Ray Sings Basie Swings
I had a gift card for Starbucks and used it on something more lasting than several lattes when I purchased
Ray Sings Basie Swings. It's produced by Concord Records and combines an old vocal track of Charles' recordings with a new instrumental backdrop by The Count Basie Orchestra.
What a great use of technology! This CD really does swing. And how could it not? It combines two of my favorite things--Ray Charles and big band music. I first heard about this project on NPR (click
here for the article).
There are twelve incredible tracks. My favorites include "Let The Good Times Roll", "Every Saturday Night", "Busted", and "Feel So Bad". But what really stands out for me is the version of "I Can't Stop Loving You" on this CD.
I would have to agree with the liner notes that say, "this imaginary concert is offered as a minor miracle of bold invention and fierce creative energy."
Atlanta
It's been a little over two weeks since I got back from my trip to Atlanta.
The trip was good. The first part was spent up in the northeast corner of Georgia in the mountains. The fall colors were beautiful and I took a lot of pictures.
My home away from home was at my friend Caroline's. She was out of town most of the time I was there, and I appreciated her letting me stay at her home.
I spent three days visiting familiar places and hanging out with friends. One of the things I had on my list (of must do's while in Atlanta) was to eat at
The Flying Biscuit Cafe. I went to the location in Midtown and, while nothing physically had changed, I senced something was different as I ate my Love Cakes with Green Salsa (click
here for recipes--you'll need to scroll down the page).
My sister had asked me to buy "The Flying Biscuit Cafe Cookbook" for her. When I inquired about purchasing one, the waitress told me that they were only available at the Candler Park location. So, I went to Candler Park where I found out what it was that was different. I was told that the cookbook is no longer available because "they are sold out and there will be no reprints because the previous owner has the copyright".
I later found out from friends that The Flying Biscuit was sold to
Raving Brands. It's always sad to hear when a local haunt goes corporate. Mass duplication takes the charm out of a place. I
read that 50 franchises are scheduled to open in 2007. Glad I got one last visit in before the expansion.
Before I left, I wanted to fit in one tourist attraction. After some deliberation, I nixed my original plan to tour CNN and went to the new
Georgia Aquarium--"
The world’s largest aquarium with 8 million gallons of fresh and marine water, and more than 100,000 animals representing 500 species from around the globe." There are five different gallaries in the aquarium representing different environments. My favorite was the Tropical Diver gallery. The jellyfish exhibit in this section was amazing.
The last day of my visit, Caroline was back in town and we went for a walk around Chastain Park located in the Buckhead section of Atlanta. It was a beautiful warm day in November--no jacket required. I took more pictures.
An Architectural Phenomenon
Recently I took a trip to Atlanta. On the connector flight from Milwaukee to Atlanta, I sat next to an architect on the plane. On the returning connector flight from ATL to MKE, I sat next to an architect on the plane.
Coincidence or phenomenon?
Considering I have spent most of my working life at architectural firms, I find this occurance intriguing.
