Tag: Jazz

Whiplash.

Whiplash-5547.cr2 While it is still fresh in my mind I want to write about this film.  Unusually for us, we went to a late afternoon show which took us almost to dinner time and I am writing this just before I have my dinner so that I don’t lose the enthusiasm for the review.

It has been a long time since I have seen a movie of such raw human emotions on display.  A hard driving mentor, an ambitious mentee and jazz thrown in makes for a heady combination.  Add to that, the human element of a competitive if somewhat pedestrian family background and a little bit of romance, and it makes for a perfect drama.

The movie revolves around just the two protagonists, the band leader and mentor played by J.K. Simmons in a powerful portrayal and the mentee and drummer played by Miles Teller in an equally powerful portrayal.  Throw in the superb and tight direction by Damien Chazelle and you have a potent mixture that offers just short of two hours of gripping viewing of high drama.

No fights or car chases, no big romance or titillating scenes.  Just plain drama and some excellent jazz music.  I give it [rating=6] rating without the least hesitation and recommend it to people who are interested in jazz, and human drama.

Moods!

Welcome to the Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium where twelve of us write on the same topic. Today’s topic has been chosen by yours truly. The eleven other bloggers who write regularly are, in alphabetical order, Delirious, gaelikaa, Grannymar, Maxi, Maria SF, ocdwriter, Padmum, Paul, Rohit, The Old Fossil and Will. Do drop in on their blogs and see what their take is on this week’s topic. Since some of them may post late, do give some allowance for that too!

When I was much younger, seems so long ago, one of my favourite pieces of music was this interpretation made famous by Duke Ellington. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did remembering it and listening to it again for this post.

Now that I have set the mood for the post, let me write a bit more on the topic.

When I wake up in the mornings, the first thing I do after ablutions is to sit for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to an hour in Vipassana meditation. This sets my mood for the rest of the day. The mood is basically, “everything arises and passes away”.

No, I don’t intend passing away any time soon, though, that can happen anytime too. But that is a fact of life and when it comes, I will be ready for it.

During the rest of the day, activity of various kinds keeps the moods changing from concentration to distraction and occasionally, into despondency which sooner than later, usually swings to hope. So, the moods too arise and pass away. The purpose of the meditation practice is to reach a stage when I can be constantly in an equanimous mood. While I am mostly in that stage, I am some distance away from the ultimate aim of being there constantly. That I will reach that stage, is a given and the only dissonance is in the when!

Now, I am in a playful mood and let me share my mood with this little advertisement. I hope that you get the message!