Watch how you step to (the) "Footprints"...

OK, so I'm at Borders yesterday. Yeah, yeah, I didn't buy anything just surveyed the book selections and new music, in particular the latest Cassandra Wilson , Thunderbird, produced by the multi-talented T-Bone Burnett (O Brother Where Art Thou and Walk the Line soundtracks, Elvis Costello, Los Lobos, Gillian Welch, the BoDeans, among others). I wouldn't have immediately put Burnett and Wilson together in my head, but when I saw the album credit I thought "of course!" As I was listening to what I think is probably a great album, a jazz combo started playing in the bookstore's cafe area. You can't turn up those listening stations and Wilson's jazz-country-blues, plus electronics got drowned out. Next I was checking out magazines including Another Man, a brother publication to hip fashion, art and lit glossy, Another Magazine. The former featured a transcendent glam photo spread of and interview with acting marvel Gael Garcia Bernal (you can see some of the pix here). The next thing I know the combo is launching into Wayne Shorter's "Footsteps" and well, I have new respect for how challenging a piece that is, and the nuances of the bass part even if you just play it straight, or even more minimally as the bass guitar player chose to do in this combo. Then came the atonal horn interpretation followed by unintended feedback, and like I said Shorter's composition ain't no joke...
(Right: Wayne Shorter)