The first tragedy in the Treme series comes not to one of the characters but to one of its creators. The sudden death of one of the principal creators of the series, David Mills, casts an eerie real-world pall over this riveting tale about a city's attempt to resurrect itself. Here's the Times-Picayune story writen by Dave Walker:
'Treme' writer David Mills dies of brain aneurysm
By Dave Walker, The Times-Picayune
March 31, 2010, 10:28AM
David Mills, a staff writer and co-executive producer of the upcoming HBO
drama “Treme,” died of a brain aneurysm Tuesday in New Orleans, an HBO
spokesman confirmed Wednesday morning. He was 48.
A former newspaper feature writer, Mills went on to write for some of the
finest TV dramas of the era, including “Homicide: Life on the Street,” “NYPD
Blue,” “ER” and “The Wire.”
"Treme" is currently in production in New Orleans and will have an April 11
premiere.
"HBO is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our dear friend and colleague
David Mills," said a network statement. "He was a gracious and humble man,
and will be sorely missed by those who knew and loved him, as well as those
who were aware of his immense talent. David has left us too soon but his
brilliant work will live on."
Mills attended the University of Maryland and went on to write for The
Washington Post, among other outlets.
His first TV writing credit was for “Homicide" in 1994, according to the
Internet Movie Database.
Mills co-wrote the show's season-two episode "Bop Gun" with "Treme"
co-creator David Simon, for which they won the Writers Guild of America
award in 1995. Mills then went to work for "Picket Fences" and later "NYPD
Blue." He won two Emmy awards for co-writing and executive producing the miniseries "The Corner" for HBO.
In addition to his other credits, Mills was creator and executive producer
of the 2003 NBC miniseries “Kingpin.”
Mills was a member of a small “Treme” writing staff that also included
novelist and “The Wire” veteran George Pelecanos, and New Orleans writers
Tom Piazza and Lolis Eric Elie.
Mills said in a recent interview that he was first contacted about joining
the “Treme” writing staff by co-creators Simon ("The Wire," "Generation
Kill") and Eric Overmyer ("St. Elsewhere," "The Wire") long before the show’s
pilot was picked up by HBO. The pilot was filmed in New Orleans last year.
“I remember seeing their script before the pilot got picked up, which is
going back about three years,” he said. “Simon and I go back 30 years
together. We’re college newspaper buddies.
“By the time this new series came around, I don’t know if it was spoken or
assumed or if it was casually mentioned that if ‘Treme’ were to go, (Simon)
would love me to be a part of it, (and that) I would love to be a part of
it. The timing worked out right.”
Mills said he saw his contribution to the writing of “Treme” was as an
outsider attempting to help Simon and Overmyer interpret the show’s themes –
Hurricane Katrina recovery as expressed through the city’s musical and
culinary subcultures – for audiences beyond New Orleans.
“I will never know as much about New Orleans music as Dave Simon,” he said.
“I will never know as much about the social world and the social history and
the characters of the town as Eric. So I can’t bring any of that.
“What I can bring is the sort of simple story stuff, the stuff I would feel
like I can contribute to any show I happen to be on at any given time, which
is just, ‘How do we get the most out of these characters.’”
A music fan who wrote passionately about his love for 1970s funk music on
his blog Undercover Black Man – read it here:
http://undercoverblackman.blogspot.com -- Mills had come to love New Orleans
and its music during his time here writing for “Treme.”
“I knew next to nothing about '50s and '60s New Orleans R&B, let alone
the earlier jazz that grew in the city, so this has been a very, very cool
musical education for me, the particular joy of knowing stuff newly,” he
said.
Mills said he approached his New Orleans musical education with a new fan’s
fervor, and spoke enthusiastically about “walking into Louisiana Music
Factory and coming out with $100 of music CDs, almost like letting the
spirits guide you as to which ones to pick,” he said. “There will be no end
to it, it’s so deep.”
Mills wrote two of the series’ 10 episodes -- episode No. 3 by himself and
episode No. 7 with Davis Rogan, a New Orleans musician and former WWOZ-FM DJ
who is a model for one of the series’ characters, played by Steve Zahn.
As co-executive producer and a contributor to the show’s collaborative
writing process, Mills made his craft present in every episode of “Treme,”
which is due to complete first-season production at the end of April.
Accordingly, Mills said he was deeply curious about how “Treme” will be
received by viewers who aren’t familiar with second-line parades, Mardi Gras
Indians and the peculiar challenges of running a New Orleans restaurant
kitchen in the dark days after the 2005 levee-failure flood.
“I’ve got to say that that’s the thing I’m most curious about, because I
think it’s an open question whether it will work,” he said. “Meaning,
whether a lot of people will dig it. You just don’t know, because you can’t
say, ‘People love cops and robbers,’ or ‘People love Westerns,’ or ‘People
love gangsters.’ Here, the show is about the specificity of place. That’s a
hell of a thing to build a show around.
