Caught in the vortex of taking lives measured and intentional all lives do matter  tragically different degrees of compassion conflicting values fueled by decades of in-bred misunderstanding hunted and hunters on all sides clouding abilities to discern the complexities of being targeted humanity erodes as fault is laid  battling instances of coming together ambushed from hidden places of darkness face to face confrontation from places of darkness murder knows no rationale  comes in unexpected disguises  coordinated by warped targeted deadly intentions families caught in the dynamics of lost existence  forever changed answers eluding the questions grief spreading  seeping in cascading blots that don’t stop won’t stop anger becomes the purposeful unifier love and compassion the barriers is this Cus...

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Band, Syracuse Jazz Fest, Onondaga Community College Campus, July 3, 2016   Often you hear the term “living legend.” I suspect that designation is reserved for those individuals who have built a stellar body of accomplishments that defy our ability to comprehend how any one person can reach that plateau of excellence. And all too often, that descriptive designation emanates from a small group of believers and then over time, that thinking and adoration grows to become regional, national, and eventually global. Trombone Shorty (google image) A musician and artist known as “Trombone Shorty” is a living legend in New Orleans, Louisiana known for his mastery of the trombone, trumpet, lyrics and old school dance moves. I saw him and Orleans Avenue, his back-up band, at the JazzFest held in Syracuse, NY this past Sunday where he closed out the two day music festival. As an early fan, on Sunday night, I marveled at his evo...