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MarcNebo Jun 21 2020 at 8:58 PM	One thing that I am learning from the Coronavirus shutdown is that I need live Jazz in my life and going without for over three months is effecting me emotionally. The social interaction between the musicians and the audience and interaction with others in the audience keeps me and re-energizes me. Luckily I have a job that is consider essential so I have a social life with my coworkers and customers. I can’t wait much longer without live Jazz. Audio and video concerts isn’t the same. I always say to me customers as the leave my store, be healthy and be happy.
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Gyuri Jul 17 2020 at 1:16 PM	MarcNebo, I only go to jazz gigs four or five times a year and exclusively want to see and hear live the dying breeds, i.e. literally those giants who have made jazz history and, thank God, are still alive and active. I am not so open to new jazz players. The old greats are not so numerous and only give one or two concerts in Hungary whenever they play here or in nearby countries. Their gigs sell out in no time. It also happens that they are not even advertised around town - you find out about them on the internet and the tickets are gone before you know it. The last live show I wanted to see with my wife was going to be Pat’s "Side Eye" gig in Ravenna, Italy, back in early May this year. Nothing came of it due to the well-known "unfortunate events". Besides, out of the last ten gigs we attended only about half delivered, the rest being kind of a disappointment. I readily admit, though, that I may simply not have an ear for certain stuff.
MarcNebo Jul 11 2020 at 10:51 PM	Yossarian: First, thank you for staying on topic. Second, here in the US the outdoor festivals through September have been cancelled and some released 2020-2021 Jazz Series schedule. Many may not open as scheduled. I am getting worried and somewhat depressed. Live Jazz is a big passion for me and a major social event. Last year I saw 235 bands in 115 days. Most of the clubs I go to the owners and staff know me and I know a lot of the attendees. I won’t go to a club until it’s a band I really want to see. Some clubs have reopened with restrictions but not that interested in the musicians.
yossarian Jul 10 2020 at 5:04 PM	MarcNebo: going to live jazz is the pinnacle of my social existence whether I go with friends, my wife, my kids or alone (always see people I know) ... I miss it very much. I think for the musicians like Pat whose life revolves around gigging the current situation must be very peculiar. I hope they’re coping OK but I’m more fearful for the many many jazz musicians, and other musicians, who simply can’t make any money at the present time. Here in the UK I think outdoor concerts will start being possible in the near future, certainly in Europe they are, as long as small scale.
MarcNebo Jul 09 2020 at 11:53 AM	Anyone want to respond to my original message "World Without Live Jazz"? We can leave Twittter, Facebook and other Anti-Social Media for Coronavirus debates. I come here from a escape from politics. Also I am a huge Pat fan and agree that Pat is great about responding to the events occurring around us. There are a lot of other Jazz musicians doing it also. Check out the Charlie Haden’s book "Conversations with Charlie Haden or watch the documentary on him. Steve Turre wrote a song regarding the death of Trayvon Martin.
Gyuri Jul 07 2020 at 9:05 AM	Sbjames, without wanting to drag you into any unwanted discussion and disturb your ease of mind, let me say I also respect others, including their fears and worries and, naturally, I wear my mask wherever required. I am convinced, though, that we are being duped big time and hasten to add that we do deserve it. And if we remain as stupid as we are, the masterminds of this unprecedented global scam will ram even more of this stuff down our throats. Yours, too. Yossarian, conspiracy take? Would you ever challenge a criminal court judgement passed on circumstantial evidence as conspiracy theory? Hardly. Criminals are sent to prison on circumstantial evidence. Absent direct evidence, the prosecutors and jurors do not hesitate to make their LOGICAL conclusions from circumstantial evidence. The sources of information I listed are exactly that. MarcNebo, I agree fully, life sucks without live jazz and all the social life you write about. But it also sucks without dental and other medical services denied because medical capacities are reserved for a dreaded surge in covid cases. Life also sucks because of school closures and the undermining of our children’s future, if there is any left for them. Our children’s lives matter. Yes, a lot of people died worldwide – a lot, compared to what? And who exactly? What is the demographic situation and general health status of people in the most afflicted countries? In 2018, 9.6 million people died from cancer globally, many in their most productive years. Who sounded the alarm or initiated immediate draconic lockstep measures to ban smoking and other aspects of lifestyle globally to reduce the burden on the health care sector? Why is there no “surge manufacturing” of respirators for the most vulnerable groups if there is so much concern for their lives? From the information we know, that key measure would seem to do the job. Would it be really more expensive than resetting the global economy and crippling half the global population? Do you really fall for this b…..t? At our level, of course, there is not much we can do. But we should not give up whatever is left of our capacity amidst the immense media influence coming from all directions to intuit, think logically, have doubts and ask rudimentary logical questions and, if the answers do not add up, allow ourselves to smell a rat. If not for anything else, then for our own human dignity. What makes Pat great in an unparalleled way – among many other things – is his ability to intuit and respond to the spirit of the times, which is what makes his latest album so powerful, in addition to its beauty. Much as I admire and enjoy other jazz greats, none of them seem to make that difference.