“Here’s one thing I absolutely know: The acting is superb, and the music is
amazing. That’s two things that I know we deliver on. And the rest of it, we’ll
see.
"I look forward to eavesdropping in Internet forums or whatnot, or checking
out the TV critics who write online, to see what they think about the
episodes as they roll out.
“I suspect the power of the show is cumulative. We’re never going to explain
what Mardi Gras Indians are or why they exist, or what a social aid and
pleasure club is, but by the end of 10 episodes, almost without the viewer
knowing it, you’re going to just absorb the essence of the thing. You’re
going to understand the magic of the place.
“At the end of 10, (non-New Orleans viewers) will have seen maybe 60 to 70
local musicians who (they’ve) never heard of, and will have heard the full
gamut of musical styles.
“Its very ethereal, but the show is kind of about that in a way. The city is
about that. I think by the end of it, the cumulative effect will be what it
will be judged on.”
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Long live Alex Chilton
SXSW has always been about the future. Every year a new crop of eager, ambitious young artists and aspiring moguls flock to Austin for a frenzied exchange of contacts, ideas and spirit. I'm always struck by the optimism as well as the futility of this dance for a slowly dying entertainment industry. But that's OK because as the industry founders the creative aspirations of the people who inhabit it stand out in stark relief. Popular music is more than commerce; it's religion, or maybe I should say a lot of different religions, each one sustaining a core group of acolytes that meet each other each year in this pilgrimage to Austin. Every year it's a more difficult and expensive process, especially in light of the vast economic unwinding that the financial industry has imposed on the world. But these pilgrims will not be denied any more than the millions who sojourn to Mecca or Fatima for their comfort.
Though I'm no longer sure where I fit in the ecclesiastical hierarchy of SXSW I have the comfort of having witnessed it from its inception, when my own delusions and aspirations were part of the heady mix. Over the years I've watched with fascination as the venues, hotels and the city of Austin itself has shed numerous skins, each metamorphosis producing a larger and more rapacious beast. The sleepy, introspective college town I first visited, a hippy shire by comparison to its current monolithic status as the sharpened edge of a state intent on world domination, seems like the kind of image conjured up in fairy tales about places long ago and far away. Today the music that shaped SXSW is only part of a much larger creative partnership with film and a new world being created by social networking tools. The trade show, once a wild bazaar of independent publications and fledgeling record companies with ideas as delusional as my own, is now a restive glimmer of its former self, staffed mainly by representatives of corporate and governmental entites rather than the entrepeneurial renegades of yore (they're at the interactive part of SXSW, hoping to be discovered and bought out by those same corporate entities).
The hustle is still on, which is somehow reassuring in its own way. Instead of trying to sign artists to their small labels, today's budding moguls offer websites where artists can showcase their music via "free" downloads.
After all the dust settles the coin of the realm at SXSW remains live performance and the festival continues to deliver that in spectacular, undigestible fashion. The unofficial showcases, especially on South Congress, have become a major musical event in their own right. The Sixth Street corrider has become an undifferentiated din of overdriven PA systems
that swirl like a swollen river through the afternoon hours. The future of global pop is there somewhere, throbbing and sweating in its birth throes as its audience stares unassumingly back at it.
Now that the rock era is approaching an age roughly equivelant to the span of a human life it is no longer exclusively music for and about youth. This is certainly not news -- the greatest songwriters of the rock era have always contemplated aging and death. But when they were young that contemplation came from a distance either real or fetishized. Death now must be included as part of the experience and SXSW has done a remarkably good job of dealing with it. Last year's panel celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Sir Douglas Quintet's Mendocino album was really a rumination on the 10th anniversary of Doug Sahm's death. If the Austin spirit could be summarized by a single individual Sahm would have been it. His death left a gap that will never be completely filled, but his work is being carried on by his friends and relatives in the Texas Tornados, who performed songs from a great new album at SXSW 2010, and by followers such as the terrific San Antonio band the Krayolas, who also played SXSW this year.
This is the first renewal of the event, though, that was completely overshadowed by death. One of the main attractions of SXSW 2010 was a scheduled reunion of the critically acclaimed band Big Star. But the band's reclusive singer Alex Chilton died on the first day of SXSW 2010, turning the festival into an instant memorial for him. The reunion concert became a tribute show.
It was an ironic turn for Chilton. He was one of the rare popular musicians who hated the phoniness of fame and actually did something about it. Chilton was the person most likely to be dismissive of Big Star, a rock band that was more of an idea of how people obsessed with rock iconography viewed their heroes. The band's name itself contained an implied rebuke (those were different times, of course -- today a name like that would contain no irony). Shortly after I heard the news I tried to start the rumor that Chilton had faked his own death in order to avoid going through with the whole thing.
