Glimpses of South Pasadena: Round Midnight

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Round Midnight

It sounds something like this.

24 comments:

TheChieftess said...: I was playing Ella tonight as I was getting ready to go for dinner...my darlin' Hubman gave me an awesome collection of Ella's live performances for Christmas...he knows she's my favorite...well, maybe except for Aretha...aw heck...I've got a lot of favorites!!!

I kind of like doing the late night entry...I get to be first!!!; February 27, 2010 at 12:39 AM
Dixie Jane said...: Dear Chieftess: May I add my vote also for Ella whom I love, love, love. While I was at it I also listened to Body and Soul and I Got a Right to Sing the Blues. She was indeed a treasure and I am so glad we have her music for all time.

Laurie, I also like your photo, Round Midnight, and Ella's accompanying song.; February 27, 2010 at 4:29 AM
Dixie Jane said...: Chieftess: Meanwhile, back at the gas pump with Willie. No, he wasn't trying to pick me up.(Maybe I'm too dumb to know). Better than that. He was talking about singing a song for me, which he did at the closing of the filming for the night. (Which was always 'round midnight.) He climbed back up on the stage and sang, "Georgia" and looked right at me. Not a handsome man, but a lot of charisma, and like you said, a way with the women.; February 27, 2010 at 5:03 AM
Judy Williams said...: sleepy little town
on a sleepy little night
wrapped up in ebony
with dots of starry light

we wander all alone
through the town: a sight
and this is what we see
just around midnight

LOVE THIS SO MUCH. I'm particularly fond of KENNY BARRON'S Version; February 27, 2010 at 6:23 AM
Anonymous said...: Great contrast to yesterday's photo.; February 27, 2010 at 7:58 AM
Anonymous said...: Laurie...once again...your night scenes blow me away...and in black and white...oh i just gots to get the paintbrush out...so inspiring!!!!; February 27, 2010 at 8:05 AM
Yakpate said...: I love the way those streetlight stars seem to make a constellation... a lot like Orion, if you count that railroad "X" as one of the stars.; February 27, 2010 at 8:23 AM
dbdubya said...: Ella, perhaps the purest voice of all. What a great link for this photo that captures the mood of the late night nearly as well as Ella.; February 27, 2010 at 9:15 AM
Laurie Allee said...: Thanks, you guys! I'm a sucker for night photography -- as my longtime blog followers surely know.

Yak, I've played around with a lot of cameras and filters but my favorite little camera to use at night is my little Fujifilm point and shoot with a fixed fujinon lens. That little lens makes those gorgeous starbursts -- not as many points as most of the SLR star filters I've played with -- which I think look artificial and strange -- but just enough for magic. Also, for whatever reason, that little camera's sensor does amazing things at high ISO and low light. I actually like it better than my big camera for night stuff.

But I digress.

As for Ella, isn't she just the best? Can you imagine her showing up on, say, American Idol today? Would they boot her off immediately? I'm not fond of contemporary singers' propensity for doing vocal runs instead of sustaining a note.; February 27, 2010 at 10:50 AM
Mister Earl said...: Last night I went over to Colombo's in Eagle Rock to see the Stephan Oberhoff Trio with singer Leila Avila. Leila is only 21, but has a nice jazz sound. Not Ella, but pointing in that direction. Her father, John Avila, was once a bass player with Oingo Boingo. Nice to have such great music so close by, and Colombo's has pretty good food! A real neighborhood place.; February 27, 2010 at 6:27 PM
Laurie Allee said...: Mister E, sounds like a great time.; February 27, 2010 at 6:30 PM
Judy Williams said...: One of my favorite singers of the newer genre is Diana Krall. The is a bit deeper than Ella but man, can that girl sing.

Boy do I ever agree with you about the "runs" that all of the singers do now. It kind of started with Whitney Houston and it was novel then, but it is way overdone. There are few contemporaries like Christina Aguilera who can carry it off but for the love of Pete, people. SUSTAIN THOSE NOTES!!!