yossarian Jul 06 2020 at 12:21 PM	sbjames.... excellent post. My own take, for what it’s worth, is that people should look at the whole world. If you live in the US, look at other countries’ experiences. This whole conspiracy take is not exclusive to the US of course but it really plays into the ’what is true’ collapse going on there among some people. It seems to me that countries whose people are on the same page more or less ... such as Denmark, South Korea, Germany and Japan – have coped with Covid remarkably well, logically and sensibly, whether their governments are on top of the situation or not. Countries where education may have failed and there is a lack of leadership have coped poorly. But sure, people who haven’t personally been ill and don’t know anyone who’s died may suffer a condition known as ’bad shit always happens to someone else’. There is a cure for such thinking but it isn’t pleasant. I miss live jazz enormously... more than anything else. It’s not just the music it’s also the pub afterwards discussing what we’ve just witnessed and waxing increasingly lyrical.
MarcNebo Jul 06 2020 at 11:24 AM	This isn’t the direction I expected or wanted my original post to go. The reality is a lot of people worldwide have died from this virus. My point was that my life is very dull now without hearing Jazz live in all the venues I go to in the Chicago area. Last year I saw 235 bands in 115 days. I miss the conversations I have had with the musicians, club staff and patrons of the venues. Pat must be going crazy not being able to perform.
sbjames Jul 05 2020 at 5:44 PM	Gyuri, you certainly seem to have done some diligent research into this. I’ve read the resources that you mentioned (well, most of them) and I’m kind of left scratching my head. The studies seem pretty much on the money concerning the current situation. It appears, at least on the surface, that they are well-intentioned, even prescient, insofar as trying to prepare for exactly what is going on right now. Perhaps I’m naive and it’s all a huge scam masquerading as a noble and altruistic plan designed by the rich and powerful to further enrich themselves (certainly wouldn’t be the first time). But (you know there always has to be a but) if there’s some grand conspiracy here in the sources you’ve cited I’m just not seeing it. Maybe you can enlighten me. I realise that with the kind of situation we now find ourselves in that certain entities (individuals, corporations, institutions, organizations, politicians, whatever) are going to reap huge profits while the vast majority will be left holding the short end of the stick. That’s unfortunately simply the nature of the beast. Are we being intentionally manipulated by powers greater than ourselves that would put profit above life? I’d like to hope not. But greed and power are great motivators and I know enough about human nature to understand that this isn’t necessarily the case. Now we can debate about overreaction, whether to mask or not to mask, the economy vs health, etc. But I really don’t see the point, and it isn’t my place to try to change anyone’s opinion. I’ll only say this much. Do I like wearing a mask? No. Do I wear one when I have to be around others? Yes I do, and the reason is very simple. Because it shows respect for other people. Is it effective at reducing the threat to other people? From everything I’ve read and heard, yes. It isn’t that much of an inconvenience and I can live with it. And I certainly don’t believe it should be a political thing. Maybe I’m missing the bigger picture here. But this is only my opinion, for whatever that’s worth. Just one more thing. I don’t want to argue with anyone. I don’t want to diminish anyone’s opinion just because we may disagree. I don’t want this to devolve into something like what we used to see in the Basement. So this will be the last I post to this thread. Now I’m going to go listen to the new Bob Dylan cd, which, in my opinion, is a masterpiece. Stay safe.
