#gezelligheid

[sinceileftyoublog]

Andrew Bird & Mary Lattimore Live Show Review: 12/5, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago

Andrew Bird & Alan Hampton

BY JORDAN MAINZER

A few songs into this year's first Gezelligheid show--Andrew Bird's annual series of winter concerts at the Fourth Presbyterian Church--Bird mentioned that when he put on an Ella Fitzgerald recording when spending time with his family, his niece asked, "Why are you playing Christmas music?" To her, Bird posited, all old music sounded like Christmas music. It's a fairly easy misconception to understand. After all, the feelings you most associate with Christmas, holiday, or wintertime music in general--warmth, joy, familiarity--are often inherent qualities of songs that clearly are from a distant past. A great classic song can make you feel nostalgia for a time you didn't even experience. It's that phenomenon that Bird took advantage of most on Thursday night.

Bird & Hampton

Accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Alan Hampton, Bird played both original and cover favorites from his recorded catalog. Highlights of the former included Armchair Apocrypha's plucky "Plasticities", the minimal "Pulaski at Night", and the swaying "Alabaster" from holiday album Hark! He culled multiple times from his deep well of tunes by Vince Guaraldi and beloved Americana duo The Handsome Family. Midway through the main set, Bird took advantage of returning home and invited Evanston-based longtime collaborator Nora O'Connor on stage. Though O'Connor has long been a backing vocalist for the likes of Bird, The New Pornographers, and The Decemberists, she and Bird actually played a deep cut she recorded with him, a version of Bob Dylan's "Oh Sister" from Bird's 2007 Soldier On EP. The three musicians on stage broke the song down, a capella style, before Bird built it back up with his violin.

Bird

But it was Bird's most recent releases of covers that ended up perfectly encapsulating the allure of the past. In May, he shared Sunday Morning Put-On (Loma Vista) with the trio of Hampton and drummer Ted Poor, a collection of jazz standards (plus one original) interpreted through Bird's unmistakable aesthetic. Bird knows that stringed instruments best emulate human voice, but on Sunday Morning Put-On, he explores the extent to which applying bow pressure on his violin strings can recall the rich sounds that result from blowing air into the mouthpiece of a horn instrument. Early in his set on Thursday, Bird and Hampton performed the Trio's rendition of Johnny Green and Edward Heyman's "I Cover the Waterfront", a song that's been recorded by the likes of Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday. Starting with violin, Bird's fluttering followed the original's vocal line; by the time he started singing, his bowing undulated like a tenor saxophone. The performance was eerie, uncanny, and time-bending.

Bird & Hampton

In October, Bird and singer-songwriter Madison Cunningham released Cunningham Bird (Loma Vista), a track-by-track recreation of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks' pre-Fleetwood Mac record Buckingham Nicks. For many in the crowd, even among the pop music aficionados, it was their first time hearing the songs at all: Remarkably, Buckingham Nicks is long out-of-print and not on any streaming services, save for some unofficial uploads to YouTube. Bird and O'Connor duetted a strummed, stripped-down, faster-paced version of "Races are Run". On both Cunningham Bird and on Thursday, for "Crystal", Bird inverted the gender of the lead singer, Cunningham and O'Connor, respectively, singing Buckingham's words, Bird harmonizing Nicks' parts. And there's a fun connection between Sunday Morning Put-On and Cunningham Bird, which is John Lewis' "Django", a song that not only did Bird and his Trio cover on the former but that Buckingham and Nicks covered for their album--meaning Bird also reinterpreted Buckingham and Nicks reinterpreting jazz. The version that led into "Races are Run" Bird played on Thursday was firmly the Cunningham Bird version--after all, Poor's drums are key on Sunday Morning Put-On--but the song's inclusion as a standard that can be adapted in many different ways underscored the very concept of Gezelligheid: conviviality, coziness, fun.

