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“Howl” is a poem written by Allen Ginsberg in 1955 and published as part of his 1956 collection of poetry titled Howl and Other Poems. The poem is considered to be one of the great works of the Beat Generation, along with Jack Kerouac’s On the Road (1957) and William S. Burroughs’s Naked Lunch (1959). “Howl” was written as a performance piece and later published by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti of City Lights Books. Upon its release, Ferlinghetti and the bookstore’s manager, Shigeyoshi Murao, were charged with disseminating obscene literature, and both were arrested. On October 3, 1957, Judge Clayton W. Horn ruled that the poem was not obscene, and “Howl” went on to become the most popular poem of the Beat Generation.
Allen Ginsberg wrote the poem “Howl” in mid-1955, purportedly at a coffeehouse known today as the Caffe Mediterraneum in Berkeley, California. Many factors went into the creation of the poem. A short time before the composition of “Howl,” Ginsberg’s therapist, Dr. Philip Hicks, encouraged him to quit his job and pursue poetry full time. He experimented with short simple sentences (parataxis) in the poem “Dream Record: June 8, 1955” about the death of Joan Vollmer, a technique that would become central in “Howl.” He showed this poem to Kenneth Rexroth, who criticized it as too stilted and academic; Rexroth encouraged Ginsberg to free his voice and write from his heart. Ginsberg took this advice and attempted to write a poem with no restrictions. He was under the immense influence of William Carlos Williams and Jack Kerouac and attempted to speak with his own voice spontaneously. Ginsberg began the poem in the stepped triadic form he took from Williams but, in the middle of typing the poem, his style altered such that his own unique form (a long line based on breath organized by a fixed base) began to emerge. Ginsberg would experiment with this breath-length form in many later poems. The first draft contained what would later become Part I and Part III. It is noted for relating stories and experiences of Ginsberg’s friends and contemporaries, its tumbling, hallucinatory style, and the frank address of sexuality, specifically homosexuality, which subsequently provoked an obscenity trial. Although Ginsberg referred to many of his friends and acquaintances (including Neal Cassady, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Peter Orlovsky, Lucien Carr, and Herbert Huncke) the primary emotional drive was his sympathy for Carl Solomon, to whom it was dedicated; he met Solomon in a mental institution and became friends with him.
Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing, fragrance, and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. Burberry is most famous for its iconic trench coat, which was invented by founder Thomas Burberry. The company has branded stores and franchises around the world, and also sells through concessions in third-party stores. HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH The Prince of Wales have granted the company Royal Warrants. The Chief Creative Officer is Christopher Bailey. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. According to Business Weekly, Burberry is the 98th most valuable brand in the world.
Burberry was founded in 1856 when 21-year-old Thomas Burberry, a former draper’s apprentice, opened his own store in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. By 1870, the business had established itself by focusing on the development of outdoors attire. In 1880, Burberry introduced in his brand the gabardine, a hardwearing, water-resistant yet breathable fabric, in which the yarn is waterproofed before weaving. Burberry was the original name, but then the company soon switched to using the name Burberrys, after many customers from around the world began calling it Burberrys of London. This name is still visible on many older Burberry products. In 1891, Burberry opened a shop in the Haymarket, London, which still exists and until recently was the site of Burberry’s corporate headquarters. Now the headquarters are at Horseferry House just behind Houses of Parliament, Westminster (London).
Burberry was an independent company until 1955, when it was taken over by Great Universal Stores (GUS). Burberry Group plc was initially floated on the London Stock Exchange in July 2002. GUS divested its remaining interest in Burberry in December 2005. Burberry first began selling online in the US, followed by the UK in October 2006, and the rest of the EU in 2007. During the 1970s, the brand became popular with the British casual cult, leading to its being associated with members of football firms by the 1990s and chavs the following decade. Such a shift in a brand’s clientele exemplifies prole drift. Burberry has attempted to rebrand itself with advertisements in GQ, Esquire, Vogue, Tatler and Harper’s Bazaar, and is well-known for using British celebrities in its advertising, including models Kate Moss, Agyness Deyn, Jourdan Dunn and Lily Donaldson.
Henri Jayer, an untrained French vineyard worker who rose to become one of the most important winemakers in Burgundy in the 1970’s and 1980’s, died Wednesday in Dijon, France. He was 84.
At the height of Mr. Jayer’s fame in the late 1980’s, not even the wines of the legendary Domaine de la Romanée Conti were as prized as the frustratingly small quantities of wines he produced. To own even two or three of his Échézeaux or Richebourg, or his Vosne-Romanée Clos Parentoux, was to possess a vinous treasure. Owning a full case of 12 bottles could provoke the wrath of threestar restaurateurs all over France whose cellars were filled with fine Burgundy but who had no Jayer.
