Happy Valentine’s Day! This Onion Dip for Breakfast pair had an early start in celebrating Valentine’s Day by having afternoon tea at the Drake Hotel over the past weekend. In the Palm Court, the hotel’s strikingly opulent and beautiful restaurant, we sipped tea, champagne, ate …
We just returned from an eight day trip to El Salvador. There was so much to see and do in this Central American country which we’ve never visited before, but are already making plans to return. This post will concentrate on our time in San …
A few years ago, I started a “Paired Up” musical playlist and it still remains on active rotation. The list’s theme is how two songs, regardless of genre, time, language, or geography, can be connected. Maybe one is straightforward such as a newer cover of an older tune. Maybe there’s a musical sample, a line, or a reference. Something about these two songs longed to be connected.
A few favorites are
Stevie Wonder’s Knocks Me Off My Feet and ODB’s Shimmy Shimmy Ya
Lauryn Hill’s Lost Ones and Drake’s Nice for What
Desmond Dekker’s 007 and Special Ed’s I’m the Magnificent
Interestingly, Special Ed’s one is part of a trio since it flows from Dave Barker and Ansel Collins’s Double Barrel, too!
There is magic; it is the coupling. As I listen to two terrific songs in sequence, the listening is deliberate, intentional. I can’t help but listen out for sparks. Are there more references, more connections than the initial ones? Why did the second artist choose this particular work of inspiration? Somehow, I hear more with this playlist. There is indeed magic.
Speaking of the strength of coupling, I’m reminded of our DNA and its gazillions of pairings that guide so much of who we are. I’m not gonna sit up here and weigh into the nature vs nurture debate. Instead, I’ll remind myself that so much of what I like is because of the influence of my dad. Many of my fondest memories of him are through music, whether he and I belted out the lyrics of a favorite song, him tapping to the beat on any surface, or dancing the night away.
Recently, we spent our time reveling in our shared musical legacy at the exquisite National Museum of African American History and Culture. With gallery upon gallery in front of us, our entire visit was about music. Being there myself was wonderful enough but experiencing it with him (and my always-curious Mom) amplified the experience, much liked that beloved playlist.
What isn’t better together?
Unlike any other concert that I’ve attended, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour Concert seemed to be as much about her fans and those who attended, as it was about her. Perhaps, it’s like the song goes, “We Are One”. Her fans identify with her. As we entered …
I’ve been planning to revisit a particular show for months! The little and big things of life delayed my fuzzy plans. Poking my head back into the Art Institute’s galleries recently, I was struck by the opening text of this lovely show: “It took millions …
Waterways. My residency has been going swimmingly (yes, pun intended) and affords me space to reflect, learn, rest, and make. Like waterways, there’s a confluence in my activity and lack thereof. There’s an emphasis on being still sometimes, flowing as I feel the urge, and moving with an urgency when it hits. In Pullman, there’s an intermingling of making and sitting and reading and exploring and wondering.
Most of all, it’s been an invitation for my collaborators to be in community with me.
