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☆ Courtney Bryan’s Music Brings It All Together
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Seth Colter Walls | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The name Courtney Bryan is not one that you’ll currently find on many recordings. Aside from two independently released, jazz-tilting albums from 2007 and 2010, precious little of this pianist and composer’s finely woven, adventurous music is available to hear widely. But you can expect that to change, beyond live performances including the premiere of Bryan’s chamber work “DREAMING (Freedom Sounds),” presented by the International Contemporary Ensemble at Merkin Hall on Wednesday. Symphony orchestras, chamber musicians, vocal groups and jazz performers have all been drawn to her sound. Last spring, the New York Philharmonic premiere of “Gathering Song,” with text by the stage director Tazewell Thompson and hints of post-bop jazz harmony, displayed her place among the most exciting voices in contemporary American music.

Persons: Courtney Bryan, you’ll, ”, Boosey & Hawkes, ” Bryan, MacArthur, Tazewell Thompson Organizations: International, Merkin Hall, Boosey &, Columbia University, New York Philharmonic Locations: New Orleans

☆ Jazz’s Hancock Competition Returns, Crowning an Electrifying Rising Star
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( Giovanni Russonello | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Jazz’s future — actually, its present — looks brighter than it has in at least 50 years. In April 2022, Jon Batiste cleaned up at the Grammys, becoming the first jazz musician below retirement age in decades to win album of the year. Young improvisers like him seem less intimidated than ever by jazz’s gloried history, and are dumping their energies into fusions and multimedia projects. For much of Saturday afternoon, when 11 pianists under 30 competed in the semifinals, there was cause to wonder. At one point I started to wonder if there was a rule against bringing in your own original tunes.

Persons: —, Jon Batiste, Young improvisers, jazz’s, Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk, George Gershwin, Carl Allen Organizations: Hancock

☆ Bankman-Fried needs Adderall to testify, defense requests delay in trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"Bankman-Fried has been doing his best to remain focused during the trial for the past two weeks, despite not having his prescribed dose of Adderall during trial hours," continues the letter to the court. "Mr. Bankman-Fried has a history of Major Depressive Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder," Lerner wrote. Lerner added in his letter that Bankman-Fried had tried other antidepressants but said they were ineffective for his symptoms. Without his medication, Lerner warned the judge, "Bankman-Fried will experience a return of his depression and ADHD symptoms and will be severely negatively impacted in his ability to assist in his own defense." For nearly a year, there's been a nationwide shortage of Adderall, the popular stimulant used to treat ADHD.

Persons: Sam Bankman, District Judge Lewis Kaplan, Fried, Mark Cohen's, Judge Kaplan, Cohen, Bankman, Caroline Ellison, meds, George Lerner, Lerner, there's Organizations: U.S, District, Government, U.S . Food, Drug Administration Locations: Bahamas, U.S

☆ Jan. 6 rioter who urged mob to take officer's guns took a secret plea deal, DOJ confirms
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Ryan J. Reilly | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Samuel Lazar, a pro-Trump rioter, also shot at a line of officers with pepper spray on Jan. 6, the government said. The Justice Department declined to comment on Lazar's case at the time. Video shows Lazar on Jan. 6 yelling "Let's get their guns! "They maced us, those tyrannical pieces of s---, and we maced them right the f--- back," he said, in video cited by the Justice Department. The joint filing unsealed Monday confirmed Lazar was released on Sept. 13, 2023, having served his 2.5-year sentence after factoring in credits for good behavior.

Persons: WASHINGTON —, Samuel Lazar, Trump, Lazar, Rudy Giuliani, Doug Mastriano, Mastriano, Amy Berman Jackson, Jan, Let's Organizations: Trump, Justice Department, NBC News, The, U.S, U.S . Capitol, Capitol, Federal Bureau of Prisons, BOP, Associated Press Locations: Pennsylvania

To help future-proof emergency spending, I realized I might need insurance coverage. First is general liability coverage, which safeguards your business in the event someone makes a claim against you or your business. BOP also includes property coverage, which helps protect business property you own, lease or rent, including your buildings, equipment, furniture, and inventory. Find the Best Business Insurance for You Meet Simply Business. "In the event that a work-related injury or illness should occur, workers' compensation coverage helps provide protection for you and your employees," he said.

