I started to pray again. I ask for wisdom, courage, clarity of purpose, inspiration, compassion, guidance. I ask to burn like a torch. I ask to burn so wholly and fully that I can captivate the world. I ask to be taken by the river within; I ask for the courage to let that happen. I swear I will live my life as it should be.
My life feels like Louis Armstrong's Mack the Knife. When listening to that recording, the whole thing feels like a sweet and flowing build-up to that final, jubilant solo. Louis opens the song with a nice little solo, then sings on and on. The different instruments (muted trumpet, clarinet, trumpet, piano) take their turns mimicking his voice, conversing, playing with him. It all has a certain lightness to it, like you're walking through Central Park on a warm day. By about minute 2:00, knowing the solo is coming, I can't help thinking, On with it already... That piano just continues skittering around like a butterfly. When the solo finally arrives, Louis cues himself in with "take it, Satch..." The drums really kick in, the horns sing back and forth, and Satch's drive carries the whole thing in a hard swing. Ain't no more playing. The song starts to breath. I fucking love that solo. It is so consuming - it's like a horse that you can't hold back. And so short too.
