Winter Beat

What I did on my winter vacation -

Well, it's nice to be able to finally write March on paper and see the snow melting and baseball on TV. I'm not a winter person and this winter was more severe than normal right from the start so it was quickly obvious I'd need a survival strategy. I coincidentally uncovered a Fela Kuti CD I had bought last summer and not yet listened to. Finding the upbeat rhythms and revolutionary message just what was needed to begin the immunization, I became focused. The similarities between Kuti and Bob Marley were obvious so it seemed a perfect opportunity, with an abundance of commuting time and a stash of generous gift certificates, to expand my knowledge of African and Jamaican music - the mission was now defined.

It proved to be the perfect choice - and so it went for 3 months as the on line research, the CD orders and arrivals, and the infectious beats and musical histories eased me through the weather, the miles, the days, weeks, and months. The scene seemed pretty well set, and was going quite nicely the plan seemed to be working, I was unaware of an unexpected surprise that was about to put the proverbial cherry atop the sundae.

Another nice diversion this winter was the unexpected arrival of Elvis Costello's Music/Interview show on Sundance Channel. It is an entertaining show with an impressive list of guests and a truly knowledgeable and engaged host. During a show visited by Jacob Dylan we were treated to a discussion of Joe Strummer and a performance of one of his songs. These guys don't mess around and pulled no punches by delivering a killer version of Straight To Hell, !

I like to think of myself as musically aware and fairly knowledgeable, but for some reason I slept through the punk scene missing The Clash and some other bands of note in the process. Of course I had heard the hits, but that hardly qualified. In addition, I somehow missed the reemergence of Joe Strummer despite his consistently great reviews. Though I had recently put both The Clash and Strummer on my catch up list, Straight To Hell, was like a slap in the face and it was suddenly clear I could wait no longer - I had been missing something vital. Having now begun to wade into the extensive catalog, I am a changed man and feel like a baby just learning to walk. Without exaggerating I can say I haven't had a such a musical moment since I first heard Elvis, Dylan or Professor Longhair many years ago !

So as the Ides of March approaches in a new year, I can say I'm probably having the best musical year since 1970. Though there is some personal shame in realizing again the extent of my subjective ignorance, I am heartened also by the fact that there still remain enough discoveries to keep me looking forward to new experiences of equal or greater weight. At my age that is an important thing to know !