A Summer for Old Men

Having been less than overwhelmed by the amount of joyful summer music, and quite underwhelmed by a series of "summer reading" novels that were work to get through (Pathfinder, Possession and Green Mars, I'm looking at you), I was willing to entertain music I would normally have postponed until winter.

And was delighted.

Max Richter: The Blue Notebooks (2004)

You may know Max (Mrs. Jaybee and I met him so I feel I'm on a first-name basis with him) for putting his musical stamp on The Leftovers and any number of films. Mrs. Jaybee and I saw him play a number of those pieces live, and took the occasion to get Infra, which he had showcased that evening. It holds up remarkably well on CD, and is one of my favorite CDs of the last decade.

He works foremost with violins and keyboard, adding in various sound and vocal effects along the way. At the show, the house was full of couples holding hands for what is essentially classical music. Now that is no mean feat. 

My favorite Max piece is - of course - "On the Nature of Daylight" which originated on this album (and pops up in Shutter Island). The good news is that almost all of the other cuts strive for a similar intensity of feeling. Almost all succeed.

Either Max has got quite the scam going (the James Taylor of classical music??) or he's found a way to be both experimental and emotional simultaneously. 

I'm glad he's around.

A-

"On the Nature of Daylight"

Thelonious Monk: Monk's Dream (1962)

I've got at least a dozen Monk records now. And a perusal of the titles on this one tells me there's only one composition here that's new to me.

T has a habit of re-recording his compositions, which means I must have at least five to ten versions of most of his songs. You'd think that would be a problem. 

And yet, this one is one of my favorites. The band is on it, as is Monk himself. I can't even say they are the best musicians he's ever had. But they may be the most sympathetic.

Everything here has got that extra added oomph to make you sit up and notice.

A pleasure from beginning to end.

I dream one day of burning all his CDs in order to make a playlist sorted by title. (Eight versions in a row of "Bolivar Blues" anyone?) I might not play it around Mrs. Jaybee though. She tends to notice things like that.

A

All this may encourage me to explore, say, surf music. 

In January maybe?