Leaves of the fall...

It's 10:08 precisely and I'm sitting in my apartment enjoying a hot mug of Genmaicha tea and the sweet sounds of Miles Davis' record Sketches of Spain. It's a good morning. In the last week Toronto has transformed from a paradise of 20 degree sunny late summer days to a crisp, cool vision of fall. It's fall, officially and my favourite season. Period.

It's the time of year when I wake up in my bed, cozy and warm and with great difficulty tear myself from my safe cocoon. The crisp morning air wakes me up as walk to school and when I finally arrive my cheeks have rosy glow. The leaves change to glorious shades of yellow, red and orange and dance around my feet on the ground as I walk through the beautiful u of t campus that I call home.

Fall to me signifies new beginnings. Fresh starts. The leaves turn colour and fall to the ground making way for new life to take its place the following spring. Guys may not get this one, but girls, it's like when you wash your face before you apply a facial mask. Clean away the impurities before you apply the mask, then you leave the mask on for however long is necessary, then wash it off to reveal amazing skin. It's exactly like the seasons! Fall cleans away all the leaves and flowers from the previous year so that the snow can coat the land for next few months, only to reveal Mother Nature in all her glory the following spring.

Glorious! What a glorious season. On the topic of glorious, I feel like Sketches of Spain is a glorious album to be listening to has I think about fall. The album is a big band album put together by Miles Davis and Gil Evans and it is beautiful. Absolutely stunning. If I were to give it a season it would be fall, red, orange, yellow and glorious. It's dark and brooding and haunting but so beautiful and exotic. Favourite track: most clearly Concierto de Aranjuez. Miles is absolutely captivating on this track, and this entire album really.

ahhhh fall. How I love you.

If only I had E.S.P....

Time is going by far too quickly and it's clear that I have some catching up to do on this listening if I want to get it done in time! My friends have been asking where I'm at in the count, and I'm a little bit ashamed to say I'm sitting at a mere 8 discs, with many more to go and not so many days to finish. However, I refuse to give into my usual vices and sit around watching Veronica Mars and snacking on banana loaf and fried apples. I'm going to finish this thing that I've started because in fact, I do enjoy it.

On Friday I listened to the John Coltrane album Blue Train but found myself rather quickly succumbing to the sweet thought of sleep. But alas! I have not forgotten. Blue Train. It's an album filled with standards that I actually know, which was what I found most surprising about the album. It features Lee Morgan on Trumpet, Curtis Fuller on Trombone, Coltrane on Tenor Sax, Kenny Drew on Piano, Paul Chambers on Bass and Philly Joe Jones on Drums. Who stood out to me aside from Coltrane (obviously) was Curtis Fuller. I can count the times on one hand that I've listened to a Trombone player and checked the disc to find out who it was because I liked it so much.

This album featured the title track Blue Train, Locomotion , I'm Old Fashioned, Lazy Bird and one of my personal fav's Moment's Notice. Great album. Thumbs up people.

Onto the next...

E.S.P. by Miles Davis. Featuring:
Miles Davis - Trumpet
Wayne Shorter - Tenor Sax
Herbie Hancock - Piano
Ron Carter - Bass
Tony Williams - Drums

This album is definitely a step in a different direction for Miles when I compare it to 'Round About Midnight which he recorded 9 years earlier. A new group with a very different vibe. Tony Williams adds a totally different feel on the drums. Not to mention the arrangments and compositions are much different too this time around. My favourite track on the album was a composition by Wayne Shorter entitled "Iris". It's beautiful and simple. A beautiful ballad in 3/4.

Blue Train

It's bedtime, but rather than laying snug in my bed I'm sitting at my computer listening to my next disc on my list - Blue Train, a John Coltrane album. While I won't write about it tonight, I will tell you that it is most enjoyable as Trane always is.

I contemplated the title of this post for a moment before I typed it in. It's the title of the album I'm listening to right at this moment, but it is also an accurate description of my afternoon on some level. I felt blue. Not the kind of self-inflicted blue, where one wallow's in self pity and pain but the kind of blue when your heart longs for something that you simply can't have. It all started with one single pang. It hit the pit of my stomach as I opened a door to a familiar face. It startled me to experience this strange sensation when I felt so great only moments before. But it hit me, like a tonne of bricks. A few spoken words and a quick exit later, I took a long, deep breath and reset.

