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The Abyss Beckons As Trump Delivers For Putin

There’s joy in Moscow.

This was going to be a follow-up to the previous post: we’ll know just how bad it’s going to get when we see whether there are lines people will not cross in enabling Donald Trump’s take-down of all that actually has made America great. Having given it a few weeks, how have the worst cabinet picks in American history been faring with the Senate, for example?

Alas, Trump and JD Vance used the spectacle of Friday, February 28’s meeting with Volodymyr Zelensnkyy, to make it official: On their watch, at least, the United States of America is not the “Leader of the Free World”. The issue now is whether America will remain a member of the Free World.

As has been clear for years, there is no rock bottom for Donald Trump. There’s only nihilistic, autocratic abyss.

A Brief Recap

The pretext for the big televised meeting in the Oval Office was a supposed agreement involving America and Ukrainian natural resources that would somehow be a first step in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. It seems there were two versions of a deal circulating. They bore little resemblance to one another and had no realistic chances of being signed.

The first (proposed by Trump) had Ukraine handing the US rights to $500 billion worth of rare earth minerals to “repay” war aid. The second involved co-ownership in an investment fund regarding mineral, oil, and gas rights.

In the run-up, Trump sought to soften up Zelenskyy by absurdly (a) calling him a “dictator” and (b) asserting Ukraine started the war. Meanwhile, without input from Ukraine, Trump and Putin were deciding how the Russia-Ukraine war would end. (Their people met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, February 25.) Russia would make no significant concessions; Ukraine would get the right to fight on with no assurances of anything – other than the inherent certainty that Trump and Putin would renege even if they did eventually promise to concede anything.

So, Zelenskyy was to allow the U.S. to dabble in Ukrainian minerals as an inducement for Trump not to abandon him for Putin, when Trump had obviously already done so? Now, there is an offer!

Trump arranged his “great television” show for the Oval Office, knowing Zelenskyy had no choice but to reject the proposed outcome. When he balked, Trump and Vance were ready. They yelled Russian propaganda lies, and a few of their own making, at Zelenskyy, who had the nerve to respond with truthful assertions.

As audition for a mob boss role in a movie, Trump’s performance may have been acceptable; as diplomacy for a president of the United States, it was pathetic, embarrassing, degrading, and un-American. In other words, it was exactly what one would expect.

Since then, Trump has cut Ukraine off from U.S. military aid, intelligence, and satellite imagery services. More Ukrainians are dying already. Will we join Putin in bombing hospitals?

Trump’s Big Pay-off – The Quid Pro Quo

Whatever one may think of assertions that Russia has considered Trump a potential asset for decades, there is no doubt about what matters most. Putin spared no time, effort and expense providing what Russia does best (uniquely effective and divisive misinformation operations) in support of Trump’s campaigns for president. The Mueller investigation developed mountains of evidence about the unprecedented extent of interference in the 2016 election.

It was “Russia, Russia, Russia”, alright.

Their persistence and investments have been amply rewarded all along. The centerpiece of Trump’s quid pro quo, however, was publicly switching alliance from the invaded democracy to the invading Communist dictator.

Can’t Get No Respect

Part of the game plan for the show, obviously, was to paint Zelenskyy as “disrespectful” and ungrateful.

When Trump opened the questioning, he called on someone (Brian Glenn, boyfriend of Marjorie Taylor Greene – really, you can’t make this stuff up) representing a far-right outlet. Glenn launched into an unprofessional scold on Zelenskyy’s attire. His eventual question was “Do you own a suit?” Three thoughts came to mind:

  • Zelensky was dressed exactly as he has been for all appearances since his country was invaded, and has explained it many times. Perhaps he should have dressed like co-president Musk.
  • In a desperate attempt to control the narrative, Trump’s White House is excluding askers of real questions like the Associated Press and Reuters from Oval Office events, while including the likes of Glenn.
  • What Z was wearing?! There certainly was shameful disrespect in the Oval Office, and of the Oval Office, that day; Trump may as well have been wearing a tee shirt with “OF COURSE, I’m Putin’s Lackey” on the front and “Have You Paid ANY Attention the Last Ten Years?” on the back.

Vice President JD Vance was eager to do his Trump Mini-Me shtick, whining to Zelenskyy that he hadn’t even thanked Trump. On this:

  • Zelenskyy has never failed to be effusive with his gratitude to America and all its representatives for support.
  • The complaint was (what else?) a lie. The first words out of Zelenskyy’s mouth on this very occasion were “Thank you” – even knowing he was about to undergo a shakedown.

Surprising Surprise

The shock and surprise expressed by many at Trump and Vance’s behavior seems, well, surprising.

An entire book (Daniel W. Drezner’s Toddler In Chief) was written on how Trump’s behavior during his first term was that of a toddler. Forty-four pages of notes and a six-page bibliography document hundreds of accounts of Trump displaying the  short attention span, impulsiveness, impetuousness, temper, knowledge deficits, etc. of a two-to-three year-old child. To this day, he often seems to careen from one whim to another.

Except, however, when it comes to the interests of Vladimir Putin; there Trump was and is consistent, focused, and tireless. He never misses an opportunity either to praise Putin and support Russia’s interests, or to undermine America’s allies and NATO as an entity.

People are shocked all of a sudden? Trump’s disgraceful performance in Helsinki (7/16/18) is one of many incidents that should have been the end of his presidency. His “perfect phone call” of 7/25/19 illegally threatening to withhold aid approved under law unless Zelenskyy made up dirt on Biden is what got Trump impeached the first time, and should also have ended his presidency. On 2/22/22, he infamously praised Putin’s “genius” for invading Ukraine, even as the civilized world recoiled in horror.

Appalled, disgusted, outraged – absolutely. But surprised? How are you going to be when he pulls the U.S. out of NATO?

Evil Without Borders

While no one on earth has been happier than Vladimir Putin on November 3, 2016, November 5, 2024, and now February 28, 2025, the joy isn’t limited to Moscow. It extends to wherever dictators, tyrants and autocrats rule. Steve Bannon has called Hungary’s Viktor Orban “Trump before Trump” with good reason.

MAGAworld’s hard work following the 2020 election wasn’t limited to trying to steal the election back. Orban’s skillful takeover of Hungary’s institutions, stifling of dissent, and dominance of the narrative clearly inspired careful study and emulation, if ever there was to be a second chance. Well, now Trump has that second chance.

To take a stroll down memory lane, recall how Trump and Brazil’s Balsonaro heaped praise on one another while callously botching their countries’ response to COVID with nearly identical lies, mistakes, and terrible outcomes. The similarities in the two men’s approaches to governance well beyond COVID is remarkable.

Trump’s behavior inspires mutual admiration, and more, with bad actors from the far right and the far left.

The Real Issue in the New World Disorder

That’s because it’s no longer really about liberal vs. conservative, left vs. right, Democrats vs. Republicans. What matters now is the choice between participation in a democratic republic vs. submission to dictators, tyrants and autocrats.

It would be nice someday to get back to old debates between conservatives and liberals like these:

  • How big is too big for government?
  • Is government regulation too extensive, too intrusive, and at times contradictory? Are there also areas that need regulatory attention? If so, how can we fix this?
  • What is the best tax structure for America?

At this point, such concerns seem almost quaint. Why? Because Trump somehow got himself re-elected, despite the fact that it could not be any clearer: America’s enemies are Trump’s allies. America’s allies are Trump’s enemies.

In our lifetimes, America has made mistakes, and chosen sides poorly at times, with dire and even terrible consequences. But those were mistakes. Here we are deliberately and unabashedly joining the Bad Guys, indeed the worst guys on earth. We do so not because it is in America’s interests (it’s clearly the opposite), but because it is In Donald Trump’s own personal best interests.

When Trump said he was going to be a dictator only on the first day, the lie was in his use of “only”. Substitute “from” for “only on”, and you have the true picture, if he’s allowed to pull it off.

I remember wondering how awful it must be to live in Communist Russia, or to have lived under fascism, where centralized power is unchecked, freedom is squelched, corruption is rampant, and your government lies incessantly. I never said “That could never happen here” back then, but only because it never occurred to me as a possibility. Indeed, the question was how it was possible for a country to get itself in such a fix. There have been no such musings for the last ten years or so. Now we know.

So, here we are. Right now, all Americans have no choice but to ask themselves whether they are for a democratic republic or autocracy. Ignoring what is underway is acquiescence.

What’s Underway

Trump’s assault is on America’s allies because, first and foremost, Trump’s assault is on America and all it represents. Putin despises America not just as an adversary, but for all its best foundational notions, among them:
– the Rule of Law
– Balance of Power/Checks and Balances
– an Independent Judiciary
– Freedom of the Press
– Real and True Elections
– Due Process
– Equal Protection of the Law
– Freedoms of Speech, Assembly, and Association
Trump is with Putin in his hatred and contempt for all the above. Much of what Trump’s doing is not just illegal; it’s unconstitutional. The extent to which it’s also horrendous public policy is an entirely different conversation. Note, however, that he knows exactly what he’s doing, and he is good enough at it to gather support for the indefensible.

Trump hitched his wagon to Vladimir Putin – America’s mortal enemy and the worst person on earth – obviously and publicly, a long time ago. At this point, certainly, there is no conceivable excuse for not recognizing what this is, what it means, and what it portends for America’s future. Political leanings and affiliation don’t matter, compared to what’s at stake.

Conclusion

We’ll get back to public policy and Trump’s blitzkrieg – his dismantling of both America’s economy and its ability to fend off the various catastrophes he’s inviting – soon enough.

This is about something else, something (unbelievably) even worse. This is an invitation from Trump into the autocracy abyss just in time to prevent America from reaching its 250th birthday intact. Unless you think it’s a good idea to turn America into Russia, or you enjoy practicing the Nazi salute with Elon, it’s time to get busy.

Autocracy is an abyss in that once a dictatorship is entrenched, it is extraordinarily more difficult to scratch and crawl back out of it to democracy. As a people, we are either not having it – autocracy, that is – or we really are going to have it.

