Terry Gibbs - The Fat Man

I couldn’t believe how I was bopping to the song on the way in to work.

I love the trumpets played with mutes in one section – and the ever present high-hat work going on in the background. Plus, isn’t it fun to hear the band members encouraging each other? Yesterday when I wrote about the vibraphone I didn’t even mention Terry. Here's a cut with his version of "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise " - the song I highlighted yesterday by the Modern Jazz Quartet.

He’s been playing (or on the road) for a while now … sixty eight years to be exact! This album was released in 2004 – but has been around since ’57. Heh – yet another case of art sitting in a can and aging (well). So many times I read about this – in all the arts.. Great stuff that’s been created, but the timing (or business) just isn’t right.

I also like the way this song, in typical big-band fashion, just gets bigger and bigger near the end. That ever present crescendo makes it hard to stay in your seat – and not get up and dance. Or swing in your car.

Although it’s a cloudy day, my mood today was very bright. It’s not just starting the day with this music – but that helped. More, it’s knowing I had ½ the food for Friday delived to the church kitchen this morning – and ordered the other 1/2 on-line and pickup it up after work. That means the only physical shopping I’ve done is for the assorted dried chilies, pepitos (pumpkins seeds), and some brown cane sugar. There’s a great large Mercado not far from the office in Durham so I headed there after work before the grocery store stop. I hate having to go 17 places to get what I need. But if I don't actually have to DO the shopping it's not so bad.

So far I’m in budget – which is one of the things that worried me the most. And I thought it was all clear sailing - until I called to confirm numbers. YIKES!! Last I hear we had 70 - which was ok - 'cause I planned for 80. BUT NOW ... we're up to 92. My first task tomorrow is to eye-ball the meat and make sure I think we have enough for that many. If not - I still have about $75.00 left in the budget. I'm not cooking meat until tomorrow. Besides - frijoles charros, arroz verde, and fideo should fill them up, right? And the shrimp cocktail is just a "tease".

I also got to hear a HOT! HOT! HOT! “Promising new writer” last night. His name is Wells Tower (great name, eh?) He’s burning up the literature world – and after hearing him read one of his short stories last night, I can see why. He appeared on the front page of the books section of the New York Times on 4/11. He’s a local (Chapel Hill) boy made good as discussed in this article which also links to stories he wrote for the Indy years ago. Now, when he’s not working on magazine assignments (The New Yorker, Paris Review, The Washington Post, etc) he’s crafting these tightly exploding short stories! Wow!

Inspiration everywhere you look.