Persons: I've, Matthew Richards, Richards Organizations: Travelers Insurance, Business Insurance, Workers Locations: New York

☆ Taylor Swift and Sophie Turner having a girls’ night out has delighted the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Weeks after Joe Jonas and his wife “Game of Thrones” star Sophie Turner split, she was photographed stepping out to dinner in the Big Apple with Taylor Swift. Swift famously dated Jonas, who is a member of the Jonas Brothers trio, back in 2008. So, to see Swift and Turner, arms linked and stepping out on the town Tuesday night, was too too much for some. “Taylor Swift and Sophie Turner really just did the most iconic thing possible,” one person tweeted. “Taylor Swift and Sophie Turner publicly going out to dinner together was very calculated and I feel uncomfy about it as a Jonas fan,” one person tweeted.

Persons: Weeks, Joe Jonas, “, Sophie Turner, Taylor Swift, Swift, Jonas, Jonas –, that’s, Turner, “ Taylor Swift, Alexa, Mr, ” Swift Organizations: CNN, Big Apple Locations: New York City

☆ 5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Max Roach
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Marcus J. Moore | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Listen on YouTube◆ ◆ ◆Joseph Patel, producer of ‘Summer of Soul’Max Roach, “Drums Unlimited”I discovered and fell in love with jazz while in college. From this study, I could put my finger on the records, musicians and lineups at the forefront of change in the genre — and at every step of the way, there was Max Roach. On “Freedom Day,” Max’s drum playing represents a heart dealing with the emotions of becoming a free human being. Listen on YouTube◆ ◆ ◆Brandi Waller-Pace, musician, educator and scholar-activistClifford Brown and Max Roach, “Joy Spring”Few drummers have reached the level of innovation and influence Max Roach did throughout his long and prolific career. “Joy Spring,” recorded with the legendary and tragically short-lived Clifford Brown and Max Roach Quintet, is a jazz classic and a personal favorite.

Persons: “, ”, Abstrutions ”, Stanley Cowell’s, ◆ Joseph Patel, ’ Max Roach, Max Roach, Roach, Abbey Lincoln, ◆ Nicole Sweeney, Lincoln’s, Max, Booker Little, ◆ Brandi Waller, Clifford Brown, Kenny Clarke, Roach’s, Harold Land’s, I’m, ◆ Elena Bergeron, Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington, Mingus, Ellington Organizations: YouTube, Calif, Harlem Cultural, Pace Locations: Davis, Harlem

"China is not trying to supplant the IMF," said Matthew Mingey, a senior analyst with Rhodium Group. "When China has allowed these swap lines to be tapped, in many cases it's to unlock an IMF bailout or ensure an IMF programme stays on track." In turn, China is a major customer for Argentina's soy, corn and poultry exports. "China has every incentive to tightly manage Argentine drawings under the swap lines as the risks are very high." The swap line that the People's Bank of China (PBOC) signed in 2009 with Buenos Aires was the first agreed with a Latin American country.

Persons: Matthew Mingey, Buenos, Mark Sobel, Sobel, Sergio Massa, Martin Castellano, Alejandro Werner, Werner, Mingey, Jorgelina, Rosario, Karin Strohecker, Jorge Otaola, Joe Cash, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, U.S . Treasury, Reuters, World Bank, TAG, People's Bank of China, Buenos Aires, Economy, Institute of International Finance, Relations, Georgetown Americas Institute, Western Hemisphere Department, Thomson Locations: China, Argentina, Beijing, Washington, Latin America, Buenos Aires, U.S, Buenos, American, United States, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Ukraine

☆ Liberty Mutual to stop offering business owner's policy in California as costs bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 26 (Reuters) - Property and casualty insurer Liberty Mutual will stop offering its business owner's policy (BOP) product in wildfire-prone state California from Oct. 1, in a sign that cost inflation and higher catastrophe losses are pounding insurers' profits. A spokesperson for Liberty Mutual also told Reuters in an emailed statement that the company "will not renew its current book of this line of business beginning in December." BOP is an insurance product usually required by business owners that bundles all major property and liability risks into a single package. Liberty Mutual joins a growing list of major insurers retreating from California. In May this year, State Farm said that it would stop selling new insurance policies to homeowners in California.

