A snaky groove

I'm not a big fan of spotlighting standards, but then this one came on the stereo on a recent cold evening while I was quietly reading at home, and suddenly, it was blammo! Living room dance party featuring myself and my wife, who is more than forgiving/amused about my spontaneous dance moves. Isn't that what jazz is all about, after all?

Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder

Eight ways home

Ah, the romance of the focus group. The dark room, the unseen gazing, the endless M&Ms and stale coffee. If you're going to be trapped in two-way mirror purgatory (or is it one-way?), you may as well try to put yourself the nocturnal cityscape of your mind's escape, here performed by an 8-piece ensemble with more talent than could probably have fit in the studio.

David Murray Octet - Home

Easy keys

Sometimes I'm just straight-up embarrassed by the gaps in my knowledge of jazz. For years, Erroll Garner was one of those canonical guys I meant to dig into but never seemed to find the time. That time is now, and his tunes did much to cool me off in the brutal heat earlier this week. I want surround myself with people as tasteful as this track and as sneakily modern as its intro.

(Summer placement inspired by a similar move a year ago today by Art Decade, who totally nailed the Mad Men-ness of it. Cheers!)

Erroll Garner - Body And Soul

How not to cure migraines

Yesterday I found myself in the grip of a brutal migraine/nausea tag-team. It lasted most of the day, and there was little I could do but ride it out. But vertigo can be awfully stubborn, especially when you've got this tune on the stereo. What an amazingly skewed mind Monk had. Even more amazing that he made this number swing.

Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners