Skip to main content

Music Week - Day 3 - Love and Friendship


Edited BY G P Kennedy  

Day 3 of Music Week takes us from West Africa to the normally bustling hub of Karachi, Pakistan. Here we find Tassy, our yoga expert, taking time out to contemplate love, family, and friendship, with two of her favorite songs.

Tassy - Karachi, Pakistan 

 

Rose Rouge – St Germain

 This song represents friendship. In our lives before Corona, which feels like an eternity ago but was actually not so far back, every weekend an intimate circle of friends we have known for almost thirty years, and in my husband’s case since childhood, would meet.


 Sometime soon after sunset around 7:30pm I would go to my living room, and set the tone and mood for the evening that would follow. Lay out the drinks, fill up nut bowls, light the candles, and put on my music.

                                    

 

My playlist invariably would start with this song, as it symbolized to me the start of my weekend, time to let my hair down, and savor the company and laughter and noise that would follow.


 Since my husband’s taste in music is very different to mine, we would always argue about what we would want to listen to. Fortunately we settled on a happy medium of contemporary jazz. The genre is actually Nu jazz, blending jazz elements with other musical styles such as electronica, funk and free improvisation.


 One reason why this song plays often in my house these days is because it reminds me of that happy time, with excitement in the house for friends coming over yet at the same time a source of “comfort” that my friends and I will meet again in better times. The song helps to liven my mood, and acts as a ‘pick me up’. I usually listen to this song in the late evenings these days. When the house is quiet, and the day’s activities are over.


No One – Alicia Keys

 I didn’t realize I was listening to this song more than usual until my daughter noticed and remarked. It doesn’t have any particular significance in terms of memories. I do prefer the acoustic version, and listen to it as background music while I write, paint, or sit in any one place for a certain length of time. I love her sultry voice.





 The music is mellow and calming, and the constant repetition of the words ‘everything’s gonna be alright’ is a positive affirmation which then continues to ring though my ears. 


 I figure there is a psychological element to it in terms of the uplifting words and catchy tune reverberating the message creating an instant mood lifter. Corny as it may sound, the song makes me feel more grateful being connected to my immediate family, and the fact that we are together during this crisis, to support and stand by each other.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A hearty entrée from Karachi

 Edited BY G P Kennedy Qeema Matar by Tassy  It's food week, so I am very happy to share a recipe of one of my go-to comfort foods. It is hearty, wholesome, and hugely satisfying. Not surprisingly, one of my favorite foods to cook while we live in uncertain times.    The dish is called Qeema Matar in Urdu, roughly translated to mince with peas. It is a rich and aromatic dish that is cooked with a lot of spices. The dish originated at the time the Mughal dynasty of Turkic and Mongol origin ruled the vast Indian subcontinent from the 16th to mid 18th century. On average we have Qeema Matar at least once a week, usually with a "chapatti", flat bread made with unleavened wheat flour.    It is pretty much a staple dish for us and also for a vast majority of Pakistanis. The dish is so popular that it is often prepared even as a festive dish on special occasions or at weddings. When I first learnt how to cook, this was probably one of the first recipes I wanted to...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Turkish dessert for all to enjoy

Edited BY G P Kennedy            AŞURE, NOAH ’s ARK TO SHARE                                 from Gul   This month you see an odd food traffic around, a dessert swapped continuously between neighbors. It’s called aşure (pronounced as aah-shoor-ey) ,   or Noah’s Pudding in English. Every year, Turkish women compete each other to create the best aşure while I wait fo r my neighbors whose names I don’t even know to bring one to me .    Luckily, our summer neighbors are more generous than the winter ones. I have already received three different aşure so far. The other day one of our neighbors dropped a tray in his hand as he was walking 20 bowls on it. Luckily my share was in his wife’s hand. Yummy...   ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE  Aşure means one for all and all for one. It’s cooked in appreciation to God and the celebration of diversity and equal...
Post a Comment
Read more

The finest coffee from the caffeine capital of the world

Edited BY G P Kennedy Coffee by Ellie    If you have been following these stories for a while, dear reader, you already know that I have mentioned coffee in several of my coronavirus reports. That is because coffee  is not just an important drink or ritual in Italy but an essential item, too. A marker of life, social standing and measure of sophistication even.    Since coffee shops were closed during the lockdown, coffee was necessary sustenance that often went unfulfilled. Since we didn't make coffee at home (long story), we resorted to tea. And you might remember that once the prohibition was lifted, coffee shop bonanza opened and we could flock to the so called "bars" (that is, coffee shops), we were utterly disappointed to discover that coffee was now served in reusable cups. Blame it on the prohibition to stay inside. Luckily, it was only temporary.    So, the irony is, once the clouds of the lockdown were lifted, we actu...
Post a Comment
Read more