Persons: Fitch, Jaiveer Singh, Manya, Shailesh Organizations: Liberty Mutual, Reuters, Global, Farm, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: California, Bengaluru

☆ Review: Dancing With Dictators in David Byrne’s ‘Here Lies Love’
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Jesse Green | More About Jesse Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Not that there isn’t plenty to praise in “Here Lies Love,” the immersive disco-bio-musical about Imelda Marcos that opened on Thursday at the Broadway Theater. Because the real star of this show is the astonishing architectural transformation of the theater itself, by the set designer David Korins. That she would probably adore the over-emphatic atmosphere of “Here Lies Love” — with its lurid lighting by Justin Townsend, skittering projections by Peter Nigrini and earsplitting sound by M.L. For here we are, at the place where irony and meta-messaging form a theatrical-historical knot that can’t be picked apart. Which is why, as you clap, you should probably wonder what for.

Persons: Imelda Marcos, David Byrne, Fatboy Slim, abetted, David Korins, “ King Kong ”, Marcos, impoverishing, Justin Townsend, Peter Nigrini, Cody Spencer — Organizations: Broadway Theater, Broadway Locations: “ King, Philippines

☆ Five Minutes That Will Make You Love Avant-Garde Jazz
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Marcus J. Moore | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Lately The New York Times has asked jazz musicians, writers and scholars to share the favorites that would make a friend fall in love with Herbie Hancock, New Orleans jazz, Sun Ra or Mary Lou Williams. Now we’re putting the spotlight on avant-garde jazz, a challenging subgenre born out of the desire to do something that wasn’t as prescribed as bebop or post-bop, a sound carried by the fire of spontaneity by players who weren’t considered to be in the upper echelon of jazz. The definition of avant-garde jazz has been a point of contention since its inception. Perhaps its biggest public advocate was the saxophonist and bandleader John Coltrane, who took an interest in free jazz — a subset of avant-garde jazz — in the mid-1960s and pushed for the saxophonists Albert Ayler and Pharoah Sanders to release their music on the mainstream label Impulse! Today, the rules for what is and what isn’t avant-garde are still being written.

Persons: Herbie Hancock, Sun Ra, Mary Lou Williams, weren’t, Amiri Baraka —, John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Pharoah Sanders, ◆ ◆ ◆ Ana Roxanne, “ Longview, Barre Phillips, John Surman, I’ve Organizations: New York Times, Association for, Advancement of Creative Musicians, Area Locations: Herbie Hancock , New Orleans, “ Longview ”, France, Longview, ”

☆ Andrew Ridgeley on George Michael and Life After Wham!
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Erik Piepenburg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If you weren’t a teenager in 1984, it might be hard to understand this, but here goes: There are Gen X-ers who remember where they were the first time they saw the video for the Wham! clap-along pop anthem “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.”In it, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, the heartthrob frontmen of Wham!, wear big smiles and beachy short shorts as they perform their infectious bop — titled after a note Ridgeley had once left on his family’s refrigerator — for a small crowd of adoring fans. Ridgeley, who turned 60 in January, remembers making it as great fun. “It was our first video with an audience,” he said during a recent video interview from his home in London. “The atmosphere was really quite excitable and exciting.”Ridgeley and his bandmate are the subject of “Wham!,” a new documentary that premieres on Wednesday on Netflix.

Persons: George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley, beachy, Ridgeley, Crüe, ”, Chris Smith Organizations: Netflix Locations: London

☆ DOJ issues scathing rebuke of Bureau of Prisons detailing multiple failures that led to Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The report indicated the Bureau of Prisons’ failings were troubling not only because they did not safeguard Epstein but also because they “led to numerous questions about the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death” and denied Epstein’s victims justice. Two guards on duty the night of Epstein’s death later admitted to falsifying records at the time. According to the initial indictment against the two guards, on the night of Epstein’s suicide, both individuals repeatedly failed to complete the required prisoners check during their watch. On the day before he was found dead in his prison cell, Epstein was also allowed by prison staff to make an unmonitored phone call, despite prison policy requiring all phone calls to be monitored. In August 2021, two years after Epstein’s death, the BOP announced it would close Metropolitan Correctional Center, citing the need to improve conditions in the facility.

