Free Republic

Originally a Record Store Day Black Friday release only, the title returns as a 4-LP vinyl box set through Verve/Ume on May 19.Charlie Parker’s prolific and historic first three trips to Los Angeles have been collected together as Bird In LA, a 28-track collection of mostly unreleased and incredibly rare recordings, releasing digitally for streaming and download for the very first time, and in a 4-LP black vinyl box set on May 19 via Verve/UMe. This wide release, due to popular demand, follows a limited-edition vinyl release exclusive for Record Store Day Black Friday in 2021, which sold out instantly,...

The state of California has taken a major step toward phasing out gas-powered vehicles, and Massachusetts is following suit. By 2035, all new cars sold in the state must run on electric or hydrogen power, after Governor Baker signed a climate change law earlier this month. The law includes a trigger, according to experts, that says that once California decided to implement zero-emission vehicles, Massachusetts must do the same. Since California made that decision Thursday, regulators here must now begin to work on the details and put auto dealers, along with the public, on notice that the change will be...

Gov. Charlie Baker along with other moderate Republicans are blasting the leaders of their own party after a vote by the Republican National Committee declared the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol, “legitimate political discourse.” “The Governor commends anyone who is willing to step forward and tell the truth, and disagrees with this vote. He has been clear that the January 6th riot was a violent insurrection and a sad day for democracy, ”Baker said through adviser Jim Conroy.

In a statement blasting former President Trump and his allies on the one-year anniversary of the Capitol riot, Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker mistakenly attributed the death of a Capitol Police officer to the day’s events. Baker paid tribute to officer William Evans, lauding his heroism and bravery on January 6 as supporters of then-President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol. However, Evans was killed on April 2 when Noah Green, a 25-year-old supporter of Louis Farrakhan, drove into the officer at a barricade outside the Capitol building. Green, a self-identified “Follower of Farrakhan,” had likened the anti-Semitic leader of the Nation...

We were excited and hopeful when Gov. Baker announced that performance venues could open on Thursday. Then we saw the rules: NO SINGING ALLOWED Excerpt: "Singing is not permitted in any indoor performance venues. For outdoor performances involving singing or indoor and outdoor performances involving brass or wind instruments, special distancing must be followed: At least 10 feet between performers At least 25 feet between performers and first row of the audience Plexiglass barriers cannot be used to reduce required distance between performers or between performers and the audience"

Stanley Crouch died yesterday at the age of 74. Crouch is best known as a great jazz critic. His biography of Charlie Parker is a classic. But Crouch was also a literary critic and a critic of our culture. Here are some gems from his criticism: On rap: It is “either infantile self-celebration or anarchic glamorization of criminal behavior.” On Toni Morrison: She has a certain skill, but she has no serious artistic vision or real artistic integrity. “Beloved” was a fraud. It gave a fake vision of the slave trade, it didn’t deal with the complicity of Africans, and...

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has made it official: Juneteenth is now recognized as a state holiday. Baker, a Republican, signed the measure on Friday as part of a supplemental coronavirus spending bill. He said making June 19 an annual state holiday would help "recognize the continued need to ensure racial freedom and equality."

Phil Woods, a leading alto saxophonist in mainstream jazz for more than 60 years whose piercing solos could also be heard on hit records by Billy Joel and Paul Simon, has died. He was 83. […] Woods grew up in the Swing Era where his early influences included alto saxophonists Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges. He made his name as a fiery disciple of bebop pioneer Charlie “Bird” Parker, earning the nickname “the new Bird” after Parker’s untimely death in 1955. He was married to Parker’s widow, Chan, for 17 years. Woods released more than 50 albums as a leader...