Today's DailyOM Offerings...
August 18, 2008
An Open Letter to Thelonious
Ellis Marsalis Quartet
2004
Famed pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis is also, quite literally, the father of modern jazz. His talented sons include musicians Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo, and Jason Marsalis, and each are well respected in the jazz community. Back before he had sired any offspring, though, the elder Marsalis had made a name for himself in his native New Orleans as one of the preeminent musicians working in bebop jazz instead of the city's aging Dixieland and R&B traditions. On An Open Letter to Thelonious, Marsalis offers a tribute to another one of the less literal fathers of modern jazz-Thelonious Monk, the iconoclastic pianist-composer whose quirky compositions remain cornerstones of bop half a century after many of them were penned. Marsalis and his quartet swing spare and loose the whole album through, making An Open Letter to Thelonious the ideal record for a casual-dinner ambiance-assuming you don't mind spilling your soup out of surprise on occasion.
There's a lot to be found in the brilliant corners of Monk's angular tunes, and the Ellis Marsalis Quartet does a good deal of snooping around. In "Jackie-Ing," drummer Jason Marsalis sandwiches his mates' clean bop lines in between a heavy funk backbeat in the jumpy chorus melody and a strangely martial drum solo to close it out. Derek Douget extends the bizarre syncopations of "Evidence (Encore)" into his wobbly tenor sax solo, before the elder Marsalis swoops in to smooth out the roughness with a compact master class in bop piano soloing.
If the sparseness of the rhythm section plus saxophone setup is a little off-putting at first, the warmth of the Ellis Marsalis Quartet's interpretations more than makes up for it. There's no mistaking the lamp-lit glow of "Monk’s Mood" for anything but a prelude to romance; Marsalis and Douget exchange quiet piano and sax trickles in flickering counterpoint like they were cooing flirtatiously. A different kind of sensuality pervades the Monk obscurity "Teo," with chord changes that the quartet chases from halting street funk into a classy swing, all culminating in a brilliantly subtle drum solo from the younger Marsalis. Though An Open Letter to Thelonious may never be answered, it's a deeply felt correspondence all the same.
August 18, 2008
Space For Reflection
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may feel like seeking out a quiet sanctuary to lie low in, which could make you feel a little removed from the world today. Your mood might be due to your desire to take care of yourself by getting in touch with your own needs instead of taking care of other people’s concerns. If you can make your home a safe haven, letting yourself simply be without any distractions, you might find that you not only become more attuned to your wants but that you could also become more energized as a result. Try turning off your phone, unhooking from the Internet, and simply letting yourself spend time in stillness paying attention to the gentle rhythm of your breath. Doing this could help you realize how much your home can truly be a space for reflection and healing today.
Making time for ourselves allows us to contemplate our lives more fully. In our modern-day existence there is often so much that occupies our time and takes us away from ourselves. Instead of just being, we are often involved in the act of doing. When we consciously create room for reflection, however, we are much more able to get in touch with whom we truly are and to really assess what our body, mind, and spirit need at this point in time. By being in a place that feels safe and comforting today, you will discover many things about yourself that will contribute to your overall sense of well-being.
August 18, 2008
Small Steps To Big Change
Making Big Change Easier
When we decide that it’s time for big changes in our lives, it is wise to ease into them by starting small. Small changes allow us to grow into a new habit and make it a permanent part of our lives, whereas sudden changes may cause a sense of failure that makes it difficult to go on, and we are more likely to revert to our old ways. Even if we have gone that route and find ourselves contemplating the choice to start over again, we can decide to take it slowly this time, and move forward.
Sometimes the goals we set for ourselves are merely indicators of the need for change and are useful in getting us moving in the right direction. But it is possible that once we try out what seemed so ideal, we may find that it doesn’t actually suit us, or make us feel the way we had hoped. By embarking on the path slowly, we have the chance to look around and consider other options as we learn and grow. We have time to examine the underlying values of the desire for change and find ways to manifest those feelings, whether it looks exactly like our initial goal or not. Taking small steps forward gives us time to adjust and find secure footing on our new path.
Life doesn’t always give us the opportunity to anticipate or prepare for a big change, and we may find ourselves overwhelmed by what is in front of us. By choosing one thing to work on at a time, we focus our attention on something manageable, and eventually we will look up to see that we have accomplished quite a bit. Forcing change is, in essence, a sign that we do not trust the universe’s wisdom. Instead, we can listen to our inner guidance and make changes at a pace that is right for us, ensuring that we do so in alignment with the rhythm of the universe.
