Last week I read in the New York Times Sunday Magazine this lovely piece written by Keith Pandolfi about his father’s Buick. It made me reminisce but not about my own father as he never owned a car. I don’t think he ever drove one.

But it was my Aunt Dolly’s (my mother’s sister) whose husband Bill Humphrey, a geophysicist, drove in the mid 50s a candy red Buick Century. For anybody who knows about Buicks they would know that their lineup from cheaper to expensive was: Special, Super and the top-of-the-line Roadmaster. But Bill’s Century was sort of in-between the Super and the Roadmaster and it was considered sporty. I remember seeing my Uncle Bill drive up to our house on Sierra Madre. He invariably drove with his right hand and his other hand was outside the window. Bill was a handsome man with a boxer’s nose. Everybody was afraid of him (including his children) but somehow he liked me and he treated me with warmth. He was a father figure for me. I admired him and even more because of his cool car.

Invariably my thoughts settle on the idea that my age dictates the kind of car I drive. Would I drive a Buick? No! Would I drive an Impala? Perhaps. And because I am a creature of the past century a computerized and apped car is not to my liking. And yet I would not be caught dead going on a boat cruise to Alaska with Rosemary. The idea of a cruise ship is anathema.

There is another factor that seems to be inevitable with men of my age. They will get haircuts like the ones they had as youths.  I would never get a flat-top so I must be some sort of exception. My nephews in Argentina make fun of my pant suits that they say I hike up to my real waist. Only a couple of days ago I asked Rosemary If I would look good in pencil jeans or those new-fangled suit that are real tight.

And what about my music tastes? Here I can assert with pride that I am adopting a liking to new music and music of the 20^th century that I would have never thought of listening to.

There is a resurgence of interest in baroque music with period instruments these days particularly with Early Music Vancouver and thePacific Baroque Orchestra. But this to me is almost cruise ship material as I discovered the baroque period around 1962 in Mexico City. There were many a concert performed in Mexican baroque churches. I had a liking for a chap called Frescobaldi.

But since age 18 when I Bill Schieffer, a day student at St. Edward’s High School in Austin, Texas steered me to listening Dave Brubeck and I heard a live concert at the University of Texas I have been a lover of cool jazz.

What is astounding as that as soon as I returned to Mexico City in 1961I would go to my local supermarkets (they had fantastic record sections) and buy records recommended by Downbeat. This is how I discovered Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery and many more. In fact many of the jazz records of my present collection I purchased at Comercial Mexicana.

So now I can reveal that with the end of DVDs and CDs (streaming is the thing) London Drugs has been featuring the best jazz records (yes!) and CDs that long ago disappeared. They are back and at prices that are under $10. I am enclosing here two samples.

As some who read this blog they know that I have a very good sound system with JBL Studio monitors in our Kitsilano digs.The living room has nice acoustics and for these days of rain and darkness my newly purchased jazz CDs are a respite from all things Trump.

I believe that I can almost feel that excitement that I had in Mexico City when I would rush home with a new record (an example Miles Davis - Live - At Carnegie Hall). I would open it and place it on my rudimentary Garrard turntable and would sit down to listen to something I had never heard before.

This has happened when I purchased The Number 1 Jazz Beatles Album. I has all sorts of people I have never heard before (Madeleine Peyroux, very wonderful!). It also features some I know like Renee Rosnes. From an interview that trombonist Sharman King gave a few days ago on Hot Air in a program dedicated to the memory of band leader and trumpet play Bobby Hales I found out that Rosnes started her career in jazz as a singer. As a piano player I watched her play at the Iridium in NY City a few years back with J.J. Johnson. They sat at our table with bassist Rufus Reid
(David Morton) for a pleasant chat.