Again, the issue now is whether America will remain a member of the Free World. It’s an either/or. There’s nowhere to hide. Sadly, candor requires acknowledgement of Trump’s expert use of fear. Much spineless capitulation to him by those who know better has been attributable to fear of portions of Trump’s base. One reason Trump pardoned many hundreds of January 5 insurrectionists was to have the unrepentant ones available, “standing by” for their next assignments.

This is all the more reason none of us can abide the ongoing criminality. If we’re going to remain the Land of the Free, we must be the Home of the Brave.

Ken Bossong

© 2025 Kenneth J. Bossong

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How Bad Is It Going To Get? It’s All About The Lines

From the moment the announced results of the 2024 election became clear, those who see Trump for who and what he is have had one question amid a number of intense feelings: How bad is it going to get?

There is no point in trying to sugarcoat this: You cannot elect a Donald Trump president (ever, much less TWICE) and reasonably expect to emerge unscathed. It’s hard to say this, but we were really lucky the first time. We suffered “merely” a deliberately but horribly botched response to a pandemic; resulting lousy economy left to others for resuscitation; four years of aid and comfort to America’s most committed and dangerous enemy; unremitting grief to America’s allies; resulting weakening of the NATO alliance; and on and on. Yet we got through it.

Every time I prayed during his first term, I literally thanked God for Trump’s incompetence in his quest to do harm. Trump’s not one to admit mistakes, but it’s hard to imagine he hasn’t been exploring what he could have done differently. His evidently diminishing capacity gives little solace, and perhaps even more concern.

So, how bad it COULD get in round two – finishing the job of dismantling everything that actually has made America great all these years – is clear and a major cause of widespread revulsion. But just how bad is it really going to get? The answer depends largely on the Lines: who has them, where they’re drawn, and who does not have any at all.

The Lines

Imagine yourself reaching the pinnacle of your profession. You studied hard, learning the theory, and you’ve worked hard learning the skills of how it is done in the real world. You’re offered a job in the administration of the President of the United States.

It that president is Donald Trump, you will first learn that your expertise is for naught; not merely ignored but scorned. Your work product will consist of a few simple sentences with the outcome pre-ordained. Then, sooner or later, you will have a special moment of reckoning. You will be instructed to do something that is immoral, unethical, dishonest, illegal, criminal, unconstitutional, or all of the above. How do you respond?

If it’s “not too bad”, do you go along? If the next one’s a little worse, but ”everyone does it”? After a while, do you wonder who you are and what you have become? Is there a line you will not cross? If so, your tenure in the administration is then over. Perhaps you write a book.

A Couple Famous Examples of Lines

For Mike Pence, after four years of abject abasement, the line was his ceremonial duty as Vice President to acknowledge and announce the vote totals determining the outcome of the 2020 election.

How abject was his sycophancy? Let’s just say he’s one of the stars of Mark Leibovich’s 2022 book Thank You For Your Servitude: Donald Trump’s Washington and the Price of Submission. One unforgettable passage describes the first assembly of Trump’s full cabinet on June 12, 2017, the main purpose of which appears to have been to go around the room for each to heap praise on His Neediness. After starting with a baseless boast about himself, Trump turned it over to Pence:

            “It’s just the greatest privilege of my life to serve as the vice president,” Mike Pence said…Not just any vice president, Pence said, but the one serving “the president who’s keeping his word to the American people and assembling a team that’s bringing real change, real prosperity, real strength back to our nation.”
Pence was the unquestioned maestro of this top-level symphony of sycophancy. No one did complete submission the way Pence did: the hushed voice, the bowed head, and the quivering reverence for “my president”, “this extraordinary man”… The former altar boy could always deliver when called upon, until the bitter end.
Trump looked on, nodding studiously… As for Pence, he was laying it on especially thick…It was always a bit of a puzzle with Pence. Why would this most conspicuously moral of Christian men attach himself so utterly to one of the most depraved creatures ever to inhabit our public life?
Pence didn’t just attach himself to Trump in the standard sense of being a loyal vice president. Pence stood by his man in the most nakedly servile of ways. Old friends from Indiana and colleagues from Congress would try to get him to break character, just a little. They understood that Trump expected his vice president to be a perfect doormat at all times. But they wanted just one glimpse of acknowledgement from Pence that he saw what everyone else saw, that he got the joke. You in there, somewhere, Mike?
“You have to know this is nuts, right?” one former House colleague would ask the VP whenever they spoke. Every Republican in Washington who knew better – which was nearly all of them – was cognizant that the situation with Trump would only become more precarious… But Pence would never betray any daylight between himself and Trump. (Pages 83-85)

But Pence had a line he wouldn’t cross. He also had a car he would not enter. No one hung Mike Pence on January 6, and he tallied the electoral votes.

For Bill Barr, after abetting Trump lies and offering some of his own, as with the contents of the Mueller Report, the line he wouldn’t cross was legally approving the substitution of fake electors or insurrection.

This doesn’t exactly make these guys heroes. Quite the contrary; but for the lines they and so many others wouldn’t cross being so far down the road, we would not be facing what’s coming. (Indeed, why isn’t Barr facing severe attorney discipline?)

But at least they did have a line.

As Compared To…

To get an obvious point out of the way quickly, Donald Trump has no line at all. He delights in crossing any line anyone thinks he should have. The more harm he does, the better he enjoys it.

Trump could not be clearer that he has nothing but contempt for norms, rules, notions of decency, ethics, morals, the law, or the Constitution. There is no rock bottom. It is one reason, sadly, why some people love him so.

Any restraint on how bad it’s going to get will have to come from elsewhere.

So, Whose Lines Matter, Anyway?

The easy answer is nearly everyone’s. More on that later.

The first thought when it comes to protective guardrails for our democracy is the judiciary. Then you read Trump v. the United States. (Yes, there are other recent cases of real concern courtesy of this Supreme Court, but this is the one.) Time and space do not permit a deep dive here. Let’s just say that I’m not sanguine about where the lines are regarding the behavior of Donald Trump for the six justices who formed the majority. By the way, has there ever been a more aptly titled case than “Donald Trump versus the United States”? It neatly sums up where we’ve been for a decade.

Turning our attention to the Legislative Branch, we’ll find out soon enough where the lines are drawn for each member of the House and Senate. Since they have slim majorities in each, the Republicans’ lines not to be crossed will be of paramount importance. No one’s more interested in this than the president-elect, of course.

 While Trump thoroughly enjoys folks freaking out over his announced collection of bizarre intended cabinet appointments, he’s also watching carefully to see where the lines are. It’s also a power play. In this group, Rubio is a superstar statesman, but Gaetz as AG was a step too far, even for him. Trump may have known it, and wanted a bone to throw Senate Republicans worried about appearing pathetic in their oversight role. He wants it known, though, that anyone who crosses him faces being labeled a RINO and “primaried”.

Back in the Executive Branch we have JD Vance, who, if nothing else, knows the right people to hate. It’s kind of hard at this point to picture MAGAs wanting to hang him. As to that cabinet, Trump had a few so-called adults in the room to start last time. He won’t make that mistake again. They were the ones who did what they could to thwart or blunt the impact of his worst stuff. They’re also the ones who wrote the books. Not that Trump’s read any of the books, but he knows the gist of what’s in them.

The qualifications at work here seem to be: utter lack of expertise in the field; skill in the dishonesty arts (projection, deflection, etc.); wackiness; and outright hostility toward the agency’s mission. Conviction for a crime and allegations of sexual misconduct are plusses. Above all, the only answer to any assignment is “Yes, sir!”

Summing Up

It won’t be long now before we begin to see how bad it’s going to get. In typical Trump fashion, he’s already disrupting markets and sowing seeds of chaos. In addition to what disasters might occur as a result of faulty policy, it’s difficult not to think about some dangerous possible crossroad events.

What will happen the first time Trump

  • orders someone in the military to beat up or open fire on peaceful civilian protesters
  • sends aid to Russia rather than Ukraine and joins Vladimir Putin in war crimes like blowing up hospitals and schools
  • orders illegal mass firings in an agency and replacement with MAGAs
  • directs the Justice Department to round up his enemies
  • confronts another pandemic or other unanticipated challenge
  • declares martial law?

These and some from a thousand other possible scenarios will test where the lines are. With Trump, unfortunately, almost anything is possible. When and at what point sufficient persons in the right positions say “No; not this!” will determine the extent of the harm to our republic. That harm could also come more gradually from a multitude of lesser cuts.

Never forget, though, that we could have been spared all that is about to happen if Senate Republicans – virtually all of whom “got the joke” – voted to convict and remove Trump on either impeachment, as was their sworn duty in any sane world. Yet, not one of them has paid a price for this reprehensible dereliction of duty.

That’s on the American voting public, as is the election of 2024. We’re often heard to decry the lack of accountability, but we’re the only ones who can demand it. If we’re not having the lies, the cynicism, the nihilism, the stupidity, and the cruelty, they will begin to lose potency. Such vigilance in sticking to lines we won’t cross is our job as citizens; it’s the price of freedom.  

Those Allstate commercials featuring Mayhem (played by actor Dean Winters) bring to mind Donald Trump in office as the Mayhem of governance. Well, Allstate has no product to protect us from mayhem like him. Be assured, however, that America’s Mayhem is on spine patrol, hoping to find as few as possible – from the US Senate all the way through the electorate.

We all have a role to play in limiting how bad it’s going to get. How many of his Fellini-movie-cast of weirdos, kooks, and criminals he gets through the Senate for his cabinet will be one harbinger of things to come.

Ken Bossong

© 2024 Kenneth J. Bossong

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Hey! Say, Did You Ever See Mays Play?

Willie Mays passed this year, on June 18. He was 93. The tributes were plentiful, and generally well written, accurate, and heartfelt.

Many, but not all, flatly stated that Mays was the greatest all-around five-tool (hit, hit for power, run, field, and throw) baseball player ever. While there’ll be no argument here, the purpose is not to reiterate the accolades. This is different. This is personal.

From the Beginning

One of the earliest memories I have is of my father pointing to a television screen and saying, “Look son, that’s Willie Mays! He’s the greatest baseball player in the world.”

