Labor Day! Question of the Month, Being Thankful

That goes for us writers as well. We need a break too. Some people might not think writing is work, 

but I say nuts to them! We know differently. We know the literal and figurative blood, sweat, and 

tears that goes into producing any piece of writing. So...

Give yourself permission to take a break! Here are some suggestions of what to do.

Take a stroll by a river, 

or walk among some trees.

Relax at your favorite beach, lake, or river.

Chillax in a hammock. 

Build some cairns.

Go sailing. (Yes that's me at the tiller, with my childhood best friend Jay.)

Have fun!


***

I've joined this monthly bloghop because answering thoughtful/challenging/interesting questions is one way to expand one's mind and to share a little bit about myself. Hosted by Michael D'Agostino at A Life Examined, the question this month is: 

What kind of music best speaks to you?

Not fair! All kinds of music speaks to me, depending on my mood.

Classical, Jazz (in it's various styles), New Age,  Rock (in it's various styles) ... If you have the time, here are a few samplings from each.

One of my favorite pieces of  Classical.

When the band, particularly Robert Plant, exuded sexuality.


The First Lady of Song, whose ability to scat put all "modern" singers to shame.



For rest a relaxation there's nothing like Tibetan Bowls, perfect background music for Labor Day.

Being Thankful

So what am thankful for today? Nature in all its varied forms. Music in all its varied forms.
***

That are you thankful for? Doing anything special today? Does a particular kind of music speak to you?

Music and Words Award

It's been a long time since I've been given an award. This one comes to me via FarAwayEyes at FarAwaySeries. I don't know how long we've been reading each other's blogs, but it's been a while now. She lived in the Virgin Islands for a time and that connected us as well.

This award seems fitting after last week's post about meeting a famous person. You can read about my encounter with Scott McKenzie HERE.

Here are the rules for this award: 

1. Link back to the person who nominated you
2. Answer the questions with words AND music
3. Pass the award on to 5 bloggers who inspire you with their posts about music
4. Tag your post with #MWA, for Music & Words Award so that we can all find you down the line
5. Quote these 5 steps and the award icon in your post. You can display the icon on your sidebar as well. 

I don't know how to do "Tags", so I'm leaving that out. And, since I know many of you may not  have the time, I won't be passing on this award . BUT, if you would like to do, you are more than welcome to copy and paste. I've included a lot of music here and I don't expect you listen to it all, but maybe pick something and enjoy.

What does music mean to you?
I have to admit, though I don't listen to music as much as I used to, it remains a core part of my being. There's music everywhere, in the wind through the trees, in bird song, in the shushing of waves lapping on the shore. Most times, when I'm on the computer or writing Pandora Radio is on and I'm listening to my Bill Evans Radio or Heart Meditations Radio.

This is an improvisational and unrehearsed melody Bill Evans recorded for his 1958 album called "Everbody Digs Bill Evans."

What is your first music related memory?
There was music going on in my home from my infancy. No matter where we lived my father always had a record player so I grew up hearing all kinds of jazz and classical music. No only that, he played trombone and was always in some kind of band. I know from the time I was six or seven my sister and I were singing standards like "Mood Indigo", "I've Got You Under My Skin",  "A Foggy Day"... too many to name. I love, love, love, Ella Fitzgerald.

But one of my earliest musical memory dates to when I was five and my mother took my sister and me to see the San Francisco Ballet preform The Nutcracker. Maria Tall Chief, the first Native American prima ballerina, played the Sugar Plum Fairy. Mom thought I'd fall asleep but according to her I sat on her lap the entire time, fascinated. When we got home Dad played his record of Tchaikovsky's suite and I danced around the house, copying what I had seen on stage. I also remember before I was five singing Three Little Fishies, (this version is by Spike Jones from 1953 but was originally recorded by Kay Kyser in 1939)   How Much is that Doggie in the Window, (recorded by Patti Page in 1952) and A Tisket, A Tasket, (recorded by Ella in 1939 it was either being played on the radio or my father had a copy.)

