My name is Laurence Fishburne...

"My name is Laurence Fishburne, I am an actor and I reside at 14---, Dolphin Street, NEW ORLEANS"
said the man we shall no longer call by the name of Morpheus because sleep-inducing he certainly was not.

Sleep wasn't a concern on the night of Jazz at Lincoln center's Higher ground benefit concert for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, despite the 5hours-long program (no intermissions) and the perspective of an after-hours party at Dizzy's which eventually sent us all to bed at 4 am. Nor was hunger, if not that for soul nourishment, and that we got, a full supply to last for a lifetime. Blessed were the notes and the words, ripe was the entertainment provided both on and off stage. I felt satiated as never before and forever will I be grateful to the ones who made it happen.

I hereby formally thank, in random order and mentally taking a bow:

- Norman for wearing a pair of croc-shaped cufflinks he thought would be a tad too flamboyant, that is until he got there and caught a glimpse - an atomic glitter more like - of our neighbour's attire (picture a mummy wrapped in tinfoil, I mean, in a white nylon cum silver sequins overall, and cap)

- Murphy and his Law because if it hadn't been for them me and Pookalu wouldn't have sneaked out during TWO SEMINAL moments of the performance - Bill Cosby and Robin Williams. But since there is justice in the world, we got to catch up with Robin Williams at Diz, basking in the sweat pouring down his forehead and in the spit of his flow (Red Beans Condoleeza Rice): we were due the second chance, after all we did get a choc chip cookie for the atomic glitter mummy, who by the way didn't deserve it as she had bashed me for my hollering. "If you yell in my ear ONE MORE TIME", she said delivering one of those LOOKS, i almost felt my heels clicking and my voice go "yes m'am!"

- Laurence Fishburne, Harry Belafonte, Denny Glover, Tony Morrison: for being AR-TI-CU-LA-TE. For showing that criticism and protest and even outrage are better delivered in the company of such rare creatures as history, literature, a cutting yet polite wit, a voice born to subdue audiences, the elegance of a black dress floating on Sophie (Meryl Streep) who made the choice to be one of the best actresses alive, the elegance of a cane improvising Nureyev's figures in the air. Ain't no shame in checking the spelling of your fuck yous. I loved those men and women so pissed, so commanding, so supreme. I love them all.

- I loved Paquito D'Rivera teasing us with the riff from Salt Peanuts, playing it and then waiting for us to recognize it and go "Salt Peanuts! Salt Peanuts!". I'm a nerd, I know. Pookalu couldn't understand why I had suddenly gotten SO excited.

- I loved the music. I loved the music. I loved the music. I would have waited EIGHT hours, not FIVE, to hear Cassandra Wilson sing Come Sunday and Moody's Septet do the Majesty of the Blues. I mean, c'mon! If y'all have read my blog before you KNOW I am OBSESSED with the goddammned, I mean, GODBLESSED MOTB. My only regret, as we were all standing and bobbing heads and clapping hands and swinging hips and singing along, we missed RV's final shout (again, check out one of my prev postings, that shout has been praised on these pages before) - CRESCENT CITEEEEEEY!!! What, did I holler along? Of course!

- I loved those who made it possible. I loved LCJO and ALJO and all the guys in them, my all time favourites and the others too, cuz YumYum is right, they're unique on their own, but they're a force of nature and nurture and rapture when united. Insipration made them whole, wholesome fantabulous. My goosebumps wouldn't go away, and NO that's not my cellulite, in case you were wondering.

- I love Yum Yum for making it happen (for me and Pookalu). I love Moody for making it happen (for everybody). I love jazz for making me happen. And God bless the people of New Orleans.

*(for sake of clarity, everytime I say "New Orleans" I mean the whole Gulf coast - I on the contrary of someone else on K street am well aware that the disaster struck New Orleans and BEYOND)