Don't Think, Just Be

Lesson of the week...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:31:35 -0500

I have a lot to learn about LOVE.

Stompin’ at the Savoy - Clifford Brown So after being out...

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:30:00 -0500

Stompin’ at the Savoy - Clifford Brown

So after being out of college for a little over a year now, I FINALLY went and played my saxophone somewhere other than the inside of my house (or friend’s houses). It wasn’t planned.

The night before, I decided that I was going to take my sax with me to work the next day and head out to this live jazz spot. After eating dinner at the spot, I took out my sax and set it up. My unpacked sax and I sat for most of the night just listening to the band. Finally as the night was drawing to a close, I got up out of my seat and sat in on this song.

Cherry popped. Now I’m ready for more. (Crude comparison, I know.) I’ll be back there next Friday.

Emily King - Radio from her latest album Seven She’s...

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:06:02 -0500

Emily King - Radio
from her latest album Seven

She’s amazing. You should check out more of her music…no really, you should.

www.emilykingmusic.com

Music

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 23:41:59 -0400

It’s not my hobby, it’s what I live through.

sidehustlestories: photojojo: Presented without comment |...

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 22:04:50 -0400

sidehustlestories:

photojojo:

Presented without comment | Photo by LomoD on flickr.

This post is by Karishma as part of Photojojo’s Show & Tell week.

Of course I’ll reblog this. #arthustle #photographyhustle

Inútil paisagem (Useless Landscapes) Composer: Antonio Carlos...

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:16:24 -0400

Inútil paisagem (Useless Landscapes)

Composer: Antonio Carlos Jobim (1963)
This arrangement by Esperanza Spalding & Gretchen Parlato (2010)
Performed & recorded live by Esperanza Spalding & Gretchen Parlato

For the serious Esperanza fans: “Baby’s Got Bass” - this article will make your day.

Spontaneity

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:43:28 -0400

Three cheers for it! Made a spontaneous purchase a few weeks ago…a piano! Even after I saw that the $$ had exited my bank account, I was still happy with what I had done.

So here’s to spontaneity - especially when the sudden act isn’t regretted later!

“Sometimes I Wonder”Can be found on Darius...

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:20:00 -0400

“Sometimes I Wonder”
Can be found on Darius Rucker’s Back to Then (2002) & Jill Scott’s Collaborations (2007).

The Key

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:12:16 -0400

A balanced life is a happy life…or so I’ve heard.

Today I be...

Wed, 04 May 2011 22:40:34 -0400

All in my head thinking about what I need to do to be where I think I should be. Too much thinking and not enough action. Maybe I need an action plan to plan out my actions.

Walkin' the Talk

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 01:49:21 -0400

Doing the right thing is not always easy. At first, sometimes, it just blows.

I just experienced one of those moments. I did the right thing even when I didn’t want to. It blew. It still blows, but I’m proud of myself. Never before would I have had the courage. We call that growth. In a few days (maybe even weeks), it will no longer blow, and I will hopefully be left with that gratified feeling of newly found strength.

Do the right thing.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 23:42:29 -0400

““We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.””

- Aristotle

a-pleasing: The Foreign Exchange - Maybe She’ll Dream Of...

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 23:57:26 -0500

a-pleasing:

The Foreign Exchange - Maybe She’ll Dream Of Me

This song just makes me smile :)

Probably one of my favorite FE tracks

Definitely feelin’ this.

“Come Close” by Common from his 2002 album Electric...

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:51:43 -0500

“Come Close” by Common from his 2002 album Electric Circus.

When I first saw the video for this song, it almost made me shed a tear. Can’t help it. I’m a big softy when it comes to love and romance. Initially though, it was the vibrant collection of colors and light that caught my attention. Watching this video invokes all kinds of warm, positive feelings and sunshine not just because of the romantic love, but the love from within the community as well.

As a dear friend of mine would say, this video is peace.

New Music For My Ears

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 20:44:53 -0500

Just picked up Adele’s latest CD “21” and I’m looking forward to getting into it. I like to find time to just sit and listen to new music and consume as much of every sound as possible on first listen. Passively listening to music just doesn’t seem to work for me. If I didn’t set aside time to focus on the music, my loud thoughts of other things would drown out the sound.

Sudden Inspiration… Inspiration comes at times when we...

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:29:13 -0500

Sudden Inspiration…

Inspiration comes at times when we least expect it. Nearing midnight and just before I lay my head to rest, in my mind I hear the melody for what is soon to be a song dedicated to my godson in honor of his Christening this coming Saturday. It will be one of my gifts to him. At the moment it’s entitled “Dylan’s Lullaby.”

I could have gone to sleep and simply hoped that I’d remember the melody the next day. (Unlikely, which is why I then decided to sing and record the melody using my iPhone’s voice memo app. - gotta love it.) Then I kept hearing more, so I jumped out of bed, grabbed my music notebook, and started writing. The melody flowed from my mind to the paper clearly and almost effortlessly.

It’s no Brahms, but if its pleasing to his little ears - that’s more than enough for me.

Thank you Lord for bringing me this gift.

Purpose

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:04:03 -0500

Sometimes, it feels like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. Guess it better be on acount of that’s where I am.

Sincerely Seeking Purpose,

Learning Love

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:53:38 -0500

Love is a loaded word. There are so many things, so many meanings and interpretations wrapped up this tiny, four-letter word. Love.

L-O-V-E

I’ve learned a lot about love, especially over the past 2 years. Before then, I didn’t know a thing (but I thought I did, of course). Perhaps I’ll think that I knew nothing now in the next two years because I know that I still have a lot to learn. For now though, I know I’ve learned this: I love me first. We hear it all the time, “How can you love someone else, if you don’t love yourself first?” It took a while for that little nugget of knowledge to really set in and to stick.

Everything started to change when I read a book entitled In the Meantime: Finding Yourself and the Love You Want by Iyanla Vanzant.

On this, one of the days that we set aside to celebrate love, do yourself a favor and learn about what love really is and how to find that love that’s just right for you.

Happy Valentine’s Day <3

WHHAAAT?!

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:24:33 -0500

Esperanza Spalding won the Grammy for Best New Artist of the Year!! YES!!!

Breaking Down Barriers

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:05:14 -0500

I absolutely love the music of Esperanza Spalding. Listen to her music, watch a video of her performance, and you will too.

She recently received a best new artist Grammy nomination. This is the first time in 35 years that a jazz musician has received this recognition. A testament to her amazing musical gifts, talents, hard work and enjoyable nature.

Check out the site for her latest album: Chamber Music Society