After The 8 Years Of The Bush/Cheney Disaster, Now You Get Mad?

You didn’t get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.

You didn’t get mad when Cheney allowed energy company officials to dictate energy policy, and to push us to invade Iraq.

You didn’t get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.

You didn’t get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.

You didn’t get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn’t get mad when we spent over 800 billion dollars (and counting) on said illegal war.

You didn’t get mad when Bush borrowed more money from foreign sources than the previous 42 Presidents combined.

You didn’t get mad when over 10 billion dollars in cash just disappeared in Iraq.

You didn’t get mad when you found out we were torturing people.

You didn’t get mad when Bush embraced trade and outsourcing policies that shipped 6 million American jobs out of the country.

You didn’t get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn’t get mad when we didn’t catch Bin Laden.

You didn’t get mad when Bush rang up 10 trillion dollars in combined budget and current account deficits.

You didn’t get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn’t get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.

You didn’t get mad when we gave people who had more money than they could spend, the filthy rich, over a trillion dollars in tax breaks.

You didn’t get mad with the worst 8 years of job creations in several decades.

You didn’t get mad when over 200,000 US Citizens lost their lives because they had no health insurance.

You didn’t get mad when lack of oversight and regulations from the Bush Administration caused US Citizens to lose 12 trillion dollars in investments, retirement, and home values.

You finally got mad
when a black man was elected President and decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick.
Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, job losses by the millions, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, and the worst economic disaster since 1929 are all okay with you, but helping fellow Americans who are sick…Oh, Hell No!!

1st, Happy 77th Birthday Eddie Harris! Eddie had so much going on in his head at all times. Numerology, Astrology, deep mystical understanding from all lover the world, unbelievable wit and a walking encyclopedia concerning music and the arts…a philosopher. We used to talk on the phone for hours about very diverse subjects that always ended with me gathering much insight into the world as Eddie viewed it and lived it. I remember the last time I talked with Eddie was the Christmas Eve before he made his transition 11 months later. We laughed and talked about family and the possibilities of another tour…Eddie was genuinely interested in the people he knew. I miss those kinetic talks on the holidays.

Emily and I were in Ames, Iowa watching Elvis in a movie called “Flaming Star” and she spoke up about how she had forgotten what a good looking man he was. I loved Elvis as a kid…had a certain attitude that put me right. We left Ames the next day (her birthday in ’86) and drove to Des Moines…checked in to the hotel and walked down the street until we found a video store. We rented 4 more Elvis movies and stayed up all night on our own Presley marathon…a great night with lots of laughs.

A surreal trip though southern Arkansas in a van with David “Fathead” Newman in the late ’80′s. We were amazed at the small towns and the trash in the yards…what a journey. In one little joint we saw a sign on a grain store that said “Niger Seed for Sale”….I knew it was a seed used for bird feed but David just looked over at me and said “K-k-k Kel, we best be gettin’ outta here.”… a few towns down the road David was amused at all of the abandoned cars in the yards and he astutely observed “Well, I guess I know what people do with their old broken down cars here in Arkansas….they build their houses next to ‘em.”….We laughed for 40 miles! I miss ya, Fathead.

David Murray and I were doing this long duet tour…sax/bass clarinet & bass and had developed a good direction and voice. We were able to open the doors and let the winds blow us into place, great music. We took this gig in Vancouver B.C. on a most unlikely double bill with Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley, who we both knew and had befriended before back down the road somewhere. David and I opened the night with some really deep explorations and long looks into what the two instruments could speak about. I remember a particular moment in the show where I felt the zone had created a place of grace to dwell in and be at peace. We finished our set and we were happy…Maceo and Fred looked at us with no attitude but love. They got on the stage with their 8 pieces and funked the night away. David and I sat in for truly fun and funky piece late in their set…great night. Wonderful how the kindred energy can bring the diversity of style into a common focus.

at this burger joint in Kansas City circa ’88 right off the Boulevard just up the street from the club…The Boulevard Beat was the name of the joint we were playing in that week. It was across the street from another club…The Tuba, which would become another spot to play in in the following years. I was sitting with Eddie Harris and Charlie Sloan (club owner and gentleman of the highest order). We had finished a gig and the rest of the band hadn’t arrived yet…this place is a legendary KC grease spot and I’m sorry…the name eludes me. Charlie asked he could show us some dollar origami while we waited for food…I said “cool”…Eddie said “ora-whati?” and smiled…Charlie started folding a dollar bill into various positions so that the graphics on the bill would depict something else…you know the schtick. He had so many folds to show us that he had to get out a couple of other bills…on and on!….Eddie was amused for a while…the food came and Eddie just looked up with that beautiful smile of his and said…”you white guys do some weird shit!”…he then put his eggs on his corned beef hash and proceeded to eat….

Playing the 4th of four gigs with the late Jeanne Lee and Mal Waldron in Germany…I think it was ’98. Back stage Mr. Waldron was reminiscing between taking micro naps…it was a funny scene. Anyway, Jeanne said to me “Hey Kelly, on “Left Alone”…well have you heard how Dolphy let it go? Give up the changes and come with me after a few choruses…don’t be shy, just come with me.” Mal lifted his head up and said “she’ll get ya there” and then nodded again…I smiled huge. RIP Jeanne and Mal.