Well hello there Mister...

I fell in love last night. Deeply, completely, absolutely in love...with the bass.

Yes with the bass.

As you can probably tell by now I like music but I'm not a connoisseur. I'll listen to absolutely anything at least once and if I like it I like it. Most times, the lyrics are the deciding factor for me so it stands to reason that I'm not too keen on genre's like Classical or Jazz, though through osmosis I have listened to and liked a few jazz songs (thanks Big V and KK).  Which is why I was open to a friend's suggestion that we go to Ronnie Scotts last night...it's a jazz club in Soho.

That is where I fell in love...with the bass...or as he is known to me now, Mr Bass. That deep throbbing sound that you feel more than hear beneath the music, very smooth, very steady, very understated. I think in music we are so focused on the guitar, the piano, the drums, we tend to ignore Mr Bass, oh we hear him but we don't really pay attention to him. Like my Nigerian people will say, we are focused on the effizy (the glitter, the sparkle) we ignore the heart. And that's what I feel Mr Bass is, the heart of the music, the foundation. He's not worried about being ignored, he's secure in his importance in the music, he knows he's the pulse, he's the base for the others, he's pulling them together. I think we also tend to ignore him because when we do hear him, he sounds like he's saying the same thing over and over again but the thing is, if we paid attention to him, we'd realise that he does this for our pleasure and to aid his fellow instruments and that every once in a while he has the ability to go off track and surprise us.

Mr Bass has given me a new appreciation for music, a new way to listen to music. Though I am discovering, in the short few hours since last night, that he sounds a bit different when he is electric. I think for now I prefer him as the double bass and especially in Jazz music. And as what I feel for him is deep, the everlasting kind of love, it seems my education in Jazz music has begun.

Here are two clips that highlight my new friend. The first is an instrumental of Cry Me a River (I like the Julie London version if you want to hear a non-instrumental version), the piano is fantastic I know but you can hear Ray Brown on the bass and he is good...

The next clip is Curtis Mayfield's Pusherman, now I'm not generally a fan of Funk but I have always liked this song because it just makes me want to get up and move. Listening to it again, I realised part of the reason I'm compelled to move is Mr Bass, he's there right from the start of the song...enjoy.

 

And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back so shake him off...

Just a quick drive by to highlight my current overplayed song of the moment (thanks to Mr OD)... Florence & The Machine's Shake it Out. The lyrics are just amazing, from start to finish. I will admit that on first listen I didn't like the song but when I listened to the lyrics, it was love at second listen :)

All the words just really connect with me. If ever there was a song for this blog this would be it. For me it's about having had enough, letting go no matter what it takes, hoping, facing the future...love it!!!

Lyrics like - Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground...I am done with my graceless heart so tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart...And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope...It's always darkest before dawn...And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back so shake him off - I especially love that last line. Anyway here's a link, enjoy.

P.S - Someone recently noted that this blog makes me seem like I'm all about the music and not about the books. Unfortunately the only reason that I haven't highlighted any books is because it's been a while since I read a really great book. I think the last book I read that made me happy...weird word to use I know but good reads make me happy even if the book is not a happy book per se...anyway the last book was Jennifer Donnelly's The Wild Rose and that was in March/April. But though the book took me to my happy place it's not of universal appeal as it's a romance saga. Unfortunately I'm still searching for another White Tiger or Count of Monte Cristo, my all time top two. When I find it I'll be sure to share the joy. Until then, enjoy the music :)

Tales by Moonlight

There was this boy from my neighbourhood, he was training to become a medical doctor. Brilliant boy, from a good home, had everything going for him. 'Bright Star' they called people like him, lord knows we didn't have too many of them in the neighbourhood back then.

But what's that they say about bright stars? They burn out fast. You could say that happened to Dr J. That's what we called him, Dr J, on account of him wanting to be a doctor. Well Dr J burnt out, can't really say it was his fault, but then again can't really say it wasn't.

