Tussin

I'm sick again and my mom's convinced it's the result of not taking my vitamins and some vegetarian-induced nutritional deficiency despite the fact that I'm 11 years into this. I have been sick a lot lately, twice its been a co-worker's fault, but on the other occasions I think the culprit is scant sleep and cheese. I've never done veganism for more than 6 months and it's because there is no decent vegan substitute for cheese and it's a texture and flavor that I quite enjoy particularly in my unrivaled baked mac & cheese on holidays. So despite having never been a really consistent vegan over the years, I had avoided cheese as well as eggs and milk but for the past few months me and the homemade Quesadilla have gotten close. Too close. I think he's the source of all this congestion. And I think I'm going to have to swear him off for good. I mean as a negress, I can't digest it anyway but pizza's gonna be hard to give up (I've been to Viva Cafe: their vegan slices are good but pizza without cheese just isn't really pizza excluding the raw vegan faux sausage pizza at Quintessence. That's extraordinary!) Anyway, I think cheese has made me fatter too. Switched back to mesclun salads and tofu dishes without even exercising and I've slimmed down. I was getting portly.

Anyway a couple of other things...

+New posts up at VIBE: One on Black film, one on sex & violence and one of song favorites. Leave a comment.

+Also my jazz listening group convenes this Friday for the Cassandra Wilson Summerstage show. As always e-mail me if your coming through. I'll be in line by 5:30 but I'd appreciate back cuts from anyone I know who makes it their first.

From the Summerstage Web site:

Cassandra Wilson & Olu Dara
Friday, June 15, 2007
From 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Central Park SummerStage

The fine line between jazz, blues and world music is explored through the art of two master performers.

The 2007 SummerStage season will open with the return of one of our favorite performers, vocalist Cassandra Wilson. While she's widely acknowledged as one of America's best jazz singers, Wilson's artistic vision defies categorization, incorporating as it does deep blues, folk, soul, rock and world music. Her 2006 album Thunderbird is her most rhythmically adventurous, replete with drum loops and sampling. As always, Wilson's choice of material reflects her wide-ranging tastes, and on Thunderbird she mixes stirring originals with mesmerizing covers of songs by everyone from Jakob Dylan to Blind Lemon Jefferson.

A fixture of NYC's jazz scene for over thirty years, Olu Dara has worked with David Murray, Henry Threadgill, James "Blood" Ulmer, hip-hop superstar Nas (who happens to be his son) and Cassandra Wilson. His trumpet playing earned him comparisons to Roy Eldridge, but when he released his solo debut, In The World: From Natchez to New York, in 1998, he had metamorphosized into a country blues guitarist and singer. His success at moving so effortlessly between different worlds of music is just one indication of Olu Dara's creative prowess.

--
52 is a Jazz listening group that aims to cultivate a friendly community of open-minded Jazz fans. Each month 52 coordinates outings to free or low cost venues in New York City.