In a Mellow Mood

HodgesThe other night I was sitting in the living room with The Lovely Mrs. JC and we she was reading and I wanted to put on some music. I asked what she would like and she asked for something mellow. I said I could do that. So I went up to the shelves and stared for a while, you know, how you just stare at an open refrigerator waiting for inspiration. For “mellow” my go-to choices would typically be Bill Evans or Coltrane Ballads or perhaps a Chet Baker, since The Lovely Mrs. JC is a fan of all of the above. But I wanted something different and I somehow settled on a Johnny Hodges record, In a Mellow Tone, Norgran 1092. Normally, Hodges is not someone that I would put on the turntable, but she asked for mellow and mellow was actually in the title of this record and it had always been one of my favorite Hodges LPs. Listening to it was quite a revelation. The music is of a pre-bop vintage, but it is actually quite timeless and absolutely beautiful. If you have it, put it on, and perhaps pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy. From there, I wanted to move to something a little bit more modern and I chose

Dexter Gordon, Getting’ Around, Blue Note 4204. I only did side one with Manha De Carnaval and Who Can I Turn To. Another great choice. This is also a superbly recorded LP, and I can see why its value keeps rising in the collectibles market. From there I went to an old standby, Getz-Gilberto on Verve and closed the set with Paul Desmond and Jim Hall, First Place Again on Warner Brothers. All and all it was a successful play list. I was listening quite intently and was quite pleased. The Lovely Mrs. JC was listening as background music and she was pleased as well. So there it is, a mellow playlist for you all. Anyone have any suggestions for the next time around?

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