I was somewhere between two and four years old and not sure I understood what a baseball player was, but that’s how Willie became my first hero other than my parents. I came to fully understand what my father meant soon enough, and spent the rest of Mays’s career being enthralled by him every chance I got. To this day, he is my favorite athlete ever (Jim Brown and Wilt notwithstanding).

My family moved from New York to South Jersey in 1956; Willie’s Giants moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season. Dad and I went to at least one out of every three-game series the Giants played in Philadelphia. I was plastered to the TV whenever any Giants game was broadcast.

Why the Fuss? Beyond the Stats

The reason for my rapt, devoted attention was simple: it was rewarded at every turn. The statistics, universally mentioned and analyzed, amaze. (See, for example, Paul Casella’s “24 Amazing Willie Mays Stats” here: https://www.mlb.com/news/willie-mays-best-stats-and-accomplishments). The hitting, the fielding, the base-stealing, the Gold Gloves, the All Star appearances, etc. – no, the statistics don’t lie. (At least 70 extra base hits thirteen consecutive years, etc.) Yet, they don’t begin to tell the whole story, either.

Let’s illustrate with an example. Mays was probably the first great power hitter to also be a great base stealer. I’ll spare you recitation of the stats, which anyone can look up in seconds. Other players specialized in stolen bases and have far more than Mays’s 338. (He’s not in the top 100, but is the only player ever to have at least 3000 hits, a .300 average, 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases for his career.) The point is that Willie Mays was, without question, the greatest overall baserunner I have ever seen or expect to see.

Baserunner

Just in games I personally saw (live or on TV), Willie did each of the following, some more than once, over the years:

  • Advance from first to third on a sacrifice fly;
  • Advance from first to third on a bunt
  • Advance from first to third on a routine ground ball
  • Score from second on a sacrifice fly, and also on a bunt and a routine ground ball
  • Score from first on a single
  • Routinely stretch hits into extra bases

Each of these, and probably more I’m forgetting, was accomplished without an official error being committed. There was, however, the mental error of fielders forgetting it was Willie Mays doing the running. There are no stats available for any of this, or for the number of official errors induced by the havoc his base running – or the fear of his base running – caused.

One of the tributes published in June mentioned opposing managers having to remind their outfielders before playing the Giants about Mays the baserunner. “If he appears to take too wide a turn, around any base, he’s trying to bait you into throwing behind him. You will never throw him out and he’ll just take the next base or score. Just throw, directly, accurately and quickly, to the base in front of him.”

Front and Center Fielder

Another example of the inadequacy of statistics (yes, even notwithstanding his 12 Gold Gloves) to capture the magic of Mays was his astounding fielding. His combination of speed, quickness, and especially instinct was difficult to comprehend.

You cannot look up how many baserunners didn’t dare run on his arm or how many otherwise-certain hits became outs when Willie made catches no other outfielder would have attempted. For him, they resurrected a saying originally used on Tris Speaker, the great center fielder before him: Willie’s glove was ”where triples go to die”.

It Dawned On Me

Even Mays had an off day now and then. Dad and I saw a few. Two I remember.

One game, he struck out his first three at-bats. Then he drew a walk, stole second and third, and scored on a short fly ball to the outfield. In the other, Mays went 0 for 4 and had a miserable game – except for the absolutely ridiculous catch and throw he made from center field to turn certain runs into a double play.

After one of these two games, I said, “You know, Dad, it’s almost as if Willie can’t stand the thought of fans going home without seeing something special from him every single game. He takes personal responsibility for me, us, not leaving disappointed after paying to see a game. And this is an AWAY game!”

Guess Why the Giants Led Baseball in Away Attendance Many Years

Away games involving Willie Mays were like none other. Even in Philly, perhaps especially in Philly where fans are tough but knowledgeable, Mays was treated differently than any other visiting athlete I can recall. When he came out to the on-deck circle, the crowd stirred. The crescendo started as he began his stroll toward home plate. By the time he dug his cleats into the batter’s box, Mays was greeted with a raucous, sustained standing ovation. In fact, each of his at-bats drew a standing ovation. Then the crowd would go back to cheering their Phillies.

In an interview many years later, Willie confirmed my impression of exactly how he felt about the fans, all fans. He even used some of the same wording. He felt he owed the fans who came to any game something special and hated the thought of not providing it. It was personal.

Giving Thanks for One of a Kind

Willie’s special genius was to grasp, like no one before him or since, the unique majesty and endless possibilities of a game that can end based only on the action on the field, rather than the running of a clock.

He was not completely unique in the passion he brought to the sport, though very few matched it. What I will never forget is the sheer joy with which he played the game he loved.

When I felt he was attaining unsurpassed excellence for me, and us, I was right.

There’s something else. Willie Mays, product of the Jim Crow South, collaborated with my parents, Caucasians he never met, to make clear the utter insanity of racism.

For this, and for all of the above – the skill, the excellence, the style, the thrills, the joy – I am eternally grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Ken Bossong

© 2024 Kenneth J. Bossong

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Trump Names Wile E. Coyote His Roadrunner Czar

President-elect Donald Trump has announced his intention to appoint Wile E. Coyote his Director of the Bureau of Roadrunner Affairs.

“He’s smart,” Trump said of his nominee, “So very smart, you wouldn’t believe. And very, very persistent. Everyone says he’s so persistent, you wouldn’t believe.”

Citing the importance of the position, Trump described roadrunners as “bad, very bad. Everyone knows how bad they are. They run all over the place, causing accidents. Thousands of people have died in accidents caused by roadrunners. Tens of thousands, actually.”

The President-elect expressed confidence in his choice: “There’s nobody better than Coyote for the job. He’ll capture these filthy, criminal roadrunners and deport them. That’s right, send ‘em back where they came from. And they’ll be the lucky ones.”

In response, the most famous roadrunner of them all, The Road Runner, was speechless, unable to manage even a “beep-beep”. Or a “meep-meep”.

A spokesperson for the Roadrunner community, who spoke anonymously for fear of retribution, had this to say: “Roadrunner Nation is fearful and stunned by the callousness of this appointment. Indeed, the only solace they have is in Wile E. Coyote’s lengthy record of unmatched incompetence. His decades of abject failure attempting to inflict lethal harm would be amusing if it weren’t so serious. Handing over the power of the federal government to such an individual is terrifying.”

A Republican senator, also speaking anonymously out of abject fear, said, “He nominated who, for what? Uh, OK, sure…yeah, I’ll get behind that. Whatever.”

*                                              *                                              *

In a more straightforward vein – and, 64 days before inauguration, it’s already nearly impossible to write satire more ridiculous than what’s actually happening – RIP to national musical treasures, who were not cheated in the time they had on the planet:

Drum master Roy Haynes, 99, who played with everyone who mattered for a reason
Alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, 98, whose bluesy, sassy approach helped shape the hard bop offshoot of bebop
Singer, composer, folklorist Ella Jenkins, 100, who brought the magic of call-and-response, among other essentials, to all, but especially to children.

We lost all three in the last eight days, as well as Quincy Jones at 91 on November 3 and tenor saxophonist and composer Benny Golson at 95 on September 21. Thank goodness we had them so long.

Ken Bossong

© 2024 Kenneth J. Bossong

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Lies/Reckless Disregard For Truth Can’t Be Allowed To Doom Democracy

Fox News Defamation Woes Highlight and Exemplify the Threat

Sorry about the long hiatus for Other Aspects. Welcome back and thanks for reading.

It’s not that there’s been nothing much happening worth writing about. It’s more like the opposite: there’s been so much truly bizarre stuff going on that it’s difficult to absorb and gather oneself for a coherent response.

For the third time in eight years, DJT is the candidate for President for what was once a proud, major party. Polls indicate that, regardless of the outcome, he again will get tens of millions of votes. Like many, I find myself incapable of imaging how, at this point, anyone can conceive of voting for this man for President of the United States. Yet, here we are. So, let’s dig in a bit.

Whence Comes Support?

It’s tempting to break Trump’s supporters into two groups:
(1) Those who support him despite his despicable nature; and
(2) Those who support him because of his despicable nature That first group can be further subdivided:
(a) Reality Deniers  – Those who don’t especially like DJT, and may even thoroughly dislike him, but fail (or refuse) to grasp the severity and depth of his criminal malevolence and the danger he poses, and thus somehow worry about “the alternative”; and
(b) Opportunists – Those who grasp exactly who and what he is, but see him as a useful vehicle to further their own interests.

That Second Group – the Trump True Believers (TTBs)

Let’s consider the TTBs briefly before moving on. These are folks who love Trump for his racism, his cruelty, his dishonesty, his defiant ignorance, and (maybe most of all) his ability to get away with saying and doing what he does.

Every time he commits a serious crime in plain view, they love him more. Every time he identifies a new group to hate, a “Them” for “Us” to despise for their supposed inferiority, TBBs want more to be part of Trump’s “Us”.

It’s fascinating that no one ever notices that it’s impossible to really be part of Trump’s “Us”. For The Don, there is only Himself. Absolute, unconditional loyalty is always demanded; none whatsoever is ever afforded anyone. With each passing day it becomes clearer that anyone who is not doing exactly what he wants, at every moment, is an “enemy of the people”, against whom he is eager to seek retribution and exert military might.

Virtually everyone who has ever had anything to do with Trump has lived to regret it, deeply, and usually sooner rather than later. The delusion for those who fall all over themselves declaring fealty for Trump is like that of someone’s seventh spouse. It will be different for me.

So, What’s the Attraction?

It’s not like Trump is charming. Is this merely America’s peculiar infatuation with the Bad Boy, the Anti-hero, taken to absurd, previously unimagined extremes? No, there’s more to it.

Racism isn’t the only factor involved, but it seems the most significant. Many TTBs feel the wrong side won the Civil War, haven’t gotten over it, and think they’d like another crack at it. At the very least, they look back on Jim Crow as the “good old days”; that is, the “Great” the MAGA crowd would like to make America again. Not for nothing did Confederate flags appear next to Trump flags in the Capitol on January 6 and at Trump rallies from the beginning.

The need for Us vs. Them at work for TTBs isn’t always explicitly race-based. Pick any bigotry; Trump has a series of lies and made-up grievances for you. If you need somebody to hate, or blame, or feel superior to, the Don is your candidate. More and more, he’s not even bothering with the dog whistles; he just comes right out with it.

