Tag: music

the most human of instruments

As I stepped off the escalator underground, I heard lone notes of Vivaldi echoing toward me and I wove with urgency through the mid-morning crowd to find him.

There was quite a crowd listening already. He caught and held my eyes with his. As my train clattered its arrival behind him, his violin transitioned and belted out the first notes of Le Pera and Gardel’s famous tango, Por Una Cabeza.

With grateful tears threatening my eyes again, I mouthed an emotional “thank you” as I crossed toward him on the platform. He smiled and bowed his head towards me as I relived dancing along the Seine.

Little daily miracles.

Scheherazade

today ended up euphoric, somehow. despite the intensity of the first 9 hours of the day that were filled with endless exposure to small-talking strangers. (not a misanthropic comment, just signs of introversion).

night closed with the music of one of the most amazing and emotional performers i’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing live (this was the 4th concert of hers that i’ve attended) accompanied by a fascinating bottle of champagne at one of Manhattan’s only fully-operational wineries.

i felt a swelling love again for this city’s rollercoaster rides.

something she said as an interlude stayed with me-

that many of her musician friends have surpassed her in fame, but many of these famous friends receive an audience who come out to hear only one “hit” of theirs.

meanwhile, her own fans (including myself) will undoubtably shout out an array of song requests, and almost everyone is requesting a different favorite. her poetry has reached deeply, and maybe not always as broadly- this is exactly what i hope for in my life and writing. every song of hers crushed me as if it were the sea.

***

i’m fading to sleep, but i will break my rule of not writing while in this half-awake state. on a final whim I looked up something that had been eating away at me. the Wikipedia entry for Scheherazade rocked me like an earthquake.

I’ve quoted Richard Siken before, and last night during my Louise Glück binge I also re-read this. I haven’t stopped thinking about it.

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***

goodnight, new york, new york, goodnight.

crushes of the moment:

– roasted yam, taste of maple, whole peppercorns, savory oatmeal for breakfast because it reminds me of congee (i make mine with garlic powder, rosemary, and a soft-cooked egg with (yes) sriracha on top), jalapeño in everything to evoke warmth of some kind
– I hate walking through Williamsburg, because I start to covet jewelry and really cute home furnishings that I will never buy. like Catbird. A&G Merch (their candles though!). Mociun. I know, how original of me. Thanks, Brooklyn hipsters.
– Justin Schwartz (aka justcooknyc) posted on Instagram about Cathy Erway’s new book, The Food of Taiwan (arriving March 24th). I almost fell out of my subway seat in excitement.
– Oh god, Cafe Silan (which is so new it doesn’t have a website or sign yet, but I tried to help them out) is adorable. The owner whispered that they are planning to serve housemade espresso bbq pulled chicken. Also, he said the words “homemade chipotle hummus.” I stared into the deep brown eyes of that man and wondered why I always fall in love with men who talk to me about and feed me good food. Let’s not start comparing me to dogs just yet, please. A friend asked, “How are you in touch with so much deliciousness?” and my answer, “Some gods decided to even out the unbalanced misfortunes I tend to experience in life with incredible deliciousness. I can hardly complain.”
– I was doing some “work research” and even for someone who doesn’t really drink coffee, some of these quotes about coffee are pretty great.
– Succulents. I was gifted my first plant in NYC, and I would love to have plants line my windows. Although based on historical evidence, they would die a cruel death when entrusted to me- so I am torn about this desire.

recent books:
– Murakami’s Hard Boiled Wonderland
– Shantaram. I managed to stretch this book out for as long as possible.
– I am so sad that my copy of Jack Gilbert’s The Great Fires is sitting on my bedside table in Texas, and not here.
– Lamott’s Bird by Bird.I devoured this.
– Currently,The Magus, re-reading Ender’s Game, How Proust Can Change Your Life, Mary Szybist’s Incarnadine: Poems.

and music! some stuff for working out, all you resolution-ers… gratuitous and guilty pleasure stuff included.

– Flo Rida ft. Sage the Gemini, Lookas- GDFR
– Nicki Minaj, Beyonce- Feeling Myself
– Santigold- The Riot’s Gone
– Kendrick Lamar- i
– Kanye West- POWER
– 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa- We Own It
– Panic! At the Disco- This is Gospel
– Lecrae ft. Crystal Nicole- Give In (actually, I’m kind of digging many songs from Anomaly)
– DJ Khaled, Kanye West, Rick Ross- I Wish You Would
– J. Cole- Miss America
– Jason Derulo- Trumpets (yes, still. do squats to this. you’re welcome)
– Kid Ink- Blunted
– I LOVE MAKONNEN, Drake- Tuesday
– Iggy Azalea- Black Widow (yeah, make fun, but I kinda start dropping it when I hear this)
– Juicy J, Wale, Trey Songz- Bounce It
– Yo Gotti, T.I.- King Sh$
– 50 Cent, Eminem, Adam Levine- My Life