Fumi Okiji sang at Earthwise at Palo Alto Art Center last week, Valentines Day, with her husband Ben Davis (cello) plus Ben Goldberg (clarinet) and young blood Jordan Glenn on the traps. Fumi mentioned her actual name but I could not capture it. Four or five syllables. She said the “fumi” part is the least interesting.

I could not find it –my car is a mess –it’s a moving library — at the time but have it this a and m amen. Jazz as Critique: Adorno and Black Expression Revisited.(Stanford, CA 2018) Hint: she doesn’t like Adorno. So it’s okay that I could not remember who he was.

But I noticed — if you can follow my logic – that she referenced Nathaniel Mackey the former KZSC jazz dj and poet. Who I found out later was also partner to bell hooks. I called him one night in the booth to ask him something about Don Cherry (at Dartmouth). And then I wrote him more recently to ask whether he was possibly related to Keith Mackey who was our MVP on the 1979-1980 Gunn High School of Palo Alto, CA — near Stanford — frosh-soph basketball team. My recollection is that he was league MVP and the best player in the school. He challenged Vaughn Manns to a one-on-one the day he arrived back in Palo Alto. I would have to ask around but it’s possible that Keith Mackey only went to PAUSD schools for his 8th and 10th grade years — my 7th and 9th grade years. But since Nathaniel Mackey and bell hooks were roughly contemporaneous with that time I wonder if there is a connection.

Mackey stole the ball twice in the last 10 seconds to help Gunn frosh soph beat Cubberley the night the school board voted to close Cubberley. I always remember that we scored 6 points in the final 9 seconds. And then we jumped up and down in a group hug on the court. Then Cubberley beat Gunn in a nearly as close finish. Rob Peterson got one of those buckets to pull out the win. A sloppy put back from the elbow. So really it must have been close to 4 with nine seconds, then two steals. Unless it was close to 2 with 0:09, Robbie’s bucket to tie, Mackey somehow stealing an inbound and laying it back up at the buzzer FTW. But that is still six points in 9 seconds. The mnemonic device is the 6 and 9, like Jimi Hendrix.

Besides Splay Anthem, Fumi cites Blue Fasa, 2015; “Canto moro”, 2005; Discrepant Engagement, 1993; Djbot Baghostus’s Run, 1993; Epic World interview, 2014; From A Broken Bottle..., 2010; Nod House, 2011; Paracritical Hinge, 2005; “Song of the Andoumboulou”, 1998; Whatsaid Serif, 1998. Splay is from 2006 — I think I might have bought it fairly new, like front list. Now I wouldn’t claim to understand these works, just now they are out there, revere for the mystery.

Mackey seemed like a troubled guy, or kid – we were not close. In the absence, he becomes almost mythical. Then Lockhart came to Gunn and was both real and mythical. Lockhart and Mackey would have played each other at least four times in 8th grade, Terman versus Wilbur; John Ehrlich but not Kent squared off as sophomores — Kent was varsity. John and Keith nearly came to blows in the game, the one earlier in the season. I remember Keith was also scolded for making an obscene gesture at one of the female track coaches, possibly Bonnie Little. Or was she Kay Little? Maybe it was Stephanie Adcock.

So it is notable that all I know about Keith was his athletic prowess, his defiance and his sexualized behavior. I hope he lived long enough to gain attention or admiration for many other types of behavior and characteristics. Or is it weird that I presume he is dead?

It’s possible that Nathaniel Mackey never got my message, or that he got and and didn’t need to answer. But its also possible that Keith is his kin, is dead, and he is still processing a response.

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Gunn Pantheon of Hoops Greats to add Ethan Kitch

Ethan Kitch played his final game, against Leigh of San Jose in the first round of the CCS and lost in a close one. Who will recall that he hit a three just as coach Brandynn Williams called a time out. The shot was disallowed or was just for fun or practice. Ethan supposedly is admitted to Stanford and might walk on.

I congratulated his father, the Coach Kitch. I forget his name but he is founder of some type of youth basketball league and program. Father also went to Stanford, they say. I thought the dad was a super-intense guy. He rebutted my statement from the Milpitas game that getting a shot at the rim at the buzzer was a pretty good game. “No”, he said. This time he said “hold on a second” as he was finishing his text, then shook my hand. I asked about his Martin hat – -the guitar manufacturer. I said I ran a music series and handed him my card.

Ethan is an all time great at Gunn. He’s likely first team all SCVAL. Or De Anza as they say, not El Camino. Kopa told me earlier that he was a candidate for league MVP – -even from 7th place perhaps. He beat Paly twice which is noteworthy. I interviewed him about six months ago — before I became a coach of frosh-soph — about the Paly game, which was won by Rogan Gibbons in 2022. Maybe I will post that clip.

Here’s a blurb from an earlier post about Gunn all time greats: