Music??

It is a lazy and sometimes rainy day here in Florida on this Labor Day Monday.  It nudged me into turning off the news and turning on my often times neglected DTV music channels.  I picked a "Jazz Vocal" channel and was immediately lulled into a melancholy state of mind.  And that prompted me to write another blog and share my experience.

Man oh man the music I am hearing is so great!  And there isn't much any more like it these days.  Let me hasten to say -- my grandson, Ben Harris, is a hip hop singer and I respect his talents.  He can grab a mike and spit out impromptu rhymes and rhythms like the professional he is.  I don't know how he does it.  But that musical genre has little or no melody and always includes the obligatory heavy bass that seems to rattle and vibrate the windows of the cars I pass sometimes -- sending that boom boom out to the world so as to try and convince everyone that this is the only music they should be exposed to. Rather like an itinerant preacher on the corner talking to no one in particular trying to convert the entire populace.  Apparently the louder the music the better it is. Go figure!

But I digress. (as I often do) Today I am pleased to have listened to some REAL "oldies".  I mean back a bunch of years -- through the 30's 40's and 50's -- maybe even further back -- sung by the likes of such greats as Peggy Lee, Ella, Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Bobby Darren, June Christy, Sara Vaughn and -- anybody remember Chet Baker? (Trumpet and singer) -- well if you are older 'n 70 -- you could add a bunch more.  What a treat -- I need to change channels more often.

First we hear a nice musical intro -- then a great performance -- with lyrics that we all remember and can understand and love and a rhythm we can snap our fingers to.  Sinatra sitting in a bar at quarter to 3 in the morning having "One for his baby and one more for the road.  These foolish things,  Old Black Magic" -- Peggy Lee lamenting  "Is that all there is?"  Bobby Darren warning us not to trust ole Mack the Knife. And such great talents as Nat King Cole, Billy Holiday, Ray Charles --  I could go on and on but that would fill a book.  There were so many.  What happened to those great talents and songwriters -- the likes of  -- Kern -- Cole Porter and the Gershwin brothers -- just to name a few -- I know they died -- but is there no one to take their place?  Maybe no one could take their place.

Of course I would not ever wish to  rid us of rock n roll (which -- by the way -- was a code phrase for having sex -- LOL we fooled the white preachers didn't we?)  and I certainly would not wish to deprive each generation of their special music.  But I would love to have -- just once-- some of those huge speakers in my car and when I pulled up beside a car with the windows down and the rear window vibrating so hard it might burst -- and roll down my windows and blast away my music with  -- lets see -- maybe Ella  and her skat-singing jazz version of  "How high the Moon" and I would blast  the offending boom box laden car with -- dooby dooby doo --as only Ella could sing it, just as loud as the other car -- and see what kind of reaction I might get before I gave the offender a one finger salute and got the hell out of there. Well -- I can dream can't I?

I guess I am really acting like a white haired old man in his 80's  reminiscing about the past.  Well I AM a white haired old man in his 80's and I loved this afternoon -- reminiscing about the past and listening to MY music, patting my foot, singing along, and enjoying the hell out of it. It makes me feel great.  I should do this again soon.

From the heart of Olaf Hart.........