The Musics, March 2021

Below is what I’ve been tracking, listening to, and reading this month. I have an email capture at the bottom if you want me to email you once a month when I post these.

Shows:

New shows are in bold.
3/4/21: Ben Folds, live stream from the Jorgensen Digital Stage (Australia), 5pm PST. Tix here.
9/1/21: Lamb of God; Trivium; Megadeth at FivePoints Amphitheater in Irvine.

New music:

Guy Mintus Trio’s A Gershwin Playground…is just that. Mintus on piano leads this group to bust through these covers Kool-Aid Man style. I love it when artists don’t just play the cover as-is, but rather turn it completely upside-down. Just one example is their take on Summertime which is now an upbeat romp. I’m new to Mintus and I look forward to checking him out more.
Trumpeter Marquis Hill created so many cool astrological vibes in his Soul Sign. Hill mixes vocals from Mecca Woods and Boro the Lucky Libra, two Bronx astrologers who discuss each Zodiac sign and the aligning planets. All this with the groove backdrop production of two bassists and producers Gengis Don, ChallyMikes, and MitchyTime. This album leaves me dreaming…getting back to my Welch Tuning System kit to play alongside the tunes with all the tones I can get from those drums. I can’t wait to get lost in the recording and musical creating world again.
This whole In the Spirit of Herbie Hancock does a wonderful job showcasing the live concert. It’s not just good recording quality. But the album also capturing the raw energy from the band. I loved their take on Watermelon Man with how they played with the rhythm and harmony to create a new feel to it.

And since I posted this version of “Watermelon Man”, I couldn’t help but listen to another favorite cover of this tune:

Currently I’m listening to Puscifer’s (a Maynard James Keenan project) Existential Reckoning.  The album uses space, sounds, and electronica well.

Books:

I honored and celebrated Black History month this year with books on the history of inequality and racism.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson, narrated by Robin Miles. This is one of the most (if not THE most) important books I have read. Ever. Wilkerson walks through years and years and years…and examples upon examples of the history of racism. She also ties it into many stories of current racism. Also, she parallels racism and the entire caste system with Hitler and the Third Reich. Caste and books that explain a more true history of America and the world is what we should teach in our school systems. This book blew me away and I am indebted that Wilkerson gathered and explained this important book.

White Fragility: Why it’s so Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin Diangelo, narrated by Amy Landon. This was a powerful book, as it breaks down histories of persons of color and how people who are white can begin from a place of understanding (a much deeper understanding) to act against racism. Diangelo explains how to take criticism and also how important it is to have a voice when you’re around people of non-color making racism statements and actions.

How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi, read by the author. Again, it was another book that continues to open my eyes about the history of how drastic and deep-seeded racism is unfortunately.

Eve-Rodsky’s Fair Play, read by the author. I saw her speak recently at a Lawyers Club of San Diego luncheon and her book was well-explained approach to equality housework and life for couples and families.

Other books I finished this month:

A Blight of Blackwings (Seven Kennings, book 2), by Kevin Hearne, read by Luke Daniels (who read some of Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles books and is a wonderful voice performer) and Xe Sands. I love how much fun Hearne has in his mystical realms and his characters are quirky and interesting alongside the overarching tale of worlds at war with giants.

Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel. This was a delight: about being present, in the present, for the present.

New Functional Training for Sports by Michael Boyle. This had lots of solid exercises that focus on performance, mostly in sports but I’m using them for general training, running…bags-playing, etc. Boyle also gives good explanation why he selected the exercises. A big thank you to Justin McShane for recommending this book. Justin has many great resources like this on his boxing YouTube channel.

The Book on Tax Strategies for the Savvy Real Estate Investor by Amanda Han, Matthew MacFarland. It has some good info about the topic. Although I couldn’t help but have…um…reactions, to the few times they denounced their admiration for a certain someone who has dealt in real estate.

This month’s pic:

Ah, the vibrant blues of the Atlantic: just off South Miami Beach.

 

 

 

 

 

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