Art Batter: The Monday Mocha: E.L., Thief, And Eddie

Monday, January 21, 2013

The Monday Mocha: E.L., Thief, And Eddie

Happy Inauguration Day AND Happy Birthday to Martin Luther King Jr! Monday's have never been so good! Today, while our president was sworn in for the next four years, we also reflected on the life of a great leader for equality in the past. This whole day I was feeling that nostalgic aura follow me around.

So there I was, rummaging through my box of old books, deciding which to give away (like I ever could part with my precious books) when I came across one of my favorite reads as a child.

A Proud Taste For Scarlet And Miniver. One of my favorite book titles yet. When I was younger, I associated "miniver" with "vinegar," so I always ate salad with dressing when I read the book. LOL.
The story is set in Heaven, where Eleanor of Aquitaine is waiting with her fellow companions, Abbot Suger, Mathilda-Express, and William the Marshal for her husband Henry to be sent "up" to Heaven with them. As they wait, they each help to tell the story of the darling Eleanor Aquitaine's life.
Now, it was much later in life I realized this was based on a true story, but at the time I read this (I think I was about 9) I found it to be an amazing read. It's hard to explain the joyful challenge to reading something like this at such a young age, and I always grouped it with the other classics I was reading at the time. I suggest you take a look inside for yourself, no matter how old you are. You will enjoy it.

A few times I have posted a song or album by Clara Hill, the Berlin native who mixed jazz with electronics and funk and house. She's worked closely with Jazzanova, another Berlin-based act comprised of different DJs and producers who've been creating nu-jazz/house music since 1995. I listen to both of these artists quite a bit, and it's because of this the ITunes STore Genius section recommended to me....Thief.

Now, I couldn't find a lot about them, since they only have a couple of singles and one full album, but I do know that it's a Berlin-based trio of guys and their style is Folk Rock/Indie/Pop. At least, that's what their MySpace page tells me. So I checked out what music they do have on ITunes, and boy, they did not disappoint. Genius got it right! Their songs are so laid back and chilled out, yet retaining one of my favorite elements in music: melodic progression. Their progressions kept me on my toes without twisting my brain, and I eventually started humming their tunes under my breath for the rest of the day. IN particular, I liked these two songs.