But the pang in my stomach grew. It crawled up into my chest where it made its home. It had been quite a while since I felt this feeling - the feeling of my heart bursting. The hurt. It surprised me a bit considering how far I've come and how great I feel. I found myself daydreaming through class. Remembering moments, touch, warmth, habits, love. As much as I hate to admit it I missed them all and wanted them all back. That's what made the pain worse, knowing that I absolutely could not have what I really long for. Just a fragment of that time back in my hands for me to hold, enjoy and retain knowing that it would be gone. That is a request that will never be granted, nor should it be. What I must indulge, however, is the feelings I feel and thoughts that cross my mind in these moments. The more I push them away, the harder it will be each time I turn a corner only to find his face before me.

Each day it will get easier and I know that. 5 weeks from now, it will still be hard but better, 5 months from now, the feelings will have lessened and 5 years from now it will just be an old photo tucked away in a box, only to be admired and remembered when I choose.

Until then I take it one day at a time. Today I'm a little blue, tomorrow I'll be enjoying the company of wonderful friends, and Sunday who knows. For now, in this moment I'm enjoying the company of Coltrane and right now that's all I need.

All these Miles gon' make a girl tired........

That was bad, I know. Cheesy - eeek but it just had to be done.

At this particular moment in time I'm finding myself remarkably relaxed, sitting at my computer listening to the Miles album 'Round About Midnight. It's a great album to cap my day of school and classes.

It was beautiful in the city today - the sun was out, the air was the perfect temperature. Perfect for wearing a pair of nice jeans with a cute tank and my comfy sparkling white Keds. A good day. A great day. A day of new beginnings and fresh starts. I think that's why fall has always been my favourite season, and most all September one of my favourite months. It's the time when school starts, which for me means a new year is beginning. A new year with new goals, new teachers, new friends and new experiences. As long as I'm in school, September is a month to reset my priorities and reconnect with what I want and this September I know what I want.

It's funny because this September is in no way what I thought that it would be. Certain rituals I was anticipating from my daily life are now gone. I was anticipating an upswing, "once school comes it'll all work itself out" I thought. I was anticipating a new school year with him, and expecting to grow in a different way. Without him, my growth took on an entirely different shape and form. At first, it left me with an emptiness inside - a pang in the pit of my stomach. That's all gone now that my mind has wrapped itself around the idea of welcoming the school year alone. But that's hardly the case because at this moment right now, I feel less alone than I did last year, or ever really. I feel full - rich with love and positive energy that I get from my wonderful friends and family. I can appreciate so many moments. Like today for instance.

I sat outside after my class, perched on a bench just off the walkway behind my faculty and read a chapter of Anne of Green Gables in the sun. Beautiful.
I bought fruit in the market and vegetables in the Market and cooked them for dinner. Delicious.
I reunited with old friends and played catch-up. Wonderful.
I sit here, writing, listening to Miles Davis. Inspirational.

It's been a great day and it's on days like this I'm reminded that the simple pleasures are really what count. On that note, I'm going to go pick out a tune to sing in ensemble tomorrow, brush my teeth, read the liner notes for this Miles disc and fall asleep to the thunder of the Recycling trucks picking up my recycling that I didn't put out because I don't have any clear bags. Excellent.
That is what my sleep will be - excellent.

I didn't write much about the music, however I did listen to the disc, and I will read the liner notes. So here's the band on Miles Davis' 'Round About Midnight.
Miles Davis - Trumpet
John Coltrane - Tenor Saxophone
Red Garland - Piano
Paul Chambers - Bass
Philly Joe Jones - Drums

Tenor Madness & Milestones

So much music and so little time! I'm losing my precious days as my habits of old begin to kick in. Procrastination - forever the antagonist in the story of my life!