Persons: Jeffrey Epstein, ”, Epstein, ” Epstein, OIG Organizations: CNN, Department’s Office, Prisons, Federal Bureau of Investigation’s, Metropolitan Correctional Center, Justice Department, Southern, of, MCC, FBI, Force, BOP, Correctional Center, Office Locations: New York, of New York

☆ Prison staff misconduct made it easier for sex predator Jeffrey Epstein to kill himself, DOJ watchdog says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry March 28, 2017 and obtained by Reuters July 10, 2019. "Significant misconduct" by federal Bureau of Prisons staff made it much easier for sex predator Jeffrey Epstein to kill himself in a New York jail in August 2019, a Department of Justice watchdog said in a new report Tuesday. The jail's Psychology Department had issued a directive that he be given a new cellmate. Epstein's death came a month after he was arrested on federal child sex trafficking charges. The city's Medical Examiner's office ruled shortly after his death that Epstein's injuries were consistent with him hanging himself, rather than from being strangled by another person.

Persons: Jeffrey Epstein, Epstein, Epstein's Organizations: New York State Division, Criminal, Services, Reuters, federal, of Prisons, of Justice, DOJ's, Metropolitan Correctional Center, Department Locations: New York, Manhattan

☆ 5 Minutes That Will Make You Love New Orleans Jazz
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Giovanni Russonello | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Over the past few months, The New York Times has asked experts to answer the question, What would you play a friend to make them fall in love with jazz? The United States is full of cities with their own rich jazz histories, but none goes back as far as New Orleans. To really discover the beauty of New Orleans jazz, the in-person experience is key. But unless you’re about to book a trip, why not take five minutes to read and listen, and see if you get hooked? In the 100-plus years since then, New Orleans has remained something of a cultural anomaly in the United States: rooted in its own traditions, and fortified against broader commercial trends.

Persons: banjos, Joseph’s, Louis Armstrong — Organizations: New York Times, New, Mardi Locations: United States, New Orleans, Congo, Orleans

☆ Robert Hanssen, FBI agent who spied for the Russians, dies in Supermax prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Corky Siemaszko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

FBI Agent Robert Philip Hanssen is shown in this undated file photo, released by the FBI February 20, 2001. FBI Agent-turned-traitor Robert Hanssen, who spied for the old Soviet Union and later the Russians, died Monday in the cell where he was serving 15 consecutive life sentences for betraying his country, federal prison officials said. Hanssen, 79, was "found unresponsive" around 6:55 a.m. at the federal "Supermax" prison in Florence, Colorado, the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement. Hanssen began spying for the Soviets in 1979, three years after he joined the FBI. "He ultimately became the most damaging spy in Bureau history," the agency said.

Persons: Robert Philip Hanssen, Robert Hanssen, Hanssen Organizations: FBI, Soviet Union, of Prisons Locations: Florence , Colorado, Supermax

[1/2] Staff members work at a packing section at a garment factory in Colombo after the International Monetary Fund's executive board approved a $3 billion bailout for Sri Lanka. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) cut its standing deposit facility rate and standing lending facility rate to 13% and 14%, respectively, from 15.5% and 16.5% previously. The central bank raised rates by a record 950 basis points last year to tame inflation and by 100 bps on March 3 this year. "There is a need to bring the interest rates down because the cost of government financing is high," said Udeeshan Jonas, chief strategist at equity research firm CAL. Sri Lanka secured a $2.9 billion bailout from the IMF in March and aims to complete restructuring debt talks by September, coinciding with the first review by the lender.

Persons: Dinuka, Udeeshan Jonas, Uditha Jayasinghe, Swati Bhat, Shri Navaratnam, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Staff, Monetary Fund's, Sri, REUTERS, Central Bank of Sri, Colombo, Monetary Fund, Reuters, CAL, Thomson Locations: Colombo, Sri Lanka, Lanka's, Central Bank of Sri Lanka

☆ ‘Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll’ Review: Multifaceted in Every Way
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( John Anderson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Little Richard in 1972 Photo: Alamy‘He went both ways,” an old friend of the singer Little Richard says during “Little Richard: King and Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll,” and the meaning is as clear as one of those upper-register “wooooos” on “Tutti Frutti.” But the life addressed by this “American Masters” documentary is all about ambiguities—identity crises, moral conflicts, and a man whose sense of himself was about as straightforward as awop-bop-a-loo-bop-awop-bam-boom.

Persons: Little Richard, “, Richard, King Locations: bam

☆ "Some people are like 'I want to be her friend,' says an inmate at a Texas federal prison camp ahead of Elizabeth Holmes' arrival: WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Inmates at a Texas federal prison camp are looking forward to Elizabeth Holmes' arrival, per WSJ. Holmes is scheduled to start serving her 11-year sentence at the federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas on Tuesday. The Bryan prison camp is a minimum security, all-female facility about 100 miles from Houston. Inmates at a Texas federal prison camp are looking forward to Elizabeth Holmes' arrival, according to a Sunday report from The Wall Street Journal. The Bryan prison camp is a minimum security, all-female facility about 100 miles from Houston.

☆ We have been graced with another video of Elon Musk dancing like no one's watching
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk knows how to have a good time. The moves hark back to the ones he busted out on a stage in Shanghai in 2020. Elon Musk knows how to have a good time. The Mexico videos are now immortalized in the cannon of dancing Elon Musk clips. Dance, Elon, dance.

☆ ANALYST VIEW Markets tumble as Turkey faces runoff election after Erdogan leads first round
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/2] Supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan wave flags outside the AK Party headquarters, in Ankara, Turkey May 15, 2023. DEBT: Five-year credit default swaps jumped over 100 basis points from Friday and dollar bonds fell more than 7 cents. STOCKS: Borsa Istanbul issued a market-wide circuit breaker after the benchmark index (.XU100) dropped 6.38% in pre-market trading and was last down 2.7%. PIOTR MATYS, SENIOR FOX ANALYST, IN TOUCH CAPITAL MARKETS, POLAND:"When/if President Erdogan is re-elected, the lira should be trading far more freely. CLEMENS GRAFE AND BASAK EDIZGIL, GOLDMAN SACHS, LONDON:"The (rates and CDS) market dynamics post the initial move will be dependent on the FX market.

Revisit some of the predominant trends in music that came to define a mercurial decade, from pop-rap and boy bands to aesthetic sadness and protest anthems. Rap goes the viral pop routeAt the beginning of the 2010s, rap stars had trouble scoring their own No. Dark and dreary pop blows upLana Del Rey helped to usher in a new era of downbeat and dark pop. Karl Walter/Getty ImagesBoth the Weeknd and Del Rey have pivoted since their debuts, with their images becoming more complicated than their indie origins belie. Del Rey, meanwhile, has only burrowed deeper into her niche, crafting intensely personal records that have matured with her listeners.

☆ Seymour Stein, Who Signed Madonna and the Ramones to Record Deals, Dies at 80
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( James R. Hagerty | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Seymour Stein received the Howie Richmond Hitmaker Award at a Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. When the Ramones began rattling Lower Manhattan with jackhammer songs like “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue” and “Blitzkrieg Bop” in the mid-1970s, many record industry executives reached for their earplugs. Seymour Stein heard the potential in what soon became known as punk rock. Mr. Stein signed the skinny rockers to Sire Records, a scrappy little record label he had co-founded a decade earlier and later sold to what is now Warner Music Group . Over the next 25 years or so, he signed a host of other stars, including Talking Heads, the Pretenders and Ice-T.

☆ Fact Check-‘QAnon Shaman’ was not freed early due to footage proving Jan. 6 riot was ‘hoax’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jacob Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli or the “QAnon Shaman”, is due to be released early from prison in the U.S. due to a combination of factors including good behavior, according to his attorney. Posts online, however, are saying he was released early due to footage of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol showing he was wrongly sentenced or that the event itself was a hoax. Chansley was not released as a result of the video footage released through Tucker Carlson.”In February 2023, TV host Tucker Carlson said he’d been given access to thousands of hours of video footage from the Capitol riot (here). Reuters has debunked multiple other claims alleging the Capitol storming was a hoax (here), (here) and (here). Jacob Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli or “QAnon Shaman”, was not released from prison early because of Jan 6.

☆ US rule to allow some inmates to stay home after COVID emergency lifts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), which is operated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons, is pictured, as the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., December 8, 2020. The regulations are expected to provide some relief to inmates, who feared they could potentially be hauled back into prison when the public health emergency expires on May 11. Criminal justice and civil rights groups have lobbied the Justice Department and the White House to change those rules to prevent inmates from being returned to prison en masse. The BOP will still be able to impose "proportional and escalating sanctions," including a return to prison, on inmates who commit infractions. Of those, the department said only a fraction of one percent were returned to prison due to new criminal conduct.

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