Many standing o’s at Wolf Trap last night

Herbie Hancock is a standing ovation performer. He walks on stage, you give him a standing ovation. That’s the kind of recognition you earn from 60 years in the music business. “Legend,” “icon,” “luminary,” etc. There’s a status reserved for a select few folks who’ve walked this earth and picked up an instrument. Herbie Hancock is one.

Saxophonist Kamasi Washington was born in 1981. He’s an old man by pop standards, but a kid in the jazz world. Last night at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts new legend met old legend, backed by a host of young stars and veteran stars, and the performances were, well, worthy of a standing ovation.

There aren’t many “jazz” acts that’ll fill an amphitheater, let alone an amphitheater and a thousand people sitting on the lawn. Whoever’s idea it was to put a jazz icon (at a point you just run out of superlatives) on the bill with the up and coming jazz star: good one. Last night’s crowd was an interesting mix of young folks and old folks, sandals and boat shoes, ties and tee shirts, head bangers and head nodders… people who clap on one and three and people who clap on two and four. This was the political message too: no matter what any of us look like or where we come from, we’re all hip and we’re all here to experience something beautiful.

I’ll admit that at times the music got a little weird. Both Kamasi and Herbie got a little “out there” in their sets, and yeah, it was a little more than funky. I was especially impressed, though, with the way the young Jedi was able to rein in his band of thirtysomething all-stars, then stretch out again into something you’d expect more from the Grateful Dead than guys who play “jazz.” What I experienced last night I wouldn’t call jazz at all. Charlie Parker would have been just as confused as an 11th-century monk versed in Gregorian chants. Bird died in 1955, a few years before a young piano player named Herbie Hancock came on the scene and spent the next few decades breaking all manners of musical boundaries. Fusion, funk, ambient, free… Herbie Hancock was and is sort of the O.G. of this wave of straight-eighth “jazz,” and last night it was in full display.

The night closed, of course, with what you wanted to hear: the familiar opening riff of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon,” brought to you by the master himself on… wait for it… keytar. Yeah, Herbie brought the keytar, and wailed like Hendrix before a crowd that did not leave its feet. Did I mention Herbie’s 79 years old? Yeah, he can still bring it. Kamasi came out to jam with Herbie’s band, a moment of musical kismet Ed Sullivan or Dick Clark could only dream of producing.

It was worthy of a standing ovation.

No good way to lose

What’s worse?

Losing a game 8-7 after giving up three runs in the last two innings? (By the way, this game was started by a three-time Cy Young Award winner.)

Or losing a game 19-3? (A game started by the winning pitcher in this year’s All-Star Game.)

Yeah, neither one feels too good, does it?

Read yesterday’s MLB scores and see whether you can figure out which two games I’m referencing. (Hint: they are the two teams I follow most closely.)

Baseball on “TV”

Last night I watched the Indians-Blue Jays game on this new website called “YouTube.” I have one of them there TVs that connects to the Interweb, so I was able to watch this computer channel on my television. Pretty neat, huh?

This is way the world is moving in 2019. “TV” is sort of not a thing anymore, and I’m sure within a few years will be a totally anachronistic idea.

The game? A great one, actually, in which the home team (Toronto) tied the thing with a home run in the bottom of the ninth, then won it in the bottom of the tenth.

The only thing missing was Marlins Man in the front row.

Next time.

Baseball’s getting interesting

My hometown Washington Nationals dropped two of three to the Atlanta Braves this weekend. Still, it was fun to see games that actually mattered this far into July. Don’t look now, but if the playoffs started today, the Nats would be in; they’ve actually got the best record among non-division leaders in the N.L.

It would be funny if this were the year, right?

And hey… remember when the Phillies were supposed to run away with the thing?

Proof again that you never know.

He’s still Tiger Woods

Golf world was quick to turn on Tiger Woods, eh?

Just three months after his historic win at The Masters, when Woods again became darling of said golf world, he was “old” and “cold” in his opening round at yesterday’s British Open.

Folks, he’s still Tiger Woods.

Remember those old TV commercials where people said, “I’m Tiger Woods”?

Well, this guy really is.

And methinks he’ll be playing as such today.

Maaa!

Starting Monday my local town government will be employing goats to clear the vegetation from one of our public greenspaces.

This is what you do when your community has zero percent unemployment.

Zero percent human unemployment.