“The Kessler – we missed you so much!”
This is the first week when it really started to feel like things were getting back to normal – an excellent concert at the Kessler and a lovely Mother’s Day brunch. But I’m jumping ahead again.
The voodoo shrimp Benedict at C.T. Provisions, that I was looking forward to when I posted last Sunday, was as good as I had hoped – the blue stone grit cake and the voodoo sauce were a great complement to the eggs. We sat on the patio that’s been constructed in the parking area and enjoyed the lovely weather, with mariachi accompaniment from the band in the park across the street. I’m looking forward to visiting this restaurant again soon.
On Monday evening we watched “Mare of Easttown” – our new favourite show. The series stars Kate Winslett in a pretty atypical role – she’s a police detective whose life is unraveling quickly. The show is getting very complex after 3rd episode, and I suspect Richard to be responsible for the crime Mare is investigating – he’s a writer she’s dating who just moved back to town.
Tuesday morning started with a pleasant 2.5 mile walk, and continued with our quarterly work Board meeting. I enjoyed the movie “Jack Goes Boating” while doing my elliptical workout. This is a film from 2010, directed by and starring the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman. It’s one of those quiet, understated movies that slowly gets under your skin.
That film led to a recommendation for “The Answer Man”, which we watched on Tuesday evening. This movie stars Jeff Daniels and Lauren Graham – two actors that we both appreciate. This was a very enjoyable film with some good messages. As in Nomadland, the most poignant scene was when Daniels is spurred to play his deceased father’s piano by Graham’s character’s son.
Wednesday started with another elliptical workout, and this time I finished up the Philip Glass DVD that I’ve had in the media room player for months – a very good documentary. In the afternoon I enjoyed a 3 mile walk, accompanied by the audio book of Brandi Carlile’s “Broken Horses”. I’m only an hour into the eleven hour listen, and am enjoying it very much.
The counter tops were installed in the kitchen while I was out for my walk. They look amazing and I’m going to wait until everything is finished up next week before sharing any more pictures – keeping it a surprise from here on out.
I kept my exercise streak going on Thursday morning with some time on the elliptical and then a nice swim at the gym. In the kitchen, the backsplash was installed, and seems to be the most exciting development so far for Diana. Thankfully she’s very pleased with the tile chosen as a replacement for the one she “Hate, Hate, Hated.”
As the sun was setting we heard my buddy the cardinal singing at length. Diana wondered who he was speaking to as nobody every answered. So I pulled up some cardinal song on my phone and tried to give him some company.
Friday evening may have been a highlight of the year so far. We picked up Jens and Glenda for a concert at the Kessler. Catching up over a pre-concert dinner at Nova was a real treat. We walked down to the theater and everyone enjoyed the opening band, Terence Bradford and Congo Square. They are a Dallas based band playing New Orleans inspired music.
The Revelers Hall Band hit the stage with such infectious energy that they had the place rocking right away. What a great band!
Two of my favourites in their set were “Lean on Me” and “With a Little Help from my Friends”:
You can tell McD is enjoying this version of “Get Ready/Seven Nation Army”:
The fun was all capped off with a second line march through the theater:
I can’t remember when we were both up and around after midnight, as opposed to our 1opm at the latest regular bedtime. All four of us thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
I said I wasn’t going to share any more kitchen pictures, but can’t help showing this video of Jose and his crew painting the cabinets – they take it very seriously and wanted to spray to get the best possible finish.
I think Diana had a pretty good Mother’s Day on Sunday. She started with a virtual hike/walk with Alicia – up early at 7am in California to tell her mom all the wonderful things she has done for her over the years. Didn’t she do well with the flowers she had delivered?
I took the honoree to Rye for brunch. This tiny restaurant is always a treat. Diana had a pork belly Benedict with perfectly cooked eggs and delicious sauce. I tried the stuffed relleno, which turned out to be completely vegan. The stuffing included veggie chorizo, sweet potatoes, and several other vegetables. The dish was delicious – great flavours and sauces.
We had seen a TV commercial for Dairy Queen and McD remarked that she loved their soft serve ice cream cones dipped in chocolate, and hadn’t had one in over 30 years. What a great idea for a Mother’s Day dessert.