Bird & Hampton

Mary Lattimore

Opening for Bird was harpist Mary Lattimore, a musician who has demonstrated over the past several years that combining classical training with clear experimentation and a sense of humor can, too, result in something fun and beautiful. Lattimore, gifted her harp by Chicago-based factory Lyon & Healy, performed tracks from her dense back catalog, many of which had a story associated with them. She wrote Hundreds of Days' "On the Day You Saw the Dead Whale" after, yes, seeing a dead whale in a coastal California town where she was at a residency. "Wawa By The Ocean", included on her 2017 Collected Pieces compilation, was inspired by her holy routine of buying a hoagie from the Philadelphia-born convenience store/gas station chain and eating it on the Jersey Shore. (Upon finding out about the song, Wawa headquarters sent Lattimore a care package.) "Til a Mermaid Drags You Under" aims to reflect the duality of dark and light in the surf town where it was recorded with Slowdive guitarist Neal Halstead, for 2020's Silver Ladders. On Thursday, hearing the songs' contexts gave crowd members a starting point, either as a lens through which to take in the song or as a challenge to see if they could empty their heads and get lost in the pure sounds emanating from the stage. Lattimore, meanwhile, used synths and looping not to trick and lull you into layers, but to show you how she was manipulating the sounds in real-time, as tangible as her plucks and scratches of the harp. At one point, during Hundreds of Days standout "It Feels Like Floating", ambulances were outside driving down the street, sirens on, but the crowd was subsumed by Lattimore's playing. The harp didn't drown anything out by volume, but like Bird's violin would do later, it enraptured a group of people who had walked through the doors of the church to nestle in the safety of memory and imagination.

Lattimore

Lattimore

[princguard-a]

Lark was roaming the halls of Rivendell in the twilight hours. It had been a time when the day faded into the quietness of the night by painting the realm in shades of pink and gold. Sleep was a rarity for Lark and so she opted to walk the halls like some guardian.

She checked the ramparts, the sentries, and the patrols. All seemed quiet which should've been a comfort but something was ebbing at her senses. It was a faint kind of warning--not danger perhaps, but a growing concern. She elected to follow it.

Through the halls, she went until she was in the wing where she knew Elrond resided. She turned down the winding corridor to come face to face with Elrond's study and ever so quietly, she slipped in. She watched the lord for a moment before speaking.

" My lord." she greeted and lowered her head in a small bow. " Sleep does not prevail you, my lord? Something brought me to your council and I can see that you are exhausting yourself beyond your means. What troubles you?"

@gezelligheiid / continued from here: XXX

[kajishin]

＂you are amazing ＂ #hygge#koselig#mysig#gezelligheid#gemütlichkeit#Ikigai#surfing#sun#tsuyazaki https://www.instagram.com/p/CqcsXX7Skbq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[ivoryfall]

@gezelligheiid - (x)

"don't  move."  it  is  sure  to  sting  worse  if  novice  hands  met  with  unexpected  fidgeting.  the  practical  experience  is  better  than  book  learning  as  had  been  introduced  to  him,  the  time  prior.  there's  no  denying  the  reassurance  that  comes  from  the  answer  received. easing  up  on  what  little  he  could  do  for  the  other  in  this  state,  there  is  remarkable  enough  improvement.  "do  you  suppose  that  will  suffice?"

[rogueprincc]

@gezelligheiid

' how dreadful this day was , how boring to sit upon council meetings and have to listen to fat fucking cunt lords express their minds so freely , did they truly think. -- they were their equals ? if they did , they were wrong . they had no equals , they were the blood of the dragons && those lords should be reminded of such ― if ' he had his way he would happily show them , he would happily cut their loose -- tongues from their useless mouths .

' his brother was too docile , to eager for peace , eager enough that he allowed himself to be talked to as if he was a mere hound . such horrible little creatures they -- were , fucking fools . he walked through the streets of flea bottom , a place where he felt he could express his true self , be the rogue he was ever ' destined to be . yet his eye caught a sight && at it , a high pitched short laugh escaped him , was it the time of year where people dressed up ? yet he saw no mask -- upon the man , approaching slowly his eyes took interest in those rather pointed ears " those cannot be real . " perhaps an experiment gone wrong ? a grin pulled - upon his features " you look like something out of the stories my mother used to read to me at night , i am almost tempted to cut them off and keep them in a jar . "

[leondxs]

@gezelligheiid liked for a generic starter!

