A Love Supreme

Ah, jazz. It came into my life when I first became a teenager and for some inexplicable reason, joined the junior high jazz band. My interest peaked a few years later, in high school, when I spent most of the spring weekends traveling to different jazz competitions and shows with the school band. (I was a fair trumpet player: competent, I suppose, but certainly nothing to write home about.) As time passed, and my trumpet took a backseat to a number of other interests, my taste in music moved away from jazz to some extent. I still had Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong CDs, but I wasn't actively interested in acquiring more jazz.

So what happened? A few things, I suppose. Martin Medeski & Wood are partially responsible; I also consider Yoko Kanno to have pushed me back to sweet jazz. Even some of the records people brought into one of my favorite bars on Sundays were an influence. But the important thing is that jazz and I made up.

So, today's music is A Love Supreme by John Coltrane. I think this may be my favorite Coltrane album, possibly even over the highly-regarded Giant Steps, though it's hard to say. There are other musicians on the album, but it's really all about John, just freaking out with his sax. I don't know if I really have the words in me to compare to John's playing; it would be comparable to describing the Taj Mahal with grunts and scratches. Still, his playing is the absolute antithesis of all the 'lite jazz' crap that was forced on the country years ago; while John doesn't physically beat Kenny G to within an inch of his life with his sax, he certainly does artistically. If you haven't listened to any John Coltrane, then a) get out from under your rock and b) do something about it. Whether you even enjoy jazz or not is up to you, but you can't deny that this record is a showcase for a talented man at the peak of his powers. Highly recommended.

In other news:

I survived testing. I think it went very well. I failed to break boards with a wheel kick, which is unusual and irritating. Oh well. I have a couple sore spots but nothing serious. Somehow I managed to injure my right hand slightly by punching through a board, I think, which is both a surprise and a nuisance. It's certainly nothing serious though.

I looked at furniture last night - specifically, couches. I think that a reasonable couch purchase is in my near future, after which a house, er, spider-hole-warming party might be in order. Complete with smoothies and twister! And maybe some Fin du Monde if the party waits until I leave the state again.