You see what had happened was Dr J got in with the fast crowd, the 'bright young things'. I'm sure you know some of them, everyone does. They are those young folks with too much money and not enough common sense. Oh don't get me wrong, quite a few of them are educated but what's education got to do with common sense? You either have it or you don't.

Well Dr J apparently had none. He ran with the bright young things, drinking, drugging, gambling...and the seven sins too. Then one day he got into a conflict with one of the other bright young things. Don't know the why's or the wherefore's but rumour says it was over a business deal gone wrong....business deal, ha!

So Dr J says Mr Bright Young Thing has stiffed him over a deal and he wants his money now. Well Mr Bright Young Thing disagrees. He disagrees so much, he sends some boys to teach Dr J a lesson. Not sure what kind of lesson you learn from being knifed to death but Dr J sure learnt that lesson well....and that right there was how my neighbourhoods bright star burnt out.

Such a damn shame. But that's young folks for you. They think they know it all, the world is a personal gift to them and they have all the time to enjoy it. Damn damn shame!!


For the non-Nigerians, the title 'Tales by Moonlight' refers to a sunday evening programme on national tv in Nigeria in the 1980s for children. Fictional stories were told by an adult to groups of children sitting around and each tale unfailingly had a moral lesson. Sunday evening was not complete for KK and I if we did not watch Tales by Moonlight. Amongst other lessons, we learnt (mostly from tales involving the tortoise) not to be greedy or disobedient, to be truthful always and to share....I believe the day the tale on sharing was told, KK was out playing footie....I kid I kid :)


The reason I titled this highly fictionalised story Tales by Moonlight is because it was inspired by a song Mama and Cuz S were singing this eve, the song was apparently taught to them by my Grandma and was based on real events that happened in the family's neighbourhood in Lagos, in Lafiaji, during my Grandma's time. The lyrics of the song are...


dokita to binu sinwo 
dokita to binu sinwo 
boyze won binu yo obe
 ye
 e wa wo eje ni Lafiaji...


Loosely and literally translated it means a doctor angrily asked for money he was owed, in return the boys he was asking angrily brought out knives and subsequently blood flowed in Lafiaji. According to Mama and Cuz S, my Grandma knew/knew of the doctor, he was from a prominent family and he was killed in the incident. Though either Grandma didn't give Mama and Cuz S the nitty gritty of the unfortunate incident or they just can't remember...I would make jokes about age and memory here but they can still kick my butt!! 


For my Nigerian readers and Fela fans, the tune of the song is the same tune of 'Oni Dodo Oni Moin-Moin' , the lyrics of which end with 'e wa wo ija ni Lafiaji'. So food for thought, as I believe Fela would have been a young 'un at the time of the events in my Grandma's Lafiaji, would I be right in saying the eje  came before the ija in Lafiaji :)


Hope you all enjoyed the fictional story and the little bit of my family folklore. 


Oh and the Yoruba peeps, please kindly forgive my yoruba, I'm only half :)

I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!

This morning, like the good Christian child I was raised to be (and I mostly am...YES I AM) I picked up the Word for Today to see what today's reading and devotional was about. Here's a quote from it, "we spend most of our twenties discovering all of the hundreds of things we can be. But as we mature into our thirties, we begin to discover all of the things we will never be. The challenge for us is to reach our forties and beyond and put it all together."

I promptly sent the quote to bffl via bb, because that's how we roll :-)

And to quote her, "what kind of hopeless message is this?" Lmao...But as someone like her in her early thirties, I feel her. So what? We've got a few years of disappointment as a grown up left??? There we were in our twenties thinking that by our thirties we'd have our sh*t together.

And there we were thinking we were doing a pretty good job of getting it together too. Forging ahead nicely as a grown up. Granted certain expectations not met yet...but why make the thirties sound so depressing?

Well...Time to get crackin' and find those things I'll never be.

P.S - title is quote from Peter Pan.


And before I go I thought I'd put a link to the song I am currently enamoured with...James Morrison's Better Man...enjoy (can you tell there's a romantic living somewhere in me with the lyrics of the songs I like)

What if?

