The alternative place to listen to jazz

[mmilovan]

I always wonder how many of us listen to music (via your portable) while walking, sitting on some particular place in town etc.

I’ve discovered my little passion to listen to particular artist/style in special occasions or during special daytime hour, during special season, sitting in special place... on my portable CD player. It is somewhat lonely discipline, listening to music and looking at the people passing by, strolling down the street, gathering on the town square, while noisy cars passing you in front of.

But what happy and deep feeling it can be. Today, I listened to “Early Autumn” (even it is cold late autumn or early winter time now) – done by Woody Herman’s band, trying to remember forever how splendid it was listen to Getz playing that saxophone solo and how it was beautiful sound picture, a frame for yellow leaves and rays of bright sunlight in such cold, dry day.

[couw]

Cecil Taylor is good for long train trips when in that permanent state of almost asleep, but definitely not yet. In general, the freer forms of jazz fit well with that mood and place.

[mmilovan]

Well, I can agree.

In one occasion I listened to Ornette Coleman (waiting for something, in very downtown centre). It was very nice.

[A Lark Ascending]

I always take my walkperson and some CDs on trips and find the conjunction of particular music with particular places very affecting.

A few examples:

Maria Schneider's 'Concert in the Garden' which I played whilst sat in the magnificent gardens in Seville, Cordoba and Granada this year.

A few years back I spent a rather dead Sunday afternoon strolling through the streets of Florence with 'We did it, We did it!' by Tiziano Tononi in my ears. Magical!

Last month I spend an hour strolling through a very damp, Autumnal St Stephen's Green in Dublin with a Kenny Wheeler/John Taylor disc evoking the mood quite perfectly.

[mmilovan]

I've discovered how faster tempo numbers are more suitable for open spaces. Coleman Hawkins "Body and Soul" on the contrary is perfect match with dark, small room of little apartment; Pres version of the same tune (with Nat Cole, 1942.) is perfect for moving camera night scene, where target point is around 70 cm above the ground, shooting at long street perspectives with rather blue (not yellow or orange) street lights and slow moving in forward direction (a little rain will do very well, also, on this one).

Billie Holiday's "Travellin' All Alone" and short intro Pres' solo is perfect for riding by train - it is straightforward understanding the word "travelling".