Category Archives: Commentary

No Shame: Trump’s Malignant Narcissism Continues to Infect the Art

An Editorial by Dawoud Kringle

Last April, I wrote an editorial about Donald Trump coopting and taking control of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (EDITORIAL: Trump and the Kennedy Center | DooBeeDooBeeDoo NY). The Kennedy Center was meant to be a cultural landmark honoring art, not Trump’s ego. There was no reason for him to have done this except to build or confiscate more monuments to his worthless legacy.

Now, he has taken it a step further. He slapped his name on it.

Earlier this month, White House press secretary / MAGA cheerleader Karoline Leavitt announced the news on social media, saying the Center board voted unanimously for the change: “Because of the unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building.” Shortly after the announcement, Ohio Democrat Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the board, refuted the claim that the vote was unanimous. Other Democrats in Congress who are ex officio members of the Kennedy Center Board, including Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, issued a statement stating that the President is renaming the institution “without legal authority. Federal law established the Center as a memorial to President Kennedy and prohibits changing its name without Congressional action.”

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Obituary: Maestro Jack DeJohnette‘s Lion Heart Legacy

A Personal Account of My Experience with Jack.

Text by Stephen Johnson

When I think of Jack, I remember him from a ‘Woodstocker’s’ experience, as many in his Woodstock community did… seeing him about the hamlet, friendly, approachable, with a cool rhythmic gait, down-to-earth and generous, a beautiful African American man.

In the early years of my ‘being in America‘, I was fortunate to move to Woodstock back in ’88, and while I was musically shuffling/surfing sofas, a housemate introduced me to Jack’s family — Lydia and their girls. (Thank you, Itar).

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A Homage to “What’ll I Do” (covered by Frank Sinatra)

Text by Bruce Gallanther (Downtown Music Gallery, September 11, 2025) 

Aside from the five different Star Trek series, my favorite TV show of all time was—and still is—Northern Exposure. It is about a Jewish doctor who’s stuck in Alaska working for a small town of lovable misfits.

There is an episode called ‘War and Peace’ about a famed Russian singer named Nikolai who comes to town, enchants the customers/old friends at the Brick (the local bar), and whose sworn enemy is a local bigshot/former astronaut named Maurice Minifield, a wealthy/right-wing/radio station owner. They trade insults and eventually decide to duel with guns, but the duel is called off at the last minute.

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AI

Next-Level Criminality: Is Your Music Yours Anymore?

An Editorial by Dawoud Kringle

When you thought it couldn’t get worse, the corporate overlords took things to the next level. Music distributors have been sneaking clauses into their user agreements allowing them to use our music to train AI models.

This is how it works. Many distributors (e.g., DistroKid, TuneCore, etc.) include broad licensing terms in their contracts, granting themselves the right to use uploaded music to train AI models. They use terms such as “machine learning,” “data analysis,” or “service improvement” to describe this. Artists often unknowingly consent by agreeing to the terms. The user agreements frequently have no option to refuse to allow the distribution service to use their music for AI training. These clauses usually allow the unrestricted, perpetual use of music for AI without paying royalties or compensation to artists or rights holders. Some distributors sell or provide AI companies like OpenAI or Google DeepMind access to their music libraries to train generative models, including vocal clones, melody generators, etc. The raw audio is still used even if the artist removes the metadata from their uploaded files. This can easily replicate an artist’s unique styles without attribution.

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