I gots to gently differ here. I wouldn't trade Rahsaan Roland Kirk's recorded output for anything. Live, the man knew how to have fun - I wish more cats would shoot the shit onstage, giving an oral and musical education! Hearing him warble out "Baby Let Me Shake Your Tree" is fun like nothing else. Plus there's his freak-bop phase recordings like Rip Rig & Panic or his gorgeous nose flute compositions on Now Please Don't You Cry, Beautiful Edith or I Talk With the Spiritis. This wasn't some blind freakshow, this was a man who daubed all kinds of Black and White music onto his palette. "Saxophone Concerto" is a 20-minute breath exercise, sure, but it's also blues and bop and Tin Pan Alley and free come together. And that's after the ethereal yet full-blooded "Seasons" and th' mystical "Salvation and Reminiscing". All on the same album!

Braxton's For Alto is titanically powerful, as is Sonny Sharrock's output. Black Woman was his first solo endeavor, and it's a primal-scream masterwork, as Sharrock gets harmolodical on the guitar and Linda just pukes her guts out - it's brave and beautiful. So is the "primitive" work of Albert Ayler - multiple horns screaming to God. Spirital Unity or Slug's Saloon there. Holy holy holy.

If you dig the big-band thing, check out a mutant version in Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath. I recommend Bremen to Bridgwater - McGregor's crack crew tosses melody after melody into a maelstrom of a large horn ensemble. Affirmations to "Sonia"! And Mingus Mingus Mingus - I'm sure someone's said The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, but I just have to agree. Leo Cuypers' Heavy Days Are Here Again - playful Dutch jazz from the early 80s. If you like it stately, go for Heavy Soul from Ike Quebec - I suppose jazz can track candles, but I prefer to drag it out into the public square.

You are completely right re: virtuosity. That's what nearly killed rock in the 70s... the early rebellious fires had been tamped down into rote "musicianship". Certainly there are rockers who can fuse virtuosity and songcraft, but hacks with chops like Steve Vai are still packing 'em in.

And yeah, when Kirk does the multi-instrument thing, it's entertaining as hell but often yields mixed results. Take "Medley" from Rahsaan Rahsaan, where he plays "Sentimental Journey" and a Dvorak piece at the same time. Impressive, but kinda empty. But let him loose on more trad stuff like Kirk's Work and you get all the thrills of musicianship with all the rough imperfections of humanity. Some people hate that they can hear him puffering away, but to me, his snorts and grunts are half the melody.

Having the stones to call it a "bipartisan" bill - it's like a "screw you" to every point Greenwald's been hitting for months. It's been five terrifying days since the act expired. Why has the sky not turned into a bowl of blood?

If I remember correctly, last year LeBron was in a minor flap for wearing a Yankees cap to an Indians playoff game. After the game, he stood by the Yanks [i]and the Bulls[/i], the two teams he grew up rooting for. LeBron's a front-runner, same as most of the country.

http://blog.cleveland.com/cavaliers_corner/2007/09/lebrons_a_yankees_fan_who_care.html

Has he worked out? He's looking a little bit, dare I say, toned.