Magical Music

Reflection: #30

We sat together savoring the Friday night energy. Full wine glasses in hand, our cat snuggled up next to us. I was reading as writers are wont to do. You were playing on your iPad and reading me the latest headlines that came across your screen (I generally avoid the news, but having you as the anchor person, injecting your colorful opinions with a passion I never heard from Tom Brokaw, makes it enjoyable).

We were listening to jazz but then, inspiration struck, and you switched our Pandora stream to Motown. And the awesomeness of those songs, from those artists, from that inspired record company, from that time in history filled the house. There's something magical about all the elements that came together to make that music, and sitting and listening to that music took me away on a wild trip of imagination.

I put down my Kindle and listened to Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, The Supremes and friends, and had the dual pleasure of the nostalgia of pleasant past memories and the enjoyment of being able to appreciate the sheer musicality of those artists, with more appreciation now, as an adult who dabbles in music himself.

Music, like all art, perhaps more in some ways, has the power to communicate directly into our souls. And, despite the warnings from society's do-gooders, a bit of a substance-induced buzz enhances the experience…for the buzz itself serves an important purpose - it removes a tiny part of the veil of rules and lets the music communicate more directly with us. The experience is more pure when one bypasses cognition and experiences the music as a meditation.

The evening consisted of Jazz, Motown, Rat Pack, Classic Rock, 90's angsty alternative rock (nobody does a pissed off woman better than Alanis Morrissett), and, although perhaps I misremember, as I was deep in my cups, I think we had some Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman in there somewhere?

That evening with you was a veritable trip through musical time and there's nobody that I'd rather time travel with than you.

---