Topsy

I spent much of last week watching rooms spin.  A condition that was eventually diagnosed as an inner ear blockage made me think I was going to die.  Although every sound louder than a whisper hurt my head, I spent a lot of time thinking about music. 

Assuming I was about to meet my maker, I regretted that I would never hear a handful of recent releases including Tord Gustavsen's What Was Said.  Mostly, however, I rued that I hadn’t spent more of my limited time on earth enjoying the life-affirming recordings made by Bill Basie’s band in the 1930s. 

Now that I’m feeling better, I intend to keep The Complete Decca Recordings in regular rotation for the remainder of my days.

(Original image by Plastic Sax.)