Whether the bait is explicitly racist or not, it is inevitably taken; the more people hurt as a result, the better. COVID-19 is a liberal hoax. Immigrants seek “asylum” because they’re insane. Thugs await word on which honest public servants are the “enemy” ever since Trump told the Proud Boys to “stand by”. John McCain was not a hero; January 6 insurrectionists were. Dog and cat burgers, anyone?

Perhaps the single most depressing realization to accept is that earlier assumptions that TTBs were a small lunatic fringe group were very wrong.

Moving On To That First Group of Trump Supporters

These, you’ll recall, are folks who support him despite his despicable nature. We subdivided those expected to hold their noses and vote for Trump into 1(a) reality deniers and 1(b) opportunists.

Reality Deniers

I will never forget the first time someone said to me, about Trump, “at least he’s honest.” For a while I was stupefied into silence. The single most dishonest human being of which I have ever been aware, a virtuoso of every form and technique of dishonesty, a person seemingly incapable of uttering a statement of fact that is true, and your take is “at least he’s honest”?!

I finally managed to sputter out something like “I don’t understand; what do you mean?” The reply was, “He says what so many others are thinking.”

Information Source

Everyone needs sources of information. So often, when asked if I’ve heard some nugget of misinformation and fact-checking confirms the falsity, I learn the source was Fox News, Breitbart, or their ilk. Reality-denying Trump fans who rely on Fox News 24/7 are unlikely to know much about the Dominion case.

Here’s the thing: Defamation cases are very difficult for plaintiffs to win anything, much less large awards. It’s not enough for the information conveyed to be false and unfair. The standard to be proven is “actual malice”. The defendant must be shown to have known the information was false or had reckless disregard for its falsity. The burden of proof is “clear and convincing”, second in difficulty only to criminal law’s “beyond a reasonable doubt”. Suffice it to say that plaintiffs win nothing unless defendant’s behavior is reprehensible.

The lie in the Dominion case was the Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen and that Dominion’s election equipment was one way it was done. There was no verdict; the case was settled – for $787 million dollars. Fox didn’t dare go to a jury with the evidence available.

When I learned of the case, I couldn’t wait to see what discovery in the case revealed. The story’s told in Brian Stelter’s 2023 book, Network of Lies. It’s devastating, revealing a breathtaking level of cynical lying for profit. Reading the internal emails of the time leaves no doubt why they were terrified to have anyone – owners, writers, on-air talent – testify under oath.

It’s not the only case of its kind.

The Colloquy I Wish I’d Had With Reality Deniers I Know and Like

Here’s what I wish I’d said (where appropriate):
I’ve been considering everything I love about you as friends, and cherish about our friendship: You’re honest, hard-working, caring, giving. You love each other as a couple, and you love your children, your extended family and your friends. You bend over backwards to do no harm and help those in need.

In every single respect, then, you are the exact, diametrical opposite of Donald Trump. If you knew him in any capacity, or had anything whatever to do with him in the real world – business, social, political, professional – you would loathe him.

The public record could not be clearer on his character, personality, interests and morals. If you doubt this, you must be limiting yourself to Fox News or the equivalent. You are doing yourself a great disservice and deserve better.

Everything you taught and begged your children not to be – Trump is. How is it possible that you would consider for a second voting for this lying, thieving sociopath for anything, much less President?

Trumpian Mythology

Opportunists and reality deniers have some favorite myths about who and what Trump is that they use  attempting to justify support for The Don. It’s hard to say which one is the most preposterous.  Really, each would be hilarious if he weren’t so dangerous and the harm caused so tragic. What follows are several of the myths heard most often.

Conservative Republican

No one should be more outraged by Trump than true conservative Republicans. Just now, finally, some are speaking up. Assuming America survives this ordeal intact, nobody will have more ‘splainin’ to do than cynically enabling conservative Republicans who knew better all along. History will not be kind to Mitch and the gang.

One hallmark of conservative Republicans has been urging fiscal responsibility. No president has ever added to the deficit more than Trump, including before the pandemic. He loves deficit spending, just as long as none of it benefits Americans who actually need help. Eisenhower, Goldwater, and Reagan would have despised him and what he’s done to the party and the country.

Those seeking a detailed treatment of the modern mass capitulation could do a lot worse than Mark Liebovich’s 2022 book, Thank You for Your Servitude. You sell your soul to the Devil for THIS guy? The presidency is not the only office up for grabs in 2024.

Law and Order

I’ll try not to belabor this, a point about which books will be written for decades. Could there be a more comically inapt candidate for any office to be dubbed a Law ‘n’ Order guy?

Anyone who’s read all the indictments (four cases, 91 counts) against Trump can only be struck by a number of points:

  • The severity, number, and deadly serious nature of the allegations
  • The meticulous care with which the allegations are presented and documented
  • The number of felonies committed in plain view for which he has not been charged – at least, yet
  • The mind-boggling possibilities of wrong-doing by him and his associates that have not yet come to light

Shortly after Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, I predicted to a close friend that he would average about a felony a day for as long as he remained in office. I suspect I got it about right, as long as you don’t count all the crimes he induced those around him to commit.

Looming over all criminal cases is the burden of proof facing the prosecutor: Beyond A Reasonable Doubt. The daunting hurdle posed by BARD probably had much to do with both the time it took to get these charges filed and the detail presented.

Had he been charged with everything he might have been – like, say, treason – Donald Trump may have seen his enthusiasm for the federal death penalty greatly diminished.

In the one case of the four that has reached verdict, of course, Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts and awaits sentencing.

Tough Guy

He never stops whining. Never, about everything, and this is one of the many reasons the extent of his popularity is so surprising. Until he came along, most would say “Nobody likes a whiner.” But everything and everyone is so UNFAIR! There’s a two-tiered system of justice in this country!

Unfortunately, he is correct on that last point – in exactly the opposite way he intends. That he has not spent the majority of his adult life in prison is the clearest indication of how that two-tiered system has been working. It also shows how wrong the Left has been to consider him stupid.

The funny thing is that it has become almost impossible to be unfair to Donald Trump. He has reaped the benefit of lowered expectation to the point where the bar is lying on the ground; atrocious behavior is just Trump being Trump.  In so doing, though, he’s created the situation where no matter how terrible a thing one says about him, it’s likely to be true.

Like most bullies, he’s a tough guy when surrounded by his mob. Stand by, Proud Boys. January 6, 2021 was just the warm-up.

Christian

Contemplating the undying support of many Evangelicals and Christian Nationalists for this man leaves me thinking of the Seven Deadly Sins. It is probably due to my background as a life-long practicing Catholic. They, by the way, are the sins that make it more likely to sin again, gateways to further wrongdoing.

If someone were to write the definitive Trump biography, its title should be Greed, Lust, Pride, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, and Wrath: The Life and Times of Donald John Trump. The author could do no better.

For those who prefer guidance from the Old Testament, here’s a conceptual exercise. Try to name a commandment Trump does not break – publicly, gleefully, repeatedly – and encourage or demand others to break.

In supporting such an individual, these Evangelicals and Christian Nationalists (forgive me, but the latter term is an oxymoron for anyone with even a passing acquaintance with the Gospels, but I digress) are showing their hands. Their real agendas as the most cynically opportunistic of opportunists are laid bare for all to see.

For the Little Guy/Working Class

In some ways, this is the saddest con. Start with the obvious point that the Don cares nothing for anyone but himself. That this epitome of the arrogant, spoiled rich kid somehow grew into a champion for blue collar workers is a painfully false myth.

First, he has no less contempt for his followers than for anyone else. Second and ironically, the Kamala Harrises and Joe Bidens of the world, actually do care about their lot, and work hard to improve it.

Successful Businessman

He’s considered a successful businessman because he played a role on a television show. I like businessmen whose word is their bond. (RIP: John McCain.)

We’re talking about Mr. Bankruptcy here – and not just his own. Democrats should have a new ad every hour featuring true stories of countless honest American business owners Trump has ruined over the years by refusing to meet his most basic obligations.

By the way, how do you fail running casinos, an industry where the House is guaranteed to win?

There is no greater tell for dishonesty than a business having two sets of books. Who believes it was Allen Weisselberg’s idea to do that for the Trump Organization? So far, everyone but Trump goes to prison for doing Trump’s bidding. That may change soon.

In a related matter, it’s both unusual and embarrassing when an accounting firm announces publicly that they must disavow financial statements prepared for a client for any period of time. Mazars, USA did so for their client, The Trump Organization, for the DECADE of 2011 – 2020. Specifically, they instructed Trump to notify anyone who had received statements of financial condition for all those years not to rely on them.

Conclusion

Phony conservative, phony Republican, phony patriot, phony Christian, phony family man, phony businessman – yep, Trump is the complete package. He’s never been more himself than when he said to John Kelley, at his son’s gravesite in Arlington, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”

He’s right. He doesn’t get any of it: honesty, common decency, honor, introspection, empathy, remorse, service, responsibility, respect, duty, commitment, love. All are for losers and suckers.

Each item just in this post, alone, is enough to be absolutely disqualifying.

Meanwhile, his opponent, who’d be the first to say she’s not perfect, is smart, accomplished, experienced, qualified and committed to public service. Sane and normal would be enough, but we’ll get much better than that. Inexplicably, the polls insist it’s a toss-up. This could be either the end of America as we know it or the end of polling as we know it. I’ll take the latter.

The fifth-grade bully has punched the Constitution, the Rule of Law, and basic human decency in the face, and sneered, “Whatcha gonna do about it?”

Well, voters, what are we going to do about it? “Leaders” of the Republican Party have had every opportunity to take care of this, and have cowered in corners every time. Remember Barry Goldwater, Hugh Scott and John Rhodes telling Nixon it was over on August 7, 1974?

Not this time. At the very least, the vote to convict and remove Trump in either impeachment trial should have been unanimous. Think of the expense, the turmoil, the insanity, and the damage to democracy and to US standing in the world we might have been spared, if the Senators had simply done their sworn duty.

