Saturday, October 18th
otherworldly
Ran Blake (1935-, piano), “Little Rootie Tootie” (T. Monk), published 10/17/25
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Lake Superior (Copper Harbor, Michigan)
music clip of the day
jazz/blues/rock/classical/gospel/more
Tag: Ran Blake
2023
Tuesday, June 27th
alone
Ran Blake (1935-, piano), “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (H. Arlen, Y. Harburg), live, yesterday
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Chicago
2021
Monday, November 29th
like nobody else
Ran Blake (1935-, piano), “Both Sides Now” (J. Mitchell), live, 2021
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Osk Park, Ill.
2017
Wednesday, October 4th
like nobody else
Ran Blake (1935-), Above the Sadness, trailer
2017
Saturday, September 30th
astringent, adj. sharp and penetrating. E.g., the playing of Ran Blake and Steve Lacy.
Ran Blake (piano) & Steve Lacy (soprano saxophone), “The Man I Love” (G. Gershwin), 1991 (That Certain Feeling)
2017
Saturday, May 27th
I could listen to these two—he’s long been one of my favorite pianists—all day.
Sara Serpa (1979-, vocal), Ran Blake (1935-, piano), “Night and Day” (C. Porter),
live, New York (Kitano), 2016
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lagniappe
reading table
He thought his head would explode, if the forenoon kept burning into the jungle all around him and the gulls kept screaming and the monkey kept regarding its surroundings carefully, moving its head and black eyes from side to side like someone following the progress of some kind of conversation, some kind of debate, some kind of struggle that the jungle—the morning—the moment—was having with itself.
—Denis Johnson (July 1, 1979-May 24, 2017), Tree of Smoke (National Book Award for Fiction, 2007)
2016
Tuesday, October 25th
like nobody else
Ran Blake (1935-), “‘Round Midnight” (T. Monk), live, Italy (Milan), 2015
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lagniappe
reading table
Not quite dark yet
and the stars shining
above the withered fields.—Yosa Buson (1716-1783), translated from Japanese by Robert Hass
2014
Tuesday, February 11th
alone
Ran Blake (1935-), pianist, composer, teacher, MacArthur “genius” grant winner
Above the Sadness (trailer), 2011
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Live, “Over the Rainbow,” Portugal (Lisbon), 2010
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Live (at home), 2001
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lagniappe
reading table
‘[L]ife holds thee; not thou it.’
—Herman Melville (1819-1891), Moby Dick
2013
Tuesday, July 30th
alone
Ran Blake (1935-), “Over the Rainbow” (H. Arlen & E. Harburg), live, Portugal (Lisbon), 2010
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lagniappe
reading table
Even in Kyoto—
hearing the cuckoo’s cry—
I long for Kyoto.—Matsuo Basho (1644-1694; translated from Japanese by Robert Hass)
2009
Thursday, 11/26/09
Wobbly and splayed, this performance of the Jobim classic sounds more like a soundtrack for my life than the silky Getz/Gilberto original ever could.
Ran Blake, “The Girl From Ipanema”
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Stan Getz/Astrud Gilberto (with a very young Gary Burton on vibes), “The Girl From Ipanema” (1964 [charted at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100]; this is from the 1964 movie “Get Yourself A College Girl”)
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lagniappe
The immediacy of the e-world never ceases to amaze. After posting yesterday’s clip, I sent Sam Newsome an email—I’d happened upon his e-address at his website—to let him know that his music was being featured here. A few hours later, this was in my e-mailbox: “Thanks, Richard. It looks like I’m in good company. Peace, S”
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reading table
On this Thanksgiving Day, here’s a favorite quote.
Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.—Henry James
music clip of the day 