Jacques Ibert enjoyed a major sensation when his Escales was premiered in 1924. In the span of about 15 minutes, Escales (and continued here) retraces a voyage Ibert himself might have made while he was in the Navy during World War I, cruising the Mediterranean. The movements are: "Rome-Palermo" "Tunis-Nefta" "Valencia".
OK so why here and now on a Tuesday morning? Better yet, of what possible interest? Well, I was thinking while watching the Create channel last night about 3am when I was also awake thinking about things. I had tuned into Rick Bayless, the Chicago chef who runs the best restaurant in the US and has for a couple years. He goes to Mexico for his inspiration and I tuned into his show in the middle with him sitting in this elegant restaurant with upscale people eating some of the best food on earth, drinking what he says are terrific local wines and seemingly being "eleganted" (my new word) to death. So aside from Univision and Telemundo and their gaggle of amazing soap operas what do you think of, in your mind's eye, when you think of Mexico?
I'll be honest. My mind's eye has been conditioned by the Cisco Kid, Zorro, John Wayne riding across the Rio Grande, peasants plowing dust to plant withered corn and being invaded by a haplessly led army being held off by Fess Parker at the Alamo.
Escale, which I hope you are listening too, was on a record with the Philadelphia Orchestra (I still have it) with Bolero and a couple other tunes and when I was about 6 years old, my sister bought it and I used to listen to it endlessly and picture Rome, Tunis and Valenzia in my mind's eye. The brain is a wonderful thing. It smooths stuff out and makes it possible to view..the difference between reality and conjuring up an image.
Well it was a thought anyway.
OK so why here and now on a Tuesday morning? Better yet, of what possible interest? Well, I was thinking while watching the Create channel last night about 3am when I was also awake thinking about things. I had tuned into Rick Bayless, the Chicago chef who runs the best restaurant in the US and has for a couple years. He goes to Mexico for his inspiration and I tuned into his show in the middle with him sitting in this elegant restaurant with upscale people eating some of the best food on earth, drinking what he says are terrific local wines and seemingly being "eleganted" (my new word) to death. So aside from Univision and Telemundo and their gaggle of amazing soap operas what do you think of, in your mind's eye, when you think of Mexico?
I'll be honest. My mind's eye has been conditioned by the Cisco Kid, Zorro, John Wayne riding across the Rio Grande, peasants plowing dust to plant withered corn and being invaded by a haplessly led army being held off by Fess Parker at the Alamo.
Escale, which I hope you are listening too, was on a record with the Philadelphia Orchestra (I still have it) with Bolero and a couple other tunes and when I was about 6 years old, my sister bought it and I used to listen to it endlessly and picture Rome, Tunis and Valenzia in my mind's eye. The brain is a wonderful thing. It smooths stuff out and makes it possible to view..the difference between reality and conjuring up an image.
Well it was a thought anyway.
https://youtu.be/VQm0bfVQtsg?si=Uk7_tTiRMYXavwbK