Britt Robson AP Photo/Matt Slocum It occurs to me that the best way to recap the first three games of the Spurs-Lakers series is to point out all the places I was wrong. There are plenty of examples so let’s get to it. * A high scoring series When I looked over the various matchups between San … Read more
If extravagant excess, jazz-rock division, is your preferred sonic energy drink, the reunion of the most fantastic of the various Return To Forever lineups is the gig of the summer. Precious few bands—Emerson Lake & Palmer and the Mahavishnu Orchestra come to mind—indulged in ornate wankery with so much spunk and so little fear, and … Read more
Let’s start with the Celts disposing of Detroit in Game One of the Eastern Conference finals. The ESPN color crew was clearly in the tank for the Pistons during the pregame, on the supposition that having a week off after playing a numbskull Orlando Magic team was better than finishing off a grueling seven-game battle … Read more
(AFP/Getty Images/Chris Graythen) In just a few hours, the San Antonio Spurs will either add another bullet point on their dynasty-like resume, or flip the championship torch toward the winner of the Hornets-Lakers series. I called the series for the Spurs in 6 or 7 and will gladly ride my choice-is-made-for-me decision to pick … Read more
The 28-year old Georgia native flexes her emotional range on The Orchard (which dropped in late February), her third and best disc to date. Producer Craig Street concocts the sort of pop-jazz-soul-gospel stew he fashioned to break Cassandra Wilson into the mainstream, and Wright provides a similarly breathy, atmospheric vocal. Left field covers of Led … Read more
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images The impatience and exasperation leaking out of commentator Hubie Brown last night ratified my impressions of the Celtics-Cavs series. Brown, who was actually courtside covering the Lakers’ inevitable takedown of the Jazz, not only felt compelled enough to detour for an analysis of Boston-Cleveland, but broke the unwritten commandment that … Read more
Gordy Johnson is a connoisseur of jazz piano trios, and not coincidentally the format is his metier as a bassist. As its title implies, GJ4 is the fourth time Johnson has mixed and matched trios from his impressive connections with national stars and local luminaries who are drummers and pianists, and it is arguably his … Read more
Celtics-Cavs Update: Squared series after 88-77 Cavs win last night. It is always so easy to blame the coach, but I don’t see how Rivers avoids castigation here. He has decided that veterans new to the team are more reliable than the guys who got him 66 wins. Last night PJ Brown had a … Read more
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images First, some accountability on my first round predictions. Right now I’m technically five out of seven with the Celts-Hawks still incredibly yet to be determined, but I’d rather not be that simplistic–the devil (and angel) is in the details. For example, if the Celtics do prevail, I’ll have been "right" … Read more
AFP/Getty Images/Gregory Shamus Yeah, I know I still owe the second part of the Wolves season recap. But I confess that this steady diet of *quality* NBA basketball has made a return to Wolves-think fairly depressing. I will get to it in the next few days. Meanwhile, here are some thoughts on the playoffs thus … Read more