The cold front hit hard. The stars are more clear then they ever were in sky, but my feet just can't get warm. I always take a walk on the track after lunch. This time my elementary students invited me to play cops and robbers. I wasn't ready for the cold air in my trachea just yet. For the whole afternoon I was coughing. These are the common pains of November in the northern hemisphere. There is a beauty of the leaves changing color, but there is also a pain of losing what was there. It seems like we will never see it again, but three or four months later there will be new leaves on the tree.
The deeper suffering that comes in November is a soul suffering. These tunes from the old days seem to hit the right note.
Moanin' - Bobby Timmons
Looking at the title alone I thought this was a kind of love or romance song, but it is a song about the pain of the heart.
Listen to a few lines and you will see a pattern. One musician starts a few lines and another musician responds in call and response. Here I am reminded that jazz is not a one man show, but a joining of hearts through listening and responding. Everyone plays their part.
That reminds me about those people who work with me throughout the day. There are always a few students who participate lively in class while more than half the kids sit still. That's no use. Everybody needs to be participating in some way. Either they are listening, thinking or speaking. If they are just sitting there then it is actually better for them to close their eyes and do absolutely nothing at all. Mostly it is the fundamentals that are missing. It Korea it is called 영포, it means give up English. The problem is that I'm seeing it as early as ten years old. They say they can't do and they end up don't doing it.
The Skiek of Araby - Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt was the guitar man for the swingers of Paris. Here he strums "The Shiek of Araby. He's got rhythm and style in his finger picking up and down the guitar that can even impress Les Paul.
I'm happy to hear this music. I know how painful it is to play, but how joyful it makes me feel. I am lifted up and ready to dance and enjoy the rest of the day.
Sometimes we just need a little gypsy jam to get our feet tapping and get that smile back again.
Song for my Father - Horace Silver
Charlie parker might have introduced bop, but it was Horace Silver who introduced "Hard Bop" which is a very funky bop.
It's exactly what I need to finish off this afternoon and enjoy what is left of the November sun. I am lifted up by a continual tooting of horns that makes me feel all boogie-woogie and loosened up. At this point I forgot about all my problems and I am just glad to be alive. I hope you also have enjoyed the show.
Three Tunes for Tuesday is my favorite way to share my tunes on a Tuesday afternoon.
Love,
