All that jazz

I just spent several minutes listening to a very nice selection of jazz as posted on Steven's blog today.

As always, he has some background information on the featured artists. As an additional treat in this post, however, Steven includes four different musical selections.

My favorite is the third one -- Concerto de Aranjuez, from the "Sketches of Spain" album, featuring Miles Davis, a lovely combination of beautiful music and photography. (Make sure you view it on full screen while listening for maximum effect.) If you listen carefully, I think you will hear a few notes now and then that are reminiscent of a bullfight.

The fourth one intrigued me, but not for the combination of music and photography. While I very much enjoyed the music, I found myself more and more interested in watching the drummer. How the devil he initiated and then kept to an established 'beat', I'll never know.

I hope you'll give these two a listen/looksee. I'd be interested in your opinions and reactions.


Speaking of drummers, when I was studying music eons ago at NMU, there was a small group of my fellow classmates who met as often as they could on the second floor (just above the cafeteria and lounge) of the student center to improvise. Ken Erickson was the acknowledged leader.

Lots of students, not just music majors, went up there as soon as they heard that a jam session was in progress. Among the usual on-lookers was one of NMU's star basketball players. I heard him say to Ken, more than once, "Let me sit in, man!" "Just for one set?" "I can play!"

Well, Ken never let him sit in until one night when the regular drummer failed to show up for some reason. Ken looked around to see who might be available to fill in. Sure enough, there was the basketball player. Ken said, "Come on! Grab your sticks and let's see what you can do."

[This would make a good Paul Harvey "Rest of the Story", wouldn't it?]

He was good. Ken was delighted, as was everyone else in the room. Not that the basketball star took over the drummer's position, but every time he was there Ken made sure that he sat in on at least one set.