Über Everywhere: 2020 Words

Read a ton of winners, re-read some favorites, so I’ll just mention a handful. I finally wrapped my head around Anand Giridharadas’ Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World. I’m slow. It ranks up there with Klein’s Shock Doctrine. One of the teens was learning about redlining while I was reading Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor's latest Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership. Such clear and focused writing on housing policy -- a topic that doesn’t garner much public attention, but should. I read Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion and Cathy Park Hong’s Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning back-to-back. Body blows, then gu(il)t punches. And Steph Cha’s Your House Will Pay is the best fictional exploration of the parallels and divides between Black and Asian communities I have ever read. It came out in 2019, but reads like a prologue to summer 2020.

I’m working my way through Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. It’s a brick of a book, but she’s such a smooth writer. I’m remembering stylistic reasons why I loved Warmth of Other Suns so much. Margaret Chin’s Stuck: Why Asian Americans Don't Reach the Top of the Corporate Ladder is confirming what I suspected about career barriers against East Asians. Ijeoma Oluo’s Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America bridges my buddy Dave’s high school piece on mediocrity and the path to the promised land for the overwhelming majority of us who are just… ok.

It's not all non-fiction. Just cracked open Murata's latest, Earthlings. The trouble with reading such widely popular works is it's near impossible to avoid seeing headlines. Enjoying it, nonetheless.

Thank you, Daniel and Joel, for getting me into the audiobook gang. Actually, what really got me into audio was N.K. Jemisin’s The City We Became. The production was like the radio plays of yore! But Darts really broke the seal for me.

Anyway, here are the highlights from this year’s reads, in no particular order:

Murata Sayaka Convenience Store Woman
Zitkala-sa American Indian Stories
Jordan Ifueko Raybearer
Brandon Shimoda The Grave on the Wall & The Desert
Wanda Coleman World Falls Apart
Kevin Young Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News and Brown
Young Jean Lee Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven and Other Plays
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha Dictee
Lama Rod Owens Love & Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger
Charles Yu Interior Chinatown
Daniel Lavery Something That May Shock and Discredit You
James H. Cone The Cross and the Lynching Tree
Samantha Irby Wow, No Thank You
Kali Fajardo-Anstine Sabrina & Corina: Stories
H. Scott Momaday House Made of Dawn
Roy Christopher Dead Precedents: How Hip-Hop Defines the Future

N.K. Jemisin The City We Became
Elizabeth Acevedo Clap When You Land
Rachel DeWoskin Someday We Will Fly

And the comix I remember:

Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru Superman Smashes the Klan
Alex Sanchez You Brought Me the Ocean
Minh Lê & Andie Tong Green Lantern: Legacy
Mike Curato Flamer
Robin Ha Almost American Girl
Damian Duffy & John Jennings adaptation of Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower
田中 芳樹 & 荒川 弘 アルスラーン戦記
荒川 弘 銀の匙

The kid is on a reading tear. Still a lot of familiars: Raina, Dav, 鳥山先生, Adventure Time, Jen Wang, ヨツバと！. But the evolution is fun to watch.

Finally came around to comic strips, so doing the rounds on the classics: Peanuts, Boondocks, Calvin & Hobbes.

Plus some more grown comix: When Stars Are Scattered, All’s Faire in Middle School, Dragon Hoops, Stepping Stones, Amulet, Legend of Korra, Primer, 甘々と稲妻, ブラック・ジャック, New Kid/Class Act, Twins, Goldie Vance.

Expanded some existing tastes: ちびまる子ちゃん, Baby-Sitters Little Sister, Hunter x Hunter, ナルト, Steven Universe, Jonesy, Bee & Puppycat.

Chapter books are solidly in the mix: Princess in Black, Meet Yasmin!, Jasmine Toguchi, Zoey & Sassafrass, Dyamonde Daniel, Julian’s World.

Thankfully, still plenty of picture books: Margarita Engle’s All the Way to Havana; Julia Alvarez’s A Gift of Gracias; Duncan Tonatiuh; Vaunda Micheaux Nelson.

Some non-fiction of the fun factoid variety: A Manga Lover’s Tokyo Travel Guide, Guinness Book, biographies, science experiments, how-to manuals.

Bedtime = comfy time, so the staples remain: 間瀬 なおかた (でんしゃでいこう / でんしゃでかえろう), クレーンクレーン, そらまめくん, 日本昔話.

And the partner did it big with Educated, New Jim Crow, and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.

