monk's not dead.

THELONIOUS MONK was:

* a man i never met

* born in 1917 in rocky mount, north carolina

* a fan of stride piano pioneer j. p. johnson

* a buncha other things i'll write here when i get a minute



in the meantime, check out this...

* * * * * rewarding listening list, monk + beyond * * * * *

monk album: "thelonious monk & john coltrane"

sonny rollins tune: "sonnymoon for two"

sonny rollins album: saxophone colossus

ellington album: "... and His Mother Called Him Bill"

horace silver album: "blowin' the blues away"
(the hipster of cape verdean origin)

john coltrane set: "complete 1961 village vanguard recordings" (4 discs)

jimmy giuffre 3 album: "1961" (2 discs)

james carter tune: "don's idea"
(off "in carterian fashion")

masada album: "Masada: Live in Sevilla 2000"
(i was at that show: un-be-liev-a-ble)

abdullah ibrahim album: "water from an ancient well" (see him if at all possible)

anthony davis album: "Episteme"
(beautiful, complex and infinitely rewarding)

steve lacy album: "Solo: Live at Unity Temple"
(check out the monk medley)

jazz history in a box: "smithsonian collection of classic jazz, vols. 1-5"

ornette coleman: "change of the century"
(or practically any of his records)

steve coleman album: "genesis & the opening of the way" (2 cd)

cassandra wilson tune: "love is blindness"
(u2 cover on "New Moon Daughter")

ravi coltrane: "mad 6" or "moving pictures"
(see this fellow if you can)

bebo valdés+el cigala cd: "lágrimas negras"
(jazz legend pianist, flamenco singer...tremendous record)

cesária évora: ANY RECORD YOU CAN FIND...this woman is one of a kind

super furry animals: "phantom power"
(see this band, they rock live too)

this list is just a starter and like life or any list of favorites, it's not just about jazz or any one thing, you know? loving any art form or natural form is not about being exclusive, saying "this shit, not that shit" or "i only listen to so and so" because that's not what got you where you are. that attitude wouldn't have let you get to where you are and know the things you know (or appreciate those finer things you so enjoy) because it says "nope, just this!"

i don't believe anyone who tells me they like jazz but then can't sit through a saxophone solo (WHAT?!?) or people who say they like rock and roll but don't care about the blues (hello??) or that "all jazz sounds the same" and that they listen to the radio, the antithesis of quality listening, unless you have some rare local jewel of a station but even then you'd have to put up with quite a bit of crap while getting your fix of good music.

a recent lemona flurry

this is the view from my apartment, overlooking the quarry (which has been left alone for some years now and now has lovely pine trees and other vegetation lining its chiseled façade), located right next to estadio arlonagusia, the home of the mighty second division-group B soccer team sociedad deportiva lemona (DO check out the website, where you can sing along to the rousing team anthem!!).

the stadium bears the name of the street it's on, which is also my street, incidentally: the famed Avenida Arlonagusia. i have no photo of the stadium right now (or of the practice field next to it) but that can be taken care of if i get enough requests!

anyhow, here's the view from the pad late last month when snow started to fall. it was lovely and a nice surprise. never did see that happen in my hometown growing up.

jes gitn stawdid

well, gotta git som'n up here, so here goze...

this is improvisation at its near finest. it combines ecology (putting a hat that had been relegated to camping trips only back into action, a.k.a. reuse: one of the 3 Rs) and technology (the new siemens cordless phone, which came with a clip but unfortunately not a headset nor any info as to what headsets may be compatible. so, i was forced to come up with this here combo. and by golly it worked out ok. why would i bother? well, you see, when i have to talk with a client about the many question marks regarding the obtuse text they sent me, i kinda need to be able to maneuver around with the keyboard and mouse and type a word or two, so there you have it: my new eco-invention!