The Sublime and the Third Quarter

Let's start with sublime: Andrew Hill at Herbst Theater! Sometimes you go to a live musical show and can feel your molecules rearranging and your spirit expanding. I've been listening to jazz composer/pianist Andrew Hill for a while now, but I realized on Sunday night that I still have a lot of work to do. As some critics have pointed out, he's not a dazzling pianist, and his compositions can sound "monochromatic," but all of a sudden he throws in harmonies and colors that are breathtaking and deeply moving. I found myself with a lump in my throat several times throughout the show. Hill often uses Afro Cuban rhythms that give his strange compositions a hypnotic drive. I thought of Ellington and Mingus, although Hill isn't as dramatic as those masters. Still, his music sneaks up on you and keeps you thinking about it long after you've heard it. Sign me up for the Andrew Hill army!

Now for the ridiculous: the third quarter of the Warriors' season opener last night. Um, am I the only person who thought they looked like the same exact team as last season? Maybe because they have the same players lapsing into the same bad habits?
Will Don Nelson's style of play really elevate the games of Pietrus and Dunleavy? Didn't look like it to me. Monta Ellis and Ike Diogou looked much better than those two, although I wonder about Diogou's defense—or maybe I should just say The Warriors defense. They made Lamar Odom (of the Lakers) look like the second coming of Michael Jordan. Phooey! Still, it was only one game, and Jason Richardson looked like he needs a few games to get into condition. At times Baron Davis looked fantastic (but then, we've seen that before). I just don't see how he's going to last the whole season. And Jesus Christ, make those free throws! Not good to have your home crowd booing you on the opening night. A real stinker of a game!

I'm currently reading Richard Ford's "The Lay of the Land"--the third book in the Frank Bascombe trilogy, and Richard Aleas's "Little Girl Lost"--part of the Hard Case crime fiction series. More on that in the future.