Sunday, December 03, 2006

Burrell, Brooks, Smith, Cook, Jordan, Blakey

I just walked on the treadmill. Eyes closed and listening to Kenny Burrell's "Blue Lights, Vol. 1," I concentrated on the soloists on Duke Jordan's composition, "Scotch Blues."
First, there's guitarist Burrell. Tenor saxophonist Harold Floyd "Tina" Brooks follows, as do trumpeter Louis Smith, tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, pianist Jordan and drummer Art Blakey.
Why, I wonder, does winter bring out the jazz aficionado in me?
Could it be the dark and cold, the urge to hibernate?
Born and raised in California, I have always treated the Midwestern winter as an "interior" season. I would rather read or play chess than cross-country ski.
Perhaps that's why I have stripped so many rock and country tunes off of my iPod in recent weeks, replacing them with jazz tracks.
There's something cozy about a Tina Brooks sax solo -- something that warms me when I need it. Something I need in winter.

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