On Monday evening, I accidentally cut the pointer finger of my left hand while trying to slice myself some bread. The cut was not bad enough to go to the ER but I haven’t played keyboard since Monday in order to let it heal. I will decide today whether I will cancel piano trio rehearsal tomorrow or not. I’m planning to play a little piano after lunch and decide. I am expecting it to be healed enough to play Sunday’s streamed church service.
This morning I stumbled across Herbie Hancock’s 2014 Norton Lectures on YouTube.
Hancock was not only the first Jazz musician to give these lectures, he was also the first African American.
Some great Miles Davis quotes from the first lecture.
The history of Jazz in four words: Louie Armstrong Charlie Parker – Miles Davis
Leave out the butter notes – Miles Davis
I always like to listen to what I can leave out. – Miles Davis
As far I can tell, these lectures have not been published in written form, but are available on YouTube.
I finished reading Ignazio Silone’s Bread and Wine today.
I read the revised version he did in 1963. I began reading it during the previous presidential administration as a sort of antidote. It’s a strong story simply told. It is anti-Stalinist and anti-Facist.
The main character, Pietro Spina is a revolutionary Communist hiding from the state (Mussolini) disguised as a parish priest in a rural part of Italy. Most of the novel takes place in this little village.
The symbolic aspects of the novel are done in broad strokes. Bread, wine symbolize the solidarity of all humans but also are used in connection with strong Christian overtones (one of the heroines name is Cristina, get it?)
Mickey Mouse makes an odd appearance when two of the characters spot him on a marquee and instantly stop to go in.
In his introduction, Silone describes watching a woman read his book while on a train ride. It was as a result of thinking about what she was reading that he decided to do a revision. I think it’s kind of cool to visualize him surreptitiously observing what page and what line she was one and doing some cringing.
I have been making headway with my Greek. Today I ordered copies of the Loeb edition of the Iliad in Greek and English. I am rereading the Iliad in English and it keeps popping up in my studies. It would be helpful to have this handy.
If I can’t play music, I can still read and listen to it.
