music (568)

Taylor Swift’s Concert Film

I went to see Taylor Swift’s concert film out of curiosity yesterday, and was, excuse the expression, blown away. What an immense talent!

The songs are good, the singing is good, and there’s joyousness and friendliness throughout.

She’s adorable, slyly sexy, wholesome, and having a ton of fun. You can see why her fans relate to her.

Notable is her rapport with her dancers and the band; they obviously love each other. And the dancers are not of the usual lithe and buffed and perfect variety, but rather normal looking people of all body types.

I didn’t expect to stay for the entire 2½ hours, but I was riveted.

And seeing something on a 50-foot screen (as opposed to these dinky little phone images) is a treat.

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American Folk Blues Festival Live, Bremen, Germany, 1963

Gotta say, at least the way I feel now, is that this is my favorite album of all time.* Just heard it while driving along Highway One Tuesday night. A 3-mile slow run, along with a few shots of single malt earlier, then this playing while skirting the coast: a sweet spot in time.

The elegance of pure blues. The single notes, the timing, the structure, the simplicity, the adherence to formulas…

These concerts took place in Europe in 1963. Muddy Waters, Big Joe Williams, Sonny Boy Williams, Slim Harpo, Willy Dixon, Victoria Spivey…

I was an insurance broker in San Francisco then. I think if I’d heard this then, my life might’ve taken a different direction.

*My friend Doug points out that I am given to superlatives.

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