Mike O'Connell

Even if you know nothing about jazz.

Even if you don’t know who Dave Brubeck is.

Even if you’ve been on another planet the past 60 years with your fingers in your ears…

you’ve heard the standard “Take Five” and, likely, the other half dozen songs on the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s historic album, Time Out.

(That “Take Five” piano vamp is now stuck in your head. You’re welcome.)

Time Out was the first jazz album to sell a million copies (it has since doubled that), and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

And now… you’ve got more of it.

Yeah, 60-plus years after it was first released, “Brubeck Editions” (whoever that is–Columbia released the original album) has dropped 43 minutes of alternate takes and studio chatter. This is not a collector’s Christmas gift. It’s a collector’s wet dream.

I know every note of every song on Time Out. And I thought I was going to be listening to Outtakes with a pencil and paper, trying to decipher the subtle differences between the two. Nope. In most cases my six-year-old could hear it in about three notes. The takes are very different. And, though I miss what could have been a great challenge, shows the development of a song and album in studio, and adds to the Brubeck mystique.

And portends the awesome future awaiting us all.

This is either a new high or a new low.

My local school district has all campuses closed today for the impending snowstorm headed our way. Mind you not a flake has yet fallen, and–I probably should have led with this–our classes are all online.

I can see it now, later this afternoon, that there is so much snow outside it has actually crept in the house and I can’t even plow through the living room to get to my laptop.

That’s a storm.

As a teacher I’m somewhat ambivalent towards snow days. I see both sides of the argument. I do enjoy the day off, of course, but concerning a professional responsibility I do bemoan the lost instructional time.

My son, meanwhile, embraces snow days to the fullest.

(Don’t we all, as kids?)

He does forget a few school lessons on these days, though. For example, the meaning of the word “or.”

As in, pancakes or waffles or an omelet.

Yeah, I’ll be back later… makin’ three things for breakfast right now

One of the few bright spots of 2020 living is that people have a lot of time at home to do silly things like put up Christmas decorations at their homes. Actually, some of my neighbors have really gone nuts. In a good way. Driving around looking at Christmas lights for me has gone from a kinda-fun activity to must-see viewing holding this whole upside-down world together.

Thanks, neighbors!

Tell the ’72 Dolphins to get the champagne on ice. Their distinction will be intact after tonight. This afternoon, actually, after the team without a nickname beats the team without a loss.

It’s on.

When it was 65 degrees over the weekend I was a little confused, but now I can definitely say Christmas is here.

The tree is up, the lights are out, and the yule log is lit.

Well, on TV anyway.

Okay, actually youtube.

It is 2020 after all.