First off, let's celebrate our endlessly classy First Lady for hosting a series of jazz workshops at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Unfortunately, the Marsalis family was well-represented. Oh well, it's a start -- at least they performed "A Night in Tunisia." As Mrs. Obama is a sophisticated city sista from Chicago, here's hoping she'll bring in the AACM for some truly 21st century noise. Check out NPR's podcast of the event, as well as their A Blog Supreme.
Not to be outdone, the L.A. Times's Mark Swed summarizes the new sounds heard last week at the Ojai Festival.
