Sunday, April 15, 2007

Confessions

I've decided it's about time I confessed to a few things. Some of these are worse than others, but I thought it would be a good idea to hide the more serious ones in a long list, among confessions that aren't quite so bad. I think that's a pretty good tactic. Here goes:

1. I've never read any of the Lemony Snicket books.

2. I didn't read the latest Harry Potter book, and I'm not planning on reading the next one.

3. I've never read any Jane Austen, and hope to keep it that way.

4. Sometimes I drive too fast.

5. Sometimes I boast about being the best at reverse parking in the entire world. It's true, but I shouldn't boast about it. (And there I go again.)

6. Even though I'm a jazz musician, most jazz really annoys me.

7. In five years since the scheme started, I still haven't got used to putting paper in a separate bin for recycling. I have two bins in my study, but I keep forgetting which one is which, and everything ends up getting mixed together.

8. In interviews I quite often lie. Nothing major, but I like to make things simpler, or more entertaining. After all, I am a story-teller. Lying is what I do best.

9. I think I'm secretly addicted to scratchcards. I buy one every time I go to the Post Office and tell myself I'm buying it for my girlfriend, or that it's a reward for going to the Post Office.

10. I have a rule never to buy meat that isn't free-range, but sometimes, when I'm really hungry and in a hurry, I buy a chicken sandwich from a supermarket. Or a BLT. Or a duck wrap. Mmm... duck wraps... No! It's evil!

There are plenty more mini-crimes I need to confess to. I'll put them up here when I've gathered the courage. Or I'll regret this whole thing and this post will mysteriously disappear from my blog...

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting that a Jazz Musician would find a lot of Jazz annoying. And that there is a lot of it to find annoying and still like it. I like a lot of jazz influenced artists, but have never really been able to get into jazz. So maybe there is still hope I will one day learn to enjoy an aspect of it.

Joe said...

I think the trouble with jazz is that bad jazz can be worse than any other type of music could possibly be.
I like the good jazz.
Sometimes that's hard to find.
Tell me which jazz influenced artists you like, and I'll recommend something decent for you to start with.

Anonymous said...

Well, thanks for the nice offer! The Jazz influenced artists I like the most are Mike Watt and Steve Wynn. Watt is all about Coltrane, but that's too big of jump for me. A friend once recommended Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" and though I liked it, it didn't really grab me, and I seldom listen to it. Another friend lent me his Ken Burns Jazz PBS movie, and I only got through a couple hours frequently falling asleep, even though I thought the music and tale were cool enuff. Just failed to grab me. Maybe I need to age more and hope to get refined.

Joe said...

"Maybe I need to age more and hope to get refined."

Nope - you just need some jazz that suits you better.

'Kind of Blue' is a classic, but it looks like you need something more... unusual.

Here are my top recommendations, in no particular order:

1. Good Morning Susie Soho, by Esbjorn Svensson

2. Bending New Corners, by Erik Truffaz

3. Brain, by Hiromi

4. Night Train, by Oscar Peterson

5. The Awakening, by Ahmad Jamal

6. Head Hunters, by Herbie Hancock (well, actually by The Head Hunters, but you'll find it in the Herbie Hancock rack)

7. Further Conversations With Myself, by Bill Evans

8. Freedom In The Groove, by Joshua Redman

9. Zig Zig, by Egberto Gismonti

10. Standards Volume 1, by Keith Jarrett

11. Solo Live, by Michel Petrucciani

12. The Cat, by Jimmy Smith

OK, I think that'll do for now. Let me know how you get on.

Anonymous said...

Neato, thanks for the list. I'll give them a go and see if I can't discover a world. A buddy of mine is all about Herbie. Maybe a good place to start.

Thanks again.