A Musical Interlude

Taking a break from our typical weekly column to share some musical favorites.

My granddaughters have a device which plays music (any audio, really) called a Toniebox, activated when placing an action figure (called “Tonies”) upon it. These tonies are programmable, apparently, and can incorporate audio from any source. I was asked to share audio with them, in order that they could expand their listening repertoire. One of the first pieces I shared with my granddaughter, Nora, was this one, featuring me, on the tenor saxophone, playing Misty, a jazz standard written by Pittsburgh’s own Erroll Garner in 1954. Note that I am not a professional musician, although I played in bands and orchestras during high school and college many years ago. The pieces featured in this column were typically recorded in one take, inasmuch as I no longer have the capacity to play for extended periods of time. As such, these recordings are not perfect; perhaps you will graciously accept them as they are, and believe, as I do, that the easily-detectable imperfections lend them a modest amount of charm. Or, maybe you won’t.

Misty was the first song my wife and I danced to at our wedding forty years ago, and I was also able to dance to it with my daughter, Emily, at her wedding several years ago; the song at Emily’s wedding segued into Steely Dan’s Reelin’ In The Years, but that’s a whole other story. Enjoy. . .

The second piece features me performing Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, a piece composed by Johann Sebastian Bach around 1715, on the clarinet (Ed. note: Bach didn’t compose the piece on the clarinet - it was played on the clarinet by the columnist - we weren’t adept enough, in the editing phase, to determine how best to correct this clearly misplaced modifier - we do welcome reader feedback, in the comments section below - please set us straight!), in response to Nora’s request for “fancy music” - quite highbrow, this!

The final recording I am sharing is a medley of popular Christmas songs, with me returning to the tenor saxophone. All of us here at Rule of Three thank you all for your loyal readership (and, in this case, listenership) and extend sincere holiday greetings to you and your families. . .

Don't worry, Rule of Three doesn't intend to inflict any more so-called music upon you in the near-term.  In order to monitor whether or not we're keeping that promise, simply type your email address and click the button below to subscribe - it's free, man!