That being said, this morning I woke to the morning light and the sounds of Dundas St. West filtering through my doorway - well before my alarm. So I've enjoyed the morning, and relaxing the sounds of Sonny and Miles with my cup of hot popped rice green tea. Mmmmmm. The simpler things.

So Sonny, is absolutely a completely different deal on this record. It's laid back it's relaxed. The band is John Coltrane - Tenor (on the first tune only), Red Garland - Piano, Paul Chambers - Bass, and Philly Joe Jones on Drums. So this album came before Night at the Village Vanguard and listening back I can really hear the difference. Most obviously the difference in recording - one is live and the other studio, but also in the general vibe of the group. It's entirely different which is mostly attributed to fact that the band is completely different. Anyways, great album. Fav. tune: The Most Beautiful Girl in the World. (I am such a dork...)

Onto Miles...

Miles Davis - Trumpet
Cannonball Adderley - Alto Sax
John Coltrane - Tenor Sax
Red Garland - Piano
Paul Chambers - Bass
Philly Joe Jones - Drums

Mmmmmmm so good. Fav. track - Milestones. The head is just too cool and reall catchy. This group is great. This album is great, and aptly named. Before I listened to this disc, I had already heard Miles and Coltrane so that was a no brainer, I knew that I'd like that. The surprise is Cannonball Adderley. I've never (consciously) heard him play and I love it. His tone is so clear and crisp. Also - all the recordings I've listening have been lacking alto sax so it's refreshing to hear!

All in all great album, definitely one I'd throw if I need a jazz fix, it's got everything a girl could need. :)

Now, it's off to my first singing lesson of the school year. Wish me luck!

The Final Stretch

It's a little bit frightening how quickly Fall has come upon us. The temperatures have cooled to a most comfortable medium. The days of sunburns and suntanning are almost behind us. It's the kind of weather where anything goes - shorts if you're brave, pants if not, and capris if you're in between. The nights are cooler, so sleeping is a dream (pardon the pun). No more sticky savannah nights in my second floor downtown Toronto apartment. I can sleep peacefully again with my door closed and the sound of Dundas Street West safely behind it.

The temperature isn't the only change though, the leaves are changing. Already, the green leaves are turning to a warm yellow shade and some already hinting at red. Leaves are beginning to cloak the ground, falling idly off of trees on the final breath of summer. It's becoming clear that her breath won't be warm for long and soon enough there will be a cooler breeze blowing through Toronto and I'll finally get to pull out my favourite cropped jacket from last season to curl up in. Hurray! It's coming - and it's my favourite.

This post is going to be short, since I must pack my bags as Miss Yu will be here in a precious few to pick me up for an evening at her cottage. We'll be accompanyed by our wonderful guitar master Neil, a bottle of wine, good food, great weather and most of all good times! Anywho, here's to relaxing and enjoying the final breath of summer - oh and reading Anne of Green Gables! That's right I'm re-reading the Anne Files.

Next up on the music front - Sonny Rollins, Tenor Madness and Miles Davis, Milestones.
See you soon, xo.

Free For All - Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers

Freddie Hubbard - Trumpet
Curtis Fuller - Trombone
Wayne Shorter - Tenor Saxophone
Cedar Walton - Keys
Reginald Workman - Bass
Art Blakey - Drums

The first word that came to mind when I hit play on this record is fire. Art Blakey is absolutely on fire. I'm sure that I've heard a recording of him at some point but simply didn't realize I was listening to it. That being said, this would be the first time that I've consciously listened to Art Blakey and I think I get it. His playing is busy and loud but clearly contagious listening to way Wayne Shorter (Tenor Saxophone) and Freddie Hubbard (Trumpet) develop their solos to a level of intensity that I certainly didn't expect in the first track, Free For All.

The liner notes mention that a quote from Freddie Hubbard that says, "After you play with him, it feels empty playing with most other drummers. He gives you so much support." It's interesting because listening to the recording after reading that it becomes pretty clear how much of an impact Blakey's energy and style has on the direct and energy of the group.

The second track Hammer Head is a lot more laid back, sitting at a mid-tempo. This came as a relief because track one, Free For All was pretty intense (in the best way possible) but Hammer Head was a nice little rest for my poor (still sick!) brain.

