Five Bullets 10.14.22

Oct 14, 2022

Hello and welcome friends to another Friday newsletter from Circles in Space where each week I share five interesting things.

This week’s topics:

First and foremost: drums! Happy Birthday to jazz giant, drummer and bandleader Art Blakey, who would have been 103 on October 11. Tito Puente, timbale master, was featured in a Google doodle this week. And drummer Mark Guiliana will take part in Ezra Masch’s installation VOLUMES, which explores the relationship between light and rhythm.

David Geffen Hall, the New York Philharmonic’s home in Lincoln Center, has undergone a renovation to improve the hall’s acoustics. This process not only takes into account the size and shape of the room, but also seemingly minor details such as the angle, distance, and material of the audience’s seats.

And some more music news: Texas trio Khuangbin and Malian singer and guitarist Vieux Farka Toure have collaborated on a new album, Ali, a collection of songs by Vieux’s father, guitarist Ali Farka Toure. I’ve had this album on repeat all week.

New York City’s oldest private dwelling, the Lent-Riker-Smith Homestead was built in 1654. It’s current occupants have restored parts of the house and offer tours of the home and grounds, which includes a cemetery. Located in Astoria, Queens, the home was built by Abraham Rycken (later changed to Riker), who, in 1664, also purchased the island which now bears his name.

In California’s Inyo National Forest stands the oldest known tree on Earth, a Great Basin Bristlecone pine named Methuselah which is 4,855 years old. The exact location of the tree is kept hidden to prevent vandalism, but is located among other old trees in Schulman Grove. California is also home to the world’s tallest tree, the redwood Hyperion, and the largest tree by volume, the sequioa General Sherman. Reasons for Methusalah’s resiliency include it’s slow growth - one inch every 100 years, making it extra strong - and the forest’s high and dry climate.

Got something to share? Leave me a comment! I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting things to dive into.