Imagine if Bill Barr had not lied to the American people (as Attorney General, no less) that the Mueller Report was a nothing burger? And so on.

But, nope, it’s up to us. There’s nowhere to hide. The record is clear and available for anyone interested. What each citizen does, or doesn’t do, matters. What we need is a solid, no-doubt-about-it repudiation of Donald Trump. The ugliness unleashed by his assault on America’s first principles will not dissipate on its own. The hard work of damage repair already begun by Biden needs a mandate from the people to succeed. Anything less invites the continuing criminality.

The lies and frivolous litigation will be attempted regardless, of course. They never stopped and have already begun for the 2024 election. But the more Americans who vote against Trump, and for what truly does make America great, the less harm his lies will do.

Assuming what needs to happen on November 5 happens – and the American Experiment continues – what will future history books say about the last ten years or so? Assuming history books tell the truth, our children and grandchildren are going to have a lot of questions.

“Did this Donald Trump really exist?” they’ll ask. “Did he really say and do these things? How did this terrible person get votes? By the way, who did you vote for?”

What answers are we preparing to give them? Vote. Vote in a way that won’t force you to lie to your grandchildren.

Ken Bossong

© 2024 Kenneth J. Bossong

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Sully and the Singers: A Tale of Two Cruises

Collaboration Magic and the Beauty of Jazz

One benefit of retirement, obviously, is time flexibility. Sailing on two consecutive one-week cruises while working full time would have been unlikely, but that’s just what we did in January. First there was The Jazz Cruise (TJC) and then it was Blue Note At Sea (BNAS).

Each was run by Jazz Cruises, LLC, formerly Entertainment Cruise Productions, out of St. Louis and headed by Michael Lazaroff. The company also does two other cruises devoted to smooth Jazz, but the company’s history started with the first Jazz Cruise put together by Mr. Lazaroff’s mother, Anita Berry, in 2001.

Among the two cruises’ dozens of highlights were two concerts, one from each cruise, with a special commonality making them irresistible: collaboration magic with phenomenal pianist Sullivan Fortner accompanying an extraordinary vocalist.

Sullivan was scheduled to appear with Cecile McLorin Salvant on BNAS, which was one very good reason to book that cruise. In a similarly great reason to book, Dee Dee Bridgewater was bringing a working band with her for TJC the week before. When something came up to prevent Carmen Staaf from taking the piano with Dee Dee’s band, the call went out to Fortner to come aboard a week early. Now, that was a perfect phone call.

Dee Dee

It seems there is only one vocalist to attain the following trifecta: win a Grammy (three, actually), win a Tony, and become a National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master. In truth, these are but three of a long list of accolades for Dee Dee Bridgewater. More impressive than the number of her achievements and awards, though, is their breadth. At 72, Dee Dee remains in her lengthy prime, a force of nature.

Known primarily as a Jazz singer, Bridgewater has also had successful forays into pop, R&B, acting, and philanthropy. In short, she does well and does good in virtually anything she undertakes. As a result, anyone about to see Dee Dee Bridgewater can be sure a treat is in store, with little idea what treat it will be. As a headliner on 2018’s Blue Note At Sea, for example, she did a concert of songs associated with her birthplace, from her 2017 album Memphis…Yes, I’m Ready.

Moments into her concert on this year’s Jazz Cruise, after thanking Fortner for taking the gig on such short notice, Dee Dee announced that she would be doing an entire set of Billie Holiday.

For many singers, this could be problematic. Taking on the music of the inimitable icon tempts lesser talents to make one of two mistakes: either try to imitate Lady Day or ignore her altogether in doing lame versions of her stuff. Adding to the potential for trouble was the timing: the show was just a few hours after the ship set sail on day 1, and immediately after the big Welcome Concert in which headliners participated. Bridgewater and Fortner may not have had a chance to say “hello”, much less rehearse.

This being a savvy crowd, however, there were no muffled groans, but rather murmured excitement, coming from the audience. Many undoubtedly were aware of Bridgewater’s celebrated portrayals of Billie in Lady Day in 1987 and 2014 and her 2010 Grammy for Eleonora Fagan: To Billie With Love. Sure enough, those lucky enough to be there soon witnessed the special magic that only Jazz can provide.

The Concert

Dee Dee did what masters do. She was her gifted self, but captured the spirit of Billie – wisdom drawn from painful experience, joy where salvageable, and the essence of the blues regardless of song form – without delving into imitation.

Thus, the evoking of a revered influence inspired Dee Dee to be a special version of herself. Any young musicians in attendance, and not just singers, could hardly miss the point; this is how the art form evolves and grows. Meanwhile, there was transcendent piano accompaniment, from the first note through the last. Drawing on his unique combination of virtuosity, taste, and command of Jazz piano history from Harlem stride through swing, bop and beyond, Fortner had something better than perfect at every turn.

By “perfect” here we mean standard classy comping, flawlessly executed. Sullivan went beyond that. The expected was nowhere to be heard. Whether weaving lines underneath the vocals, punctuating with phrases or individual notes, or soloing at Dee Dee’s nodded invitation, Fortner delivered sublime creations. They were better than the expected because they enhanced what a superb singer was creating, right there and then.

None of this was showing off. Everything was in service to the music, to the song in the moment, and to what Dee Dee was achieving – musically and emotionally. It wasn’t long before the two of them were luxuriating in each other’s brilliance, instantly and seamlessly responding to fresh ideas. It is in this rarefied air that real magic happens. In the one-hour set there were moments that took listeners’ breath away, from the understated hurt/anger of “Don’t Explain” to the ironic humor praising those stripes that are really yellow in “Fine and Mellow”.

Sullivan Fortner (p) and Cecile McLorin Salvant (v), Blue Note At Sea 1/16/23

Cecile

There is an exciting wave of remarkably gifted young (20s through mid-30s) singers making their mark in the music these days. Among those wowing audiences and listeners all over are Jazzmeia Horn, Veronica Swift, and Samara Joy (who lived up to her last name on this year’s Jazz Cruise). Leading the way, arguably, is Cecile McLorin Salvant.

Eclecticism comes naturally to Cecile. Born in Miami into both French and Haitian heritage, she studied classical piano and voice starting very young. Her household featured all genres of music. Extensive formal study in both France and the US included a move to Darius Milhaud Conservatory in Aix-en-Provence at age 18. Cecile was 21 when she won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition for vocalists. Her second album, WomanChild, was Jazz Album of the Year in the 2014 Downbeat Critics Poll; it’s been a steady stream of critical acclaim for Salvant ever since.

Hers is a rare instrument, a voice with rich lows and ethereal highs. This tempts comparisons to Sarah and Ella, but her harmonic risk-taking brings to mind my favorite vocal explorer, Betty Carter. The thrill of seeing Carter had much to do with her use of dissonance, unexpected key shifts and other devices that left the listener wondering, “How is she ever going to get out of this one?” Then she would resolve everything brilliantly, of course; you imagined her winking at you.

When Cecile takes on a standard, she probes aspects seldom previously explored. Her other two sources of material, generally, are her own compositions and obscure songs from every realm, especially show tunes and folk songs from anywhere. If she launches into something unfamiliar, an initial impression from esoteric, dated or quirky lyrics can be that the piece’s obscurity was well earned. It isn’t long, however, before Salvant injects pain, humor, wisdom, irony, or other slices of humanity with an unexpected phrasing, bent note, or key change. Wonder quickly replaces skepticism for the listener paying attention.

Taking In the Set

Cecile does not so much sing a song as become its protagonist. She inhabits a song while performing it. Perhaps that’s why her interludes between selections can be a bit longer, and her exchanges with Fortner more substantive, than typically heard between singer and accompanist. She’s coming down from one role and taking on another.

Theirs was a true collaboration, as it always is, with exchanges both playful and knowing. One gets the feeling that Cecile and Sullivan take sly joy in proposing to each other songs to perform. Once one of them starts, however, they’re all business in creating something special with the piece.

There is something else that makes Salvant and Fortner an intriguing pairing. Each of them is on the artistic journey of discerning exactly what to do with their prodigious talents and how to utilize their limitless resources. Delights await those who search the Internet for their two names together. Imagine what’s to come.

Sullivan

Then there’s hearing Sullivan Fortner when he’s not accompanying, but leading, at the piano – whether alone, in a larger group, or leading a trio. We did, several times between the two cruises. Tellingly, so did a number of other pianists. One of the pleasures of being on a Jazz cruise is seeing the kick great musicians get out of listening to each other, as many of them do.

When Sullivan was playing in one of the ship’s venues, it seemed any pianist on board not playing elsewhere was there. The delight on their faces validated what I was feeling, and reflected an artist’s appreciation more profound than anything I could muster. (At https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuUUoMsRXTU, one can see him leading a trio in concert.)

In the pantheon of history’s pianists, one who does not always appear as high up on the lists as he deserves is Jaki Byard (1922-1999). One of the joys of seeing or hearing Byard was the command he had of virtually everything that had preceded him on the instrument right through the current cutting edge. Byard employed just about all of it on many of his wondrous solos with the great band Charles Mingus brought to Europe in 1964 (Eric Dolphy, Clifford Jordan, Johnny Coles, Byard, Mingus and Dannie Richmond). See in particular the versions of the masterpiece “Meditations on Integration” available from that tour. At only 36, Fortner seems intent on bringing similar mastery through the 21st Century.

How does one so young acquire such musical resources? An interview of Fortner by another astounding young pianist on both cruises, Emmet Cohen, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MTzH0QffiU) provides a hint, starting around the 19-minute mark. In going over Fortner’s musical upbringing in the church, Cohen has Fortner tell the story of how as a kid, he’d be handed a cassette of a new piece, listen to it once and “have it”. He had it not just for that day’s service but for years to come, and not just the piano part but what the altos and tenors in the choir were singing.

Emmet Cohen describes realizing “Wow, this is a different kind of mind that Sullivan has, to be able to channel everything he’s ever heard into something he can express through his fingers…this guy thinks differently than anyone I’ve ever encountered.”

Indeed.

