Ok, I’ll admit it. This week’s installment of “weird” music of the day/week isn’t “weird,” at least not to my ears. But the pace and mood of it pretty well captures the busy pace of the week so far (Also, I just like this tune.). How about you? How was your week— productive? slow? icy? Here’s hoping for a pleasant weekend. Enjoy!
Hora Decubitus, Charles Mingus
For days this song has been stuck in my head. DAYS. I don’t know if it’s the unconventional 7/4 time of the piece or its blues-y bass-heavy-ness that gets me, but DAMN. Adding to the greatness of this piece? Brubeck is reported to have thought this up and recorded it in a day.
Deceptively simple and so good!
Google used the piece earlier this year in a doodle to commemorate Saul Bass’ birthday.
Read more about it here.
Brubeck also arranged a version for orchestra which doesn’t seem to get performed very often. Here’s the London Symphony Orchestra taking a crack at it with Brubeck himself in 2001:
Not bad, but a disappointing recording—the symphony drowns out Brubeck’s playing. Would be interesting to hear the BSO taking it on, especially with Alsop conducting and while they have Jean-Yves Thibaudet visiting later this fall.
What’s been stuck in your heads lately, folks?
This morning, I was not feeling terribly motivated– it has been a bitterly cold, WINDY winter day in Charm City and my inner bear just wants to hibernate this time of year. But I’ve kept my favorite mug full of fresh coffee and even went so far as to pull together a playlist to keep myself motivated. If your motivation is waning or you just need some new music, you can find most of my playlist available through iTunes as an iMix here.
How do you stay motivated and productive at work, dear readers?
