Squawk Radio

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Liz says, "Time for some downtime."


MarcusRoberts
Originally uploaded by EliBev.
The Sunday Music Blog seems to have gone missing in action lately, a testament to the kind of November I’m having. I apologize for going AWOL. Hubby had outpatient surgery a couple of weeks ago, followed by home incarceration...um, I mean home convalescence for a week. Massive book revisions by Thanksgiving and a mysterious back problem for me. (Well, not so mysterious anymore, since it’s evidently a contracted muscle from sitting for too long in front of the ‘puter doing massive book revisions.) Organizing the Scholastic Book Fair for my son’s school, on account of someone caught me in an uncharacteristic moment of optimism, believing I actually have the organizational skills to manage such a thing, and I said “Sure!”

Time for Liz to mellow out.

And what better way than with some primo muscle relaxers from the doc, and Marcus Roberts’s “Gershwin for Lovers” on the CD player. Ahhhhhhh. I feel better already.

Starting with one of the most beautiful renditions of “A Foggy Day” I’ve ever heard, right through the closing poignant notes of “But not for Me,” the CD exudes style and sophistication. Better still, it eases all the tension right out of your body and your mind. (And yes, I was of that opinion about this CD even before the muscle relaxers.) As one gorgeous song after another plays--”The Man I Love,” “Someone to Watch over Me,” “Summertime,” “Our Love is here to Stay”--you can easily close your eyes and transport yourself back to the speakeasies of the 30s and supper clubs of the 40s. You’re wearing your favorite black Dior and most luminous Cartier diamonds, and cradling a perfect gin martini--or, in my case, a JWB mist--in your velvet-gloved hand. Oh, yeah. That’s where I want to be. Thank you, Marcus!

But first, I have to finish my book revisions. Then again, they might go more smoothly if I just slip into my favorite Dior and put a little Marcus Roberts on the player. And a muscle relaxer has pretty much the same effect as a gin martini. Now if I could just keep my velvet-gloved fingers from slipping off the keyboard...

Oh, well. I’ll manage. Cheers, everybody!
Elizabeth Bevarly, 2:31 PM
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