Appreciation

Generational talents of different generations (Dee Dee and Sullivan) and the same (Cecile and Sullivan) collaborated to create something truly special. In our two weeks of jazz cruising, they were hardly alone. It was, like Jazz itself, an embarrassment of riches, from and for all generations.

Recall a time when you had a really good idea, nobody squashed it, you brought it to fruition, and it worked. How did that feel?

Somewhere, right now, an unknown fourteen (or thirty, or seventy) year-old is working on something exciting that peers and even teachers may consider wrong, silly or crazy. Maybe that idea changes everything. Maybe the idea is in a setting other than music.

Happy Jazz Appreciation Month. What we celebrate is the music, of course, but it’s also the daring to be creative, to be open to all that is possible as human beings.

Ken Bossong

© 2023 Kenneth J. Bossong

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Reflection on True Greatness – Roberto Clemente

On New Year’s Day fifty years ago, I heard the news – and wept.

The greatest right fielder I’ve ever seen had died the night before. It was on a characteristic mission of mercy, personally delivering a plane load of supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. The plane carrying Roberto Clemente, four other people, and the much-needed food and medical supplies had crashed into the sea not long after takeoff in San Juan.

In one awful moment, wife Vera was widowed with three young sons, the relief was scuttled, the Pirates lost a franchise icon, and the groundbreaking Latin American superstar shockingly was gone.

The Greatest Right Fielder?

Calling anyone the greatest anything in sports is asking for an argument, but twelve consecutive gold gloves makes the statement above no mere hyperbole. Simply put, baseball’s best right fielders have known comparisons to Clemente were inevitable ever since he set the standard. Indeed, other than Willie Mays in center, Roberto was the best outfielder I’ve seen.

His range and glove were remarkable, but his throwing arm – what an arm! – made him incomparable. Woe to anyone looking to advance from first to third on a single to right. Baserunners thinking they had it made were greeted by a third baseman with a smile on his face and a baseball in his glove. Fans who got to see the speed and trajectory of the ball’s path getting to third could scarcely believe their eyes. Seeing such a laser-beam strike thrown that far, that fast, and that accurately was one of sports’ real thrills.

Oh, and batters who managed to hit a shot to the corner that Clemente couldn’t catch needed to settle for a double, if that – and hustle to second base. Triples to right were rare against the Pirates.

That Wasn’t All

Roberto Clemente was special when the Pirates were up, too. Hitting, hitting for power, and taking extra bases he made impossible for opponents: he was a complete package.

Baseball lends itself to statistics like few other sports. Clemente’s are readily available. Let’s just mention a few with some other fun facts. With a lifetime batting average of .317, it’s hardly surprising that he hit over .300 thirteen times and won four batting titles. With his last at bat, on September 30, 1972, Clemente hit a double and became the eleventh player ever to reach 3000 hits.

He hit to all fields and not just singles; his extra base hits included 440 doubles, 166 triples and 240 home runs. Pitchers not wanting him to be the one to beat them with a timely hit had to be very careful; Clemente was one of the best bad-ball hitters ever.

He is the only player to hit a walk-off, inside-the-park, grand slam.

At 38 when he died, Clemente was presumably no longer in his prime. His last four batting averages, though, were .345, .352, .341, and .312. He had led the Pirates to a World Series title as MVP in 1971. While injuries were hindering him more regularly, it is reasonable to assume he have had another good year or two in him.

The mind boggles at what he might have accomplished after playing. While developing into one of the greatest ball players ever, Roberto was also a tireless humanitarian.

Beyond The Stats

Clemente seemingly did everything with a rare combination of grace, passion and elegance. That wasn’t limited to the field of play. His heavily-accented English led to considerable derision, especially in the early years, and his insistence on speaking up for himself and other Latin American players had him labeled as moody and worse by some. I can picture one baseball card I had of him, wondering even as a kid “What is this? Bob Clemente?!”

Yet, his impact ended up being similar to that of Jackie Robinson for African American players in the Major Leagues.

The Major League award given annually to the player who “best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field” is the Roberto Clemente Award. Recipients consider it the achievement of a lifetime. Those who knew its namesake tell of extraordinary acts of kindness and charity done on the condition of no publicity.

The fatally overloaded plane was the fourth Clemente had sent to Nicaragua after the quake killed and injured thousands and left hundreds of thousands homeless. It was the first of the planes he boarded. Apparently, he wanted to ensure personally that supplies got to the victims rather than being taken by corrupt officials.

A grief-stricken sport waived its rule that a player not be eligible for the Hall of Fame until five years passed after he’d last played. (The only other time was for Lou Gehrig.) Clemente was enshrined in 1973. One of his three sons, Roberto, Jr., has told of how often people have approached him over the years to say what his father meant to them. Thus he finds himself consoling strangers over the death of the dad he lost when he was seven years old.

Fifty Years Later

As a people, we sometimes choose our heroes poorly. Here, on the other hand, is one for the ages. In his own way, he taught that it really is okay to seek and attain rare excellence and to do real good – the right way and for the best reasons. On the day he got that 3000th hit, Clemente told a writer “I never was a big shot and I never will be a big shot.”

Perhaps, but if we’re smart, he’ll serve as an iconic role model well beyond his beloved Puerto Rico.

Ken Bossong

© 2023 Kenneth J. Bossong

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“Joe Biden’s Inflation” – and Other Idiocy

Election Day marks the merciful end of a silly season in the US that starts around Labor Day. It’s a time when we watch television at our mental-health peril. The years of presidential elections are the worst; mid-terms, like 2022, are the next worst.

Bombarded with screeched messages, we develop coping mechanisms. We may wear out the “mute” button , or record everything on a DVR to fast forward through political ads. Perhaps we simply try to tune out most of the noise. Unless we stop watching or listening altogether, though, some particularly obnoxious idiocy breaks through to our beleaguered consciousness.

For me, the worst has been the notion that we’re experiencing “Joe Biden’s inflation”.

Too Much Credit or Blame

Let’s start with a fairly obvious general point: Presidents usually get too much credit for good current economies and too much blame for bad ones. Determinants of the state of an economy are numerous and complex. Policies emanating from a president vie with those from other forces, especially the markets and Congress.  Those market forces at work are increasingly international in scope. Any big event anywhere affects everything, everywhere.

While it’s not impossible for an announced policy to have some immediate impact on the economy, it takes months and even years for most initiatives to move the economic needle significantly.

In this case, the foolishness of “Joe Biden’s inflation” goes well beyond merely overstating a president’s immediate impact on the current economy, however. The reasons could hardly be clearer; there are two major factors and two subtler ones, in place before the major factors, that set the table for inevitable inflation, or worse.

Obvious Cause #1: Covid-19

In General

Who thought we were going to get out of the worst pandemic in a hundred years without significant inflation, at the very least? Preventing financial collapse was the goal; inflation was inevitable. (As an aside, complaints about stimulus programs are rich, aren’t they? First, almost everyone supported them and lined up to take credit. New designs were required when a certain president’s name had to appear on the check. It wasn’t Biden’s. Second, stimulus checks deserved support. Third, the notion of Biden’s predecessor being a financially responsible conservative is hilarious.)

Consider fuel as one example. (It’s the best single factor to discuss because it affects the price of everything, like food, it is used to transport.) One of the very few advantages of the pandemic was that traffic disappeared overnight. There was no such thing as rush hour. Anyone with a reason to drive reached their destination in record time. Millions discovered stars in their night sky.

With the collapse of demand for fuel, prices dropped. Producers had to cut back production dramatically to avoid ruin. Emerging from the crisis brought not only restoration of more normal demand, but also two to three years of pent-up demand. Ramping up production involves far more than flipping a switch. Such high demand and low supply meant prices could do nothing but skyrocket.

As prices begin to settle back down, in fits and starts, should that be attributed to Joe Biden’s taming of inflation? If so, we’ll be re-assessing that every minute as the market for crude shifts. In a recent trip through parts of Europe, gas ranged from 1.90 to 2.20 Euros/liter. That’s $7.18 to $8.32 per gallon. Boy, that Joe Biden has enormous influence on global markets! Since it’s up again since I got home, it’s undoubtedly higher yet in Europe.

An intelligent discussion on the merits of Biden’s action on the Keystone Pipeline is possible, if anyone is interested, but it had nothing to do with the prices we’ve been paying at the pumps.

Handling of the Pandemic

First there was portrayal of Covid as a liberal hoax. When its existence became undeniable, next came denial of its severity – just another flu, if that. Keeping a safe distance was for sissies, even though experts had determined that the virus spread by people breathing on one another. It was somehow unpatriotic (?!) to wear a mask. Doing so to protect others was for losers.

In The Infodemic (Columbia Global Reports, 2022), Joel Simon and Robert Mahoney examine the ruinous approaches to Covid employed in two groupings of countries. The subtitle serves as a summary: How Censorship and Lies Made the World Sicker and Less Free. The first group was of authoritarian states like China, Iran and Russia, where censorship of truth is a blunt instrument. Those telling the truth about the virus were silenced by any means necessary.

In the second grouping, referred to as populist-led democracies, the authors say “governments relied on a more sophisticated and increasingly effective means of censorship, drowning the truth in a sea of lies.” (11) This they dub “censorship by noise”. Thus, “alongside the Covid-19 pandemic, there was an infodemic, a deluge of lies, distortions and bungled communication that obliterated the truth”, (10) with catastrophic consequences for public health and genuine freedom.

The three countries in the group of democracies whose similarly terrible handling of the crisis is described in detail are Bolsonaro’s Brazil, PM Modi’s India, and Trump’s USA. While aspects of Brazil and America’s responses were so similar as to suggest some coordination between Trump and Bolsonaro (sloughing off responsibility to more local officials being one example), some of the most bizarre behavior of any of the three countries came out of the White House. Historical analysis of American behavior for the years 2016 – 2020 will place us in relentlessly unflattering company.

Why Handle a Pandemic So Badly?

Donald Trump always knew he could not beat Joe Biden in a fair election in 2020, and behaved accordingly. That’s why he was so furious with Elizabeth Warren for not bowing out earlier (after disappointing primary showings), and throwing her support to Bernie Sanders. Trump believed he had a chance to beat Sanders.

