To start, I just want to advertise that from June 21st to June 22nd, all blogs on this site will be free to read. I am trying to compete with Amazon, so I am doing my version of Prime Day. I hope you enjoy the significant savings.
What I Watched
I am out at the coast staying with my parents, and they thought I would like to watch a show on their new TV. So they thought I would like My Octopus Teacher (2020). Craig Foster is a South African filmmaker who was having a hard time and started snorkeling off the shore of South Africa. He befriends an octopus and learns how to be human by finding her every day. Beautifully shot and riveting. It won a bunch of awards, including an Oscar. It is on Netflix.
What I Heard
The one thing I love about jazz is that drummers are band leaders and make great albums. Elvin Jones played the drums for legends like Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane. He also put out his albums, including 1971’s Genesis. Three horns and a bass player back him up. Elements of hard bop and spiritual jazz play out on the album. This is where I love my jazz, between the known and trusted sounds of traditional bop and the avant-garde. Joe Farrell, Dave Lieberman, and Frank Foster take turns putting out fiery solos on saxophones and clarinets. I want a shirt of the cover: Elvin Jones standing in space.
Free Advertising
My friend Jolie Ann Donohue is putting out a gardening book today!* She has spent the last 12 years teaching people how to garden, and now she is putting her knowledge into her book. It is called The Gardening Goddess Guide to Edible Gardening in Portland. So if you are someone near Portland wondering what it takes to start a vegetable garden or even someone who has been mastering the raised beds, Donohue has great insight. She has been teaching classes and has excellent informative videos as well.
*At the time of post, the book was only available through Amazon and soon available on bookshop.org.
To be honest, I have been at the beach all week and just staring at the sea. This has been so therapeutic. Watching the waves, the birds, feeling the wind and hearing the surf crash. The weather here has been amazing. I think the walk through the old spruce forest and walking the long stretches of sand is something you should do too.