There were not many human skills that Leondas typically took to. Swordsmanship, was an exception however. Yes, he could rely entirely upon claws and teeth to win his battles. But there was something so elegant about the blade that he adored.

Such skill honing did he take to at this moment, sparing in the dark of the night. He did not land any blows of course, sparing his beloved flora and fauna. Instead, he practiced his poise and positions. Though typically quiet as he was, he did not hold back his grunts as he swung his blades. One would easily be able to hear him as well as the swift attacks of his swords, though he did not worry. There were not many who would come investigate at this hour...

[tistje]

Tistje bij de garageboxhobbyisten ... autisme en samenleven

Tistje bij de garageboxhobbyisten … autisme en samenleven

Binnenkort woon ik al een maand in deze flat in dit dorp midden in de polders. Mijn gebouw wordt wel eens de Bijlmermeer van de boeren genoemd. Ik ken niet zoveel van de Bijlmermeer, alleen van hoe de Nederlandse vertaler August Willemsen, die er woonde, over schreef in zijn boeken. De vergelijking met de hoogbouw of architectuur van de Amsterdamse wijk gaat volgens mij in elk geval niet op.…

[de-meerpeen]

Prachtige eerste handbal wedstrijden in Sportcentrum de Terp

Sportnieuws: 'Prachtige eerste handbal wedstrijden in Sportcentrum de Terp'

[njoypicturesfotografie]

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗵𝘁!

Hoewel het nu nog druilerig buiten is, kan ik niet anders dan vooruitkijken naar de prachtige herfsttinten die ons te wachten staan! De bladeren gaan straks weer in hun mooiste jasje van goud, oranje en rood. Benieuwd naar wat de herfst voor jou in petto heeft? 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝗶𝗷𝗻 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘀𝘁𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗵𝘁! Laat je inspireren en wie weet krijg je zelf ook zin om die herfstige sferen in huis te halen!

[twafordizzy]

Hari Kunzru schetst een beeld van Magda

bron beeld: wnyc.org Hari Kunzru (1969) is schrijver, journalist van Britse komaf en van Indiase origine. In de nieuwsgierigmakende bundel Het boek van andere mensen (samenstelling Zadie Smith) levert hij een vrolijkmakende bijdrage. Die gaat over Magda Mandela (ze beweert de dochter van te zijn), een vrouw die erg de aandacht op haar weet te vestigen en niet kan kiezen tussen oude of jonge…

[raspberryconverse]

Trying to find somewhere to go for dinner after we see Andrew Bird tomorrow and...

"We could go to Nando's for dinner"

[sinceileftyoublog]

Andrew Bird, Margaret Glaspy & Julian Lage Gezelligheid Preview

Andrew Bird; Photo by David Black

BY JORDAN MAINZER

It's that time of year again--not just for Christmas or Hannukah or beer and wine advent calendars, but for Andrew Bird's annual Gezelligheid concerts at the Fourth Presbyterian Church. This year, Bird will perform 7 shows: tonight, tomorrow, and the 11th-15th. Usually, he plays a mix of original songs and holiday-related covers or standards. In 2020's Hark!, Bird has his first ever Christmas album to his name, so you can expect to hear a few of those tunes, too.

If it were up to me, Bird would gift us some instrumentals. That is, earlier this summer, he followed up 2022's Inside Problems with a companion album, Outside Problems (Loma Vista), improvised instrumentals recorded outdoors in Ojai, CA. Though it follows some of the formless themes of Inside Problems, it's wholly original and some of Bird's most inspired work in years. "Epilogue" is flaneur-like, Bird purposefully not giving thought to the potential for other band members or a chorus or structures, while cheekily titled tunes like "Mormon House Party" and "Tik Tok" use repetitive sways to lull us into the bends of Bird's violin. Best, his gorgeous voice does appear, but in the form of wordless vocalizations, harmonizing with his plucks on "Mancey" or popping up on the off beat on "Mormon House Party".

