All in Festivals
One of the highlights of this year's Hyde Park Jazz Festival was the opportunity to see and hear the great jazz trumpeter, Tom Harrell, together with TRIP, which also features saxophonist Mark Turner. A tight unit that plays gorgeous music. Still lots of humidty in the air, but the darkness and dark greenish-yellow hues portend Fall.
Today was the annual Gay Pride Day Parade in Chicago. Attendance was down; it was an hour shorter by my estimate; the floats and groups never seemed to pause as they had in years past-- possibly reflecting security concerns; and the politicians flocked by even though they have nothing to be proud about. As the Gay community has become more mainstream, the parade has become more corporate and much of the outlandishness has receded with the hairlines of parade participants. Imagine seeing Boeing, Northrup Grumman, Aon, or KMPG at a Gay rights parade in 1969, but then, times have changed since Stonewall.
When I arrived, the light was spectacular, but there were no people. When the people arrived, the sky was a washed out grey, with no shadows anywhere. Some days you just can't win. I walked over the Blues Festival, stopping on the way for a single Dunkin' Donut (230 calories).