Similarly, Trump was at his projecting best when he declared so long before the election that someone would try to rig or steal it. He knew that because he was planning to rig or steal the election. Step one was to declare victory early election evening. He went ballistic when thwarted by Fox News correctly projecting Arizona for Biden.

To have any chance against Biden, Trump knew he had to have an economy going gangbusters. So, he tried to deny the virus away, then minimize it. Then he was desperate to push ridiculous miracle cures. He ordered a hundred million doses of the vaccine while it was being developed, considering it his chance at re-election. He lost all interest in vaccination when clear it would not be ready before the election, other than getting it quietly for himself.

Some of the most heartbreaking stories from the whole ordeal were from caregivers relating how patients used their dying breaths to deny the existence of the virus that killed them.

Obvious Cause #2: Putin’s murderous rampage in Ukraine

It’s often called a “war”, but, as conducted by Vladimir Putin, it seems more a series of war crimes. While Putin devises ways to kill civilians with the evident hope of persuading them to give up, it becomes more evident that most Ukrainians would rather die than re-subjugate themselves to Russia. Meanwhile, the lack of enthusiasm Russian soldiers exhibit for the conflict seems understandable.

In any event, the economic effect is to lessen or negate each country’s participation in various global markets. Either or both are major players in a number of important markets – from oil, to wheat, to neon. (Europeans are wondering how they’ll stay warm this winter.)That last one, neon, is interesting. Ukraine is, or was, the world’s largest supplier: 70% of neon gas and 90% of highly purified semiconductor-grade neon used in chip production. Guess what happens to prices when supply of oil, wheat, neon and other essentials goes down suddenly and drastically.

Now, there actually is a president who spent every day in office giving aid, support and encouragement to Vladimir Putin’s every interest in the world. At the top of that list was destruction of NATO. Putin’s fondest aspiration is to be The One who restores Russia to its USSR glory, at least. The Mueller Report documents in exquisite detail the extraordinary lengths Putin’s Russia went in support of Trump’s 2016 bid for the White House. No effort or expense was spared.

Meanwhile, amid the chaos of American policy for those years, the one objective Trump worked on effectively and consistently was the evisceration of NATO, which had managed to keep peace in Europe since the last World War. Not a day went by, seemingly, without doing something to further alienate one or more of our allies. The traitorous quid pro quo could not be clearer.

The American electorate scuttled Vladimir and Donald’s plans in 2020, leaving Putin to do it the hard way. Startled, and perhaps a bit unnerved, by the speed and effectiveness with which Biden was resurrecting NATO and re-establishing America’s stature in the world, Putin invaded. Disastrously. The results are death, destruction, and yes, massively inflationary market disruptions – all done with the fawning approval of Donald Trump for his favorite “genius”.

The Inflation Table Was Already Set – Tariffs and Worker Shortage

Having written about this before, and cited the full-blown analysis available in the December 2019 edition of Fortune magazine (“Why Trump Is Bad For Business”), we’ll keep this relatively brief. Before anyone had ever heard of Covid-19, there were clear signs the economy was headed for trouble due to two flawed policies.

The irony is that Covid might have provided cover for these missteps, by taking the blame for a broken economy. An honest and competent attempt by an average president to encourage people to distance themselves sensibly and mask up would have gotten us to the vaccines in much better shape. Then, vaccines and boosters taken by all (other than the hard core 1-2% anti-vaxxers) would have provided finishing touches on a course that saved hundreds of thousands of lives and greatly lessened the economic impact.

It’s doubtful that such an approach would even occur to Donald Trump.

Trump’s Tariff War With China

As many have said, “Somebody had to do something about China.” Yep, somebody did, and still does. That something is not a tariff war. What’s needed is something tied to China’s piracy of intellectual property.

Tariff wars serve mainly to increase prices across the board to consumers. To the buyers of raw materials and finished goods, tariffs function very much like an enormous sales tax. It’s not impossible but it is rare for tariffs to help a US manufacturer or industry, or to hurt a Chinese competitor. More often, tariffs hurt more American companies than they help.

And, by the way: so cowed was China by this “getting tough” with them that they became more belligerent regarding Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the entire Pacific.

Trump’s Immigration Policies Choked Off Supply of Labor

Because he has employed so many of them over so many years, Donald Trump knows better than most that immigrant workers are as likely as anyone to work hard and behave well.  The “murderers and rapists” nonsense is the red meat upon which his base feeds, however. So, people seeking asylum are “illegals”. Immigrants are taking all these jobs from our college kids who were hoping to pick turnips in the hot sun all summer. And so forth.

The truth is that the number one thing holding back our economy is a lack of workers across the board. Help Wanted signs are everywhere. The labor shortage is a double whammy; not only is it stifling growth, but it’s also raising prices. Scarce workers cost more, obviously.

Meanwhile, we still await serious discussion, by adults, of whatever changes are needed to develop immigration policies we believe in enough to enforce.

In Short

There was a president who made the inflation we’re facing longer lasting and more severe than it had to be. It isn’t Joe Biden.

Other Idiocy

Out of all the other harmful and dangerous idiocy out there, let’s briefly address one more: Election denial.

I’ve seen estimates that over half of Republican candidates for office across the country in 2022 are election deniers, and that about 60% of American voters will have an election denier on the ballot. Recognizing there can be some divergence in how the term is defined, the point here is not to get mired in definitional disputes or statistics.

The point is that support for the notion that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump should be disqualifying from holding public office for any candidate by reasonable voters of any political persuasion. Yet an incredible number of such candidates are on the ballot.

There has never been any basis for such a belief. For those with lingering doubts, despite the loss of 64 cases and the absence of any evidence, there is Lost, Not Stolen (https://lostnotstolen.org/). A group of leading, life-long conservative Republicans produced this exhaustive, documented study of all the baseless allegations of a stolen election one might hear. They categorically obliterate every argument made about the results in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. They conclude: “In fact, there was no fraud that changed the outcome in even a single precinct.”

Anyone arguing the 2020 election was stolen at this point is either (1) psychotic; (2) truly stupid; or (3) simply lying.

Let’s be clear on what’s at stake here. In many US jurisdictions, there are a number of Republicans hard at work to change the outcome the next time Donald Trump, or someone of his ilk, makes the call he made to Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger. In response to “Find me 11,780 votes!” they don’t want to hear “That’s not how we do things in America.” No, they want to ensure the answer next time is “Sure. In fact we’ll ‘find’ a few extra hundred to make it look better.”

Conclusion

I yearn for the good old days when “liberals” and “conservatives” argued about taxes, too much vs. too little regulation, big government vs. small, and the like. Indeed, I miss the day when one could have any discussion on the merits.

The argument now is whether basic American principles like checks and balances, the rule of law, and free and fair elections are worth preserving. Not content with “mere” voter suppression and grotesque gerrymandering, some now have voter nullification as the goal.

In a saner time, it would be safe to assume that anti-democracy, un-American cretins would be routed off to political oblivion. How we vote today, and perhaps in the next election or two, will determine whether our votes will continue to matter.

Ken Bossong

© 2022 Kenneth J. Bossong

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Fred Below: A Cut Above
Other Aspects’ Second Zebedee Award Goes To The Great Blues Drummer

A Lesson From “One of Those Records”

Music lovers tend to have different kinds of special recordings they cherish. There are those we consider “the greatest”, or “the most important”, or simply a “favorite” in various genres.

Then there’s another odd little group of recordings. These are ones we don’t consider among the greatest, most important, or favorite; we just play them. A lot. It’s a peculiar phenomenon, and it happens to me: songs and albums I’d never include on a top ten list, yet find myself playing more often than many I would.

One of those records is a 1969 vinyl called Electric Blues “Chicago Style” (Buddah Records BDS 7511). It’s a compilation of singles issued by Blues artists a tier lower in fame than the BB Kings and Muddy Waters of the world: Floyd Jones, Billy Boy Arnold, Snooky Pryor, and Eddie Taylor. At first, I assumed I played it often simply because of the tough, straight-ahead, no-nonsense urban blues in its grooves.

Then I realized that when I replayed individual tracks they tended to be Billy Boy Arnold’s. Why the cuts on Side 2 especially? Arnold’s vocals and harmonica were marvelous across the board, but I finally noticed there was one track I wanted to hear over and over – very unusual for me. So, I decided finally to actually listen to “My Heart Is Crying” to figure out why.

Mystery Solved

Seconds in, I knew; it was obvious. The drummer was the incomparable Fred Below. The beat was an irresistible shuffle, compellingly driving Arnold and the rest of the band to expressive heights. It wasn’t just the beat, though. Accents and virtuosic little fills perfectly placed in non-obvious places lent texture and nuance to every measure. The drummers on the album’s other tracks range from fine to quite good, but there was only one Fred Below.

This little light-bulb moment epitomizes why Fred is a suitable choice for our second Zebedee Award. The award gets its name from the first recipient, singer and master guitarist Earl Zebedee Hooker. (See post of 12/27/20.) The point is to honor musicians unknown to many who should be national heroes. I can’t live long enough to get to them all.

With apologies to Jump Jackson, Elgin Evans, Odie Payne, Bill Stepney, S. P. Leary, Clifton James, Earl Phillips, Sam Lay, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, and others, Fred Below set the standard for Blues drumming.

Brief Bio

Fred Below was born (September 16, 1926), raised, and died (August 14, 1988) in Chicago. Thus, he was one of the few major figures in the birth of urban blues who was not part of the great migration north from the Mississippi Delta or Texas. Following high school and study at the Roy C. Knapp School of Percussion, Below served in the Army, playing for the 427th Army Band.

Fred came to the Blues by way of Jazz training and playing. Before and during his service he got to meet, learn from, and play with any number of Jazz greats. Arriving back home in Chicago from his Army stint, Fred found a burgeoning Blues scene in the early ‘Fifties that dwarfed anything happening in Jazz.

While Fred had to adjust to the nuanced requirements of blues drumming, he would find the virtuosic skills developed while steeping himself in both swing and bebop serving him well the rest of his life. Specifically, his use of the entire drum set – tom-toms, all the cymbals, blocks, rims, bass drum, and so forth – and sophisticated use of elegant rhythms and poly-rhythms made him highly desirable just as the masters (Muddy, Wolf, Walter, Sonny Boy, etc.) were creating the framework for urban blues and all that followed.

