I'm sad that Etta James is dead

Check this out:



I wish there was video, but still...

Thank God Thelonius is still alive.

I think he's dead too.
He is?
I think so.

Wow, that's a blow. I don't know what you do for a living, dear reader, but what I do is tailor-made for listening to music while I do it. At least the painting part of what I do. And the reading of the newspaper part as well.

Check this out:



Keep your shirt on--it's barely anything. I mean, it's something. It's called Black Dress, Black Sofa. So if it's called something it must be something. But it's barely anything, other than a not-even-half-finished picture of my friend Rose. One thing for sure: that red is gonna get toned way down. Although a minute ago it was just white, so things are happening.

(This is one of those paintings that I couldn't make work a year or so ago and so I rolled it up. Lately, having unrolled it, I'm working on it again.)

Anyway, if I wasn't listening to Etta James while painting Black Dress, Black Couch (the name varies) I would have done the same thing I always do lately when I'm painting. I would have dialed up grooveshark.com on my computer, typed in Thelonius Monk Quartet, and hit "play all".

The perfect music to paint by.

February 17th, 1982
What's that?
The day Monk died.
Oh.

Good with newspapers too. Only today I'm listening to Ms. James.



Although this is Jade Tailor. Who, of the two, looks better but sings worse. Although there's no shame in that.