There was an interesting article on Nicola Sturgeon and her quest for Scottish independence in The New Yorker this week. I hadn’t heard of all her challenges with her predecessor Alex Salmond, so was a good primer for me on what’s been going on with Scottish politics:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/10/nicola-sturgeons-quest-for-scottish-independence
This week’s issue also has a fascinating article on how manipulating electric patterns between cells can lead to regeneration of missing fingers and limbs, just as it does in worms when cut in half:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/10/persuading-the-body-to-regenerate-its-limbs
I finished “The Yiddish Policeman’s Union” by Michael Chabon. While I love the unique and clever imagery and writing style, I found this book a bit of slog, partially because of all the Jewish terminology that was foreign to me. The story drags for the first three quarters of the book, and then is a bit too far fetched when the true plot is revealed.
Here are some of the phrases that I really appreciated:
“Landsman nods and scratches at the stubble of his chin in a way that is meant to signify deep ratiocination, but his heart and thoughts are hung up in the memory of chess games that he lost to men who were already old thirty years ago.”
ratiocination – the process of logical reasoning – what a great word.
Some classic Chabon imagery – how great is “tromboning?”:
“He plucks a sheet of paper from the chaos of his desk, tractates, promulgations, and bans, classified documents, adding machine tapes, surveillance reports on the habits of marked men. There’s a second or so of tromboning as he brings the paper within focusing range.”
More excellent writing:
“The knot of his gold-and-green rep necktie presses its thumb against his larynx like a scruple pressing against a guilty conscience, a reminder that he is alive. His hat is as glossy as a seal.”
The origin of the title isn’t revealed until page 230: ” ‘The Yiddish Policeman’s Union,’ says the pie man.”
I really enjoy Chabon’s musical similes:
“The brake and gas were rigged to suit a man of his stature, and he handled them like Horowitz sailing through a storm of Liszt.”
Something very close to home for me, having grown up in the county of Ayrshire:
” ‘They look like dairy cows,’ Berko says.
‘They’re Ayrshires,’ says Dick. ‘I snapped some pictures last time I came out here. A professor of agriculture down in Davis, California, ID’d them for me. ‘A Scottish breed.’ Dick works his voice up into his nose, mocking that Californian professor. ‘Known for its hardiness and ability to thrive in northern latitudes.’ “
I really liked “tinnitus of the soul”:
“The space recently occupied by his mind hisses like the fog in his ears, hums like a bank of fluorescent tubes. He feels that he suffers from tinnitus of the soul.”
And “the grandeur of a whale’s respiration”:
“A few minutes later, Bina begins to snore. There is no doubt that her snoring has not changed in two years. It has a double-reeded hum, the bumble-bee continuo of Mongolian throat-singing. It has the slow grandeur of a whale’s respiration.”
I was listening to a lot of jazz music this week, and stumbled on this excellent cover of “Can’t Find My Way Home” by Christian Sands. I must have listened to it at least twice each day this week. I was fortunate to see Sands perform at Dizzy’s Club in Jazz at Lincoln Center, back in the AIG days with Vince.
I’m working my way through the 17 best “hard bop” albums as listed in Scott Yanow’s essay in AllMusic:
https://allmusic-biography.blogspot.com/2010/11/hard-bop-essay-scott-yanow.html
Yanow has authored 11 books on jazz, over 800 liner notes for CDs and over 20,000 reviews of jazz recordings, making him quite the expert.
First on the list is “Miles Davis Vol. 1.” This is not my favourite style at all – too fast and technical without real emotion or soul. I do enjoy the trombone playing of J. J. Johnson.
- The album was released on May 9, 1952, 69 years ago today, with these personnel:
- Miles Davis – trumpet
- J. J. Johnson – trombone
- Jackie McLean – alto saxophone
- Gil Coggins – piano
- Oscar Pettiford – bass
- Kenny Clarke – drums
Next on the list is “Soul Station” by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley. This was released in 1960 and is considered by many critics to be his finest album. I like this one a lot more than the Miles Davis.
These are the personnel:
Next up is “Bluesnik” by saxophonist Jackie McLean:
Bluesnik was recorded in 1961 and is considered McLean’s most accessible record. My favourite of the hard bop list so far.
Stay safe and be kind to everyone!