Happy Wednesday! I would be remiss if I did not mention today’s inauguration here in the US. I’ll consider this a win for today, but I am committed to holding all elected official accountable for what they said they would do so here is to continuing to do so.

I have new to me music to share with you! In my newsletter, which you can subscribe to here, I mentioned that I am absolutely enamored by Jazmine Sullivan’s Heaux Tales. I have been a fan of hers for a very long time and this album was worth the wait.

One thing that I’ve realized though is that I love listening to live album recordings. I feel like this used to be more standard practice before video redistribution became more popular, after all, what is the point of an audio-only live recording when you could just watch the video? There’s something special though about a live album recording. There’s a mixture between something that is both ephemeral and permanent. Musical moment after moment happens, so it’s fleeting, but continually still.

We’re lucky that there are tons of live recordings from the 80s to late 2000s. Granted, people are still making them, but not with the same energy. All of this thinking came after I discovered Gerald Clayton’s latest recording, Happening: Live at The Village Vanguard. Though this recording was released in 2020 and is pretty new, it takes me back somewhere and brings back those aforementioned feelings around these types of recording.

Take a listen using the player below. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Also, I use both Spotify and Apple Music. If there is one way you’d prefer that I share music players, let me know. I’m happy to do both or something else entirely if it’s more accessible.

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Until tomorrow!