But this isn't 1970 and the myth of rock death no longer conjures romantic images or a fantasy afterlife. Jim Morrison is not living in South America and Jimi Hendrix is certainly gone forever despite the fact that he has a new album out on Sony/Legacy. Alex Chilton is a fitting icon for the comptemplation of life's end as its ultimate goal. Fame and fortune are commodities to be exploited by your enemies after death. What matters is how you lived, and Chilton lived up to his ideals, never accepting the cheap celebrity bestowed on him by those who worship false idols. Chilton didn't want to rest on his laurels, performing "The Letter" to adoring fans. He lived to write another song, for its own sake, and to do the work he himself, not somebody telling him what to do, thought was important.
Though I'm no longer sure where I fit in the ecclesiastical hierarchy of SXSW I have the comfort of having witnessed it from its inception, when my own delusions and aspirations were part of the heady mix. Over the years I've watched with fascination as the venues, hotels and the city of Austin itself has shed numerous skins, each metamorphosis producing a larger and more rapacious beast. The sleepy, introspective college town I first visited, a hippy shire by comparison to its current monolithic status as the sharpened edge of a state intent on world domination, seems like the kind of image conjured up in fairy tales about places long ago and far away. Today the music that shaped SXSW is only part of a much larger creative partnership with film and a new world being created by social networking tools. The trade show, once a wild bazaar of independent publications and fledgeling record companies with ideas as delusional as my own, is now a restive glimmer of its former self, staffed mainly by representatives of corporate and governmental entites rather than the entrepeneurial renegades of yore (they're at the interactive part of SXSW, hoping to be discovered and bought out by those same corporate entities).
The hustle is still on, which is somehow reassuring in its own way. Instead of trying to sign artists to their small labels, today's budding moguls offer websites where artists can showcase their music via "free" downloads.
After all the dust settles the coin of the realm at SXSW remains live performance and the festival continues to deliver that in spectacular, undigestible fashion. The unofficial showcases, especially on South Congress, have become a major musical event in their own right. The Sixth Street corrider has become an undifferentiated din of overdriven PA systems
that swirl like a swollen river through the afternoon hours. The future of global pop is there somewhere, throbbing and sweating in its birth throes as its audience stares unassumingly back at it.
Now that the rock era is approaching an age roughly equivelant to the span of a human life it is no longer exclusively music for and about youth. This is certainly not news -- the greatest songwriters of the rock era have always contemplated aging and death. But when they were young that contemplation came from a distance either real or fetishized. Death now must be included as part of the experience and SXSW has done a remarkably good job of dealing with it. Last year's panel celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Sir Douglas Quintet's Mendocino album was really a rumination on the 10th anniversary of Doug Sahm's death. If the Austin spirit could be summarized by a single individual Sahm would have been it. His death left a gap that will never be completely filled, but his work is being carried on by his friends and relatives in the Texas Tornados, who performed songs from a great new album at SXSW 2010, and by followers such as the terrific San Antonio band the Krayolas, who also played SXSW this year.
This is the first renewal of the event, though, that was completely overshadowed by death. One of the main attractions of SXSW 2010 was a scheduled reunion of the critically acclaimed band Big Star. But the band's reclusive singer Alex Chilton died on the first day of SXSW 2010, turning the festival into an instant memorial for him. The reunion concert became a tribute show.
It was an ironic turn for Chilton. He was one of the rare popular musicians who hated the phoniness of fame and actually did something about it. Chilton was the person most likely to be dismissive of Big Star, a rock band that was more of an idea of how people obsessed with rock iconography viewed their heroes. The band's name itself contained an implied rebuke (those were different times, of course -- today a name like that would contain no irony). Shortly after I heard the news I tried to start the rumor that Chilton had faked his own death in order to avoid going through with the whole thing.
But this isn't 1970 and the myth of rock death no longer conjures romantic images or a fantasy afterlife. Jim Morrison is not living in South America and Jimi Hendrix is certainly gone forever despite the fact that he has a new album out on Sony/Legacy. Alex Chilton is a fitting icon for the comptemplation of life's end as its ultimate goal. Fame and fortune are commodities to be exploited by your enemies after death. What matters is how you lived, and Chilton lived up to his ideals, never accepting the cheap celebrity bestowed on him by those who worship false idols. Chilton didn't want to rest on his laurels, performing "The Letter" to adoring fans. He lived to write another song, for its own sake, and to do the work he himself, not somebody telling him what to do, thought was important.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Showdown at Oaklawn canceled
As expected the connections of Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra are skipping the Oaklawn Invitational after Rachel lost her first race as a 4-year-old Saturday at Fair Grounds in New Orleans. Owner Jess Jackson issued the following statement Sunday:
“Yesterday’s race while a disappointment, helped us define Rachel Alexandra’s racing condition. While she is healthy, just as I had anticipated, she is not in top form. Therefore, I decided today she will not be going to the Oaklawn Invitational on April 9. Steve (Asmussen) and I discussed this fully and we now regret we tried to accelerate her training in order meet the Apple Blossom schedule. We have a whole season before us to help define her greatness. She will tell us when her next race will be.”