Sakhiya Aaj Mujhe Neend Nahi Aayegi

Got Uttar & Dakshina?
(Credit: Alana Lowe)

ABCD's of Cooking x Brooklyn Winery playlist

This past Sunday the good homie ABCD's of Cooking teamed with Brooklyn Winery to present an exclusive supper club pairing North/South Indian cooking with hand-selected wines. Whoa, sensory explosion, right? Got your bearings back? Dig this: ABCD's was gracious enough to let me provide the soundtrack, so a partial playlist is posted above.

I only posted a chunk because the whole set is over 3 hours long (for those interested, the whole list is reprinted below). Instead, I focused on the Hindi film tracks ("filmi") because the Indian influence was what set the evening's set apart from the more familiar (to Western ears, at least) fare.

The featured filmi portions were less familiar, in every sense. Collections like Bombay Connection, the exhaustive Sitar Beat series and Stones Throw's recent Sa-Re-Ga! have turned '70s funk and disco-inspired Indian soundtracks into a thriving, contemporary sub-genre. While that era's excess and melodrama is undoubtedly charming, it often overshadows the broad range of soundtracks from the generations prior.

I won't go into the history and specifics, b/c I'm out of my league. That said, I've come across some lovely soundtracks from the '40s, '50s and '60s, particularly the stately Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (full credit goes to the excellent Parties, Sarees and Melodies blog for sharing the enthusiasm) and the brooding Charulata. Both soundtracks date to the early '60s and show a remarkable range of emotion and instrumentation. The former feels lush and velvety, like an upper crust pillow used for some specific aesthetic purpose -- looks soft, but not meant to be touched. Appropriate, considering the film centers on a "drunken rich house wife." The Old World translations of the song titles also support this idea: "Though released is your hand, do not leave me, love;" or, the post title, "Thou dispenser of wine, tonight sleep will forsake me." Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam also features another playback singer I am now enamored with, Geeta Dutt.

Charulata is a stark contrast, in terms of the film's tone and its accompanying soundtrack. The title was translated to "The Lonely Wife" (when it comes to the subject matter, use your imagination). The music is spare, austere and often tense to match the film's subject matter. Strangely, it is also perfect for personal listening, particularly while at home tending to domestic affairs.

When ABCD's asked me to put together a calm soundscape including this era of filmi music, I jumped at the opportunity. I have been fiending for more Indian film music since the trip, so I had already been looking further back in time. This event was a perfect opportunity to share some of those finds.

Before the dinner, I previewed some of the music with ABCD's and she recognized a few tracks from her family's collection (coincidentally, the aforementioned soundtracks; Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam was an Oscar contender, so I shouldn't be surprised), so I'm happy there was also a personal connection. Otherwise, I'm always happy to find more music to further broaden the palette.

• Bill Evans Trio: Waltz For Debby (Take 1)
• Art Tatum: All The Things You Are
• Wes Montgomery & Winton Kelly Trio: Misty
• The Beatnuts: Hass (a.k.a. We Came Here)
• Air: Casanova 70
• Serge Gainsbourg: Ballade de Melody Nelson
• Archie Shepp: In A Sentimental Mood
• Chet Baker: These Foolish Things
• Bernard Herrmann: Twisted Nerve [Jazz Version]
• Satyajit Ray: Montage (Charulata)
• Suraiya & Umadevi: Betab Hai Dil (Dard)
• Satyajit Ray: Jalsagar excerpt
• Satyajit Ray: Charu's Theme (Charulata)
• Satyajit Ray: Bhupatis Grief (Charulata)
• Satyajit Ray: Bhupati and Amal (Charulata)
• Satyajit Ray: Jalsagar excerpt
• Asha Bhosle: Teer Yeh Chup Ke (Phagun)
• Umadevi: Yeh Kaun Chala (Dard)
• Lata Mangeshkar & Mukesh: Dam Bhar Jo Udhar Munh Phere (Awara)
• Asha Bhosle & Mohd. Rafi: Tum Rooth Ke Mat Jana (Phagun)
• Satyajit Ray: Jalsagar excerpt
• Asha Bhosle & Mohd. Rafi: Main Soya Aankhiyan Meeche (Phagun)
• Geeta Dutt: Na Jao Saiyan Chhod Ke Baiyan (Though released is your hand, do not leave me, love) (Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam)
• Asha Bhosle: Bhanwara Bada Nadan (Oh! How ignorant is the wasp!) (Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam)
• Talat Mahmood: Meri Yaad Men Tum Na Aansoo Bahana (Adhosh)
• Asha Bhosle and Chorus: Sakhiya Aaj Mujhe Neend Nahi Aayegi (Thou dispenser of wine, tonight sleep will forsake me) (Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam)
• Satyajit Ray: Title Music (Teen Kanya)
• Shankar Jaikishan: More Incidental Music (Instrumental) (Bombay Talkie)
• Thelonious Monk: Black and Tan Fantasy
• Miles Davis: Bye Bye Blackbird
• Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane: Stars Fell On Alabama
• Bill Withers: I Don't Know
• Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery: OGD (Road Song)
• Amy Winehouse: (There Is) No Greater Love
• Oscar Peterson: Love For Sale
• Billie Holiday: Comes Love
• The Horace Silver Quintet: Que Pasa
• Milt Buckner: The Beast
• Angelo Badalamenti: Freshly Squeezed
• Sven Libaek: Inner Space Theme
• Common Sense: In My Own World (Check the Method)
• Air: J'ai Dormi Sous L'eau
• Aphex Twin: Avril 14th
• Aphex Twin: Nanou 2
• The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Thank You (Dziekuje)
• The Roots: Donuts (Outro)

