Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio

News item the first: Cute new temp at work today. More as this develops. Also, frightened a Polish ex-pat co-worker of mine today by playing Screeching Weasel. "Why do they perform their instruments so fast?" I am SO gonna play Bad Brains tomorrow.

News item the second: Capitol City Brewery is basically heaven if you're a beer geek, into which I'm slowly turning, thanks to Chris. Saw Pan's Labyrinth this weekend with him. A must-see, if only for the performance of Sergei Lopez.

News item the third: As a Christmas/birthday gift, my parents are going to get me a turntable that allows me to turn my vinyl into MP3s. Expect a lot more weird/obscure/bizarre stuff here as soon as I get that set up. ("Finally, I can make the world listen to Pleased Youth and the Crippled Pilgrims!")

I feel mellow tonight. I screwed up at work today, but in the big picture scheme, it's no big deal. A job is a job, you know? Having one is cool when it comes time to pay for the car and the rent and the food and all that, but it's not like it's healthy to have your soul invested in one. I'm much happier kicking back with a 40 of Hurricane and a relaxing jazz record any day. One of the best ones to relax with is the collaboration of Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio.

What I miss most about pre-70's jazz is the fantastic combos that resulted from lack of ego. "You played on my record? I'll be glad to play on yours!" This is how you end up with Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and Miles Davis all on the same record together.

Stan Getz you might know as the man who introduced bossanova to America with his collaborations with Joao Gilberto, Chick Corea, Astrud Gilberto (who will more than likely have an upcoming TKAAD appearance), and Charlie Byrd. Oscar Peterson is a master of the ivories, landing somewhere in between of the idiosyncracies of Thelonious Monk and the broad emotions of Duke Ellington. Together, they made a killer record, which is no surprise to any fan of either man.

On a side note, I would like to point out how badass Stan Getz was. He started drinking when he was a teen and was eventually arrested trying to stick up a pharmacy in order to feed his morphine addiction. While he was being booked in the prison wing of an LA hospital, his heroin-addled wife gave birth on the floor below. Even though their marriage ended in divorce instead of stabbing, they were like the Sid and Nancy of postwar jazz. Shit, even Coltrane was jealous of him.

Bronx Blues - http://www.mediafire.com/?2mjdmnmm033

I Want to Be Happy - http://www.mediafire.com/?7umdmtjjnwf