It’s Friday and I am here just in time to offer up some more suggestions for having an enjoyable weekend. I’ve got some real gems this week that will bring a smile to your face and warmth to your heart.
WATCH (movie)
Encanto (in theaters and on Disney+)
I get it. You’re thinking someone highjacked my Boost and as a joke stuck in a vapid Disney movie. Nope. This is all me recommending a lively, funny, witty, and touching movie for the family that celebrates family in all its complicated permeations. The plot involves a family mysteriously given magical abilities—except for one young girl who must find her own self-worth among her gifted relatives.
In recent years, Disney has made a point of offering stories from diverse cultures (Soul, Luca, Mulan, Moana) and each one has been a joyful delight of wonderful characters, exciting plots, and terrific music. Watch this with your family and you’ll double your pleasure by seeing the rapt joy in their eyes.
If you want to see what I mean by the humor and insight of the film, watch this video of one of the songs about the crushing pressure the one daughter feels always doing the right thing and being the “perfect daughter.”
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LISTEN (music)
Broken Shadows by Tim Berne, Chris Speed, Dave King, Reid Anderson
The album features four exceptional jazz musicians doing what jazz musicians do: create unique sounds that articulate feelings and thoughts in ways we didn’t understand before hearing their music.
Listen to “Street Woman” and “Broken Shadows” here (but start with “Broken Shadows”:
There’s a melancholy in the stretched notes in the title song “Broken Shadows” that is more longing than sadness. The songs can feel like a long walk on a rainy day when you’re thinking about your life choices, mulling regrets, but finally deciding you’ve done alright and are pretty happy with the outcome.
Branford Marsalis’ liner notes provide an excellent description: "Harmonic data does not create emotion; the ability to change color in ones sound does. This is something that Broken Shadows understand, be it explicit or implicit. The twelve tracks range from lamentation, or insouciant swagger, to utter joy, and all the colors in between."
Buy album here.