Margaret Glaspy; Photo by Josh Goleman

Opening for Bird each night is a duo comprised of Margaret Glaspy and Julian Lage, creative and life partners who have never released any recorded duo material but have plenty of history showing up on each other's records. For one, each had a hand in producing the other's 2023 album, Glaspy's terrific Echo the Diamond (ATO) and Lage's Grammy-nominated The Layers (Blue Note). Echo the Diamond prominently features both Lage and Bird collaborators (The Bad Plus drummer Dave King, bassist Chris Morrissey), and you can certainly hear Lage's jazz influences on the skittering Ryan Lerman co-write "Hammer and the Nail". Not to take anything away from Glaspy--Echo the Diamond is far and away her best album yet mostly thanks to the increasingly worn twang of her voice and ability to make worlds out of fleeting moments and the conversations we have with ourselves, in our own heads. From country-tinged odes to new love ("Act Natural") and feminist rallying cries ("Female Brain"), to reverent admittances to the power of our minds ("Memories") and self-criticism ("Turn The Engine"), Echo the Diamond runs the gamut of emotions in a lean 35 minutes. At the center of it all is Glaspy's observational prowess, or as she describes on closer "People Who Talk", her ability to "make like a fox and start listening."

Julian Lage; Photo by Alysse Gafkjen

Glaspy's influence on Lage's The Layers is a tad more palpable. Written as a described "prequel" to 2022's View With A Room, the record showcases interplay between Jorge Roeder's bass and King's drums, and at times between Lage and Bill Frisell. Glaspy's able to emphasize the raw timbres of Lage and Frisell's acoustic guitars on "This World", or Lage's expansive, twinkling playing on "Missing Voices" atop King's creaking percussion. And the title track is a chugging, almost country rock number, an instrumental that could back Glaspy without batting an eye. In fact, it wonderfully previews Lage's latest choogle of a single "Omission", produced by Joe Henry and that will feature on an upcoming Blue Note album next year. It's hard to predict what Glaspy and Lage will play, but both artists, individually and together, have the chops to make it a memorable opening set you won't want to miss.

[kajishin]

＂field of canola＂ #hygge#koselig#mysig#gezelligheid#gemütlichkeit#Ikigai#surfing#sun#tsuyazaki https://www.instagram.com/p/CqWbl6tPu_7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[elkedageenfotovanluus]

het jaarlijkse gezellige tafereeltje op tafel staat er ook weer

[mvolooo]

🌟 Nieuw ontdekte leeswereld met Mvolo Leeslamp! 📚✨ Geniet van 5 kleurenwarmtes & 5 lichtniveaus voor perfecte leesmomenten. Check deze geweldige video! 😍

[princguard-a]

☠ ― 𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠.

accepting @gezelligheiid sent: "I'll take care of you the best I can, okay?"

Lark was sitting beside Lord Elrond in the warm grass. The colors of home drew her out of her room since her imprisonment. She had returned to Gil-galad's side, but she was forever changed. Her body would heal under Elrond's puissant hand, but her mind was still in shambles.

The most concerning was the lost of her memory--her connection to her elven identity. Everything became blurred when she tried to reflect on her life before the capture. Like the falling of sand. Fractured vestiges of what could be memory only remained, making her even more confused.

❝ It is too much work, even for you, ❞ Lark replied to his words. She wanted to scoff, what could they do? What could they heal that others did not try? She was too damaged, too old, too broken.

❝ You should save your healing for others more deserving of it. ❞

The beauty of their home was too much, too bright. Lark needed darkness and shadow--she needed the night when the world was asleep and her mind raced a little less.

Outside was too much. Lark drew her legs up to her chest and buried her face into the shelter of her arms and knees. She shook her head.

❝ Let us return inside, I can't...its too bright. ❞