Starter Kit for Listeners

Fred Below has an enormous discography. It’s difficult to think of a major figure in the first several decades of Chicago blues with whom Below did not play and record. The house drummer for Leonard and Phil Chess (Chess, Checker and Argo record labels), Fred propels any number of landmark urban blues records. It’s tempting to say, most of them.

Any exploring you do will be amply rewarded. Allow me to get you started.

Audio

Not just the founding fathers of city blues, but also the then-rising generation benefited from collaborating with Fred. A perfect example is Buddy Guy’s early singles on Chess. All are recommended, especially “The First Time I Met the Blues” in which Buddy’s explosive new attack paired perfectly with the thunder provided by Below’s drums. Here’s a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exutWZUTl44

Guy’s first album was on Vanguard. A Man and the Blues is special for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the personnel. The quartet consisted of Buddy on guitar and vocal, Otis Spann on piano, Jack Myers on electric bass, and Fred. Remarkably, each of the four gets my vote as the greatest in Blues history on his instrument. They play like it throughout, but there is a special treat.

The version of Big Maceo’s “One Room Country Shack” is simply exquisite. Maceo was one of Spann’s favorite influences, and he is really feeling it here. The interplay of the four with Buddy’s best recorded vocal is extraordinary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEiBlzrwxh0
Holding it all together is Fred’s sublime brushwork. When was the last time someone recommended a Blues cut to you for the drummer’s brushwork?

A previous post (5/10/2020) described Buddy and Junior Wells as one of music’s “dynamic duos”.  Junior’s album on Vanguard It’s My Life, Baby features Buddy, Fred, and Jack Myers behind Junior on harmonica and vocals. If you want to hear Blues virtuosos play Jazz, do the title track. On one special cut, though, “Look How Baby”, Buddy’s guitar solo turns into a freely-improvised duet with Fred’s drums. Only half-jokingly I’ve referred to this as Avant-garde blues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxwI53XRP5o
No one but Fred and Buddy, with Jack Myers, could have done this. Almost as noteworthy is the restraint of Junior Wells – not always as generous sharing the spotlight – in having them stretch out to this extent.

Video

Luckily, there is also some video.  Here, Fred (with Jack Myers again on bass) backs the great Otis Rush in Europe in a stunning version of “I Can’t Quit You, Baby”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy2tEP3I3DM&list=RDtMMjurLqYJQ&index=1

Fred’s regular gig was with The Aces. When brothers Louis Myers on guitar and Dave Myers on bass took on Below as the drummer, they indeed became the Aces, the most sought-after rhythm section in Chicago. Little Walter made the Aces his band after he left Muddy Waters to become a star in his own right, with remarkable success. (Sometimes they called themselves the Jukes, after Walter’s classic hit instrumental.) Everyone wanted to play with them.

Here the Aces back another underrated hero, Eddie Taylor, lead guitarist on all of Jimmy Reed’s hits but a monster in his own right. This is rare footage of Eddie as a leader: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZrUb4N37RU&list=RDtMMjurLqYJQ&index=5

An unusually good view of Fred in action is also with the Aces:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5m7Dve4ibo

One last treat for now – exploring YouTube further yields great rewards – is this video of Fred, Buddy and pianist Eddie Boyd backing Big Mama Thornton on “Hound Dog”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvbSXVc451Q

Not Just the Blues

The records that guaranteed rock ‘n’ roll was not going to be just another passing trend in American pop music were Chuck Berry’s on Chess. These anthems of rock, “Johnny B Goode”, “School Days”, “Roll Over Beethoven”, “Rock and Roll Music”, “Sweet Little Sixteen”, et al, established both the guitar as THE instrument of Rock and the beat that would rule. Fred Below was the drummer.

Another early R’n’R guitar master was almost as famous for his “Bo Diddley beat” as his guitar licks. Fred was not the drummer on most of Bo’s hits; Clifton James was. James cited Below as a top influence, however, and Fred claimed a significant role in creating the iconic beat (https://scottkfish.com/2016/03/09/fred-below-the-beatles-wouldnt-have-been-the-beatles/).

When he wasn’t driving the greatest blues bands or rock innovators in the world, Below drummed for artists as diverse as Dinah Washington, the Moonglows (yes, he’s the drummer on “Sincerely”), and the Platters.

Summing Up

For decades, when dancers on American Bandstand rated a record, that single was headed to a high score if “It had a great beat” and “I could dance to it”. Suffice it to say that Fred Below had a lot to do with what “a great beat” was in American popular music.

Drummers were my entre into Jazz (in order of my becoming aware: Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Sonny Payne, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, and Philly Joe Jones). Not so, Blues. For me, like most, it was singer-guitarists at first, then pianists and harmonica players. Instances of real listening, as described at the top of this post, brought appreciation for great drumming in Blues.

With space my senior year at Rutgers for an elective, I took bassist Larry Ridley’s superb course on the History of Jazz. One of the most memorable classes was given by guest master drummer Philly Joe Jones. PJ sat on stage at his drum set, explaining and demonstrating the rhythms of world music through 20th Century American popular music. I’ve never learned more on any topic in one one-hour session in my life. Interestingly, he had a kind word for Rock.

“It’s easy to look down on Rock, musically,” he said, “but actually the real Rock ‘n’ Roll beat, done right, is intricate and compelling. It’s derived from the Blues’ shuffle rhythm [demonstrating] and not easy to do, either” [transitioning into rock ’n’ roll]”. No one in the class could sit still as one of the greatest Jazz drummers went back and forth between Fred Below’s Blues and Fred Below’s Rock – and that’s exactly what PJ was doing to epitomize each.

The timing couldn’t have been better for me, to reinforce what I had recently realized about the difference a Fred Below (or a Jack Myers on bass) can make. The least I can do is share the notion.

Enjoy.

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Another Other Aspect: Grachan Moncur III

The main focus here is to honor Fred Below.

I’d be remiss, however, not to mark the passing of Grachan Moncur III on his 85th birthday, this past June 3. He was my “other favorite” trombonist. Not coincidentally, and more importantly, he was tenor sax great Archie Shepp’s other favorite trombonist.

I had paid little attention to the instrument until I first heard Shepp’s first album as a leader, Four For Trane. Featured throughout was the robust playing and imaginative arranging of Roswell Rudd. Wow. Then I discovered my second favorite Shepp album, The Way Ahead. It was my introduction to Moncur, and from then to now I’d be hard pressed to choose between Rudd and Moncur – not that there’s any need to do so. Here’s “Fiesta” from the album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4rkRpaA63Y

As a sideman, Moncur did stellar work not only for Archie Shepp, but for other notables, especially alto great Jackie McLean.

Grachan’s writing and arranging take center stage in two albums as a leader of all-star ensembles: Evolution on Blue Note (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hIqmji2wlY)and New Africa on BYG. A standout on the latter is “When” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aN5VTUUsQ8), a remarkable 12-minute performance featuring one of Shepp’s greatest solos on record.

RIP, Grachan Moncur III. Again, if you can find the time to explore this music, you’ll be glad you did.

Ken Bossong

© 2022 Kenneth J. Bossong

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Live Hearings: Must-See TV

“January 6” has become a date that needs no reference, like “9/11”. Writers and speakers need provide neither the year nor further explanation to convey what’s being addressed. Events too awful to watch and too momentous not to watch tend to have that effect on audiences.

All sentient Americans, regardless of political persuasion, should be glued similarly to televisions starting tonight. Indeed, it is both more important and more compelling than gazing at spectacle to discover what’s been learned through careful study of events leading up to, during, and since 1/6/21.

The Hearings

Aired live starting tonight, 8 – 10 p.m. (Eastern Time) on networks with at least a modicum of interest in something resembling news, are hearings conducted by the US House of Representatives committee charged with investigating the attack on the Capitol.

The American public is owed no less than a thorough, careful investigation and comprehensive report. That reporting aspect begins in earnest tonight. Citizens and taxpayers paying public servants to mind the store will be wise to watch.

Talk about reality TV.

Yes, This Is a Big Deal

If we learn nothing else, it should become evident why certain individuals did not want this investigated at all. Think about that: the Capitol of the United States is attacked by a large, violent mob while Congress is doing official business and they DON’T want to investigate.

They also really don’t want you to watch these hearings. They know they have much to fear from the truth coming out, and self-interest is paramount. Such individuals disqualify themselves from the honor of public service. If they remain in office, or regain office, that will be our fault.

I’m no fan of conspiracy theories in general, but any notion that this attack was all there was to it, no more than a spontaneous eruption of overzealous support for the candidate who summoned them, is preposterous on its face – as criminal as that behavior was. The day and timing chosen for the attack tell you all you need to know about the planners’ intentions (a car was even provided to whisk Mike Pence away) although their grasp of the Constitution was infantile.

There are a lot of dots to connect here. If the picture that comes into focus is that of 800 rioters arrested so far actually being the least of our concerns, very significant indictments better be on their way. If not, the next coup attempt, while just as evil, might be smarter. Not that this one is over, yet.

This Is the Chance

“Just give me the facts!” is a common refrain directed at the media. “Don’t tell me what to think, or how to feel. I am so sick of spin, and worse. Report; tell me truthfully what happened. Go where I can’t go, dig out the facts, and give them to me straight. I’ll take it from there.”

For all who lament the state of modern journalism, this is your/our chance: Watch live (or record and watch later) every minute of these January 6 hearings. Skip, mute, or record for later, all the talking-head commentary that networks provide before, during breaks, and after the hearings. Listen, consider, and decide for yourself: What really happened here? What is credible, what isn’t, and why?

What is the big picture that emerges? Is there a big picture? If a compelling take on what has happened seems irrefutable, what does that series of conclusions mean for what is happening now in our country? What should happen going forward?

Then, if you feel like it, listen to others’ commentary.

If nothing else, and perhaps best of all: Watching carefully will enable a discussion on the merits about where we are with our republic, and what we can do to keep it. Imagine that.

Ken Bossong

© 2022 Kenneth J. Bossong