The Core is an interesting track. In the liner notes the title is clarified a bit, having multiple meanings - most explicitly the word CORE is an acronym for the Congress Of Racial Equality and notes about Freddie Hubbard's respect and admiration for the organization. The title also has a musical and emotional meaning as Hubbard comments on it getting at "some of the core of jazz - the basic feelings and rhythms that are at the foundation of the music." I think I'll have to look a little further into that one....There is, however, definitely an element of passion that's really apparent in the tracks. The last track on the album, Pensativa is once again is a smooth contrast to the one before, The Core. The perfect ending for the record.

Nice...........that's all I got for that one. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - thumbs up all around.

Sonny Rollins - A Night At The Village Vanguard

I can talk about shoes, clothes, fashion and food all day long. As my family and friends can all attest, I will complain until my turns blue but for some silly reason I have had an awful time finding a way to write about this Cd.

About music. It's really strange how something I care so much about could be so difficult to write about, but it is. The disc is great. I'd always heard my classmates talk about Sonny Rollins and how much they enjoyed his playing (or jazz terms, how heavy he was...and not physically). I never really checked him out and never really engaged in conversation about him. I usually nodded mindlessly and turned into a conversation with another person, or changed the subject. Guilty. I am totally guilty of being a jazz major and not having ever sat down and listened to him. Phew finally, I said it out loud.

That's not to say however that I didn't enjoy it. I loved it. It was simple and to the point. His playing felt clear and honest, which to me IS the point of music. His solos weren't littered with mindless patterns and expansive, superfluous lines, rather they were directed by a clear idea and emotion. All that said, it was enhanced by the bare, but supportive background of Wilbur Ware on bass and Elvin Jones on drums (Donald Bailey and Pete La Roca are heard on A Night in Tunisia). His rendition of Softly As In A Morning Sunrise was definitely my favourite part of the 2 disc album.

Anyways, that's about as into it I can get tonight. My head is still throbbing and some foreign body is still waging a war against my immune system in the interior of body. So, on that note it is in fact time for some night time Tylenol cold, some ginger lemon tea and a night filled with sleep (I'm keeping my fingers crossed!). So on that note, sweet dreams and good night.

The Challenge

I finally have a consistent internet connection - and it's about time! It such a wonderful relief to be uninhibited by mobile browsers and free to peruse the internet and it's wonders at my own leisure. The tips of my fingers are tingling with excitement and my brain is afire with new thoughts and possibilities with which I can paint in words on this blank, cyberspace canvas. Oh my!

But alas, this literary venture must remain rather short because Mother Nature has unleashed her most feared monster upon me - the common cold. My forehead is heating up and my legs are starting to ache and with each second that passes my bed across the room seems more and more appealing....to bed I must go. BUT, before that I will inform any of you who are reading of the latest challenge I have bestowed upon myself. It all begins with an RW&Co bag....

It has been sitting at the edge of my bed for nearly a month and I've been simply pretending it doesn't exist. I've been afraid. Intrigued? Well it doesn't hold my final theory test from last semester (and believe that is something to be afraid of), nor is it filled with unwashed dishes or moldy sandwich containers (which believe me are no a stranger to my room). It is actually something that in itself is not frightening at all that is because it is not the item I fear but the association I have with them. I fear that acknowledging the bag and its contents will remind me of their owner and thus remind what I no longer have. But it's time. I can't just return the bag, because there is so much I could gain from it.

It is filled with Cd's. Not exactly scary, I know. There are 25 and they are organized in order of importance of listening. They are all related to jazz and its history in some way and are all important for me to listen to - and not JUST listen to. The owner specifically instructed that the liner notes must be read along with listening to the Cd. So that I will do. I am going to listen to all of those 25 Cd's and read all 25 liner notes and write about my my experience listening to all 25 Cd's in the next 30 days - at which point I will return the bag to its owner and be done with it!

So tomorrow I will begin. In fact I've started listening tonight just for fun. Item number one: A Night At The Village Vanguard , Sonny Rollins. So far so good.

And on that note, I'm going to take some Tylenol and hop into bed. See you tomorrow!