Zenyatta, perfect on the racetrack over a 15-start career, has never lost anything except the vote for Horse of the Year. Having beaten Zenyatta at the ballot box there's no good reason for Jackson to let Zenyatta turn the tables on Rachel Alexandra at the racetrack. The way Zenyatta won in her return to action Saturday served notice to all comers that she is still a force to be reckoned with, Eclipse award or not.
Just as they handled her 3-year-old campaign like master promoters, Rachel Alexandra's connections know when to back off their challenge. Let's hope they don't propose any more bogus match races that they know won't be accepted.
Jerry Moss, owner of Zenyatta, was reached by phone at his home in Beverly Hills and asked to comment on Jess Jackson’s announcement that Rachel Alexandra will not run as originally scheduled in the Gr. I Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park on April 9.
“We’re disappointed that we’re not going to be able to face each other in the Apple Blossom. Hopefully, we can meet down the line. We respect both Steve (Asmussen) and Mr. Jackson as horsemen and they’re going to do what’s right for their horse. That’s all anybody could ask for. We’ll go on to the Apple Blossom as planned."
The weather at Fair Grounds was miserable this winter, a legitimate excuse for trainer Steve Asmussen, who was unable to condition Rachel Alexander in the manner he desired. Nevertheless Saturday's race was supposed to be an easy task for her and Rachel Alexandra couldn't handle it. Many fillies don't mature from their 2-year-old into their 3-year-old seasons, and now that Rachel Alexandra has become a 4-year-old she may no longer have as keen an interest in racing. Jess Jackson may be best off swallowing his pride and retiring Rachel Alexandra to broodmare work. It's unlikely she'll ever beat Zenyatta anyway the way she's running.
NB: One undeniable factor in the Horse of the Year vote was the feeling that Zenyatta had an unfair advantage in the Breeders' Cup running on her home track, Santa Anita. "You can't win a championship without winning an away game," reasoned one horseman, slightly distorting Zenyatta's record. But the fault here lies entirely with the Breeders Cup, which should never have made the mistake of scheduling the event two consecutive years at Santa Anita. You know Zenyatta would have competed at Belmont or Churchill Downs if the Cup was held there. She didn't make the questionable call to make Santa Anita home for the event in both 2008 and 2009. The Breeders Cup site selection committee gave the sport a black eye when it least needs it with this foolish move. So once again I will challenge this insulated group: either come up with a permanent site for this event that suits horsepeople all over the world or devise an equitable solution to the rotation. Personally I'm in favor of making Churchill Downs the permanent site. In Kentucky they know what horseracing is about.
“Yesterday’s race while a disappointment, helped us define Rachel Alexandra’s racing condition. While she is healthy, just as I had anticipated, she is not in top form. Therefore, I decided today she will not be going to the Oaklawn Invitational on April 9. Steve (Asmussen) and I discussed this fully and we now regret we tried to accelerate her training in order meet the Apple Blossom schedule. We have a whole season before us to help define her greatness. She will tell us when her next race will be.”
Zenyatta, perfect on the racetrack over a 15-start career, has never lost anything except the vote for Horse of the Year. Having beaten Zenyatta at the ballot box there's no good reason for Jackson to let Zenyatta turn the tables on Rachel Alexandra at the racetrack. The way Zenyatta won in her return to action Saturday served notice to all comers that she is still a force to be reckoned with, Eclipse award or not.
Just as they handled her 3-year-old campaign like master promoters, Rachel Alexandra's connections know when to back off their challenge. Let's hope they don't propose any more bogus match races that they know won't be accepted.
Jerry Moss, owner of Zenyatta, was reached by phone at his home in Beverly Hills and asked to comment on Jess Jackson’s announcement that Rachel Alexandra will not run as originally scheduled in the Gr. I Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park on April 9.
“We’re disappointed that we’re not going to be able to face each other in the Apple Blossom. Hopefully, we can meet down the line. We respect both Steve (Asmussen) and Mr. Jackson as horsemen and they’re going to do what’s right for their horse. That’s all anybody could ask for. We’ll go on to the Apple Blossom as planned."
The weather at Fair Grounds was miserable this winter, a legitimate excuse for trainer Steve Asmussen, who was unable to condition Rachel Alexander in the manner he desired. Nevertheless Saturday's race was supposed to be an easy task for her and Rachel Alexandra couldn't handle it. Many fillies don't mature from their 2-year-old into their 3-year-old seasons, and now that Rachel Alexandra has become a 4-year-old she may no longer have as keen an interest in racing. Jess Jackson may be best off swallowing his pride and retiring Rachel Alexandra to broodmare work. It's unlikely she'll ever beat Zenyatta anyway the way she's running.
NB: One undeniable factor in the Horse of the Year vote was the feeling that Zenyatta had an unfair advantage in the Breeders' Cup running on her home track, Santa Anita. "You can't win a championship without winning an away game," reasoned one horseman, slightly distorting Zenyatta's record. But the fault here lies entirely with the Breeders Cup, which should never have made the mistake of scheduling the event two consecutive years at Santa Anita. You know Zenyatta would have competed at Belmont or Churchill Downs if the Cup was held there. She didn't make the questionable call to make Santa Anita home for the event in both 2008 and 2009. The Breeders Cup site selection committee gave the sport a black eye when it least needs it with this foolish move. So once again I will challenge this insulated group: either come up with a permanent site for this event that suits horsepeople all over the world or devise an equitable solution to the rotation. Personally I'm in favor of making Churchill Downs the permanent site. In Kentucky they know what horseracing is about.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Now who's Horse of the Year?
As a student of the fine art of horseracing I have the inestimable honor of a vote in the annual Eclipse awards for excellence on the track. Of the many awards we get to vote on, Horse of the Year is often a measure of the excitement and contentiousness that followers of the great game get to indulge in. Last year's contest was unusual in that the finalists were both fillies, the 3-year-old Rachel Alexander and the 4-year-old Zenyatta. Both fillies were carefully handled throughout the season, both fillies beat males in open company, but there was never a true measure of their respective greatness because they never ran against each other.
Jess Jackson, the owner of Rachel Alexander and the Kendall-Jackson wines, ducked a confrontation and suggested a bogus alternative race that was never going to happen anyway. His stated reason was that he didn't want to run his horse on the artificial surface at Santa Anita, where the Breeders' Cup, the Super Bowl of horse racing, was conducted last year. So Rachel Alexander ended her year before the traditional fall championship season even began, winning he final stakes race at the Saratoga meet in New York over the summer. At that point I was in Rachel's camp. She had beaten males in a Triple Crown race, then beaten older males in a stakes race with a game performance in fast time.
But Zenyatta had never been passed by a single horse in an undefeated career. Only Personal Ensign had accomplished as much. Zenyatta would make a profound case for Horse of the Year by winning the Breeders Cup Distaff, finishing a distinguished undefeated career and retiring to a life as a broodmare. But owner Jerry Moss, the "M" in A&M records along with trumpeter Herb Alpert, put everything on the line. Instead of entering Zenyatta in the Distaff he put her in the Breeders Cup Classic against what is traditionally the best field of older horses in the world. Moss risked everything for a grand gesture that would prove his filly was the best, while Jess Jackson sat on the sidelines with his filly, who wasn't even entered in the Distaff. Horseracing is a gambler's game, and Moss went all in with his horse's reputation along with millions of dollars in purse money. It was a classic owner's bravura move, a gesture that harkened back to the days when horseracing earned its nickname as the Sport of Kings. And Jess Jackson was smiling in his chardonnay when Zenyatta entered the top of the stretch in the Classic hopelessly beaten, far behind some of the best horses in training.
Then greatness happened, the throat-catching moment when horses reveal themselves as true champions. Jockey Mike Smith moved Zenyatta into a clear path in the middle of the track and Zenyatta didn't need to be told when to do. The filly lengthened her stride and flew past the field with astonishing acceleration. She looked like Forego, like Kelso, like Silky Sullivan, like Seabuscuit, like Pegasus himself swooping past these mere mortals on her way to one of the most stirring victories anyone had ever witnessed. Don't tell me about Beyer figures or par times -- this was a championship performance if there ever was one. Before the gates opened I was in Rachel Alexandra's camp. When Zenyatta crossed the finish line I knew there was only one way I could go in the Horse of the Year voting.
When the votes were counted I was astonished that Rachel Alexandra won. Her owners ducked the confrontation and sat on the sidelines as every other championship was determined. There are many injustices in horseracing but this one will stick in my throat for a long time.
But the story was not over. Moss decided to keep racing his mare as a 5-year-old. This is really an unprecedented move in modern racing, where breeding has become the real moneymaker in the game. It's especially gutsy when you're talking about risking an undefeated career. Now Jackson could no longer put off the inevitable showdown. He continued to propose what were essentially match races before finally settling on the most advantageous terms he could broker, agreeing to have Rachel Alexandra face Zenyatta at Oaklawn Park in the April 9 Apple Blossom Invitational. Oaklawn is a speed-favoring track which suits Rachel's running style and is part of trainer Steve Asmussen's winter stronghold along with the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, where he prepared Rachel Alexandra for her 4-year-old campaign.
