My email address is no longer at Perimeter Institute, since I'm no longer there. My institutional affiliation is with the University of New Mexico, where I'm Adjunct Professor of physics and astronomy. However, the best way to contact me is at the following email address, given in a roundabout way to discourage spam: first part is the first letter of my first name followed by the letter "n" followed by my last name (see top of this blog for my name), and then "@aol". Dot com, of, course. Nothing need be capitalized.
Author Archives: howard
Jaffurs 2010 Syrah
Jaffurs is a Santa Barbara, California area winery that makes wines from Rhône varietal grapes. Everything I've ever tried of theirs has been excellent. The 2010 Syrah is truly outstanding, and based on a half-bottle, drinking very well now. It seemed more open, less tannic, much more hedonistic than other Jaffurs Syrahs I've had at this stage in their lives. (I realize now that this may be because the others were single-vineyard wines, whereas this is their Santa Barbara County offering.) But just as complex, perhaps more complex. Very balanced, somewhat velvety, mixing sweet fruit flavors like blueberry, maybe boysenberry, maybe raspberry with darker, more mineral and spicy notes. Some vanilla notes as well. My only worry about this wine is whether, at 14.7% alcohol and already seeming relatively open, it will age well. But the flavors are so intense and well integrated with each other that it's a pretty good bet. It does not taste at all "hot" (overalcoholic) despite the high percentage. It may mature faster than other Jaffurs Syrahs. Evolving
somewhat in the glass...getting a bit more tannic and slightly less velvety, with different aspects of the flavor coming to the fore at different times. Definitely up there with the best Syrahs I've had, of any type. Expensive (direct from the winery, it's $15 for a half bottle, $27 a bottle, before shipping), but worth it.
Samuel Blais, Jean-Nicolas Trottier, Fraser Hollins quintet at Dièse Onze, Montréal
Heard a quintet of alto saxophonist Samuel Blais, trombonist Jean-Nicolas Trottier, bassist Fraser Hollins with Rafael Zaldivar on piano and Jim Doxas on drums, at Dièse Onze jazz club and restaurant in Montréal, last Saturday December 10. A fantastic couple of sets. Although Zaldivar and Doxas aren't listed in the name of the quintet (perhaps the drummer and piano change at times?), Doxas in particular was, I think, one of the keys to the group's smashing success in this gig. He plays an almost hyperactive, yet always tasteful, kind of drums... not falling frequently into the ching ching-a-aching implied triplets on ride cymbal that is a standard of bop and post-bop mainstream jazz drumming (though he doesn't entirely eschew it, either). He seemed to me to be more flexible about dividing the beat by twos or threes, but playing lots of fast, and hard-hitting, patterns implying a lot of subdivision of the beat, whether on ride, hard hat, snare, snare rim, or whatever. The drumming behind you can make a lot of difference to an improvisor, and I think energy was surging through Doxas into saxophonoist Blais and trombonist Trottier in particular. They both played intense solos in the area between bop and post-bop, the latter mostly not so much in highly colored, modal areas but in a more angular, major and chromatic sounding, and perhaps a bit free-jazz influenced bag...consistent with lots of bop influence, as mentioned. Some standards but given unique treatments, lots of very interesting compositions by band members. Excellent piano playing and bass too. Although I suspect this band is less well-known than the (apparently well-known in Canada, and certainly excellent) François Bourassa quartet I heard the previous night at Upstairs, it was at least equally exciting---in some ways more intense, probably due to Doxas' unique drumming. I had a decent Loupiac and a nice Armagnac at the bar, and enjoyed a conversation with Philippe, a computer programmer with a physics degree from McGill and a lifelong jazz fan. I was having trouble figuring out why the place was named "Dièse Onze" until he translated it "Sharp Eleven". Now that's hip, eh?
Morrissey: selected 2011 tour videos, Santa Fe 11/19 setlist
I was at the November 19 Morrissey concert at the Convention Center in Santa Fe, NM. I've made up this set of embedded Youtube videos from the 2011 tour, with all the songs from that concert in the same order, using Santa Fe footage when possible, and otherwise from concerts mostly shortly before or after on the North American leg of the tour, with a few European ones mixed in. Enjoy.
I Want the One I Can't Have (Santa Fe, November 19; partial but with spoken intro and good sound quality)
I Want the One I Can't Have (Santa Fe, November 19; full but no intro and mediocre sound quality)
You Have Killed Me (Santa Fe, November 19)
You're The One For Me, Fatty (Fox Theater, Pomona, CA Nov 28):
Black Cloud (Shrine Auditorium, LA, Nov 26):
When Last I Spoke to Carol (Music Box, LA, Nov. 23):
Every Day is Like Sunday (Santa Fe, Nov 19)
Maladjusted (Music Box, Los Angeles, Nov 23)
Meat Is Murder (Krakow, July)
I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris (Dallas, Nov 17)
Action Is My Middle Name (Santa Fe, Nov 19 (partial))
Action Is My Middle Name (Opera, Copenhagen, July 11, full)
Speedway (Palladium, London, Aug 11)
People Are The Same Everywhere (Dallas, Nov 17)
Ouija Board, Ouija Board (Fox Theater, Pomona, CA, Nov 28)
All the Lazy Dykes (Escondido Center for the Arts, CA, Nov 22):
Satellite of Love [Lou Reed] (Dallas, Nov 17)
Scandinavia (Dallas, Nov. 17)
I Know It's Over (Palladium, London, Aug 11)
Encore: Still Ill (Santa Fe, Nov. 19)
Lights up, recorded music heard at the end of the preceding video signals the end of the show and continues to play over the PA as the venue empties: When I Am Laid In Earth (aka Dido's Lament), from the opera Dido and Aeneas by English composer Henry Purcell (~1659--1695). Video below with Emma Kirkby, soprano; Taverner players, Andrew Parrott, conductor; I'm not sure which version was on the PA in Santa Fe.
