A Gershwin Morning

After a week of cloud and gloom, the sun decided to grace Seattle with its presence this morning, making the morning commute downright happy. The drive was easy. People were laughing and joking on the bus. Several folks smiled as I walked to my building. And I kept hearing things that reminded me of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" - the whine of the bus' brakes as the opening oboe trill, the rhythmic pounding on a dumpster the clashing of cymbals.

Maybe it's because I lived in New York (or saw Woody Allen's Manhattan, but that wasn't until later) that I somehow associate "Rhapsody in Blue" with the odd and impure joy that comes with being in a teeming mass of humanity in all its filthy and flawed glory. Days like this make me love the city, any city, Seattle or otherwise. I'm part of that pulse, and the people around me are taking a break from their own personal dramas and foibles to simply enjoy being part of it too.

So here's a little present: Gershwin's original recording of Rhapsody in Blue from 1924. Via the SA forums. Enjoy. And have a great day.