Turtle Life
From the monthly archives: September 2009
Back in the day when most of my down time was spent watching the movies broadcast over my cable TV’s digital channels I happened across this move, Kansas City, which had a soundtrack that would become one of my favorite albums of all time. Now, better than a decade past I have the opportunity to share with you music that’s not only fantastic to listen to it is, also a part of America’s great cultural heritage. If you love jazz, big band and the blues as much as I do, I believe you’ll love this soundtrack from the movie Kansas City.
Robert Altman’s Kansas City is basically a 1930s gangster film, but much of the action takes place in the Hey Hey Club, a black-owned nightclub and gambling den where an all-day, all-night jam session is in progress, featuring such figures as Lester Young (played by Joshua Redman), Hawkins (Craig Handy), Ben Webster (James Carter), Basie (Cyrus Chestnut), Mary Lou Williams (Geri Allen), Hershel Evans (David Murray), Freddie Green (Mark Whitfield), Walter Page (Ron Carter), and Jimmy Rushing (Kevin Mahogany). Kansas City in the mid-1930s was a thriving jazz center and home to legendary bands led by Basie, Bennie Moten, Andy Kirk, and Jay McShann. The music here comes from that period and is done in that style. Producer Hal Willner and music director Butch Morris encouraged a loose atmosphere, with lots of give and take, even shouts of approval, and the musicians respond by playing for the immediate moment, rather than for some dimly imagined history. – Geoffrey Himes
Listen. Enjoy. Buy
He lies right at you
You know you hate this game
He slaps you once in a while and you live and love in pain
This poem written by Jesse Jackson in relation to his program to motivate black students, Push-Excel has had a special meaning to me most of my life. During this period of unemployment and crumbling finances a line that I have always associated with this poem, “I may be unemployed, but I am somebody,” helps me to keep a slight focus of self esteem. Still the spirit of the poem rings true.
Playing Mr. Irresponsible I went for the bottle of creative inspirations and set up a shoot with an interesting model named Jenn Blake. From the very first time I saw her profile on Model Mayhem I thought she was a model I had to work with. She had this fun kind of “challenge to be creative” vibe about her. Typically, the kind of thing I like in possible model collaborators. So whaddyaknow she found my work inspiring and wanted to work with me? Woo, hoo! Lucky me. I guess every so often I do somethin’ right.
Jenn was accompanied by a delightful MUA named Jordan who was a college buddy of hers. Right away I found the two young ladies to be fun personalities. They were genuinely friendly and funny. The kind of people you want to meet at a restaurant for a group gathering when you don’t know everyone who’ll be there. As much as I do enjoy meeting people and getting to know them I’m always a bit nervous for the first meeting and these two made me feel right at home so we were off to a good start.
My first stop was to a florist to get some balloons. By luck my search would lead me to a nice little shop called Flowers N More where I was greeted with a kiss by a beautiful cat named Nugget. (see picture) The shop owner told me that Nugget runs out and greets everybody who comes to the shop. I had much fun meeting Nugget.
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