Up 6, if not earlier.
Form notes on 10 songs.
Coffee, finished Okiji.
Came back in time to finish notes on the current R&B disc. Out of 100 songs from 1942-45, about 70% are 12-bar blues of some kind (which could be classified more finely), 20% 32-bar (mainly AABA w/ a few ABAC and others), and the remainder split between other strophic forms (8 or 16 bar, including a couple on the “Mama Don’t Allow” model), surprisingly few verse-chorus forms (“Minnie the Moocher” being the a famous example), and the occasional oddity like Benny Goodman/Charlie Christian’s seemingly through-composed “Solo Flight” and Joe Liggin’s multi-sectional “The Honeydripper.” Will be interesting to compare these stats to post-war years.
Worked on taxes, wrote cover letter for accountant - waiting on one piece of info, but should be able to mail it Mon.
Half-watched Murder in the Big House (B. Reeves Eason 1942) w/ Van Johnson.
Paid the band. Wrote to Laura about next month’s States of Country.
Left about 1. Read Brooks-Motl on train.
Worked 2-4:30.
Train to Unnameable Books. Started Herve Guibert, The Friend Who Did Not Save My Life, his roman a clef about AIDS and the death of Michel Foucault.
Kim Lyons/Sharon Mesmer reading, intro’d by Nada Gordon. Kim read a piece about Las Meninas, Sharon read light/funny short stories - quite engaging. Said hello to a few people, inc. Joanna Fuhrman and her husband Bob. Chose not to go to dinner. Made tomorrow’s (ideal) to-do list — which could take 10-11 hrs. We’ll see.
Walked to Union Hall. Cold. David Nagler’s new band The Legislation, w/ Annie Nero on bass, debuting a new EP. Strong songs, esp. “The Non-Believers” (from an earlier project) and “See the Devil.” Solo openers Daniel Knox (piano) and Clara Kennedy (nylon-string).
Long train ride - read about 1/2 of Guibert. Home at 1.