At first you might think that the food/music parallel is just too much of a stretch. But our relationship to the foods we consume and our reactions to them can be quite complex...and, like music, our preferences for a particular item can change over time. When you first heard Miles Davis, did you have a "sushi" reaction? Or was it more of a Guinness thing? The charms and complexity (of food and music) can be partially hidden, revealing themselves more fully over time.

But what about the fois gras, the music to be avoided? Think of it as an opportunity. For years you've heard about the oddness and abstraction of a particular musician. He's always spoken of in glowing terms. You keep wondering what, if anything, you've been missing. Go ahead, take a chance. You may surprise yourself.

Oh, I should probably mention this way cool John Scofield album I picked up yesterday. Yes, he of the acquired taste guitar tone has put together a fantastic live record. Scofield and cohorts Steve Swallow (electric bass) and Bill Stewart (drums) played live at the Blue Note over one evening last year, producing some tasty single-malt-as-sound. Swallow and Stewart dance around the song structures while Scofield weaves in the particulars. Sco's penchant for angular phrasing is on full display here. Some of the runs almost seem like they're going to trip up and faceplant, yet somehow that never happens. One musical thought is begun...and is picked up by another player. These guys have known each other for many years and it shows. The slippery funk of closer "Over Big Top" is just too much fun. Sensitivity? Check out the cover of Bacharach's "Alfie". In the liner notes, Scofield comments:

Hopefully, there are times when we sound like one big guitar player.

He was talking about the Scofield/Swallow combination, but it really does apply the the trio.

Anybody hungry yet?

(First posted on Mark Is Cranky)