Excuse the 'frm' my friends

Noticed on the last blog I had 'frm' not 'from' in the headline. Even crusty old editors like me make errors. Oh well, the main point was when I reconnected with the man from Missouri it refreshed me so much. Some individuals have so much style, so much meaning. He is indeed one of those great ones.

A marvelous voice frm the past

Last Tuesday night a thrill took place. I reconnected with my best friend of years ago, a great man from Missouri. It meant so much because we have so many memories. We were in Japan a long time back as young guys in the military. Culture is the sum total of all the things one has experienced. This guy is special. During the Vietnam era the thing that kept us going was our music and great times. It is meaningful to reconnect with the past. Like listening to resonant guitar work, friendship is so very right.

The shaking up that is our pop 'Culture'

Culture is a word that shakes up people. I have been trying to figure out the word for a terribly long time. But lately the point is some stuff is happening that makes this tricky sticky mass come together so much better. A shining new example of culture shock syndrome is the new film by one fine southern guy named Tarantino. His latest made beaucoup green over the 'ole weekend. It tickled me because since I am more of a Vietnam era guy. It at first didn't seem like a fine idea. But then it hit that this thing was a great idea. Culture brings many thoughts to mind. Why did it take so many rejections by all the great glam popular crowd to mess up so many aching creative souls? Maybe we all need more Gravity's Rainbow and Dubliners types to set us right. Come on Mad Men fix us up.I am glad that I have known huge hilarity hordes of decadent nihilists in my time for now that I have reached old E. Wharton's old 'age of reason" then I can jump up and go dancing madly into the JUMPING jiving Hunter Thompson night. I am so wildly happy I am still going since once upon a time I had a serious surgery back in '93 and yet I am still blissfully here. Don't be afraid to think. Believe me, there ain't nothing like it. Not even one little thing.

Once again, a happy birthday, Jazz Lives

Today is my birthday. It has been great. This old jazz nut is very happy. Like a good Conan bit I am really tickled. Thanks so much to all for the kindnesses. Birthdays are good. Today I listened to an artist dear to my old heart, the great tenor saxophonist, Harold Land. There is nothing like an energetic tenor guy from the historic West Coast to get a motor running good. Take care all. Hope the rain storms are sort of what they call medium. Plan to listen to some old Dean Martin music later. Ancient modal thinker, that's me.

Meaningful non-dull film artistry

Heavy meaningful film can have a huge effect on one. Watched a fine film, 'Pay It Forward' last night. Poignant performances of compelling introspection by Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey. This kind of electronic experience is so wistful and hits so many kinds of ballad-blues chords sitting deep inside one's self. Speaking of the subject of ballads listened to super rendition of 'Just Friends' by the eloquent tenor saxophonist Stan Getz a few hours ago. What a glorious sound, that tenor. Why is it so often hard to communicate? More of us need to just locate some truly deep sense of relaxation within our inner selves. If nothing else go do errands. Listen to the good purr of a grand vehicle. Remember life is a fantastic so relevant super gift.

Vegetables and the magicians with 'chops'

Thinking today about the great horn men. When I was much younger one day I got into the mysterious and compelling trumpet work of Miles Davis. I liked the esoteric wildisms Dizzy created on trumpet but somehow the highly fluid, so beautifully linear lines of Miles proved so vivid, yes so incredibly strong. Equally impressive on the offerings of Miles was the crackling, fiery work of the mind-boggling Paul Chambers on bass and the lilting harmonic introspective backing of the sly Red Garland on piano. I enjoy the dissonant chords of keyboard fellas like Cedar Walton and Abdullah Ibrahim. But somehow the expansive, so full of passion ivory work of Mr. Garland and of course the magical keyboard strong man, McCoy Tyner, make the zinging, strength of lots of teeth jazz so ruggedly right. The brand of jazz that has the high energy mindfulness of the East Coast sound knowingly kicks right in with the historic horn guys like Miles. And of course the innovative sleek saxophone of the man known as Coltrane helps to create even more delicious sound vegetables in the wily garden that is American jazz.

Blues style kings fix the motor up right

Played a little blues shuffle guitar this afternoon. It got my motor revved up. Felt so right, so I got into some potent Muddy Waters and Elmore James (man what blues artists, those two) and with that sensational music all was right with this old world. Went for a nice trip to see friends in south Atlanta environs yesterday. That was a nice change of pace. Why do I sound like such a pitcher, some iconoclast out of Malamud's 'Natural.' Nothing like the old hot jive blues rough-hewn music to put one back into the marvelous, cloudy mirrors memories of good places from a long time ago. It is hard to believe but another birthday is friday. In a mondo bizarro way well that feels so cool. So kickingly right on. The ascending harmonica sounds of Sonny Boy Williamson II helped me out today, also. Now if I can get me some good old spam for dinner. well man I'll be just clickin' moving on down the line.