Author: Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Patient readers, by January 3, 2022 (probably a better year), I will take a break and run an abbreviated water cooler. Please consider this as an open thread and talk between you. ——Lambert

Today’s Bird Song

A turtle dove. With English country birds in the background, it’s time for a cup of coffee.

Here are a few Covid charts. Number of cases in the U.S.:

We need a bigger chart. I usefully added an anti-victorian “Fauci line”. It is worth noting that the number of cases may be underestimated. The home test will not be counted, and not everyone can take the test. I also added a vertical line for election day (because we understand that the Biden administration will organize the Covid response from that date). Obviously, the November-March peak is not Biden’s fault. During Trump’s tenure, the train left the station. The next two (or three) are.

here has CDC fast-rising counties As of December 23, 2021:

Thanks for the sharp eyes of the astute reader Chris from Georgia, I use blue to mark the main cities of the same fast-growing counties. It seems that some kind of internal enemy is happening in those blue cities… (Chicago is not red, but pink, so there is no point.)

I didn’t decide to take a break so I could write about the latest Trump-like idiot about the CDC or the Biden administration, so I won’t go there. But you can! (“Covid Year 2 (Unlocked)“Is a very good podcast, recommended by West Wing Incident.)

To relive the youth I missed on YouTube, I came across the following account, which published the full Grateful Dead concert: Sound wallThe recording comes from the soundboard, so the quality is very high. Many enthusiasts have adjusted their styles more. This comment is typical: “The dynamic range of the official version is 9, but it is 15.”

Most of these recordings were from 1972 to 1977, when I was wasting my youth.Haters don’t @?, but the dead of that era is a great The band has a huge catalog and unique interactions between musicians, but especially in retrospect it’s obviously dance Band (It’s weird to me, because as the WASP of WASP, all I can do is shuffle the cards). But what I like most about these recordings is that I can hear my favorite Phil Lesh.I went to find some high-profile comments, and then Found this:

In various folk, blues and dance music, the role of the bass guitar is usually to play a simple and repetitive pattern at a stable rhythm, reflecting and inspiring the cyclic rhythm of dance and singing. The subtle rhythmic changes of the bass with steady drums (or vice versa) become powerful in the context of expansion and expected repetition, because the tension between different cycles creates a “rhythmic harmony” between implicit patterns. Phil Lesh’s bass part represents the opposite of this standard. The remarkable degree of repetition only exists in the core of the basic harmony rhythm of the music, and rarely appears within or across his own phrases. According to his own admission, Lesh found it impossible to repeat the bass line accurately. Because he never repeats a passage completely, when any familiar musical passage returns, the feeling of “going home” is always eased. The listener is returning, but also advancing to familiar new and alternative versions…

Grateful Dead is one of the most successful bands of their era. Despite its unusual time signature, frequent use of slow tempo and lack of predictable bass, it is a unique phenomenon in motivating large audiences to dance freely. Quality cannot be overemphasized. Although none of the members of the band played in the traditional dance style, their live performances revolved entirely around dance. In this regard, they rarely arouse the interest of the vast majority of the audience, often reaching ecstatic heights and marathon durations. .

Paradoxically, it was Lesh’s unwillingness and/or inability to perform basic rhythm and harmony foundations for their songs that made Grateful Dead one of America’s most successful and complex dance bands. Due to the lack of a “bottom line”, the listener’s music and body consciousness are forced to “outward” and “upward” into the polyphony interaction “above”, where it sometimes meets Lesh himself, playing bass, but not The bass part was unconsciously expected.

Something fun. (Another view: When asked how to play like Phil Lesh, a grumpy commenter Responded: “Play everything except the root note and everything except the beat.” Yes, there are? )

Sadly, I can’t listen to these concerts while I’m asleep; you can’t fall asleep with this toe tapping music.However, if you have something to do — or not do — for a few hours during the holidays, want a musical background, and are not against the band, then you can do worse than check out Sound wall. Oh, this is the real “Sound wall“:

Plant contact information: Readers, please feel free to contact me via lambert [UNDERSCORE] Bondage [DOT] current [AT] Yahoo [DOT] com to (a) know how to send me a check if you are allergic to PayPal, and (b) know how to send me plant images. Vegetables are no problem! Fungi and corals are regarded as honorary plants! If you want your handle to appear as a credit, put it in parentheses at the beginning of the message: (so). Otherwise, I will use your initials for anonymization. See the previous water cooler (with plants) here. Today’s factory (Copeland):

Copeland wrote: “Since there is some discussion about mistletoe during the holidays, I think I will try to catch plants and fresh snow near my house (over 12 inches!). I believe this is located in Quercus Garryana, a white oak tree in Oregon. Phoradendron villosum.” I like the angle of this lens.This is what you saw when you were walking outside up In the sky, not in your shoes.

reader: Water Cooler is an independent entity no Covers the recently concluded sums-thank you! — Successful annual NC fundraising event. Therefore, if you see a link that you particularly like, or an item you can’t see anywhere else, please don’t hesitate to express your gratitude in a tangible form. Remember, the tip jar is for tipping! Regular positive feedback not only makes me feel good, but also lets me know that I am on the right track of reporting. When I have not received donations for five or ten days, I will be very worried. More obviously, continuous donations help me pay for my expenses. I took this into consideration when setting fundraising goals: