Sometimes, The Sight Of A Sexy Face ...
... will blow you away. Or a beautiful dawn. Or a dog you've never met before who comes running up to greet you like a long lost friend.
And sometimes, it's what a man does with his piano which takes you directly to a different universe. Here's a case in point. Listen to this intro, and tell me it doesn't cause you to gasp with incredulity. And the intro is just for starters. When you think it can't possibly get any better, it does. This is trio playing of surreal quality; bass and drums must feel they've been asked to the dance by an untamed lion. But we're talking Patitucci and DeJohnette - they are glad to accept the invitation, and the dance becomes a triumphal pas de trois.
So here, for my last music posting of 2017, is Gonzalo Rubalcaba presiding over a mind-boggling version of one of the jazz standards, Autumn Leaves. This performance - at one point, you catch a glimpse of fellow pianist Chick Corea in the audience, looking shell-shocked - was recorded live at the 1991 Mount Fuji Jazz Festival, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The full trio are:
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, piano John Patitucci, bass Jack DeJohnette, drums
As we reflect on a year shaped in the Twilight Zone, and think about what horrors 2018 may bring, let's remember that not so long ago, three musicians - three human beings - joined hearts and minds and skills and visions and courage to make music like this. And let's allow for the possibility that in a world "that has such people in it", all is not lost.