Both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra made their seasonal debuts yesterday. Fair Grounds offered the perfect prep for their Horse of the Year, the New Orleans Ladies Stakes, which appeared on paper to be a cakewalk for Rachel. Zenyatta was scheduled to face a more accomplished field in the Santa Margarita Invitational at Santa Anita.
Zenyatta's trainer, John Shirreffs, decided to send another mare in his barn, Zardana, to run at Fair Grounds in order to size up where Rachel Alexandra stood in relation to Zenyatta. Shirreffs watched Zardana and Zenyatta train every morning and had a good idea of how they compared to each other. Seeing how close Zardana could get to Rachel at the finish of the New Orleans race would give Shirreffs an idea of what Zenyatta would have to do to beat her.
Rachel Alexandra moved easily under Calvin Borel as the race unfolded, tracking the lead down the backstretch and slowly taking over on the far turn. Jockey David Flores asked Zardana for run and she took aim at the leaders on the outside, then put a head in front of Rachel Alexandra turning for home. Borel asked Rachel for acceleration, showing her the whip at first, then cracking her a couple of good ones. Zardana edged away then ran on, holding Rachel at bay through a long stretch run with Borel whipping and driving away. The Horse of the Year was well beaten in her return by Zenyatta's stablemate.
Zenyatta's turn came half an hour later. Once again she merely jogged out of the gate and was still in last place turning for home. Smith had her in traffic this time and couldn't get her clear on the outside. He had to pull her up once in the the stretch, then check again as paths closed in front of her. Zenyatta seemed to sense Smith's hesitation and took over. This time she looked like Reggie Bush, ducking sideways to pass one horse, veering at an angle past another then pulling to the outside for a clear run to the lead inside the furlong pole. This kind of agility in a big horse is seldom witnessed.
When the dust cleared Zenyatta was still undefeated and Rachel Alexandra was the first "Horse of the Year" in a decade to lose its next race. A surly Asmussen remarked that if he didn't think she would win he wouldn't have run her, and Mr. Jackson is now hedging his bets about facing Zenyatta at Oaklawn.
Jess Jackson, the owner of Rachel Alexander and the Kendall-Jackson wines, ducked a confrontation and suggested a bogus alternative race that was never going to happen anyway. His stated reason was that he didn't want to run his horse on the artificial surface at Santa Anita, where the Breeders' Cup, the Super Bowl of horse racing, was conducted last year. So Rachel Alexander ended her year before the traditional fall championship season even began, winning he final stakes race at the Saratoga meet in New York over the summer. At that point I was in Rachel's camp. She had beaten males in a Triple Crown race, then beaten older males in a stakes race with a game performance in fast time.
But Zenyatta had never been passed by a single horse in an undefeated career. Only Personal Ensign had accomplished as much. Zenyatta would make a profound case for Horse of the Year by winning the Breeders Cup Distaff, finishing a distinguished undefeated career and retiring to a life as a broodmare. But owner Jerry Moss, the "M" in A&M records along with trumpeter Herb Alpert, put everything on the line. Instead of entering Zenyatta in the Distaff he put her in the Breeders Cup Classic against what is traditionally the best field of older horses in the world. Moss risked everything for a grand gesture that would prove his filly was the best, while Jess Jackson sat on the sidelines with his filly, who wasn't even entered in the Distaff. Horseracing is a gambler's game, and Moss went all in with his horse's reputation along with millions of dollars in purse money. It was a classic owner's bravura move, a gesture that harkened back to the days when horseracing earned its nickname as the Sport of Kings. And Jess Jackson was smiling in his chardonnay when Zenyatta entered the top of the stretch in the Classic hopelessly beaten, far behind some of the best horses in training.
Then greatness happened, the throat-catching moment when horses reveal themselves as true champions. Jockey Mike Smith moved Zenyatta into a clear path in the middle of the track and Zenyatta didn't need to be told when to do. The filly lengthened her stride and flew past the field with astonishing acceleration. She looked like Forego, like Kelso, like Silky Sullivan, like Seabuscuit, like Pegasus himself swooping past these mere mortals on her way to one of the most stirring victories anyone had ever witnessed. Don't tell me about Beyer figures or par times -- this was a championship performance if there ever was one. Before the gates opened I was in Rachel Alexandra's camp. When Zenyatta crossed the finish line I knew there was only one way I could go in the Horse of the Year voting.
When the votes were counted I was astonished that Rachel Alexandra won. Her owners ducked the confrontation and sat on the sidelines as every other championship was determined. There are many injustices in horseracing but this one will stick in my throat for a long time.
