Elephant & Obelisk, Rome

Oh when the elephants, come marching in! When the elephants come marrr-ching in! Oh how I want to be in that square, when the elephants come marching in!

Elephant and Obelisk really has nothing to do with Louis Armstrong, but when I see this guy, he reminds me of the elephants in Disney’s Jungle Book, who marched and sang as they trampled through the countryside.

Which brings us to the Roman elephant. What is he doing here? Elephants don’t belong in Rome. Nor do obelisks. But here they are, a focal point of Piazza della Minerva. The obelisk is a bit easier to explain. (more…)

Filed under:
365 days of stories, Italy, Music, My Art, not just a picture, Rome by Courtney

Marie Laveau’s Final Resting Place, New Orleans

MARIE LAVEAU
As sung by Papa Celestin

There lived a conjure lady not long ago
In New Orleans Lou’siana named Marie Laveau.
Believe it or not, strange as it seems,
She made a fortune sellin’ voodoo and interpretin’ dreams.
She was known throughout the nation as the voodoo queen.
Folks come to her from miles and miles around.
She’d show them how to put that voodoo down.
To the voodoo lady they all would go,
Rich, educated, ign’ant, and po’.
She’d snap her fingers and shake her head.
Then tell ’em ’bout they lovers livin’ or dead.
An old, old lady named Widow Brown
She asked why her lover stopped comin’ around.
The voodoo gazed at her and squawk:
“I seen him kissin’ a young girl way up in Shakespeare’s Park
Hangin’ round an oak tree in the dark.” (more…)

Filed under:
365 days of stories, Music, My Art, New Orleans, Voodoo by Courtney

I find it funny that some people don’t realize how much I love music – even I miss that about myself occasionally. It has the power to lift me up out of my blues, or sink me farther into them, depending on the mood I’m in when I hit that play button.

I’m not sure if there’s anything better than driving down the road, windows rolled down on a sunny day, listening to something that makes you want to move. Move your head, tap your toes, dance with your fingers, wiggle your booo-tay.

Filed under:
Day in the Life, Music, Observances by Courtney

My mood has been all over the place lately when it comes to my music. Usually I get in a groove for quite a while — immersing myself in the “World” genre (whatever that is), or some Southern rock, or gangsta rap, or what I like to call “chill” music (which, seems to sometimes fall into that “world” genre and sometimes into electronic). But lately, not one thing has been satisfying me. And there’s nothing just attracting me to say “Hey, you have to buy me!!!” in the iTunes store so I can drown myself in its sounds.

So, here are the top albums/songs I’ve been listening to over the past couple of weeks. From what I can tell, I’ve needed to relax, breathe, meditate, shake my booty, have a drink, celebrate jazz fest, celebrate summer, and get back to my Tennessee roots… And then there’s Twilight Zone. Never sure what that one says — it fits a ton of moods.

1. Putamayo’s Asian Groove
2. Outkast – ATLiens (specifically Wheelz of Steel)
3. Adina Howard – Do You Wanna Ride? (spec. Freak Like Me)
4. Jimmy Buffett – Boats, from the Boats, Beaches, Bars, and Ballads box set
5. Sideways Soundtrack
6. Golden Earring – The Continuing Story of Radar Love (spec. Twilight Zone)
7. Timbaland – Shock Value (love this album – it runs the gamut)
8. Outkast – Stankonia
9. Perry Como’s Papa Loves Mambo off of the compilation Rum Punch
10. Outkast – The Love Below (spec. Hey Ya!)
11. Trick Daddy – 2004 Thug Matrimony (spec. Let’s Go!)
12. Jose Ortega and his Mariachi Ensemble – The Music of Mexico (this one resulted in me eating a lovely Chile Verde yesterday evening)
13. Georgia Satellites – Keep Your Hands to Yourself (the only song of theirs I own)
14. The Charlie Daniels Band – Devil Went Down to Georgia (the only song I have off this album)
15. Outkast – Idlewild
16. The Doobie Bros. – What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits
17. Lynrd Skynyrd – Gold & Platinum
18. Putamayo’s World Lounge
19. Anoushka Shankar – Rise
20. Putamayo’s Carnival
21. Best of the Gipsy Kings
22. The Marshall Tucker Band – Searchin’ For a Rainbow
23. Steve Earle – Copperhead Road
24. Putamayo’s Zydeco
25. Jimmy Buffett – Feeding Frenzy

Filed under:
Music by Courtney

Nothing kicks off the Christmas season like Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer. In the South you’ll hear that song a million times on the radio during the month of December. Outside the South, well, I’m happy iTunes had the song.

Which is what got me thinking about the song to begin with. I would also hear plenty of Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, and occasionally the morning shows would play Jeff Foxworthy’s Redneck 12 Days of Christmas (yuk :-P). Occasionally being only 4 or 5 times a week.

At home though, Christmas was not Christmas without Elvis, Bing Crosby, Dino, and the aforementioned Elmo & Patsy classic, more Elvis, and the classic Tractors Christmas (I almost forgot about Santa Claus is Coming in a Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train). Well, this was not so much at home, but at Ninny Price’s house. She was the one who liked to play the music, and these were her Christmas songs, now my Christmas songs.

Filed under:
Music, Reminiscences by Courtney