What was the first album you’ve purchased yourself?
Because I spent the first 14/15 years of my life listening to jazz and classical, I didn't care for rock and roll. I certainly didn't like Elvis or Paul Anka or any of the doo wop groups. And, though it may be sacrilege to say (write) it, I didn't like the Beatles when they first came out either. So, when I finally spent my hard earned money it was on Frank Sinatra's 1965 album, "September of My Years." I no longer have the album, and in revisiting some of the tunes on YouTube, it's so very flowery... It's my second album that set me on the road to discovery. Yup it was The Doors who turned me on to rock. Summer of 1967 with the song The Crystal Ship. That was quickly followed by The Beatles, All You Need is Love from The Magical Mystery Tour. I was hooked.



What was the latest music you purchased?
I recently got to see Sara Hickman and bought one of her albums. She played this song. It was much better live, and she's quite an accomplished guitar player and very humorous. She was also the Texas State Musician for 2010. Sandwiched, as she said, between Willie Nelson (2009) and Lyle Lovett (2011).

And then... hubby got me this album for Valentine's by James Darren because we enjoyed him as the character,Vic, on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It's currently in the CD player of the car.


Which song did you listen to last?
Other than what I'm currently listening to on Pandora? Which is Lush Life by John Hicks... I would have to say it was Strange Brew by Cream. On the Classic Vinyl channel of Sirius XM. Look at the hair and clothes!

I was enthralled with Ginger Baker's drumming. I remember getting Dad to listen to the song Toad. Then he said, "Listen to this. This is the man who introduced drums as a solo instrument." His solo is at about 1:45 and short and sweet. But you can hear why they called his drumming scary. And his kit, like Bakers, so small compared to what most drummers have now. Amazing what they were able to do.

And that's it for me with the Music and Words Award!

***
Being Thankful
Today I'm thankful for, what else, MUSIC!

What are you thankful for? Are any of these artists new to you? Familiar with any of them? Do you like jazz/rock/classical? 

Alternatives for Begin

Alternatives is a recurring post in which I give synonyms for an over used word. Click on the tab above for a "complete" list of over used words. 

Depending on how you use it, this list may come in handy for finding another way to say the same thing.


Today's words are:  Begin/began


I can't begin to tell you how much fun I have finding all these synonyms!

accept, accomplish, achieve, acquire, activate, actualize, appear, appropriate, arrogate, arise, attend to

base, be at the bottom of, begin, brainstorm, break ground, break in, break the ice, breed, bring about, bring to pass, burst forth,

carry on, carry out, cause, come out with, come to light, commence, compel, confiscate, constitute, consummate, contribute to, convert, convince, cook, cook up, create, crop up

derive, develop, dispose, do, do a number, do one’s thing, don, dream up, drive,

effect, elicit, emanate, embark on/upon, embrace, emerge, enforce, engender, ensue, enter on/into/upon, erupt, establish, eventuate, evoke, execute, explore

fire up, flow, follow, force, formulate, found, function,

generate, get going, get in there, get things rolling, give birth to, give impulse, give rise to, go about, go ahead, go for broke, go for it, go in for, go into, go that route, go to town

happen, hatch, head,

impel, inaugurate, incite, induce, inflict, initiate, instigate, institute, introduce, intrude, issue,

kick off, kindle, knock off

labor, launch, lay foundation for, lead, lead to, let

make, make active, make progress, make up, maneuver, motivate, mount, move, muster,

occasion, occur, officiate, open, operate, originate,

percolate, perk, perpetrate, persuade, persevere, persist, plunge into, practice, precipitate, prepare, preside, produce, prompt, provoke, pursue

respond, result, result in, revert, rise

secure, seize, serve, set about, set in motion, set up, sow the seeds, spring, sprint up, start, start the ball rolling, stem, sway,

take effect, take on, take over, take part, take steps, take up, think up, transport, trigger,

undertake

work out, work up, wreak

This is a nice rendition by Pete Townsend of "Begin the Beguine," a song written by Cole Porter, one of my all time favorite song writers. I love that it's just Pete and his guitar. .

For a more traditional version, this is Ella Fitzgerald with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, 1940. The dancers are Fred Astraire and Eleanor Powell. They float across the floor, beautiful!