Chet Baker for the morning

I am a not-so-morning person. So inevitably, I tend to ritualize mornings in order to process the rest of the day awake.

In my last post, I wrote a really felt review of Feist’s album, The Reminder. It’s what I’ve been listening to a lot in the mornings, and I find myself veering away from the educational podcasts I used to listen to. With the passing of time, all I really wished for in mornings was silence.

But music can be quiet. And it might sound crazy to you, but I think it’s possible to somehow illustrate silence through music. We come across music that stirs up some peace in us and distracts us from our everday stress. Typically, I find this in music ranging from an andantino to moderato tempo. Folk songs in mono. Guitars with a hint of blues or cool city jazz. I am very partial to a singing Chet Baker lately, especially in the morning.  His cool voice just mellows you out and starting the day with a good sense of temperament, to me, is just the best mornings to live in.  I hope you could listen to some of Chet’s music because mind you, there is a huge difference between the sound of cocktail jazz to what “real” jazz is supposed to sound like.

Imagine a morning without anyone playing music. In the streets there should be some faint or abbrasive music in the background, blending in to the ambience of the morning. It becomes as familiar and natural in the morning as the sound of early birds and cars.

Feist Live

I don’t like to admit that I like The Carpenters, because in my mind I wouldn’t count them as a personal favorite but as it turns out I do like how their songs sound like without necessarily subscribing to The Carpenters shrine ring. I sometimes find myself bopping my head to the kind of song that reminds me how The Carpenters write their songs.  I’m not saying that, the song that I hear which then remind of another, lacks originality.  My guess is that people who write these somewhat parallel songs simply share outbursts of sensation, whether melancholy or joy, and share sensibilities that cut across age gaps.

I also say music is always inspired by another music or the sounds of nature, which sounds just the same for everyone if they just listen carefully.

For that matter, I truly admire Feist’s latest ruminations. Her album The Reminder interestingly evokes that kind of musical fervor in me.  Her song reverberates in the room in your brain where they keep memories and nostalgia, real or imagined.  And washes you with body tingles with each deep instrumental vibration.

It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I’m writing to you now as I listen through this beautiful album…

A cold heart will burst / if mistrusted first
A calm heart will break / when given a shake