The Return of Big Ears

Today is September 14, the 257th day of the year 2021; 108 days remain until the end of the year. Today is the day of pure mind, and with it there is no defilement.

The sun rose at 7:21 a.m. this morning and will set at 7:45 p.m. this evening, one minute later and one minute earlier, respectively, than yesterday.   The waxing gibbous moon is 61% full and rose at 3:39 p.m. this afternoon. It will set at 1:29 a.m. tomorrow morning (i.e., late tonight).

On this date in 1942, eugenicist E.S. Gosney died in Pasadena at age 86 following a two-week illness. Gosney was the founder of the Human Betterment Foundation, whose goal was the "protection and betterment of the human family in body, mind, character, and citizenship," through compulsory sterilization of the mentally ill and mentally retarded.  Gosney believed the population of the mentally ill could be reduced by half in "three or four generations." During the 1920s, compulsory sterilization was seen by many as a way to reduce the incidence of mental illness and retardation in the population over time. Many states had legislation requiring the sterilization of patients at state-run psychiatric facilities, though only California executed the laws in earnest, as most other state officials were wary about the legal status of compulsory sterilization.  

Gosney argued that eugenic sterilization was scientifically supported, caused no harm to patients, and was legally sound. His work was specifically referenced by officials in Nazi Germany in the creation of their own sterilization legislation in 1933 as having provided them with proof that sterilization programs could be safe and effective.  In a 1934 letter to Gosney, the eugenicist Charles Goethe wrote, "You will be interested to know that your work has played a powerful part in shaping the opinions of the group of intellectuals who are behind Hitler in this epoch-making program."

Meanwhile, on the same day that the world finally rid itself of E.S. Gosney, jazz musician Oliver Lake was born in Marianna, Arkansas.  During the 1960s, Lake was associated with St. Louis' Black Artists Group, a collective of musicians, poets, dancers and painters.  A co-founder of the World Saxophone Quartet with David Murray, Julius Hemphill, and Hamiet Bluiett, Lake firmly established himself in the loft jazz scene of the 1970’s in New York.  He has since produced a body of work that is both expansive and versatile enough to avoid falling solely into the categories of “avant-garde” or “free jazz.”  His work can stand on compositional merit alone, and he has etched a place for himself as one of the elite saxophone players and improvisers of recent times.

Which brings us to the big news of the day, at least in my little circle of the world.  Today, Knoxville's Big Ears music festival announced its lineup for 2022.  I attended this most excellent festival in 2018 and 2019, but it was subsequently cancelled in both 2020 and 2021 due to the covids.  Oliver Lake won't be performing, but this year the iconoclastic composer John Zorn will be the featured headliner. Other musicians announced for 2022 include Animal Collective, Kim Gordon, Low, Bill Callahan, Meredith Monk, Yves Tumor, Marc Ribot, Arooj Aftab, Nubya Garcia, Jamie Branch, Mary Lattimore, L'Rain, Aurora Nealand, Fennesz, William Tyler, Andy Shauf, Efterklang, 75 Dollar Bill, and more. 

I have never seen Zorn perform live, although his Naked City album and his production of the debut Mr. Bungle album had marked effects on my musical tastes.  I've already seen Animal Collective (numerous times), as well as Low and Mary Lattimore, and would gladly see them perform live again. And I've previously seen Meredith Monk, Marc Ribot, and Aurora Nealand at earlier Big Ears festivals, and ditto. It's a strong lineup of new and innovative music, and would well be worth one's time to attend. Tickets go on sale tomorrow.

The big question involving the decision on whether or not to go to Big Ears is what one thinks the status of the covid pandemic will be in March 2022.  Tennessee is one of the least vaccinated states in the country, although to be honest at 43% of its population fully vaccinated, it's tied with Georgia, so the risk isn't necessarily increased by crossing the state line.  Like much of the country, Tennessee is suffering from the delta wave of the pandemic, and yesterday, it set a new state record (10,932 cases) for the 7-day average of new cases per day.  In other words, it's as bad if not worse right now in Tennessee than it's ever been.

So what will it be like six months from now? If I knew the answer to that, I should be working at the CDC or the White House.  You can estimate the next six days, maybe even the next six weeks, from the current trends, but there are way too many factors to consider for a six-month forecast.

Will the new vaccine mandates be enforced and will they have an effect on the number of Tennessee cases?  Will the benefits of the vaccine mandates be offset by super-spreader events like Tennessee Volunteer football games and the upcoming winter holiday season? By March 2022, will the delta and other variants of the covids effectively kill off enough of the unvaccinated population that the overall number of new cases be down? 

According to the Big Ears website, 

The health and safety of everyone who attends Big Ears is our number one priority. With the rise of COVID cases due to the Delta variant, we are now mandating that all staff, artists, and audience members be fully vaccinated in order to participate in ticketed activities presented by Big Ears. In the coming months, we’ll describe the steps we intend to take to verify the vaccination status of audience members. As we continue to observe the situation, we reserve the right to institute other COVID-related safety measures in advance of the festival.

The Big Ears festival is held in a number of indoor venues in the Old Town district of Knoxville, ranging from large, seated facilities like the majestic Tennessee Theater to small, hole-in-the-wall nightclubs.  So the vaccine requirement is reassuring.  

I'm keeping my options open.  Today, I reserved a hotel room for the festival dates, although I can always cancel before the event for a full refund (I didn't get tricked into buying a non-refundable reservation like I did in 2020, although I eventually got a full refund anyway). Reserve a room now, I figure, before they're all booked and that's no longer an option.  

I can wait a few days, maybe even weeks, before buying a ticket, but with time, ticket prices go up, and traditionally, the full-access, VIP passes sell out quickly. So I don't have the luxury of taking months to decide what to do.