Smorgasbord #61
Laufey | Tale As Old As Time | Advent so Far
Laufey
One of the things I would like to do in retirement is put together a trio and sing Jazz standards at cocktail bars. Lately, I have been listening to a good amount of Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole. Because of this, YouTube’s algorithm thought I would enjoy Laufey’s rendition of “I Wish You Love,” a song several artists have recorded.
Me being me, I went down a rabbit hole trying to learn more about this GenZ Norah Jones. This Icelandic-Chinese artist grew up playing the cello and, during the pandemic, started posting videos of her singing Jazz standards. Then, in 2022, she released her first album, “Everything I Know About Love.” About a year later, she released “Bewitched,” and she has also released two live albums.
Her latest live album, “A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl,” is available in selected movie theaters as a Behind-the-Scenes Concert experience. Since Diana and I like attending “live music” events, I bought tickets, got a sitter, and headed to the theater.
I really like her mid-century pop sound. She mixes bossa nova, jazz, and classical music elements and mainly sings about her experiences as a young woman. I wasn’t anticipating the movie theater being filled with teenage girls. Diana and I brought the average age up by a few points. I’m sad to report that this is not my first time doing this. The previous time, I proposed we watch “The Fault in Our Stars,” based on John Green’s novel. It’s a boy (with cancer) meets girl (with cancer) kind of story.
Anyway, we enjoyed her concert. She also has a Christmas album out, of which the first track, “Santa Baby,” has become our children’s favorite rendition of the song. It’s a catchy tune, is all I have to say in my defense.
Tale As Old As Time
I like musical theater, and I also want my daughter not to be impressed by the first idiot who takes her to see a Broadway show. Thus, I took my baby to Beauty and the Beast at the Arizona Broadway Theatre. A couple of years ago, we saw Fancy Nancy’s Splendiferous Christmas, and we had a good time, so this time around, I decided she was old enough to sit through a two-hour show.
As you can tell, this theater is set up slightly differently. It’s a dinner-and-a-show kind of theater. However, you can do what I did and get tickets for just the show. I talked a very kind woman into switching seats with us so Lucy could be closer to the fence and not behind; she graciously agreed.
Seeing how she was reacting to the actors and the performance was a lot of fun. She would turn around and check in with me when something funny or exciting happened on stage; it was adorable. Witnessing how the magic of theater affected her reminded me of the first time my parents took me to see a production of Pinocchio. I was amazed when his nose magically grew and when the whale swallowed him.
I had seen Beauty and the Beast in Mexico City, and I have to say I was slightly disappointed at the number of people that made up the ensemble. It was probably the minimum required to put on the show. The transformation from Beast to Prince was also different from the way I had seen it done. Instead of having the Beast suspended mid-air, the ensemble carried him, and the enchantress took his Beast mask off. Last complaint: there was no live orchestra, which is not the end of the world, but when you go see a musical and you have live music, it just hits different.
This didn’t seem to bother Lucy, so who cares? I know that making memories like these is important, and I’m grateful Diana agrees with me and that she’s okay not going to Beauty and the Beast with me. We went to Hamilton in July, so we got our musical theater fix this year.
Advent so Far
On the first Sunday of Advent, the parochial vicar at our parish said, “The Christmas season will come, so this Advent, reign it in a little bit.” It was a good reminder to make this season a bit penitential and then enjoy—within reason—during the Christmas season, the octave, and maybe a little further down the line—maybe until Epiphany.
Yesterday, Diana published a piece about how we celebrate Advent as a family, and my reaction to it was: “Wow, we do a lot of stuff,” but because it has been embedded into our family’s culture, we do it automatically. It was nice to see that even though I may feel like we’re not doing much to live liturgically, we are, even if I’m not reading Advent of the Heart or The Infancy Narratives this year.
I have been preoccupied with our trip to Mexico next week. We’ll spend ten days there and return the day after my birthday (Christmas). Also, this year feels like Advent was compressed into the minimum number of days the season could last. I’m not complaining; it’s just how it feels. Still, I’m trying to make it as penitential as possible by fasting and getting extra workouts in (you’ll learn more about that in Heavyweight’s January 1st edition).
We have a full agenda for Mexico. Between family pictures, seeing The Nutcracker, a light show called Luztopia, and meeting friends and family, I’ve been excited about the trip. I would greatly appreciate it if you could pray for safe travels for me and my family. Also, please be assured of my prayers during the rest of this Advent season.
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Sobremesa
Tomorrow is Peregrino’s second birthday, and I’m happy to have all of you here. I appreciate your support, being part of this community of pilgrims, and walking alongside each other. God bless!
What comes to mind when you hear the term mid-century pop?
What was the first musical you saw? If you haven’t seen one, which one would you like to see?
How’s your Advent going?