But the story was not over. Moss decided to keep racing his mare as a 5-year-old. This is really an unprecedented move in modern racing, where breeding has become the real moneymaker in the game. It's especially gutsy when you're talking about risking an undefeated career. Now Jackson could no longer put off the inevitable showdown. He continued to propose what were essentially match races before finally settling on the most advantageous terms he could broker, agreeing to have Rachel Alexandra face Zenyatta at Oaklawn Park in the April 9 Apple Blossom Invitational. Oaklawn is a speed-favoring track which suits Rachel's running style and is part of trainer Steve Asmussen's winter stronghold along with the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, where he prepared Rachel Alexandra for her 4-year-old campaign.
Both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra made their seasonal debuts yesterday. Fair Grounds offered the perfect prep for their Horse of the Year, the New Orleans Ladies Stakes, which appeared on paper to be a cakewalk for Rachel. Zenyatta was scheduled to face a more accomplished field in the Santa Margarita Invitational at Santa Anita.
Zenyatta's trainer, John Shirreffs, decided to send another mare in his barn, Zardana, to run at Fair Grounds in order to size up where Rachel Alexandra stood in relation to Zenyatta. Shirreffs watched Zardana and Zenyatta train every morning and had a good idea of how they compared to each other. Seeing how close Zardana could get to Rachel at the finish of the New Orleans race would give Shirreffs an idea of what Zenyatta would have to do to beat her.
Rachel Alexandra moved easily under Calvin Borel as the race unfolded, tracking the lead down the backstretch and slowly taking over on the far turn. Jockey David Flores asked Zardana for run and she took aim at the leaders on the outside, then put a head in front of Rachel Alexandra turning for home. Borel asked Rachel for acceleration, showing her the whip at first, then cracking her a couple of good ones. Zardana edged away then ran on, holding Rachel at bay through a long stretch run with Borel whipping and driving away. The Horse of the Year was well beaten in her return by Zenyatta's stablemate.
Zenyatta's turn came half an hour later. Once again she merely jogged out of the gate and was still in last place turning for home. Smith had her in traffic this time and couldn't get her clear on the outside. He had to pull her up once in the the stretch, then check again as paths closed in front of her. Zenyatta seemed to sense Smith's hesitation and took over. This time she looked like Reggie Bush, ducking sideways to pass one horse, veering at an angle past another then pulling to the outside for a clear run to the lead inside the furlong pole. This kind of agility in a big horse is seldom witnessed.
When the dust cleared Zenyatta was still undefeated and Rachel Alexandra was the first "Horse of the Year" in a decade to lose its next race. A surly Asmussen remarked that if he didn't think she would win he wouldn't have run her, and Mr. Jackson is now hedging his bets about facing Zenyatta at Oaklawn.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Hip-hop showcase at Howlin' Wolf on Saturday
NEW ORLEANS – The four elements of hip-hop: DJing, Emceeing, Break Dancing and Graffiti, will come together at the Howlin’ Wolf on March 13 at 3pm. This unique opportunity to learn about the positive aspects and contributions of hip-hop culture will feature live performances from over 25 artists and 5 DJs.
Featured artist and Legendary producer, Pete Rock will showcase the hits that brought him fame, participate in a panel for artist feedback, as well as judge the Soundclash beat battle which will take place following Kicks & Snares.
Performances will include a wide variety of artists from New Orleans, Oakland, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Jackson, Ms., New York, and other locales. Other highlights include MC battles, cyphers, raffles, food and free sponsor giveaways.
In addition to a being a one-of-a-kind music event, Kicks and Snares is guaranteed to be one of the biggest sneaker buy, sell, and trade events in the Greater New Orleans area. Event participants will compete for up to $500 in cash and prizes.
Kicks and Snares is sponsored by Tygah Woods Radio, The Hut Studios, TheIMMEG (Image), Hip-Hop and Fashion, The Hottest Parties, Ensign, 333MusicUniversity, Elevated Minds Music, B.F.A.M. Studios, Bzy Bee, Eupham, OnPoint Media, Grassroots, and The Source Magazine.
Contact El Williams or Chuck Jones at 504-606-5621 or Nicoya Hogan at 504.931.3253 for more information. For advance tickets or vendor booths visit http://kicksandsnares.eventbrite.com
When: March 13, 2010, 3 pm to 8 pm
Where: Howlin’ Wolf, 907 S. Peters, New Orleans
Tickets: start at $10
Website: http://kicksandsnares.eventbrite.com http://thesoundclash.com/peterock.html
The performance lineup includes Dee-1, Skipp Coon, Lil Dee, Aqua Force, Mdot Cdot, Bzy Bee, Truth Universal, AA, TNC Boys, Sess-45, Lyrikill, Tygah Woods, Suave, Nesby Phips, A. Levy, Floopy Head, Lok Akim, Mister Wayne, Corner Boy P, Chels, TheSeKondElement, Lyriqs, The Cartel, Jack Spratt, and more. DJs will include the Legendary Pete Rock, GO DJ E.F. Cuttin, GO DJ Tony Skratchere, GO DJ Dat Boi, DJ Def D, Mister Nick, and more.
