Kind of Blue

Will leaves tomorrow to go back to school. Bill and I will be alone again. I'm not sad about it the way I was when Will initially left in the fall. Mostly because Will is having a great time at college. But I'm still a little depressed. He's happy though, so I'm feeling ok. No tears.

With Will's departure the house gets quieter. Not from his voice but from the music he brings. He and Bill share a love of jazz that is fun to observe. They have an intelligent banter about the genre; they introduce each other to musicians they love, try to stump each other on who is playing on what album/cd, debate the prowess of certain saxophonists/trumpeters/drummers/pianists etc.,  and they also jam together. I love that part - when they go down the basement and create. I never go down there when they are playing. It's their time together and its precious.

Bill introduced me to jazz when I met him. I was 25 and still listening to Foreigner and Queen, The Police and Van Morrison. The first album he played for me was Miles Davis - Kind of Blue: he had me at the first tune. That cd is still one of my 'go to' albums when I need to be soothed and when I need a familiar "voice".

Teaching me about jazz was one of the many things that Bill has done for me for which  I will be forever grateful. Bill's love of jazz infected Will, too. Will was listening to Parker and Diz and Oscar in the womb so it was inevitable that he'd develop a deep affection for it. I'm glad that it is something we all share. We love to go to hear 'jazzcats' (as Bill still calls them) play at music venues in Buffalo or if we're lucky enough to catch some music when we're travelling.  Will just told me tonight that he's going to hear the Charles Lloyd Quartet play back at school. He was pumped. Coincidentally, it's the same tour that Bill just bought tickets for us to hear at the Albright Knox in a few weeks.  

I'll be dropping off Will at the airport tomorrow. He's got his bag packed and his stuff ready.  And, I know that when I start up the engine the first thing I'll do is hit the "play" button so I can feel the sounds of Miles wash over me.