Last Christmas, my daughter became obsessed with Vince Guaraldi’s lyrical “Lucy and Linus”, which led to Brubeck and then Davis, Parker, and Coltrane.
One night in January, I woke up at 2:44 and couldn’t fall back asleep.
I listened to a podcast and watched a video about World War 2 aviation.
Then, this album.
My friend had just recommended this as one of Coltrane’s best.
He’s right.
Coltrane plays on a razor’s edge, running the line between melody and dissonance.
The album starts fast, contradicts itself with crushing moments of slow quiet before returning to vigorous speed.
The songs push a glorious cacophony, rescuing themselves with breathtaking audacity after extended flirtations with raw disintegration.
I don’t know music well enough to write a proper critique, but I know myself.
I rarely have patience for just listening to music.
That night I did.
All 37 minutes.
It didn’t solve my insomnia.
䷍䷝
Nine months later, we’ve been using youtube for our dinner music. This evening, the algorithm proposed Giant Steps and the boy picked it out. I was a little surprised, but I shouldn’t have been. Bartok’s “From a Diary of a Fly” has been his favorite for weeks.
We listened to the entire album all as he buzzed around as a bee and jumped on the sofa. Kids go through phases pretty fast. I hope this phase sticks.