Sunday Drive: Begin the Beguine

 One of my all-time favorite tunes, from MGM's Broadway Melody of 1940.  Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell were the top dancers of the time, and it shows.  Consider this:  there is no animation or special effects in this film.  All the music was performed by human beings on real instruments, and all the dancing was done by human beings who rehearsed and rehearsed for weeks on end until every step, every move was perfect. 

Computers hadn't been invented yet - hell, even transistors hadn't been invented.  There was no videotape. either - all that you see was created by light and sound on 35 millimeter film, which had to be bathed in chemicals before it could be projected and viewed.  A great collective work of artists in many fields, in front of and behind the camera.  Human creativity at its peak.  I'm afraid we will never see such a thing again. 

Part 1 is slow and languid as a tropical night:

Part 2 picks up the pace:

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Sunday Drive: Chopin, Nocturne, Op. 9, No. 2

Gleaming Waters by Henry Scott Tuke, 1911

As performed by Vadim Chaimovich, 2010:

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Sunday Drive: Over the Rainbow

It was Judy's song until Eva gave it a whole new interpretation - poignant and beautiful beyond words.

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Sunday Drive: Welcome to the Future

In 2009 and again in 2011, President and Mrs. Obama hosted a series of concerts in the East Room of the White House, each one showcasing a different genre of contemporary American music.  In the July 2009 concert, country star Brad Paisley debuted his new single "Welcome to the Future," which your Head Trucker thinks ought to be counted one of the all-time great country songs:  full of hope, optimism, love of country and of our fellow human beings.  

The song and video together constitute a brilliant work of homegrown American art - celebrated in the White House by a decent and dignified President, and not for his own glory.  At that time, we still had hope, the country was still holding together, and the misty future seemed a green and pleasant land.

But here in this gray, grim, and ghastly future, this performance makes me weep for our country and the world - for several reasons.  Do I really have to explain why?

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Sunday Drive: Debussy, Clair de Lune

As performed live by Liberace, 1983.  Somewhere along this same time, I took my mom to see him when he brought his show to our town.  I knew she would enjoy it, but didn't think I would get much out of it - Liberace was very old hat by that time . . . and besides, he was more a than a little, um, flamboyant.  You know what I mean, fellas?  I wasn't comfortable with that.  Just keep it to yourself, I thought.

But we went, and both of us had a grand time.  He truly was Mr. Showmanship - a consummate entertainer, and from the moment he stepped onto the stage in a glittering sequined suit and fur-lined cape, he enthralled everyone in that huge arena, individually and collectively, and held them spellbound until he played his last note.  Virtuosity.  Spectacle.  Magic.  

I've never seen anything like it, before or since.  Not a dull moment in the whole show, musically or visually, and the outfits kept getting more and more flamboyant - oh Mary, don't ask!  But never a hint of vulgarity, and the audience just begged for more, blue-haired ladies and manly men alike.

So this is for you, my darling red-haired Mama. I miss you so.

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Sunday Drive: Strolling through the Park One Day

. . . in the merry, merry month of May!

And I know what you're thinking.  I was, too.  Here's a compilation of those Looney Tunes we all remember:

 

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Sunday Drive: (You're My) Soul and Inspiration

This gold single by the Righteous Brothers was #1 this week in 1966 on the Billboard charts.  It holds up very well, I think.  They had a unique sound, a masculine sound that must have appealed to every gay boy and man in America.  It certainly appealed to me, just beginning the mysterious ascent to manhood.  Enjoy.

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Sunday Drive: There but for Fortune

My dream girl once upon a time . . ..

Cher, 1967.  An old favorite of mine.  The message still resonates in today's world.

Backup music - by turns ethereal and dramatic - provided by the Wrecking Crew.

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Sunday Drive: Debussy, Reverie

Music by Debussy; Art by Parrish.

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Palm Sunday 2026

Hippolyte Flandrin, The Entry of Christ into Jerusalem, 1844.
Click to enlarge,

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the

Sunday of the Passion:  Palm Sunday

Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race, you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Addendum, 3/20:  In his Palm Sunday homily, Pope Leo said God does not listen to the prayers of those who claim to wage war in the name of the Prince of Peace, quoting from the first chapter of Isaiah:

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Sunday Drive: Vivaldi, Spring, Movement 1

Joyful spring returns with its unending message of new life:

And yet, in the midst of life we are in death.  The Guardian reports:

Pope Leo on Sunday said death and suffering caused by the war in the Middle East are a “scandal to the whole human family”, as he once again pleaded for an immediate ceasefire.

As the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its fourth week, the first U.S. pope said that he continues to follow with “dismay” the situation in the Middle East and in other regions torn apart by war and violence.

“We cannot remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many people, the defenceless victims of these conflicts. What hurts them hurts the whole of humanity,” Leo said at his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.

“I strongly renew my appeal for us to persevere in prayer, so that hostilities may cease and the way may finally be paved for peace,” he added.

