2014-04-26

Ella Tribute And Other Less Important Jazz

April 25th is the birthday of an amazing woman, Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of Song. She won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums! She also was a runner for local gamblers, picking up their bets and dropping off money, to support her parents when she was young. Her name is a link to her official web site if you're interested.

One of my favorite voices. She and others from this time helped me realize that music can be soothing, it doesn't just have to be punk rock to be interesting. Not a lot of music speaks to me, but her voice can take you to another place, and give you memories of things you never actually did. 

This flavor of jazz makes me feel like I'm having flashbacks of my former life, that was super big FUN, full of music, soulful singers in smoky supper clubs, shiny dresses and high-button shoes, mapcap adventures and bathtub gin. Have a listen, at least while you read this. If it doesn't make you smile, I don't really know how to talk to you.
How much fun is this jazz baller?

This is the song that made her famous, she jazzed up the classic "A Tisket A Tasket"
Fun! I love the "so do we, so do we, so do we" part

This is a really good song, "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" the trumpet though!
Louis Armstrong, could you die?

Speaking of her fun, here she is with good ole Dino. Great stuff, delicious voices. At the end they sing "You Are My Sunshine" with some friends.
Just me?

There is a long video of goodness, I'll put it at the end. Louis and Ella, good background music for almost any situation.

This particular situation, why I'm putting things I'm thankful for is another of my fav-O-rite things: The Ten Things of Thankful. It's like a blog hop, but in the way that champagne is like a beverage. Link up here and tell us some good stuff. 

I'm thankful for this community, the support, the real connections and people who care. They get it if you're really busy and don't reply to their comments for a little while, they understand if you can't make it to EVERYONE'S blog on a certain week, you'll get them next time. They support and inspire. 

I was inspired to try vlogging (video blogging) and even though it was not the best, I'll be posting that soon. I kind of have to now. Stay tuned. 

Super thankful that Easters are getting easier for me. I blogged a real blog this week about how my son is usually with his dad so I hated this day with an intensity usually dedicated for serial killers, but I'm starting to hate it a little less. It's nice to have my siblings around, they remind me whatever I'm going through or have been through, I should shut up, nut up and take it like a woman. Good lessons.
My sibs + me, bonding (smoking and doing shots) on Easter
I'm crazy thankful for a birthday gift my sister got my daughter, Lola, for her birthday in February. WHY am I talking about a February gift now? 

Well, my memory is sketchy at best, but also the gift is a kid trampoline and it there was way too much snow all over to put it up until recently. 

The kids love it, it's good exercise and parents love anything that keeps their children busy happy. I've said it before, tired kids are happy kids. Bored anyone is unhappy anyone.

So glad to be outside again, they love it and I feel so much better. I don't know if you're familiar with the concepts of Earthing, or grounding. 

In a NUTshell the concept of walking barefoot and sitting on actual grass, as opposed to a chair or blanket, to connect with nature. 

I used to think it was a big ole bucket a bullspit, as our friend Jimmy says, but whatever it is, we all feel SO MUCH better after being outside. My kids love to connect with earth (read: dirt.)

The more Earth under my kids fingernails, the happier they are. 

Fresh air, sunshine, different scenery, whatever. It's working. Cabin fever is fading.

Even though I'll never be able to afford it, I'm glad someone made this crazy dragon hoodie. I'm sure it would be a big hit dropping the kids off at school, no? Or at least keeping the gossiping PTA Moms at arms length.
from Geek Tyrant
However, it would be cheaper to hunt and skin an actual dragon. ($400!)

Somewhere toward the middle of the begining of the Secret Book of Rules (SBoR/BoSR) of this hop, it says not to focus on the number ten but rather the quality of the post being close to a 10, so really, how much more quality content can there be? Okay, fine one more:

A great vocal treat, here is an ALBUM of Ella with Louis Armstrong. They go together like peanut butter and bourbon.
Ella & Louis, 2 great voices together

27 comments:

  1. I like Ella Fitzgerald too. She was the queen of scat alright!

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  2. Ella rocks, Joy, especially widen she sings with Louis Armstrong!

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    1. I've been listening to that album while doing all the things this weekend, it's really good background (and not so BACKground) music!

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  3. I, too, love me some Ella. Thanks for sharing these clips. Mostly familiar with the Cole Porter and Gershwin renditions, but I do love "Dream a Little Dream..."

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  4. I might be about to lose your friendship forever (though I hope not) but I just don't dig her voice at all. At. All.

    But I'm glad she makes you happy and that she made your list. THE DRAGON HOODIE! ohhhhh I still SO MUCH want it. To the point that I created a gorgeous advertising hook for the company Husby works for, so they'll be so happy and much more rich, that they buy me the hoodie and put their logo on it somewhere small, so I can wear it out and advertise for them...

    Gossipy moms in the playground SHOULD be given something to gossip about (and also, how very dare they *hackles raise*)

    So glad you like the TToT so much, and yes - the quality was there and I'm not counting. No need to count. Now go get some earth under your fingernails, now you can see the ground again :)

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    1. If I choose friends by people who liked the same music I liked, I would only be friends with very old people and EMOs. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but we don't have any other common ground. I knew you & I had different musical taste after just ONE of your Mixed-tape posts! But that's okay, one of the songs I heard was really cool and I otherwise never would have heard it. We don't learn much from people that agree with us all the time, ya know?
      I hope you wind up writing a blog post about the advertising hook. You probably have to wait until they do something with it, don't want anyone stealing your idea, but I kind of love marketing so I look forward to hearing more about it! And seeing you as part Tigger/part Dragon!
      We got GOOD and dirty yesterday! Completely RUINED a pair of nice pants and everything! Good times :) I'm glad we did spend a lot of time outside yesterday, too, it's rainy and COLD again today. Only so much you can do inside here, but we'll find SOMETHING. Back to the library again!

