Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life.

Soundtrack to this blog :
Afro Blue by The Stephane Wrembel Band
So What by Miles Davis
Take Five by The Dave Brubeck Trio

Hello fellow foozballas, thugfoozajadiggadells.

The new year. 2012.

It seems both wholly natural and both incredibly strange to be starting my 27 year. However, I have started it out with a bang, giving myself a "strict" practise regime. First I quickly run through a major scale, minor scale and a dominate scale, until I can play them all perfectly I don't start anything else. Then I get in to practising scales/arpeggios for different chords for about an hour. Then I practise rhythm for about an hour. Then I will work on a track I'm learning for an hour or so. I occasionally play sit in gigs at coffee shops and the like. I also go to a few local jazz jams.

I hope to make it to both DjangoFest SF and DjangoFest NW(seattle) this year, to cut my teeth with the pros.

I am also going to start a new job working at a Sperry Topsider Store as a part time keyholder, pay is decent. Atmosphere might be a little bunk but ah well. Tis a job.

Recently watched almost all of the Ken Burns Documentary JAZZ.

It is quite awesome, starts at about 1840-60 and moves up to modern times in 10 episodes.

Also watched Ken Burns Prohibition documentary which was also pretty awesome.

Right now I am reading Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson, 1Q84 by Mirakami (awesome!), and finishing up Diamond Age by Stephenson.

Aurally

Time Out by The Dave Brubek Quartet

Sketches of Spain, Porgy and Bess, Kind of Blue by Miles Davis

Blue Train by John Coltrane

Gypsy Bop by Dienne Manouche

Essence of Bird by Charlie Parker