Ghost

I loves you Porgy - Gershwin (arr. Nina Simone)

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 00:04:55 GMT

I loves you Porgy - Gershwin (arr. Nina Simone)

Here is the link.

I found this recording in college, and talked to a long time friend and roommate about it. We both agreed there was one word that summed up this piece. Haunted. I still don’t think I can summarize it better than that, but as for listening notes: I mainly like the way Nina Simone plays with time in this piece. I like the amorphous and non-metered sound she uses when the lyrics are talking about love, and the way the music drags when she’s talking about having to leave. I also like the arrangement being as small as it is. If this was larger, I think it would lose much of the intimacy that makes it emotionally heavier.

Listening Journal - Introduction

Sun, 26 Apr 2020 01:30:08 GMT

Listening Journal - Entry 0

I’ve been inspired seeing people post music and albums that influenced their personal tastes. I haven’t felt like I’ve had the chance to listen intently enough, or compose, or play music as well as I would like. Around 4 years ago, I started learning frontend web technologies, and around 3 years ago I pivoted my career into web development. As much as I enjoy it, for a long time it seemed like any time not devoted to learning how to be a better developer was time wasted. I am still learning all that I can about software, but I no longer feel like It has to be at the expense of music. It has been difficult, but I’m better for it.

That said, I’m starting a listening journal series. I’ve found some old notes from college recently and some of those are listening journals I’ve happened to keep. I wanted to challenge myself with making this a journal I can share, and hopefully a little easier to track. I’d prefer not to start my next project because I found a giant stack of paper from last decade. I store in a plastic container in the back of my closet. I want to be clear about my intention with this journal, so here are the rules I’m going to follow with each post.

Rules

I’m not going to limit myself with genre.
I’m going to add a link to the piece, with a description of the recording in case the link is ever removed or broken.
I’m going to add a description about the piece of music along with information I think is noteworthy about it.
I will not do any analysis unless I think it makes the piece easier to appreciate.
I will be writing with an audience in mind, not just for myself.

So without further ado, I hope you listen and I hope you find something new you like!

Welcome

Sat, 25 Apr 2020 19:22:17 GMT

Welcome guys, this is my blog.

Since global concerns about COVID-19 have me living indoors most hours of the day, I thought now would be a great time to start a blog. On top of being a longer form of communication, the concerns I have with sharing personal information through social media begin to evaporate (although still not completely) when I’m hosting my own site. I’m going to share all the things I enjoy here, which is a vast array of subjects.

I hope you enjoy.