Live From The Count Basie Theater: A Small Victory

Because of a tendency to get self-critical after seeing a great live musical show, I thought about writing a blog post earlier today given I was going to see Joe Jackson at the Count Basie Theater tonight. He is among the most accomplished of contemporary musicians and his shows are always first rate.

Now I'm glad other tasks called and I was forced to wait. Because although Jackson's show was predictably terrific, instead of being demoralized, I'm energized as this day ends. And though this is a small victory for me, it's an important one. It's possible having my nephew and brother there kept me more in the moment; their excitement and enthusiasm buoyed me. Or, maybe my recent enjoyment of my own guitar playing helped me make this shift; doesn't matter. It feels good to feel good.   

With all that exposition out of the way, is there perhaps a real blog report coming? Yes there is: Tonight's show featured many selections from Jackson's latest recording, "The Duke", his tribute to the eternal Duke Ellington. In addition, he and the excellent six piece band performed a healthy sampling of his original work, including four songs from the bestselling "Night and Day". Jackson began and ended the show solo, starting with Duke's "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" and finishing with "A Slow Song".