A pick me up

Feeling better already

This morning I haven’t been feeling my best. I am almost done with the semester and have a lot of work left to do. I was listening to an operatic work by Alban Berg, as well as some of his orchestral works, and though I was excited to have found what unquestionably was an inspiration to John Adams when he composed his violin concerto, the music was more tense than what I needed this morning.

I bought a boxed set of 10-inch records by Charlie Parker, on sale, a few weeks ago. I haven’t been using my turntable lately, and there was a record on the platter, so I gave it a cleaning and began listening, sitting on the sofa, and I was feeling better after just the first few bars. It’s upbeat, mellow music, and Parker is the only horn player. He’s not playing with Diz on this album. I began to relax.

Side B has congas and piano on its first track, and Parker’s solos are like spicy seasoning on the backdrop of milder flavors. Digging into some of the founders of boppy sax, such as Parker and Sonny Rollins, is an educational activity as much as it is a pleasant one. Getting a real feel for each of these greats, when simply knowing the name and having heard a side or two once or teice has been my experience of them till them, gives me the knowledge that I have really heard them. And then they are not just names to me anymore.

Links to the album:

http://open.qobuz.com/album/bgpuauc6ws21b

https://tidal.com/album/94406366