listening

I've been listening to the new Madelaine Peyroux CD, as well as Miles' "Sketches of Spain" that I bought the other day. MP is a fine singer with that subdued, whispery je ne sais quoi in her voice, suitable for late night listening and relaxed lovemaking. Her interpretations of classic pop tunes are original and easy on the ear and the calibre of her musicians is very high. I especially enjoy the trumpet work of Till Broenner on Charlie Chaplin's imortal "Smile". A good CD, all in all, nice to drive to. It has inspired me to look for a certain sound in my own future recordings: that relaxed snare groove, the sparse bass.

Miles' and Gil Evans' "Sketches of Spain" .....there's nothing that I can say that has not already been said by more erudite critics than I. This recording (along with a few others from the same period) will simply live forever. It's haunting, it's profound, it employs a huge palette of sounds and ideas and its scope is breathtaking. This is not just a recording to listen to while having dinner. One must listen to every note, every harmonic twist. Pure, unadulterated genius!

On a completely different note: if this is global warming, give me more, baby!! Hugo and I went for two long walks yesterday and on our second walk, around 1pm, I sat down on a park bench, turned my head towards the sun and it felt like early May. Hugo immediately curled up into a ball at my feet and snoozed contentedly. When the time came to get up and head home, he put up fierce resistence! He wanted to rest on that warm grass much longer. C'mon now! Can the blizzards be too far in the future? (not that Hugo doesn't love those too, the little rascal!)