Henri Jayer was born in — and rarely left — the famous wine village of Vosne-Romanée, about halfway between the city of Dijon and Beaune, the historic capital of the Burgundy wine district. A modest, unassuming and eminently approachable man, he was the quintessential Burgundian vigneron, or winemaker. What he knew he learned from observation and experimentation, among his vines and in the wine cellar. In 1945, Mr. Jayer entered into a 10-year contract with the Noirot-Camuzet family, which owned parts of several famous vineyards in Vosne-Romanée. He tended their vines and made the wines in exchange for 50 percent of the grapes. His half was bottled under his name. The contract was extended until 1987, when a younger member of the Camuzet family took over.
Over the years, Mr. Jayer had been buying small portions of the Clos Parentoux vineyard in Vosne-Romanée from the Camuzet family and other owners. He blended Clos Parentoux wine with wines from other Vosne-Romanée vineyards until 1978. That year, for the first time, he bottled a wine entirely from Clos Parentoux; it was the wine that made his reputation, although he rarely made more than some 3,500 bottles — just under 300 cases.
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The 3 Series is new for 2012, but the only outward clues are a snappy new face and microscopically different sheet metal. This is the 1500’s legacy: Everything that matters is underneath the skin. The car currently comes in two options: the 328i, with a 2.0-liter, 240-hp four; and the 335i, with a 3.0-liter, 300-hp straight six. Predictably, both engines are turbocharged, maximizing efficiency and output. Rear-wheel drive is standard, allowing for a decent steering feel and a communicative chassis.
The 335i’s engine, borrowed from the last 335i, is great — smooth, fuel efficient, and a raucous howler when provoked. But the 328i is the real star. It shares its mill with the Z4 sDrive28i roadster and 528i sedan, but the engine truly sings here. For one thing, the 328i produces the same power as the first six-cylinder BMW M3 (1995 — 99); for another, at a staggering 36/24 mpg with the optional eight-speed automatic, it bounds over similar offerings from Acura (TSX, 3½2 mpg), Audi (A4, 30/22), and Mercedes-Benz (C250, 3½1). That it’s virtually lag-free and fiendishly rev-happy is pure bonus.
Chiefly, however, the 3,406-pound 328i handles. It grins in corners. Fours are generally lighter than sixes, but they also take up less space, which means you can shove them further rearward in a rear-wheel-drive car, improving balance. The 328i’s engine is thus damn near buried under the car’s windshield, which means the whole package pivots almost telepathically. The brakes, a perpetual 3 Series weakness, don’t disappear when you beat on them; the cockpit is simple but comfy; the unflappable stability and you-are-a-god chassis magic — garbage pavement or your mistakes, nothing troubles it — recall other legendary sportsters, including a few M3s. Few sport sedans turn like this. Hell, some Ferraris don’t.
Designing a fast car full of compromises is easy. Speed you can live with is another thing entirely — the 328i looks responsible and boring, but that’s just a cover. Want a Swiss-Army-knife sedan that can do everything, haul ass, and still kick up your pulse the next morning? Get ‘em while they’re hot.
Many people are familiar with Clifford Brown’s collaboration with Sarah Vaughan, which many consider to be a classic. Far less well-known is his record with singer Helen Merrill for Emarcy from 1954, which features a similar set up and feel. Merrill has always been on the second tier of jazz singers as far as popularity is concerned, but is a reliable performer who can turn out enchanting performances. She’s the type of singer whom many would simply put in front of an orchestra and leave it at that, and it’s a treat to hear her spread her wings a bit in front of a jazz combo.
Clifford Brown’s recordings are in short supply, so for that matter alone this record is worth a listen. The trumpeter has always had a knack for complementing any singer, and on this occasion his melodic bite is the perfect foil for Merrill’s bouncy delivery. The rest of the band provides supple, delicate background—the only other instrument in the front line is Danny Banks’s flute—to create a quiet classic. Quincy Jones provides the arrangements, which add novel little twists to the heads and background, making “Don’t Explain a mournful lullaby and “‘S Wonderful a jubilant triumph, one of the best versions of the Gershwin tune I’ve heard in years.
With only seven tracks, this session is fairly brief. Fortunately Lone Hill has bulked out the CD with the next session in Helen Merrill’s catalog for Emarcy, a much more traditional orchestra-oriented affair that adds a whopping eleven bonus tracks. Despite the presence of pianist Hank Jones, guitarist Barry Galbraith, and bassist Milt Hinton, this session is pretty much like every other vocal and strings efforts out there: effective, but nothing special. The program draws heavily from Broadway with everything taken at a sultry gait. Even “Anything Goes strolls along at almost a ballad’s pace. On its own this second session would be one you could take or leave. But paired with the session with Brown and you’ve got a vocal jazz feast well worth deserving of more renown.