Modern Blues
Here’s some Melody Gardot doing Baby I’m a fool, enjoy:
Melody Gardot – Baby I’m a fool
My one and only thrill (2009)
Category: Music
To know you
It’s been a while since I posted music, today I’ve been listening to a lot of music, I started off the day with Lovely Jazzladies, listened to the random mix on my iPod while in the park and now I’m enjoying this darling by Syreeta Wright and Stevie Wonder from 1972.
Syreeta ft. Stevie Wonder – To Know You Is To Love You
Syreeta (1972)
Park!
Little Carolinka
So, this morning I received an email from my Mami. She wrote that she liked my blogpost about the singing but that she was dissapointed as she was very sure she had been the first person singing a “Caroline” song for me. And she’s very right, I forgot about this one.
The picture above is me and the worlds best Mami on a beach sometime in the late 80’s, as most of you already know, Carolinka is what my family calls me.
The video below is from the same period and it’s the very Polish Slask Song and Dance Ensemble doing Karolinka. Nostalgic!
Euroleague for Africa
Euroleague Basketball, Turkish Airlines and Los 40 Principales Radio together present the Euroleague for Africa Charity concert for UNICEF.
The magic happens tomorrow, Saturday May 7th, at the Olympic Esplanade in Barcelona, right next door to Palau Sant Jordi. You’ll get there by hopping on to bus 50, 193 or the Pl. Espanya – Palau Sant Jordi one from Plaza Espanya. Here’s more information at the Unicef España site (in Spanish). You can also click the picture above for official Euroleague info and for tickets.
All the profit from ticket sales go directly to UNICEF so I really hope to see you there tomorrow! ;)
Sing my name!
I generally consider my name a very boring and common one, I’m Caroline in Sweden and for English speakers, Carolina in Spain and Poland.. and well, Meng Xin Min in China.. haha. What I do find funny, however, is when random people start singing for me when I introduce myself. I love people that spontaneously burst into singing, and when they make fun of my name it’s just even more entertaining.
My first memory of people singing my name is from when I was travelling around South America. In Argentina I met two brothers with guitars in Buenos Aires and then later a friend in Mendoza that all were singing the quite unknown but very lovely What if I do? by Foo Fighters. I had never heard the song before and it became a personal favourite although I always preferred the live version I had in my mind.
When I reached Brazil a month later, I didn’t meet a single Brazilian that didn’t sing Seu Jorge – Carolina for me every time I introduced myself. Seriously, I’m not kidding. So, I checked out the artist, and fell in love with his music.
Here in Spain people don’t burst out into singing that often, it has, however, happened more than twice and here’s my official Spain song: M-Clan – Carolina.
At last, internationally.. I get Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline. And it makes me like my name just a little bit more :)
Today has been an intense day with a lot of Basketball and UNICEF and fun. The two teams with the most impressive and loud supporter groups won so I am really looking forward to the game and all the singing on Sunday. Oh, and the concert tomorrow! You’ll get more info soon but I am really tired and going to sleep right after that! No excuses!
So what if it’s Friday? :)
The Bin Laden Hysteria ft. Com Truise
Waking up this morning, twitter informed me about the death of Osama Bin Laden. Hours later, I am still confused about all the celebrating and people acting like as if their country had just won the world championships in football.
A bad man has been executed without a trial. The leader of Al Qaeda was without any doubt a source of great hatred, but still, this man had many followers and his death most probably isn’t the end of all terrorism – or the security checks at airports. Let’s try not being too naïve about this one.
Having said that, I have to say that I am completely in love with twitter. The world was twittering about the news of the killing long before it was officially confirmed by the US Government. A man in Abbottabad unknowingly live-tweeted the action. And now #siosamafueramexicano is trending worldwide. Such a practically direct, powerful and reliable way of getting an understanding of both general opinion and that of specific people.
For those that have had enough of the Bin Laden hysteria, here’s some Com Truise. The album can be downloaded for free from his webpage, just click the name of the album below. :)
Com Truise – Slow Peels
Cyanide Sisters (2010)
Settle Down
Kimbra – Settle Down
Vows (2011)
During my four days in Sweden I’ve managed to meet with 15 friends, buy the things I needed, spend some time with family and spend a lot of money on gasoline. Tomorrow I’m having breakfast with a friend and then I have my flight back to Barcelona. Back home?
Kimbra is an amazing 20 year old with a distinctive voice and I’m looking forward to listen to her new album and follow her in her career. The video above was directed by Guy Franklin and is the first single that was released from her upcoming album Vows. Hope you like it!
Goodnight :)
Black Tears and Obsession
There are people that you need to meet just a few times to realise that there is something about their ways that intrigue you. The beauty of those encounters is not to be denied, on the contrary, I believe they are to be enjoyed and explored as interesting people is a very scarce resource these days. But as reality at times can be a bit cruel, the intentions and interests of two people starting to interact often differ and your own interest might grow beyond that of friendship while the other person does not seek that kind of attention from you. Reality can decide that your possibilities for getting to know somebody better are limited by a somehow tangible reason such as distance – or the direct slap in the face such as the other person simply not gaining the same amount of stimulation from interacting with you.
Curiosity is a vicious little feeling when it gets abruptly interrupted. If somebody got your attention and you never got to further explore this person it can be very difficult to let go. Instead, you give your object of interest its own little room in your head and let it sit there and grow on you.
What often happens in that room is a process of glorification, you focus on the details that caught your interest in the first place while wondering about the rest. Curiosity tries to force you to fill in the blanks, and when you get blocked by reality, you panic and act irrational. You persuade yourself that this one is somebody you must fight for and that you just have to know what might have been.
It’s easy to forget the two most important details in this very classic situation – you don’t even actually know this person, and we are all people with our own preferences, thoughts and an ability to act, so if your object of obsession doesn’t respond to your attempts, you might just need to respect that.
Bebo y Cigala – Lágrimas Negras
Lágrimas Negras (2003)
“Aunque tú me has echado en el abandono
aunque tú has matado mis ilusiones,
en vez de maldecirte con justo encono
en mis sueños te colmo de bendiciones.Sufro la inmensa pena de tu extravío
siento el dolor profundo de tu partida
y lloro sin que tú sepas que el llanto mío
tiene lágrimas negras como mi vida.”
Gibran ft. McCrae
“Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children.”
“Love one another, but make not a bond of love. Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone.
Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.
And stand together but not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.”Khalil Gibran
I’ve had a very nice day with friends, good food, wine and Gibran. Thus, today’s treat from me to you is an oldie by Gwen McCrae and these two masterpieces by the brilliant Lebanese poet. Khalil Gibran – The Madman (1918) + Khalil Gibran – The Prophet (1923)
Gwen McCrae – 90% of me is you
Gwen McCrae (1974)