Well, dear readers, I am sitting here with a glass of wine, a marijuana cigarette, listening to Paul Desmond blowing the sweetest sounds I’ve ever heard. Well, only one of those things is actually true. I hate wine, and I’ve never had a marijuana cigarette or a Quaalude or an upper or a downer or horse, Mary Jane, a blunt, reefer, smack, the cocaine, LS and D – in fact, I am a drug virgin and that is the way I shall stay. Put, listening to Paul Desmond, I have to imagine, is sort of like having a marijuana cigarette, only it doesn’t smell bad. Mr. Desmond, how shall I put it, puts you in the zone. There has never been anyone really like him in terms of blowing sweet. He was a poet of the saxophone as Bill Evans was a poet of the piano and Toots Thielmans is a poet of the harmonica. Most know him from his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, but I have all his solo albums and each is a thing of beauty and also a beauty of a thing. If you ever have the opportunity to pick up one of his solo CDs do so – you won’t be disappointed.
Yesterday was a day and a half. I got up at six-thirty in the morning, and was at the dentist at eight. Happily, the whole appointment lasted less than thirty minutes and the only second of discomfort was when he sprayed with cold water the tooth that was getting crowned – other than that, it was easy breezy. I came home and did a few things, then headed over for the vocal comping session. It wasn’t too far from the home environment. We started at the beginning and did everything but one song, which I’ll do when next we’re together. It took a little longer than I thought it would because I’m very methodical about comping vocals, but it’s always such a treat to then listen to the final comped vocal against the track, especially when you get it right the first time – it’s seamless and no one would have any idea it wasn’t all sung in one take. It’s going to be a very nice album. I should hear the preliminary mixes by Friday, and then we’ll have a session at Westlake Audio where I finesse them and do my thing. We’re working on the packaging now. After that, I went and picked up the mail and a package, and then I headed directly to Jerry’s Deli to satisfy my craving for two count them two scoops of chicken salad on a bed of lettuce. It was quite tasty, and then I came home, did some work on the computer, had a couple of long telephonic calls concerning the long musical, and then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched the most recent episode of Mad Men. I didn’t find it one of the strongest, but I enjoyed it okay. I then began watching a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled The Black Shield of Falworth, starring Mr. Tony Curtis, Miss Janet Leigh, and a splendidly splendid supporting cast, including Barbara Rush, Patrick O’Neal, Dan O’Herlihy, Torin Thatcher, and lots of other good folks. I’ll have more to say when I finish it – I was so tired I kept dozing off, but I’m happy to report that the Blu-Ray looks amazing. It’s an import from the UK but region-free, so it will play in any Blu-Ray player. This was Universal’s first film in Cinemascope and it just goes to show you that when you have people in charge who know what they are doing and aren’t out for publicity or to make their job seem difficult, you can deliver a perfect transfer – great color, sharp as can be, and clean as a whistle. I guarantee you that if this had been put in the hands of some restoration expert they would have told us the negative had faded and was damaged and that it would cost a million dollars to properly restore and, you know, it’s a 1954 early Cinemascope film and somehow they delivered a perfect transfer, whereas other films from that year, we’re told, are all so problematic. It does make you wonder.
After that, I decided to do a two-mile jog – I took a different route and ended up doing a little over two miles – it was nice in the cool air.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’m just sitting here like a piece of halibut, listening to Paul Desmond blowing sweet.
Today, I shall be getting up early, for the Taras Bulba CDs will be arriving around nine. I shall than package up all the orders and get them to the post office. That will probably take me until eleven. Then I have some errands and whatnot to do, and then Mr. Cason Murphy will come over and we’ll do all the big orders and then get them over to the UPS Store. That will probably take an hour if I prep the packages before he gets here.
Tomorrow I have an early morning meeting with the new chair of the theater arts department. We’ll see how that goes. But after that, the day and evening are mine all mine and I must try and keep it that way.
I do have some other appointments to deal with over the next few days and, of course, I have to begin the liner notes for the next Kritzerland release, which is a biggie and one I’m thoroughly delighted to be doing. In fact, I moved it up on the schedule, just because I’m so excited about it.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, package up CDs, take CDs to the postal office, prepare all the big orders, lug the big orders to the UPS Store, eat something amusing, and then, at some point, sit on my couch like so much fish. Today’s topic of discussion: Who are your all-time favorite instrumental solo artists – whether classical or jazz or whatever. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I continue to be in the zone because of Paul Desmond’s blowing sweet.