I Got The Right To Sing The Blues

Last month via the blog of Ann Althouse I learned about Ethel Ennis who recently died (Ann linked to her obituary in the New York Times), a singer I'd never heard of.  It turns out in the late 1950s and early 1960s she was considered one of the finest young jazz singers in America, even drawing comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald.  Ms Ennis effectively retired in the early 60s, unwilling to put up with the demand, including sexual ones, required if she were to succeed at a higher level.

Listening to a few of her recordings she really does remind me of Ella, with her seeming effortless voice at different registers and her precise and light tone.  Here she is singing I Got A Right To Sing The Blues with the Benny Goodman Orchestra in 1958.  The song, composed in 1932, with lyrics by Ted Koehler and music by Harold Arlen (who also did the music for Over The Rainbow).

Drowned

When we revisit earlier aspects of our life as we get older they often resonate in different ways.  I read JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy when a teenager and then reread it more than thirty years later.  I enjoyed the books just as much but it was the quieter moments that made the biggest impact when older.

I first read Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes at about 14 and was fixated on the sinister atmosphere and events surrounding Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show.  Upon rereading it in my early 60s I realized it was about a son's relationship with his father.

This is Pete Townshend performing Drowned in 2011, a song he wrote for The Who album Quadrophrenia.  Listening to the words I wonder if he thinks any differently, as a 66-year old, about the song he wrote when twenty seven.

Too Bad It Didn't Happen Sooner

Stalin died on this day in 1953. The blue handwriting scrawled over this list is his, and reads "Execute everyone". pic.twitter.com/9l6Mhv8gkV

— Flashbak.com (@aflashbak) March 5, 2019

When portions of the Soviet archives became available after 1991, numerous arrest lists were found with Stalin's notations.  Some, like the one above, directed blanket executions.  Others, consisting of hundreds and sometimes thousands of names had Stalin's check next to those to be executed.  He spent a lot of time going through those lists.

Closing Minds

In a recent interview, Bernie Sanders was asked what the biggest obstacle is to making society more prosperous and fair.  His response:

"Close-minded Republicans."  March 2, 2019

"In Socialist Paradise, you don't decide to close your mind, State does it for you!" - Me, today

Nanpu Bridge

This is the spiral approach to the Nanpu Bridge in Shanghai.  The bridge spans the Huangpu River between Puxi (the older central portion of the city) and Pudong, on the eastern side of the river, an area that was farms and fields in 1990 and is now a booming city. 

Shanghai, which I visited many times between 2000 and 2011, is one of my favorite cities; it's like New York on steroids.  I've been on the Nanpu spiral many times.

You May Ask Yourself

Based on Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads.  If you are a fan of the band and regardless of what you think of Donald Trump this is one of the funniest videos I've ever seen.