Rachel Goodrich – You Don’t Own Your Swing
It takes a lot of time to get young, but it takes a lot more time to earn experience through wisdom. And once you get it, who’s going to use it anyway? There are so many things you might’ve learned that are age specific. You can’t go back in time, and certainly shouldn’t be one of the ones donning a leather jacket and backwards cap to impress the kids.
If only there was somebody who could use all of that information! Well, thankfully, there’s unlikely to be anyone that you’d like to coach more than your own loved ones and family. The right words, the appropriate stories, and the good example can lead them close, or from a distance. And, since old is gold, those words will likely leave an impression on everyone else who hears them.
Rachel Goodrich’s grandfather planted not just worthwhile ideas in the mind of his nephew, but also a rare state of ease. “You Don’t Own Your Swing” was first a mantra for taking days as they come. It’s now become a lovely, friendly, sophisticated jazz number. The performance, however, is so friendly, and the melodies so catchy that this is the rare crossover number. You won’t find many who won’t agree with the teachings, or with the gentle, brighten-up-your-day playing.
Slow Karma – PLAYING FOR KEEPS
The possibilities are endless, even though the Western musical lexicon only includes 12 notes to work with. That much should be enough to convince any sane person to want to learn an instrument, or, at least, become a highly-attentive and passionate musical listener. You get the right musician picking up an instrument at precisely the right time, and you get the sneaking suspicion, that anything could happen.
But, then again, there’s also the possibility that nothing will happen. And these odds and chances are what have driven many would-be artists and experienced ones, as well, on the verge of madness. To compensate for their anxiety, the most conscientious of the bunch work. They learn to read music, practice chords and scales, and enroll on fancy music schools. However, many of them never apply their knowledge in any real, meaningful way.
Something special must’ve certainly happened on the chill-out, blissed-out bluesy “Playing for Keeps” by Slow Karma. Why? It’s not like most exotic music scales have been used, or that the playing exceeded 200 BPM. Quite the opposite! This instrumental piece, that sees the instruments lock in perfect sync, is largely built off of one riff that spins around and around. Ey, but there’s the catch. Magic doesn’t require a PhD or proof that every single musical opportunity has been utilised. All that magic is just sitting there to be discovered. Slow Karma picked up their instruments for a psych-rock jam and found it.
