So this past Saturday evening was the annual “Authors’ night” benefit for the East Hampton library. I’ve done the event quite a few times, and for a while I was always seated next to Martin Amis, because the authors are seated alphabetically, and we would argue, aimably, about Hitchens. I don’t go to many benefits but this is an excellent cause--one I take advantage of quite a bit myself--and it’s co-chaired by my friend Bob Caro, and lately with Alec Baldwin, who gives a lot of money to the library as well. This being East Hampton, they get a lot of bold-faced names I won’t bother mentioning except one: Ann Coulter. Instead of marching with her landesmen (David Duke, Richard Spencer and other would-be Hitler imitators) in Charlottesville, she was signing books in East Hampton. We are mostly liberals here (though right-wing money is raised too) and certainly at a night like this one. My point is that as far as I could tell, everyone was polite to this horrendous excuse for a human being. Nobody told her the truth about herself. Nobody protested. Nobody complained. One hears all the time about “liberal intolerance” but if we can tolerate Colter, we can tolerate almost anyone. And we do. More her http://authorsnight.org/
Alter-reviews:
https://www.amazon.com/Blues-Whole-Nothing-But/dp/B01M104DWX/ref=ice_ac_b_dpb?ie=UTF8&qid=1502716211&sr=8-1&keywords=david+bromberg has been out since last October but he flogs it like it was released yesterday. This is ok, because it’s great; one of his very best, which is saying quite a lot and the songs lend themselves quite nicely to extended Brombergian monologues, as well as long stretches of virtuosity. And not only on Bromberg’s part. What a shame it was that he was absent from making music for so long but what a wonderful world (get it) it is that he’s back. Here’s a lovely feature on him that ran in the Times a while back about his role in the rejuvination of the Wilmington, DE music scene, here http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/24/garden/david-bromberg-and-nancy-josephson-duet-for-violin-and-voodoo.html
The Bay Street Theater http://www.baystreet.org/ in Sag Harbor is having its Summer season. Last night I saw their “jazz” version of “As You Like It” featuring Ellen Burstyn as Jacques. It’s a decidedly minor Shakespeare--and what plot it has is decidedly similar to “Two Gentlemen of Verona”-- but it contains some of his most famous lines. “All the world’s a stage,” for instance. I had thought I had seen it but I didn’t remember anything about it, so I guess it was the first time. And the jazz, coupled with a lovely performance by Hannah Cabell as Rosalind made it a fun and worthwhile two hours and fifteen minutes. It runs through September 3 if you’re in the area.
What else?
well, Steve Earle has a new cd out called “So You Want to be an Outlaw” https://www.amazon.com/Wannabe-Outlaw-Steve-Earle-Dukes/dp/B0718SVGB7/ref=sr_1_2?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1502717122&sr=1-2-mp3-albums-bar-strip-0&keywords=steve+earle
And Stevie Winwood has a new greatest hits live package out, and he still sounds wonderful, https://www.amazon.com/Winwood-Greatest-Hits-Live-Steve/dp/B072N9G1DS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502717264&sr=8-1&keywords=steve+winwood+greatest+hits+live and I can’t believe how cheap it is.