Category: Gotham

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Citynerd breaks it down in this video: New York would not be the city it is today if not for the subway.

I agree 100%. So it’s especially troubling to read something like this in an otherwise positive piece about upcoming transit improvements:

One reason big public works projects are hard to execute is that they often take years to complete, making them less appealing to politicians looking to deliver quick, obvious results to constituents and to take credit for a finished project.

Mara Gay

Granted, there are many other issues that make massive public works projects difficult execute. But, the perceived need for our leaders to chalk up quick wins during their terms keeps these projects from even getting started. Stringing together quick wins will not yield the sort of infrastructure improvements needed in this country. We need our leaders to have the foresight and courage to think beyond their next election and into the future.

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This morning, I was looking for an album to play. I came up with Duo, which brought back fond memories.

It was 1999, I was new in town, and Charlie Hunter & Leon Parker had string of shows at Joe’s Pub to support Duo. Hunter’s guitar work always blows me away and Parker is an excellent match for him on stage. He used every inch of his modest drum kit for his part of the rhythm section.

Charlie Hunter and Leon Parker Circa 1999

I caught at least three of those shows. At each one, they brought a friend or two up at some point. The only one I remember is David Sanchez who sat in for Recess one night. There’s nothing like seeing masters like this live, in an intimate setting like Joe’s Pub. It will be wonderful when we can all go out and see live music again.

Album image from Amazon.

Photo of Charlie and Leon from Dummer World, unfortunately not at Joe’s Pub. The shows predated 2007 or so. Since then, seemingly every moment of every event is photographed and available online–sometimes to the dismay of others in the audience.