There’s nothing that can make me feel like a tiny,tiny, speak then to contemplate the enormity of the universe. The photo of the day, today, at Wikipedia was a false-color photograph of NGC 1097 a barred spiral galaxy.That is only 45 MILLION light-years away from Earth!
Several weeks ago, when I was in the library I saw an interesting book titled Camille, by a French author Pierre Lemaitre it is the third book in a series that features Commandant Camille Verhoeven. At the time I didn’t know that, but I did see that the Camille was the sequel to Alex, so I requested Alex thinking that I was starting at the beginning of the series. Wrong – Alex was actually the first of the three books to be translated and released in the US, but the first book in the series is actually Irene. And since Camille is suffering from the effects of what happened in Irene, I wish I had read that book first!! With that being said I am actually glad that I read Alex because it was a terrific read. I guess, that is to be expected from a book that won the 2013 International Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel. Let me tell you, the book lived up to its billing! From Pierre Lemaitre’s website…..
My son Peter and his wife Melissa spent an anniversary weekend in Boston this Friday and Saturday, so my wife and I go to spend some extended time with our granddaughter Zoe. While Miss Zoe is a lot more active now that she can get around on her own, she is still a sea of calm compared to the whirling dervish that is grandson Oliver.
Last week I saw that C.J.Box would be releasing a new box on the 28th of this month titled Badlands. The book is the sequel to his release The Highway. Now I am a fan of C.J Box’s work and have read all but one of one of the Joe Pickett novels and why I never finished Cold Wind, I really can’t say, but I have stayed away from The Highway. Why? Again, I can’t say, But with the second book of this Cassie Dewell series coming out, I thought better get on the stick and read The Highway! When I went to Amazon, I discovered that the Kindle edition of the book was only $2.99 and well that sealed the deal!! Last Tuesday, I finished the book and all I can say is that I should have known better!! C.J.Box is a terrific author and The Highway is as good as any of his Joe Pickett books or his stand-alone books!!
So over the last little while I have posted more about my grandson Oliver, than my granddaughter Zoe. The main reason for that is Zoe’s mom Melissa left her job several months ago and I haven’t been babysitting Zoe twice a week like I was back in the winter. My wife and I see her at least once a week, or so, and she is a wonderfully happy little girl. She is standing by herself now, and walking several steps,all with the small great smile she has always had. Every month her mother has posted a picture on her monthly anniversary. As a sign of growing independence Zoe wasn’t much interested in having having her picture taken last month…..
So yesterday was an interesting day of babysitting with our grandson, Oliver. The morning was rough because it rained most of the time. While the rain didn’t bother Oliver, granddad was not amused. The first walk which was shortened, because of the rain, was the better of the two, because the rain was lighter. On the second walk the rain was heavier, and I tried to push the stroller and hold the umbrella , which didn’t work out too well. The later walk would have been the one on which he should have fallen asleep, but as he was screaming, not in a bad way, when we were walking back up his street, I knew that was not to be!! He held out until almost noon, when he couldn’t go anymore and he rocked to sleep to “Uptown Funk”, but when I put him in his crib, he popped back up and I had to lay him on my chest until he fell more deeply asleep!!!
Cal Tjader was born on July 16th in 1925 in Saint Louis, Missouri and that fact surprises me! See I thought that Tjader was Latin! I discovered Tjader’s music, because he plays vibraphone and Gary Burton’s album For Hamp. Bags, Red and Cal, led me to it! As “I listened to his Latin influenced music I just assumed that he was Latin. But in fact he is the son of touring Swedish American vaudevillians! His father tap danced and his mother played piano, a husband-wife team going from city to city with their troupe to earn a living.His father taught him to tap dance. He performed around the Bay Area as “Tjader Junior,” a tap-dancing wunderkind. He performed a brief non-speaking role dancing alongside Bill “Bojangles” Robinson in the film The White of the Dark Cloud of Joy!
When I first started to listen to jazz it was mostly the guitar of Wes Montgomery and the Hammond B3 of Jimmy Smith, but through the years I started adding other artists. Pianist like Thelonious Monk and Oscar Peterson were added to my music library, along with Miles, Gary Burton and Milt Jackson. One night a few years ago I put on The Bespoke Man’s Narrative from Aaron Diehl, while I was reading. After a few minutes I stopped reading and listened to some unbelievable piano! Along with Diehl’s piano on that album I also loved the vibraphone of Warren Wolf on the album. Anyway, a few weeks ago Diehl’s new album Space,Time, Continuum joined my music rotation and it’s another outstanding outing from a great pianist. What surprised me was the presence of some fine saxophone and trumpet, which I hadn’t heard on Diehl’s previous albums.
When I think blues, my mind does not immediately soar to Israel, but that may change after listening to the “King of the Israeli Blues Lazer Lloyd’s latest release. Since Lloyd’s self-titled release debuted on the Roots Music Report’s Blues Chart a couple of weeks ago it has been in my music rotation and this damn fine album is going to stay there for a while!!
