Dangerous Thinking

I’d like to wish my readers, family and friends a Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year!

IMO Martin Scorsese has made more classic movies than anyone living or dead. That’s not to say that everything he puts out is great, but he remains far and away my favourite director.

Sam and I went to The Aviator last night, one of the most mainstream things he’s made, but still a masterful piece of film making. Leonardo di Caprio is fantastic – much better than in Gangs of New York – and the supporting cast is uniformly wonderful.

But the real art is how Scorsese made three hours fly by in about 45 minutes. I’m going to see it again very soon.

I’ve just been on holiday, and amongst other stuff, I took two novels by one of my very favourite authors, Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami.

Imagine my surprise when I noticed my new client took the photograph on the cover of the first one I read. And, as if that wasn’t spooky enough, the narrator in the second book flew into Rhodes airport, just 4km up the road from where I was reading the book.

A Merry Christmas to everyone who indulges in a little Dangerous Thinking.

Has everyone packed up for Christmas now?

I can’t get hold of anyone.

John Kenneth Galbraith. “You will find that the State is the kind of organization which, though it does big things badly, does small things badly, too.” [Quotes of the Day]

Tomasz Stanko Quartet Soul of Things (ECM) [eJazzNews.com]

I’m not sure I would go quite as over the top as eJazzNews.com have done, but Soul of Things is a wonderful album, by a mature voice at the height of his powers. It doesn’t shout ‘listen to me’ but the album’s been growing on me playing by playing over the past week.