Featured artist and Legendary producer, Pete Rock will showcase the hits that brought him fame, participate in a panel for artist feedback, as well as judge the Soundclash beat battle which will take place following Kicks & Snares.
Performances will include a wide variety of artists from New Orleans, Oakland, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Jackson, Ms., New York, and other locales. Other highlights include MC battles, cyphers, raffles, food and free sponsor giveaways.
In addition to a being a one-of-a-kind music event, Kicks and Snares is guaranteed to be one of the biggest sneaker buy, sell, and trade events in the Greater New Orleans area. Event participants will compete for up to $500 in cash and prizes.
Kicks and Snares is sponsored by Tygah Woods Radio, The Hut Studios, TheIMMEG (Image), Hip-Hop and Fashion, The Hottest Parties, Ensign, 333MusicUniversity, Elevated Minds Music, B.F.A.M. Studios, Bzy Bee, Eupham, OnPoint Media, Grassroots, and The Source Magazine.
Contact El Williams or Chuck Jones at 504-606-5621 or Nicoya Hogan at 504.931.3253 for more information. For advance tickets or vendor booths visit http://kicksandsnares.eventbrite.com
When: March 13, 2010, 3 pm to 8 pm
Where: Howlin’ Wolf, 907 S. Peters, New Orleans
Tickets: start at $10
Website: http://kicksandsnares.eventbrite.com http://thesoundclash.com/peterock.html
The performance lineup includes Dee-1, Skipp Coon, Lil Dee, Aqua Force, Mdot Cdot, Bzy Bee, Truth Universal, AA, TNC Boys, Sess-45, Lyrikill, Tygah Woods, Suave, Nesby Phips, A. Levy, Floopy Head, Lok Akim, Mister Wayne, Corner Boy P, Chels, TheSeKondElement, Lyriqs, The Cartel, Jack Spratt, and more. DJs will include the Legendary Pete Rock, GO DJ E.F. Cuttin, GO DJ Tony Skratchere, GO DJ Dat Boi, DJ Def D, Mister Nick, and more.
Dr. John to perform at benefit gala
The 12th annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc. Gala fund-raising concert will take place Thursday, April 22nd, and features the work of Dr. John and the Heritage School of Music, the Foundation's signature education program.
The Gala takes place Thursday, April 22nd, at 7 p.m. at the Hilton Riverside Hotel in New Orleans.
The evening features a lifetime musical tribute to Dr. John, who will also perform. Keyboardist and bandleader Jon Cleary will also be on the bill.
The Gala also will honor Edward "Kidd" Jordan, the longtime leader of the Don Jamison Heritage School of Music, the signature education program of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.
Gala tickets are a hefty $500 each, but they include exclusive patron premiums as well as a special Gala Pass to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival good for admission on all seven days of the festival (a $420 value at the gate). To purchase tickets to the Gala, please call (504) 410-4148.
Proceeds from this year's Gala will support the Don Jamison Heritage School of Music, a free after-school program of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.
The Gala takes place Thursday, April 22nd, at 7 p.m. at the Hilton Riverside Hotel in New Orleans.
The evening features a lifetime musical tribute to Dr. John, who will also perform. Keyboardist and bandleader Jon Cleary will also be on the bill.
The Gala also will honor Edward "Kidd" Jordan, the longtime leader of the Don Jamison Heritage School of Music, the signature education program of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.
Gala tickets are a hefty $500 each, but they include exclusive patron premiums as well as a special Gala Pass to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival good for admission on all seven days of the festival (a $420 value at the gate). To purchase tickets to the Gala, please call (504) 410-4148.
Proceeds from this year's Gala will support the Don Jamison Heritage School of Music, a free after-school program of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Ornette Coleman birthday broadcast today
WKCR presents its annual Ornette Coleman and Bix Beiderbecke "birthday broadcasts" Tuesday and Wednesday March 9 & 10.
Displaying the full breadth and depth of our programming, WKCR plays the music of modern free jazz master Ornette Coleman for 24 hours around the clock on his birthday anniversary, this Tuesday, and then follows it up with legendary early jazz giant Bix for 24 hours on his birthday anniversary, Wednesday.
Tune in and listen, WKCR (89.9 on the FM radio dial in New York City, and available around the world over the internet at www.wkcr.org and also at itunes radio)
Displaying the full breadth and depth of our programming, WKCR plays the music of modern free jazz master Ornette Coleman for 24 hours around the clock on his birthday anniversary, this Tuesday, and then follows it up with legendary early jazz giant Bix for 24 hours on his birthday anniversary, Wednesday.
Tune in and listen, WKCR (89.9 on the FM radio dial in New York City, and available around the world over the internet at www.wkcr.org
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