sounds of 1926
Frederic Chopin (1810-1849), Prelude No. 15 (“Raindrop”); Ignaz Friedman (1882-1948), piano, 1926
*****
Bessie Smith (1894-1937), “Young Woman’s Blues,” 1926
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lagniappe
reading table
Whatever it is,
I cannot understand it,
although gratitude
stubbornly overcomes me
until I’m reduced to tears.—Saigyō (1118-1190), translated from Japanese by Sam Hamill
sound and space
John Luther Adams (1953-), Sila: The Breath of the World (2014), live, New York, 2014 (performance begins at 4:45)
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We must be careful what we say. No bird resumes its egg.
—Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), letter to cousins Louise and Frances Norcross, 1872
Who needs coffee?
Johnny Griffin Quartet (JG, tenor saxophone; Ronnie Matthews, piano; Ray Drummond, bass; Kenny Washington, drums), live, New York, 1981
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when cherry blossoms
scatter . . .
no regrets—Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827), translated from Japanese by David Lanoue
sounds of joy
Tenor saxophonists Arnett Cobb (1918-1989; 00:44-), Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (1922-1986; 02:32-), Johnny Griffin (1928-2008; 04:34-), “Lester Leaps In” (L. Young), live, Netherlands (Laren), 1984
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Even in the midst of trials and tribulations we still have joy.
—Pastor Norvel Goff, Sr., Sunday service, Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Charleston, S.C., 2015 (New Yorker, 9/28/15)
This sound-world I could inhabit, happily, all weekend.
Gérard Grisey (1946-1998), Vortex Temporum (1994-96)
Ensemble Sonorama, live, Argentina (Buenos Aires), 2013
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When we recognize we ‘think again’
without knowing what or if
we thought before.—Rae Armantrout, “Fusion,” excerpt (New Yorker, 3/7/16)
timeless
One of my favorite ballads.
“I Can’t Get Started” (V. Duke & I. Gershwin), Art Blakey (drums), John Gilmore (tenor saxophone), Lee Morgan (trumpet), John Hicks (piano), Victor Sproles (bass), live (TV show), London, 1964
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What I try to do is not miss anything.
—Cubs manager Joe Maddon, on his goal at work each day
sounds of Chicago
Staple Singers, “More Than a Hammer and Nails,” live (Johnny Cash Show), 1971
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He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much.
—Lao Tzu (c. 5th century B.C.)
sounds of Morocco
Mahmoud Guinia (1951-2015), gimbri (aka guembri, sintir), live, Morocco (Marrakesh), 2015
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lagniappe
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Four negatives make a positive.
—John Ashbery (1927-), “The Pie District” (excerpt), Breezeway (2015)
sounds of Ireland
“The Bucks of Oranmore,” “Come West Along the Road,” live, Dublin (The Ferryman Pub), St. Patrick’s Day, 2011
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The narrative got punctured.
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. . . picking up crumbs like there was no tomorrow, which
there isn’t.—John Ashbery (1927-), “Tall Order” (excerpts), Breezeway (2015)
another take
Africa Express, “Terry Riley’s In C Mali,” live, London (Tate Modern), 2014
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lagniappe
reading table
I wouldn’t try to capture it
on the page, or in a blog, the inauspicious
leavings of a day. Closer to dream
than the hum of streets, and people
who once walked along them.—John Ashbery (1927-), “Gravy for the Prisoners,” excerpt (Breezeway, 2015)
