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Jason Crane Posts

Jazz@Rochester

Published 4 October 2006 by Jason Crane

Local jazz fan Gregory Bell has started a new blog about all things jazz in Rochester. He very kindly mentions yours truly, too, but his blog would be worth a look even if he didn’t. Check it out, and tell him Jason sent you.

Jazz@Rochester

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David Binney in NYC

Published 3 October 2006 by Jason Crane

David Binney 2

Saxophonist David Binney was recently my guest on The Jason Crane Show. If you’re in the New York City area, check out David and his fantastic band. Here are the details:

  • WHO: David Binney (alto saxophone) / Craig Taborn (piano) / Thomas Morgan (bass) / Dan Weiss (drums)
  • WHAT: A gig!
  • WHEN: Tuesday, October 3rd, 10:15pm-1:30am
  • WHERE: The 55 Bar, 55 Christopher St. at 7th Ave., NYC
  • WHY: New CD “Cities and Desire” on Criss Cross out now. Featuring this group plus Mark Turner.
  • HOW: Downloadable cd’s, live gigs, charts, solos and more at: davidbinney.com.

Tell him Jason Crane sent you!

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Jordi Matas: Racons

Published 27 September 2006 by Jason Crane

Please visit All About Jazz for my review of the new album by guitarist Jordi Matas.

Thanks!

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Jerks (New Jersey, Part 2)

Published 24 September 2006 by Jason Crane

I was eating dinner in the hotel restaurant tonight, and a couple of event managers sat down near me. I’m not sure which event they were managing, although it wasn’t taking place at the hotel. They were the kind of folks who talk like they’re at the center of the universe, and like the rest of that universe is a series of concentric circles based on money and power.

At one point, the waiter came and took their drink order. The woman’s response: “I’ll have a margarita, and I hope it’s better than the one I had last night.”

What kind of a jerk do you have to be to say that to a hardworking person whom you don’t even know?

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A change of plan (New Jersey, Part 1)

Published 23 September 2006 by Jason Crane

As of Friday at 2 p.m., this was my plan for the weekend:

  • Have dinner with my family on Friday evening
  • Take Bernie to the Rhinos playoff game
  • Spend a lazy Saturday with Jen and the boys
  • Announce a game for the vintage base ball playoffs at Genesee Country Village on Sunday

And then, at a few minutes after 2 p.m., I got a call from the HQ of my union in New York City, asking me to hop on a plane and fly to New Jersey to lead a campaign for five days. So here I am, ensconced in a hotel room, glued to my cell phone and my e-mail account as I work to coordinate a team of seven people for an event early next week.

I cannot tell a lie: It’s kinda fun. I work for a union local, rather than the HQ, so I don’t have to travel too far, with the exception of the occasional trip to one of the cities upstate. That’s a nice arrangement, because I’m home with my family a fair amount. But it’s fun to get out of town and help some workers fight for what they deserve. It’s exciting to hit the ground running and to try to pull off a big event with a short amount of time. And it’s gratifying to know that the reason I do all this is so some folks are better able to defend themselves against a ravenous corporation which is trying to steal their benefits.

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Branford Marsalis: Braggtown

Published 22 September 2006 by Jason Crane

If you’ve got a minute or two, check out my review of the new Branford Marsalis album, Braggtown, at All About Jazz.

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The conversion

Published 22 September 2006 by Jason Crane

Maybe you should sit down for this one.

On Wednesday night, I was elected as leader of the Democratic Committee for the 24th Legislative District here in Monroe County, NY. Why should that be a shock? Because I was previously chair of the Green Party in this same county, a party that exists not only in support of progressive causes, but in opposition to what is often called the two-party duopoly of American politics. So the question is: Have I sold out?

To some, the answer will be an unequivocal “yes!” I ran for City Council and got more votes than any independent candidate has received. I did this on the Green line in a district that’s home to the president of City Council and one of the most respected Dems in the county. I got creamed, but I received more than 30% of the vote in the LD where I now serve as leader.

But here’s the deal: It’s not realistically possible to win in Rochester as a Green. And at the state and national level, it’s the Democrats who can most easily stand as the progressive party. They don’t often do that now, but they have a ready-made structure for creating change. If I’m going to spend some amount of the time taking part in politics — time that could otherwise be spent at home or anywhere else — then I want the fastest route to effective action. That is the Democratic Party. I decided a few years ago to set aside my dreams of ideological purity and focus on making people’s lives better. That’s why I do the job I do. Unions may not be perfect, but they’re a lot better than letting the market decide whether folks should have a living wage, health care and a pension. Similarly, the Dems aren’t perfect, but it’s a lot easier to create change through that structure than to first have to build an entire party from the ground up, and then start solving problems.

So here I am, on the left end of the Democratic Party, trying to remind folks that what’s considered “left” in our media discourse is actually at the center of the American electorate. Who doesn’t believe in health care for all, good educations for our kids, jobs that create middle class families, and dignity in retirement, to name just a few ideas? These are basic American values, and I’m going to do my part locally to make sure that these are the values championed by this party.

It’s never easy to make choices like this one, but I’m confident that working to move the Democrats forward is the surest path to the change I want to create.

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