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  5. OK, now I'm chuckling at the mental image of a dragon-hooded mom in a PTA meeting. Actually, I'm chuckling at the mental image of the dragon-green-with-envy PTA moms without the hoodies!

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    1. hahaha I would very QUICKLY find out who the "cool" moms were, wouldn't I???

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  6. I love what you said about the hop not being about 'I read you, now you read me'. I mean I REALLY love it! That is one of the things I love best about it. It doesn't have that obligated feel, it is really a group of people happy to get together and share a little of the good stuff in their lives. Or whatever they need to say that day, if that's how it turns out!
    I like any clothing that keeps gossiping PTA moms at bay. My outfit of choice is a leather catsuit....


    I'm kidding.

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    1. You would ROCK that catsuit! And have all the PTA dads (and I'm sure some moms) ringing your phone day and night! This IS why I love this hop, I can't always make it all around, and I can't even always make it TO the hop, but when I do I'm always thrilled to be here.

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  7. I'm pretty new to this blog hop and really enjoying the connections and wide variety of bloggers involved. Yay!
    And I ADORE Ella (on a first name basis, clearly). She passed away on my birthday, my brother is a jazz pianist and I used to sing a bit, growing up. Her voice is silk and satin and everything that's right with the world. Love her live version of Mack the Knife.
    That hoodie is amazing! haha!

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    1. First name basis, nice! I love Mack the Knife, not just because it was McDonald's song, but I did enjoy that! And a McDonald's not far from us used to have a GIANT Moon-head McMack the McKnife sitting by a piano. I wonder if they still have that? I think I need to take the kids on a field trip today....

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  8. Not a lot of music speaks to me, but her voice can take you to another place, and give you memories of things you never actually did. 

    I love that line!!!!!!! So true.... glad Easter is improving. I think you are right about this hop...it csn seed up or slow down...we all can adjust and survive without ridiculous sense of obligation...

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    1. Oh yeah...dream a little dream....love that soooooo much!

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    2. That is an amazing song, pretty much no matter what, but especially when someone with golden pipes (sounds so dirty) sings it. It's one of those timeless greats like "Beyond The Sea" and a bunch more that I can't think of at the moment. This hop never feels like work, that's one of the great things. No matter WHAT people write about it, the writers here do it in an amazing way. It's IMPOSSIBLE not to get smiles out of every post.

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  9. Only one of the greatest female voices ever. Ever. Glad to know another fan!
    Glad you are enjoying the TToT hop. It's a pretty great habit, counting the good in life. It's kept me going through some pretty rough times these last few months.
    The dragon hoodie is pretty awesome - my Daughter would love it!

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    1. That's the thing, some weeks have been stressful, and I've had to DIG DEEP to find the positive, but we know things can always be worse, so sometimes it's just THAT. And most of the time, when you try to look at things with gratitude for what you do have, it turns the silly crappenings of a typical week RIGHT AROUND. Some weeks I post nothing else excpet TToT, and if I only blog for THIS reason, it'll be good enough for me.

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  10. "peanut butter and bourbon" lol nice! (get a visual of the above musicians after-hours in smoky club with… yep)

    the dragon thing? I would be redundant (Doctrinistically-speaking to say, "well, duh!") hey! maybe there needs to be a 'pack* button/symbol/pin' for the scotts out there! nah, totally redundant. you guys recognize each other totally right away: you go to a party/a picnic/gathering, once the requirements of kids and company are taken care of, you will 'work the room'…meeting everyone there (singly or in bunches)… what a scott does when he/she does that is establish the 'ranking' within the gathering… when you meet another scott you establish who is dominant and who is not, but you two will not hang out for the rest of the time… (lol you will divided the hunting grounds and while never forgetting there is another scott at the party, you will both go your separate ways).

    sorry, did I just leave a Post on your Comment thread? lol

    get the dragon thing!

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    1. Bartender: "What's yer poison, Bird?"
      Me: "Gimme another Peanut Butter & Bourbon, Mack, straight up."
      *slides goopy drink across bar*
      --End scene--
      Well, I might be 80% Scott with a Minor in Clarkism. I mostly pretend to be charming and funny using old jokes from TV and books, meanwhile hoping no one notices how weird I really am.
      I know what you mean though. A lot of Scotts do like to be the Alpha. I'm over here just trying to get through the day and fakin' it til I'm makin' it, ya know?

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  11. For me, I do this because when I cannot find the happy in my own life, you, all of you, help me to look deeper at all them little things.
    Come to my blog? I don't give a shit. But I have cookies, so you'd be missing out. Totally kidding on all accounts.
    I am dying over the serial killer nod. I always say that the one moment I say no to my kid about having a million tablespoons of sugar dumped on his rice krispie cereal, will be the day he was warped forever. Childhood is hard yo.
    I am not a fan of Ella, only, ONLY because that is what my psychiatrist pumps into the waiting room. Gives me the heebie jeebies.
    Kids busy is always happy unless they're cleaning but that makes us happy so it's a win win.
    Have a wonderful weekend dragon.

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    1. You had me at cookies :D Parenthood is a lot of balancing healthy food with an occasional treat, while hiding in the pantry eating all the Easter candy. You know, so they don't get over-stimulated!
      It was a wonderful, busy but blissful weekend! Hope yours was too!

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  12. A great photo of you and your siblings. My sister is coming to visit my mom who lives in town. So that's what I'm thankful for in the week ahead. And there was only one Ella Fitzgerald.

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    1. It's great when you can get together with your siblings again. The moment I see my brother, for a good 3-4 minutes, we're both teenagers again reciting the same old 80's movies. Until one of our kids reminds us we need to grow up now. For little periods of time at least ;)

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