In addition to ABCD's and BK Winery, big hands to Alana, Paul and Ben for all their help. Alana and Paul also documented the evening, so more visual pron (like the above flick) to come [UPDATE: ABCD's of Cooking's post has more details on the dinner, as well as Alana's photos -- check it out here]. And a special shout-out to the internet and follow-up protocol for allowing me to return the visual element of these compositions -- you can't just hear these tunes, you need to see 'em.

Ashy Wednesday

Courtesy Talya D.

Jane's Addiction - "Mountain Song" (mp3)
(Purchase here)



Beastie Boys - "A Year and A Day" (mp3)
(Peep Oh Word's fantastic recap of my favorite MCA track; purchase here)



Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions - "Keep On Pushing"
(Purchase here)




"The sustainability of social change movements... is not a function of personalities; it's a function of process and organization. And when we understand that, that is when we will really begin to put our house in order."
~ Bruce Gordon, State of Black America 2007 (via Notes, via Prometheus6)

Coming down the mountain, one of eight children, I found myself reconsidering opinions, cashing out, and tuning in. See, this President's Day weekend I traded two Jacksons (thanks again, bee) for minus 13 degrees and a break from the rat race. See what a little subzero weather and reduction of priorities to basic necessities can do for the soul? And Clemens had the gall to call Annie Sullivan a "miracle worker" ~ just give me the freeze...

While driving back to thoughts of a Swedish massage shower, I put it together with a fellow hiker: the multiplicity of identity, the length of the average modern resume, and the unimportance of ego. Case in point? Urban Word, an organization that may actually be about its constituency: the keeeds. By enabling, coordinating, and promoting the teenager's creative process, the organization takes direction from its own students. In order to have a future, the group recognizes it must be mutable and know when to let go.

Granted, UW is a small organization experiencing growing pains and adjusting accordingly. In other words, its size almost permits flexibility. So, imagine my exhilaration to return home and watch Bruce Gordon, President and CEO of NAACP since August 2005, articulate the same thought at the State of Black America conference. As Prometheus6 says, regardless of one's opinions of the man or his organization, you can't step to what he's saying:

Friends, this is real talk that applies to all of us. Awareness of action. Release of the self/ego. Consciousness of being. The danger of the Fuck You, Pay Me ethos is, well, you're telling someone to shut the eff up and pay you. Compensation trumping conversation. No conversation means no relationship. And without relationships, how are we to build that coalition to save our funky azzes? Fortunately, this paradigm is available to all from the top to the bottom. So even when George and Trent stray from the path to the promise land, that doesn't mean we have to sulk and gasface. People get ready, there's a meeting out yonder...

A couple shouts for the weekend:

• The First M.E.E. (Media Expression Education) Festival runs from February 23 (tomorrow) to February 25. Lots of performance, including the annual slam at BAM on Saturday February 24, run by the aforementioned Urban Word folks. Also loads of workshops and panels, including "When the Gun Draws: Addressing the Epidemic of Gun Violence and the Propaganda Behind It." Simon says, "Attend!" because Pharaohe Monch will be on the panel (and dude has something to say on the topic):
  
  Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School (BCAM) Auditorium
  70 Tompkins Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11206
  Friday, February 23
  2-3:30pm
  
  
• The Fourth Annual NYC Grassroots Media Conference:
  Media and Movements Beyond Borders is poppin' on Saturday, February 24 over at the New School. Of note, "BGirls, Battles, & Breakin' Barriers: Young Women's Hip Hop Activism in Brazil and Beyond" is a session being co-led by Leah King from 10-11:30am that will melt your face. For full schedule, peep at the jump.