I feel like most people would do better to just sing jazz standards, but then I guess that would obliterate the Billboard Top 40.

Here's one for ya. She's been all over the place, musically, but you can't beat kd lang singing BLACK COFFEE

And we mustn't forget Willie's version of Stardust either. :); February 27, 2010 at 6:42 PM
Mister Earl said...: Last night, it was pretty much jazz standards, sung soulfully with some scat singing thrown in. It occurred to me that when I hear swing dance bands, they play these same standards. Swing and jazz are very closely related.; February 27, 2010 at 6:58 PM
Judy Williams said...: Mr. E - if a song is good, you can do a lot to it and it still remains true. I love swing music too. Wish I'd been sitting there tapping my foot. :); February 27, 2010 at 7:13 PM
Virginia said...: Does your husband know you are out at all hours with -K-??? Hmmm Missy????
V; February 27, 2010 at 7:18 PM
Mister Earl said...: I'm listening to Willie Nelson's Bonaparte's Retreat on YouTube right now, after watching a great curling match between Canada and Norway. Strange how that game can capture you even if you don't know much about it.; February 27, 2010 at 7:21 PM
Laurie Allee said...: LOL VIrg!; February 27, 2010 at 7:32 PM
Laurie Allee said...: E, Jon is addicted to curling. I even got into watching the Danish WOmen's curling team one night. They all looked like they could be on The Bachelor.

I'd forgotten about KD Lang. Is she still around?; February 27, 2010 at 7:33 PM
Laurie Allee said...: While we're YOuTubing, can't beat Dee Dee Bridgewater for old-school jazz vocals. I just adore her voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF0othfEUZU; February 27, 2010 at 7:38 PM
Mister Earl said...: Last night, I watched the women's curling. Sweden vs. Canada. The Swedish women were all blondes and their best player wore blue nail polish to match the Swedish flag. It was exciting. Canada had it wrapped up, but they messed up a shot, let the Swedes tie it up, and they won it in extra innings.

K.D. Lang is so "around" that she sang Leonard Cohen's Halleluiah at the opening ceremony of these very Olympics. I thought it was kind of a weird song choice for the Olympics, but she did a great job. There are several YouTube clips of her doing this song.; February 27, 2010 at 8:09 PM
Laurie Allee said...: Yeah, that is a weird choice. I've missed a lot of the Olympics. I can't sit through four hours every night trying to see one complete event. The ADD way NBC has shown the games is really distracting. I know they're trying to milk ad money since they overbid but honestly, watching an hour of bobsledding between skaters is impossible.

I digress. Again!; February 27, 2010 at 8:15 PM
Mister Earl said...: There's other stuff on MSNBC and CNBC, like hockey and curling. I keep switching back and forth. This afternoon I was switching back and forth between Olympics and Tsunami News. The Tsunami turned out to be a dud. I'm going to Tsu CNN.; February 27, 2010 at 8:28 PM
Judy Williams said...: Saturday Night Live did a spoof on curling and I had laugh with the two team mates in the foreground going wild with their brushes so that the stone could make it a few more inches toward the target. I just can't get into curling.

I did enjoy some of the sky jumping. That's the closest we humans can actually come to flying.

wv: reapemat - the newest sandwich by the Grim Reaper at the Automat.; February 27, 2010 at 10:09 PM
TheChieftess said...: Love KD Lang...Starbuck's is selling one of her latest greatest hits cd's...

Mr. E...I didn't know about Columbo's ...keep us posted!!!

LA...you're absolutely right about the Olympics...and referring to it as the ADD Olympics is right on!!! I'm mostly interested in the skating...which seemed to be the last events shown..but you had to watch the whole evening to see the even you wanted to watch, which meant I really didn't watch any of it very thoroughly...sounds like they're defeating their advertising purpose...lol!!!; March 2, 2010 at 12:15 AM