Gyuri Jul 03 2020 at 5:20 AM	Sbjames, by that statement I simply mean that I do not consider covid – whatever caused it – any more threatening than any other pathogens around us each of us is potentially or actually exposed to. The global covid- related mortality rate is no more significant than mortality rates connected with other existing viruses, not to mention other, non-virus causes of death, such as cancer. My opinion is that there has been an overreaction, to say the least, to covid, which raises at least a modicum of doubt and a series of questions in me. If you read whatever is available from legitimate internet sources, you will sooner or later have similar doubts and questions. I particularly mean information on Event 201 “aimed to educate senior leaders at the highest level of US and international governments and leaders in global industries” held last October in New York, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board’s “A world at risk: annual report on global preparedness for health emergencies” (2019), the lockstep scenario worked out by the Rockefeller Foundation and presented in its 2010 report “Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development”, the International Health Regulations (created in 2005), a range of epidemic/pandemic social distancing studies commissioned since the early 2000s (see for instance “Spontaneous social distancing in response to a simulated epidemic: a virtual experiment” from 2015 – there are many more listed in the References), information on Alliance 2020, GAVI, CEPI and Needle free injection technology (NFIT) research. If I put all these pieces together, a certain “big picture” with a number of question marks takes shape before my eyes. It shows at least a decade of meticulous preparations for what we have today. If anyone with a modicum of sense and critical thinking reads at least these few sources of information with sufficient attention, they cannot not have at least a few questions.
sbjames Jul 01 2020 at 7:26 PM	Gyuri, just curious. Since you’re not a covid believer how do you explain the 500,000+ deaths?
franksexton Jun 26 2020 at 12:09 PM	How about a side eye face mask?
molesoulsandal Jun 25 2020 at 1:51 PM	hey you guys - i’ve always felt, and had the idea, that there’s a reason why there’s more than one person on the planet . . . . . . i guess i’ve just always thought that hoomans are ’supposed’ to interact, exchange ideas, and maybe even truly help one another . . . . but the way things have become, beginning with the TV, and then the digital age and the computer and especially the ’smarty pants phone’, then allowing trump/brown shirts to take ’power’, and now finally this virus business, which is what it is, i suppose, and i’m not denying it’s existence, altho i’m not fazed by it either, and never will be . . . . i mean i do what i can to stay outta the way and do no harm, i.e., wearing mask/rubber gloves, etc. so’s i won’t get in trouble (ha), but all 3 of these above mentioned things have served one giant and final thudding ’service’ and that, of course, is to divide everyone and make it even easier than ever for everyone to ’hide’ . . . . . . i mean, i think the peoples dig ’the mask’ . . . . now they really don’t have to ’engage’ . . . . everyone’s a ’bandit’ now and all we can see is a pair of fearful and self-pitying eyes peering from atop their treasured mask . . . . . the mask will be a big seller this xmas . . . . decorative masking for the holidays and beyond . . . call the neighbors and wake the kids . . . but stay away, pleeze . . . . . . . . . . it’s more big bidness, and it’s working . . . . virtually everything’s ’commercial’ now - even ’racism’ - they make all things moneymaking machines now . . . . . . and unexpectedly (or not, who knows, really?), the ’virus’ has sealed the deal for the ’timid, lying morality’ set . . . . everybody’s gone and ’nothing’s personal man’ . . . . . the ’personal’ is lost in all of these things and these things are why, i think, that in some way(s), it all may be over but for the gnashing . . . maybe not - of course, i hope not, but i really believe this stuff and i know there are others who do also, but who’s gonna say it? who’s going to tell the story and to whom will it be told? anyway, jeez, i just hope the gigs start up again one day.
Gyuri Jun 25 2020 at 4:18 AM	MarcNebo, it sounds like wearing a face mask, or even a hazmat suit, can even be fun - well, thanks but no thanks. I, for one, prefer to enjoy the music of Pat and others without these "safety aids". I’m not a COVID believer.
MarcNebo Jun 23 2020 at 11:00 PM	Gyuri : As an essential services worker I have to wear a face mask for seven and a half hours a day. It protects me from others and them from me. If I have to attend live music shows I will wear a mask. I found a lot of cool looking Jazz face masks online. I even suggested to the Jazz Showcase that they have black face masks made with their logo in gold. Good way to get some extra income and protect their customers.At this point I would wear a HazMat suit to hear live Jazz,especially a Pat Metheny show.
Gyuri Jun 23 2020 at 2:24 AM	How true - and it equally goes for the musicians themselves. They are at least as frustrated and miss these occasions as their audience. That said, I find the idea of attending any live events, church services or theatre performances having to wear a mask equally idiotic, frustrating and infuriating. The "new normal" is, however, here to stay, my friend.
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