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Today's Sermon: Obama Speaks at Jesse Jackson's Funeral

A powerful excerpt (3:20) from former President Obama's remarks at the funeral of the Reverend Jesse Jackson in Chicago on Friday afternoon:

Transcript:

We are living in a time when it can be hard to hope. Each day we wake up to some new assault on our democratic institutions, another setback to the idea of the rule of law, an offense to common decency. Every day you wake up to things you just didn't think were possible. Each day, we're told by those in high office to fear each other and to turn on each other, and that some Americans count more than others, and that some don't even count at all. Everywhere we see greed and bigotry being celebrated and bullying and mockery masquerading as strength, we see science and expertise denigrated while ignorance and dishonesty and cruelty and corruption are reaping untold rewards. Every single day we see that, and it's hard to hope in those moments. So it may be tempting to get discouraged, to give into cynicism. It may be tempting for some to compromise with power, and grab what you can, or even for good people to maybe just put your head down and wait for the storm to pass.

But this man, Rev. Jesse Lewis Jackson, inspires us to take a harder path. His voice calls on each of us to be heralds of change, to be messengers of hope, to step forward and say, "Send me." Wherever we have a chance to make an impact, whether it's in our school or our workplaces or our neighborhoods or our cities, not for fame, not for glory, or because success is guaranteed, but because it gives our life purpose, because it aligns with what our faith tells us God demands, and because if we don't step up, no one else will.

How fortunate we were that Jesse Jackson answered that call. What a great debt we owe to him. May God bless Rev. Jackson. May he rest in eternal peace.

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Sunday Drive: Beethoven, Moonlight Sonata

From the video description by pianist Paul Barton:

Mongkol is a 61-year-old former logging elephant. His captive-held life was spent hauling trees in the Thai forest. His body shape is deformed through hard labor, he lost his right eye and tusk in this brutal logging practice. Mongkol was rescued and brought to Elephants World to spend the rest of his days relaxing peacefully in freedom by the River Kwai. I discovered Mongkol is an extremely gentle, sensitive elephant who enjoys music, especially this slow movement by Beethoven which I play to him occasionally in the day and night.

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Sunday Drive: My Funny Valentine

For M.P.

The Rodgers and Hart classic, as sung by Linda Ronstadt, an American treasure (official lyric video):

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Sunday Drive: Peace Prayer

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?

                                                 -- Micah 6:8

The Peace Prayer, sometimes called the Prayer of St. Francis, exquisitely performed by John Michael Talbot.

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

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Sunday Drive: Snowfall

As performed by Doris Day, 1967; one of M.P.'s favorite songs.  And so appropriate for today in Texas.

It's sunny and 16 fucking degrees outside as I write, and feels like 30 in the house.  BRRR!  We have 3 to 5 inches of white stuff all over the gound, atop a solid glaze of ice.  That's why you don't see any traffic on the roads in this news video, though the freeways are open.  Temps won't get above freezing until Tuesday afternoon, for a little while.  Here's some live coverage from the Dallas-Fort Worth area:

M.P. and I are hunkered down and huddled up in our drafty old bungalow, using all available methods of heat generation and retention - gas furnace, electric fireplace, and multiple layers of clothing. I highly recommend fleece-lined flannel shirts and knitted caps.  And we're not leaving the house until the icy white is all gone. 

Screen capture from WFAA drone over Dallas.  Click to enlarge.
N.B. - This is a color picture.

To keep up our morale, last night M.P. made sausage-and-chicken gumbo, with potato salad and fried oysters on the side; it doesn't get any better than that! And I hunted up The Birdcage, which we haven't seen in years; still a comedic treat.  We watched it as we ate our dinner at the kitchen bar, followed by hot coffee and the last two slices of homemade chess pie, flavored with a drop of orange liqueur.

My heart aches for you Yankee boys, really it does.

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Sunday Drive: Bach, Air on the G String

Like a prayer for peace -- as performed by Hauser.

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Sunday Drive: Be Still, My Soul (Finlandia)

Police state?  Evil empire?  Amerika?  Or just a horrible dream?

My heart is heavy with grief at all that is happening in our country and being done by our country in other lands. We have come to the darkest chapter in our national history - and I fear that things will get very much worse before they get better. I am too old and weary to make a difference; all I can do is offer a song of hope and inspiration - a little candle in a deepening night.

David Archuleta sings the well-known hymn to the tune of Finlandia by Sibelius. There are other, secular lyrics which do not come to hand at the moment.

God help us all.

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Sunday Drive: We Three Kings

 A favorite old Christmas carol, as performed by Clamavi De Profundis:

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the

Second Sunday after Christmas Day

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Sunday Drive: Amazing Grace

'Twas grace that brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

The beloved hymn, sung a cappella by six Irishmen known as Celtic Thunder in 2010:

The Lessons Appointed for Use on the Feast of the

First Sunday after Christmas Day

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