian Weber/Alfred Vogel: Vanish (2024 [2026], Boomslang): [sp]: B+(**)
• Katseye: Wild (2026, HYBE/Geffen, EP): [sp]: B+(**)
• Azar Lawrence: Turn the Music Up (2026, Trazar): [cd]: B+(**)
• Carla Marciano: Daydreaming: My Beloved Father Giovanni (2025 [2026], Challenge): [cd]: B+(**)
• Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves: Dedicated to You (2026, Blue Note): [sp]: B+(*)
• Gretechen Parlato: The Wise Ones (2026, Edition): [sp]: B+(*)
• Houston Person: From the Heart (2026, Arbors): [sp]: B+(***)
• Polyfillas: An Assortment of Punk Originals (2026, Dangerous): [cd]: A−
• Julian Davis Reid and Circle of Trust: Mercy We Need (2026, Too Lost): [cd]: B+(*)
• Andy Sheppard: Salt Catchers (2025 [2026], ECM): [sp]: B+(*)
• Bria Skonberg: Indigo (2025 [2026], Cellar): [sp]: B+(***)
• Skyzoo & Apollo Brown: Luxury Tax (2026, First Generation Rich/Escapism) [sp]: B+(**)
• Wadada Leo Smith: Constellations and Hemispheres (2017-22 [2026], Burning Ambulance Music): [bc]: B+(***)
• Tinashe: Popstar (2026, Atlantic): [sp]: B+(***)
• Tres Hongos: More Chips (2024 [2026], Relative Pitch): [sp]: B+(**)
• Lex Walton: Ultimate Love Forever (2026, Sub Pop, EP): [sp]: B+(**)

Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries:

• Cameron Brown and Dannie's Calypso: Remembrance (2011 [2026], Sunnyside): [bc]: A−
• Jon Waine: Second Skin (1975-1983) (1975-83 [2026], Corbett vs. Dempsey): [bc]: B+(***)
• John Larkin: Before Scatman: Early Sessions (1978 [2026], Iceberg, EP): [sp]: B+(*)

Old music:

• Lola Beltrán: Voz E Inspiracion (1975, Peerless): [yt]: B+(**)
• Daniel DeLorenzo: Trio (2017, self-released): [bc]: B+(**)
• Fine Young Cannibals: The Finest (1985-89 [1996], MCA): [sp]: A−
• Fine Young Cannibals: The Finest: The Rare and the Remixed (1985-89 [1996], MCA): [sp]: B+(*)
• F.S.K.: International (1995 [1996], Sub-Up): [sp]: B+(**)
• Violeta Parra: Las Últimas Composiciones De Violeta Parra (1966, RCA): [sp]: B+(***)
• Astor Piazzolla: Sonfonia De Tango (1955, Disques Vogue, EP): [sp]: B+(**)
• Scatman John: Scatman's World (1995, RCA): [sp]: B+(*)
• Idrissa Soumaoro & L'Eclipse De L'I.J.A.: Le Tioko-Tioko (1978, Eterna): [sp]: B+(**)
• Zuhura Swaleh/Matano Juma & Orchestra Morning Star: Karama Zijiri (1973, Pwani): [yt]: B+(**)
• Caetano Veloso: Bicho (1977, Philips): [sp]: B+(***)
• Yellow Magic Orchestra: Yellow Magic Orchestra (1978, Alfa): [sp]: B+(*)
• Yellow Magic Orchestra: Solid State Survivor (1979, Alfa): [sp]: B+(**)

Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:

• Stephen Braude With Yamara Band: Big Dipper (self-released) [10-01]
• Roni Eytan: Melody People (PKmusik) [10-30]
• Giveton Gelin: Island Dreamer: III of III (ID) [11-01]
• Clay Giberson: Moment's Notice (Origin) [10-23]
• Danny Green: Let the Music Happen (OA2) [10-23]
• Clarence Hines Jazz Orchestra: Along the Way (OA2) [10-23]
• Devra Hoff: Baile as Baile (AUM Fidelity) [10-16]
• Reza Khan: Shadow Dancers (Painted Media) [10-30]
• James Brandon Lewis/Red Lily: Calling Antonin (TAO Forms) [10-23]
• William Parker: Waltz for Gregory (AUM Fidelity) [10-09]
• Matthew Shipp/William Parker: A Whole System Of (TAO Forms) [11-06]
• Ron Vincent: Ray's Hat Trick (Origin) [10-23]

Daily Log

Woke up after 10, and came down at 10:50, after reading Nieman on Gaza and starting the chapter on "woke." More hip pain than I've had since Monday, so I took some ibuprofen along with the usual acetominiphen. Rain stopped, skies are blue, and it's 60F outside. Laura asked for the heat to be turned on, but I'm not feeling the need as yet. Nearing completion of the Substack bit on Loose Tabs. Surely I'll get that done today. But work may be slow, both because I'm starting slow and because I'm expecting Doug to come over to work around the house. I want to trim some dead branches from the ash by the street. I also want to hose down the siding and windows, and clear the clutter from the flat roof. I might expect to work on this, but the way I feel right now, I may just turn him loose. New jigsaw puzzle. This one is going to go a bit slower. Mostly grays, although details will emerge when we look closely. I'm probably putting Music Week off to tomorrow. I did move the new reviews to the October archive, so it will be "(10-1)" instead of "(9-5)."

Email (261 in inbox, many from yesterday):

• TomDispatch: David Vine: The Pentagon's Secret Budget

Daily Log

Slept ok: over 6 hours, AHI 1.5, 100 score. Read a good chunk of Niemann on selling the Red Scare, or Bernays on propaganda. I put Loose Tabs up last night, with minimal fanfare. I'm working on a Substack piece to go with it, but didn't get very far. I'll work more on that today. I won't worry about Music Week until tomorrow: no problem, as my floating date seems to have centered on Friday, and I've been slow accumulating reviews this week.

Email: looked at some stuff, but didn't take notes.

Sep 2026