An Open Letter to Thelonious
Ellis Marsalis Quartet
2004
Famed pianist and educator Ellis Marsalis is also, quite literally, the father of modern jazz. His talented sons include musicians Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo, and Jason Marsalis, and each are well respected in the jazz community. Back before he had sired any offspring, though, the elder Marsalis had made a name for himself in his native New Orleans as one of the preeminent musicians working in bebop jazz instead of the city's aging Dixieland and R&B traditions. On An Open Letter to Thelonious, Marsalis offers a tribute to another one of the less literal fathers of modern jazz-Thelonious Monk, the iconoclastic pianist-composer whose quirky compositions remain cornerstones of bop half a century after many of them were penned. Marsalis and his quartet swing spare and loose the whole album through, making An Open Letter to Thelonious the ideal record for a casual-dinner ambiance-assuming you don't mind spilling your soup out of surprise on occasion.
There's a lot to be found in the brilliant corners of Monk's angular tunes, and the Ellis Marsalis Quartet does a good deal of snooping around. In "Jackie-Ing," drummer Jason Marsalis sandwiches his mates' clean bop lines in between a heavy funk backbeat in the jumpy chorus melody and a strangely martial drum solo to close it out. Derek Douget extends the bizarre syncopations of "Evidence (Encore)" into his wobbly tenor sax solo, before the elder Marsalis swoops in to smooth out the roughness with a compact master class in bop piano soloing.
If the sparseness of the rhythm section plus saxophone setup is a little off-putting at first, the warmth of the Ellis Marsalis Quartet's interpretations more than makes up for it. There's no mistaking the lamp-lit glow of "Monk’s Mood" for anything but a prelude to romance; Marsalis and Douget exchange quiet piano and sax trickles in flickering counterpoint like they were cooing flirtatiously. A different kind of sensuality pervades the Monk obscurity "Teo," with chord changes that the quartet chases from halting street funk into a classy swing, all culminating in a brilliantly subtle drum solo from the younger Marsalis. Though An Open Letter to Thelonious may never be answered, it's a deeply felt correspondence all the same.
August 18, 2008
Space For Reflection
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may feel like seeking out a quiet sanctuary to lie low in, which could make you feel a little removed from the world today. Your mood might be due to your desire to take care of yourself by getting in touch with your own needs instead of taking care of other people’s concerns. If you can make your home a safe haven, letting yourself simply be without any distractions, you might find that you not only become more attuned to your wants but that you could also become more energized as a result. Try turning off your phone, unhooking from the Internet, and simply letting yourself spend time in stillness paying attention to the gentle rhythm of your breath. Doing this could help you realize how much your home can truly be a space for reflection and healing today.
Making time for ourselves allows us to contemplate our lives more fully. In our modern-day existence there is often so much that occupies our time and takes us away from ourselves. Instead of just being, we are often involved in the act of doing. When we consciously create room for reflection, however, we are much more able to get in touch with whom we truly are and to really assess what our body, mind, and spirit need at this point in time. By being in a place that feels safe and comforting today, you will discover many things about yourself that will contribute to your overall sense of well-being.
August 18, 2008
Small Steps To Big Change
Making Big Change Easier
When we decide that it’s time for big changes in our lives, it is wise to ease into them by starting small. Small changes allow us to grow into a new habit and make it a permanent part of our lives, whereas sudden changes may cause a sense of failure that makes it difficult to go on, and we are more likely to revert to our old ways. Even if we have gone that route and find ourselves contemplating the choice to start over again, we can decide to take it slowly this time, and move forward.
Sometimes the goals we set for ourselves are merely indicators of the need for change and are useful in getting us moving in the right direction. But it is possible that once we try out what seemed so ideal, we may find that it doesn’t actually suit us, or make us feel the way we had hoped. By embarking on the path slowly, we have the chance to look around and consider other options as we learn and grow. We have time to examine the underlying values of the desire for change and find ways to manifest those feelings, whether it looks exactly like our initial goal or not. Taking small steps forward gives us time to adjust and find secure footing on our new path.
Life doesn’t always give us the opportunity to anticipate or prepare for a big change, and we may find ourselves overwhelmed by what is in front of us. By choosing one thing to work on at a time, we focus our attention on something manageable, and eventually we will look up to see that we have accomplished quite a bit. Forcing change is, in essence, a sign that we do not trust the universe’s wisdom. Instead, we can listen to our inner guidance and make changes at a pace that is right for us, ensuring that we do so in alignment with the rhythm of the universe.