Breathe in........breathe out........

Monday 21 Sept 2009, 10:40pm

The end of yet another hectic day. Right now, listening to a Laura Fygi CD, borrowed from my sister and her husband when I popped in earlier tonight. While I was there, I heard a staggeringly beautiful song by one of my favourite singer-songwriters, Stevie Wonder (yes, unapologetically Old School), “Can’t Imagine Life Without You”. It really touched me! I have to learn it! Will Google the lyrics and chords tomorrow. It’s got those typical Stevie chords, the ones that make your toes curl! Haha! I find another of his songs similar in mood, “Kiss Lonely Goodbye”.

Laura Fygi now singing, no, crooning, a torch song, “It’s Crazy”, with a delicious trumpet solo by Clark Terry. Wow! I love the way brass players bend the melody all round the vocalist’s lines.

Kids asleep, house quiet except for this fabulous CD, filling the spaces in my jigsaw puzzle life. Must admit, there are quite a few pieces missing. My sister said an interesting thing tonight, and it was about how strongly Cuban and Brazilian music resonate with her. Her conclusion was that our origins most probably lie somewhere where that kind of music is native. And I must agree. The most seductive, compelling rhythms to me are also Brazilian and Cuban. I also find the Portuguese language really alluring, musical and absolutely easy on the ear.

Last week I tried to learn a French song, but I found it a lot more difficult than engaging with a Portuguese song. I can pronounce the Portuguese sounds easily, but French,….now that’s another story! I’m definitely going to need help. Come to think of it, that’s how I started with the Portuguese ones. I’d sit my Brazilian colleague (Diego) down, put the lyrics in front of him and ask him to read through them, then translate them, and then help me while I tried to pronounce the words. Having the music on CD helped, too, because I’d go home and play the song I was learning over and over again.

11:25pm and I’ve learnt the entire song, words and chords of “It’s Crazy”. Ok, it is an easy song!

Next one that’s grabbed me is “Good Morning Heartache”. I suppose I’m just in that mood. Torch songs. Actually, it’s been that kind of day. I often find it schizo to do the transition from a weekend of gigs, uninterrupted time with my lover and general, Real-Trudy stuff, to the structure of the working week, with that damned alarm at 05:20 and that shower while I’m half-asleep, then that traffic jam,……..! Like I said, transitions - take some of us longer to navigate our way through than others. Left brain, right brain. Yin Yang.

My sister, who works in the nursing profession, asked a really old patient what his secret to such a long life was. He smiled mischievously and replied, “It’s simple – breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out,….”.