A friend of jazz

Joe Morello and Len Dobbin, Montreal Drum Fest, 2002

We were shocked to hear of Len Dobbin's passing last night at Montreal's Upstairs Club where he was catching trombonist Ray Anderson. For well over fifty years, Len has been the "go-to" man for anybody who wanted to know anything about jazz in this city. Len was passionate about jazz and knew just about every practitioner who lived here or who was passing through. Len was a broadcaster, radio producer, reviewer, and photographer. A gentle man who will be missed.

Rickman on Simic

Actor Alan Rickman reads poems from Bosnian-Canadian poet Goran Simic's book, Sprinting from the Graveyard (1997), translated by British poet David Harsent. The poems -- written during the seige of Sarajevo -- were retranslated by Simic himself in 2006 and published by Biblioasis under the new title Sarajevo With Sorrow. (Hat tip: Karen Shenfeld).

The Austerulous Monks

Above is a word cloud built from the A-E section of the "Compendium of Lost Words," a list of 400 English words that have since turned to dust. You'll find it at the Phrontistery, a website for vocab geeks.

Finger Drumming with New Yorker Critic James Wood

A Nice Piece of Pie

Looking ahead to Dennis Lee's 71st birthday later this summer, Jacob McArthur Mooney offers a spirited assessment -- and, when necessary, sharp defense -- of Mr. Alligator Pie's career.

It's a well-written piece, fluent and lovingly handled, and exactly the kind of engaged, misconception-clearing criticism I wish more younger poets of Mooney's generation would trouble themselves to write (though I'm grateful for those who do: Michael Lista, Alessandro Porco, Mark Callanan, Nick Thran).

Blogheads

Over at Open Book Toronto, George Murray and Steven W. Beattie chew on the subject of blogs.

"I think "tastemaking" is an activity people with resources can do. Some people have money and the machinery of capitalism as their primary resources, while others, like us, have the ears of a certain segment of society as our main resource. Yet I don't really think we make taste on any grand scale. I try to point readers towards things I find interesting, and if business flows from it, bully for those involved."

Warner Goes West

Ex-Signalite Patrick Warner read with Karen Solie in Toronto at This Ain't the Rosedale Library last Wednesday, June 24 (photographs by Anansi's Julie Wilson). You can read his new work in the new CNQ.