I absolutely detest what if's, I find them to be time wasting and unproductive. I like living in the present, after all I can't change the past, what's done is done and can't be undone etc etc etc....and yet like most humans I can't help but embark on the what if journey every once in a while. Today's journey was brought to you courtesy of last night's dream of a past love...or should that be a nightmare? Anyway I have spent a significant part of my day wondering what brought on the dream, why I had the dream, whether the dream meant something and worst of all what if things had turned out differently.

I figure the dream happened because I'm back in Lagos bumping into old friends and being constantly reminded of a past life. And maybe because in that past life I truly thought my future life was with this dude...ha, little did I know! I would be lying if I said I don't have regrets but I am practical enough to realise that sh*t happens and life goes on. Living or wallowing in the past doesn't help especially when the other party has moved on and for all intents and purposes is living a very happy and settled life.

So I choose not to continue on this particular journey...boy am I glad there's only 8 mins left to the day. Here's hoping new day, new thoughts, living in the present.

And on that note I am mentally preparing myself for my literal journey back to the UK next week...to the cold, to Nisa, to Livability, and to my male Shatu who I have missed :)

It's been wonderful being in Lagos, seeing friends and family. Didn't get to see everyone...then again I guess I saw the people that wanted to see me and I had a blast with them. I'm a bit iffy on the 'seeing people on holiday' etiquette...see when people come to the UK I go to see them or meet them, I come to Lagos and I am supposed to get up to come see you in Lagos too...mehn the crack you smoke is the good stuff!!!

Do you see the truth through all those lies...

Last night was aaaaaaargh....and so I am making a conscious choice not to let anyone frustrate me or cause me endless worry, stress or sleepless nights.

I am only responsible for myself.

I cannot change anyone, fix anyone but me, and unlike Coldplay I am not even going to attempt to try. I am too busy battling with myself and dealing with my own demons and flaws to try and attack yours.

With adulthood comes freedom and with freedom comes responsibility. I have learnt that just because you can say or do something doesn't mean you should. I let common sense guide me, unlike knowledge, it's free and available for all. And if you possess none (which I hate to say it clearly seems you don't) that's what family, friends, community, church are there for....guidance, listen and learn. But that's all they can do...guide, not change. That's a DIY job.

I have also learnt to let compassion flow and dictate my actions towards others. And I try very hard not to judge. Trust me, you aren't all that either, and you've made mistakes as well.

I know who I was, who I am, and who I want to be. I am in constant conflict with myself, some days are good, I improve...other days I regress but always I know who I want to be. How about you?


For the curious this is not directed towards anyone in particular but to the general community I reside in :)


Title is a play on the lyrics of Cry by James Blunt.

..You're breaking my heart...I'm down on my knees, I'm begging you please to come home...

Its amazing how something so minor when considered in the greater scheme of life can still manage to piss you off, make you lose your appetite and mess up the rest of your day.

This morning I left my house with an earring in each lobe, this evening I came back with one bare lobe. Somewhere between Old Street and Welwyn lies one expensive silver mesh hoop. I just couldn't have worn the cheap ass accessorize or topshop earrings could I, nope, had to wear the one my Mama gave me....aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!!

Woosah...

So my relatively okay day ended on a low point and to drown my sorrows I decided to dive into a golden myriad mix of music via good old youtube... Chaka Khan's 'Through the Fire', Earth Wind & Fire's 'After the Love has Gone', Joni Mitchell's 'Both Sides Now', Billy Joel's 'Just the Way You Are' and 'Piano Man', Simon & Garfunkel's 'Cecilia' which led to Neil Diamonds 'Sweet Caroline'....which I used to loooooove so I'm in a better mood now and can happily go off to bed.

Title is from Cecilia.

I was going to put a link for Sweet Caroline, simply because it's the last song I listened to but decided to put Chaka Khan as I've been overplaying that song for over a week now....through the fire, to the limit, to the wall...through the fire, through whatever come what may...right down to the wire, even through the fire...loves it, enjoy!!!!