Nico Muhly
Probably because of this article in the New York Times, I was moved to check out composer Nico Muhly's work. I like it quite a bit; samples below; also check out this profile in the New Yorker.
It Goes Without Saying, from the album Speaks Volumes (Bedroom Community, 2006).
A Hudson Cycle, from the same album:
A Long Line, from I Drink the Air Before Me (Bedroom Community, 2010).
Morrissey at Santa Fe Convention Center, Nov. 19 2011: Setlist and initial review
My wife and I went to hear Morrissey at the Santa Fe Convention Center last night, Nov. 19th. The setlist posted here agrees with my recollection: every song on the list was played, and the order seems correct although I wasn't keeping track in real time. In detail:
I Want The One I Can't Have / You Have Killed Me / You're The One For Me, Fatty / Black Cloud / When Last I Spoke To Carol / Everyday Is Like Sunday / Maladjusted / Meat Is Murder / I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris / Action Is My Middle Name / Speedway / People Are The Same Everywhere / Ouija Board, Ouija Board / All The Lazy Dykes / Satellite Of Love / Scandinavia / I Know It's Over // Still Ill
I'll probably write a lengthier review later; but a quick reaction is that if he's appearing near you later on this tour (check here) and it's not sold out, you should just get tickets and go. I'm not a seasoned Morrissey fan---my familiarity was basically limited to the two-CD "Best Of" collection by the Smiths---but I'm a big fan now. Granted I haven't been to a huge number of shows in the rock/pop vein, broadly construed, but his is probably one of the best two such concerts that I've ever been to. (The other one in this league was Bob Marley at Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, in 1978...the first US date of his Kaya tour.) The two key things about Morrissey seem to me to be first, honest, emotionally true expression of what he thinks is important about life, and second, doing this through beautiful, melodic songs, beautifully sung. His voice is clear and sweet, but with just the right amount of richness and resonance. The result can be downright poetic, whether lyrical, stirring, melancholy, or all three. The sound at the convention center was excellent, the words were mostly very clear. A great place to attend a concert---being able to get so near the stage so easily was fantastic (though it wasn't enough for many who jumped the security fence, Morrissey then grasping their hands as he walked the front of the stage). The band was excellent, tight and rocking hard, equally capable of putting over piano-heavy ballads and power rock. Overall, they probably come down more toward hard rock than his typical backing, and this was no bad thing. Morrissey came across as totally committed to communicating with his audience, and to pure, on-pitch, beautifully-phrased, from-the-heart singing. The songs, including recent ones some of which are not even on record yet, were mostly excellent to great. I may get around to a more detailed review later, but just wanted to put it out there that this was one truly great show by a man who is the genuine article---a star if I have ever seen one. Don't miss a chance to hear him.
US banks insuring European debt
Food for thought if you have any interest in the potential impact of the European situation on US banks. I have no opinion yet on the quantitative significance of this. $518 billion, though, is not prima facie chump change.
At Bloomberg, a report by Yalman Onaran: Selling More CDS on Europe Debt Raises Risk for U.S. Banks.
The best bit: "The banks say their net positions are smaller because they purchase swaps to offset ones they’re selling to other companies."
Christina Romer reviews the empirical evidence: fiscal stimulus works
Next time someone tells you that we know fiscal stimulus doesn't work because we tried it and we still have 9% unemployment, hand them a copy of this talk by Christina Romer. It reviews the evidence that fiscal policy works, and in particular that the ARRA fiscal stimulus helped prevent even higher unemployment than actually occurred.
Raaga: top-notch Indian restaurant in Santa Fe
A relative newcomer on the Santa Fe scene is the Indian restaurant, Raaga, owned by Paddy Rawal. It's in a one-story arts-and-crafts style bungalow on Agua Fria street (a few blocks west of Sanbusco Center, where you can park if the restaurant's lot is full), that housed the excellent Asian-Pacific fusion restaurant Mauka a few years back. (Mauka's chef, Joel Coleman, now heads an "Asian tapas" place, Koi, that gets good reviews---I haven't tried it.) The old Mauka decor is still there, with the exception of some photos of India on the wall. It's casual but reasonably elegant.
The food is some of the best in Santa Fe, of any type. Food at Indian restaurants is often very oily and garlicky---which can be fun, but can be a bit much. The food at Raaga does not have this problem---the lack of excessive oil gives a much clearer, cleaner impression on the palate, and there's plenty of flavor. Much more like home-cooked Indian food. The stuffed pepper appetizer was a hot green chile (the menu says it's a Poblano) with a filling of potatoes, peas, and spices that's standard for samosas, thinly covered with a cornmeal batter and fried. Delicious ($4.95). The Chole Amritsari---chickpeas with a sauce featuring pomegranate, chiles, and ginger ($13.95), was superb. Bombay fish masala curry, at $17.95, was also excellent. Naan was topnotch as well. Some of the best Indian food I've had in a restaurant, and the prices are quite nice for food of this quality. Two appetizers and a split main dish would easily make a meal---the main dishes are quite large.
Let's hope that, unlike the equally excellent Mauka, Raaga makes a go of it at this location. It's a bit off the main tourist and business streets, but it's a short and very pleasant stroll, full of Santa Fe atmosphere, from the busy Guadalupe street area down Agua Fria, so check it out.
Grey border removed in WordPress Twenty Eleven
Aside
You may have noticed I've upgraded to the current version of WordPress and changed the theme (WordPress' term for the code that governs the layout and appearance of content at a WordPress blog site) to WordPress Twenty Eleven. The default version of this comes with an annoying grey border around the post. I've removed it, thanks to the information supplied by "alchymyth" here.