Sept. 29, 2016
Last Saturday night I was doing a “private event” gig in Manhattan (aka “the city”). I generally take the subway to city gigs; traffic and parking make the driving experience hellish, and my amp is light enough to be carried on a small cart (it’s all Aguilar: SL112 cab, Tone Hammer 500 head).
I spent the afternoon uploading CDs into my MacBook to make a killer iPod playlist for the commute (old school I know, but it works for me so there). How do I make my choices? I have no idea; I grab CDs seemingly at random, following some kind of subconscious inspiration, and I go from there.
But I never got to hear the playlist; on the way in, my subway line was running with delays and re-routing that necessitated switching trains and a longer walk in the street, and after the gig I splurged on a cab ride home while my iPod sat in the trunk.
It wasn’t until I got home, got out of my suit and stretched, and brewed my evening cup of mint tea that I got to listen to the unique mix that I’d created. I hit “Recently Added” and “Shuffle,” and got a jumble of 5 very different albums that I just had to share with you (hover over titles for links to more info on each):
John Brown’s Body - Pressure Points
Jack Bruce - Things We Like
Lucy Schwartz - Timekeeper
Sly & Robbie - Language Barrier
Toto Bona Lokua - Gerald Toto, Richard Bona & Lokua Kanza
Five very different sensibilities, from different parts of the world and different years, with only my Saturday night at home with my tea post-gig in common. I love music!
Be well
JM