Some Good Astrological Advice

Lately I've taken up the habit of reading Eugenia Last's daily horoscope column in the morning paper called amNew York.

I'm a Gemini, and I have found some very useful advice in the column for those born under my astrological sign. Here are some examples of that advice:

"Concentrate on creating partnerships, learning, and keeping busy. The less time you focus on who and what you don't like, the easier it will be to let go of the past." (May 4, 2026)

"Stop talking and start doing. You'll gain ground if you focus on your achievements. Get serious and committed. Give good advice, and you will make a big difference." (April 29, 2026)

"Do what you can to help those who need it. Share your expertise and your wisdom. A kind word will do wonders for others and make you feel good." (April 22, 2026)

Giving Credit Where It's Due

Todd Boyd in his theroot.com article discussed the demise of Vibe magazine. He called the hip-hop culture publication "the brainchild of Quincy Jones." I have no problem with that but he completely overlooked music journalist Scott Poulson-Bryant, a founding editor of the magazine. Poulson-Bryant, an openly gay man, stated in his book Hung: A Meditation on the Measure of Black Men in America (Doubleday, 2005) that "I named Vibe magazine Vibe." Hip-hop culture is notoriously homophobic and it would have been a good idea to acknowledge that a major publication devoted to it was named by a member of a much-maligned but influential group. Let's give credit where it's due.

Saturday Is Record Store Day

I still cherish the cover art and sound of vinyl records even though it has been many years since I set foot in a store that sold only records and accessories like phonograph needles and spindle adaptors (used to play donut-shaped 45 rpm records). Plus many of the stores in New York that I patronized like Discomat, King Karol, and Colony are long gone. Target is the only store I've been to where I've seen a vinyl record like Marvin Gaye's What's Going On for sale (at double or triple the original price). But no one would consider Target a record store.

That brings me to why I'm writing this blog post. It's to remind you that Saturday, April 18, is Record Store Day. So anyone fortunate to have a record store near them can stop by and buy a vinyl record or more.

Thankfully, I had the good sense to hold on to my LPs and 45s. I'm now able to play them on a portable record player that I bought at a now out-of-business Bed, Bath, & Beyond store in Harlem seven or eight years ago. The record player plays records in all three speeds-- 33, 45, and 78.

A little more than two weeks ago I found on 106th Street, near Columbus Avenue, some discarded records. The albums that interested me the most were the ones by such jazz notables as Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. In that pile of records was a five-disc set called Collector's Classic History of Jazz, as well as Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, one of my favorite classical music compositions. On the record, Stravinsky conducts the orchestra.

Jazz Music's Special Month

Since April is National Jazz Appreciation Month, there are many ways for die-hard jazz lovers  to celebrate this iconic, American-born music's global reach and influence. Among those ways are attending a live performance (in a club or outdoors); financially supporting a jazz radio station like Newark, New Jersey's WBGO; buying a jazz record or CD; watching a jazz-related movie (fictional or documentary); reading a history book on jazz or a biography of a jazz great like Sarah Vaughan, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong; buying a postcard, poster, or artwork with a jazz theme.

Let's help make this month a truly memorable Jazz Appreciation Month.

Don't forget that April 30 is International Jazz Day and is celebrated in various countries around the world. In 2011, that day was declared as such by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization).

Happy Jazz Appreciation Month!

Spring Is Here!

Today is the first day of spring! Goodbye, winter. Hello, spring. Good to see you again. What took you so long?

Now that you are finally here, I can look forward to sitting on a bench in Central Park (my favorite New York park) or Morningside Park with a good book and something cool and refreshing to drink. Maybe I should put together a Spring Reading List. And a summer one, too.

I Hated High School Gym Class

During my high school days in Southern California (at Centennial High in Compton, to be specific), I was not into sports and lacked athletic ability. In fact, I absolutely hated gym class. For me, spending time in the school library would have been preferable. Whenever it rained I was glad because that meant we didn't have to change into our gym clothes (white T-shirt, blue shorts, white socks, and high-top sneakers). The entire gym period would be spent sitting in the locker room until the next bell rang and we went to our next class. 

Since this was California, it didn't rain much. And on the days when it didn't, I would sometimes decide to skip gym altogether, joining a few other boys walking around the grassy field for an hour until it was time to go to the next class.

If recent storms in California had happened back then, I would have considered those storms a blessing.

"In The Life" 's 40th Anniversary

October of this year will mark the 40th anniversary of In the Life, the groundbreaking black gay anthology edited by Joseph Beam and published by Alyson Books in 1986.