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rolloroberson · 1 year

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Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes talks about albums that influenced his life.

#the black crowes #chris robinson #most influential records #big star #exile on main street #gram parsons #the rolling stones #van morrison #bob dylan #jimmy reed #little feat #nick drake #john coltrane #lush life #Dream syndicate #syd barrett #sam & dave

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hezigler · 19 days

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The story of jazz’s most TRAGIC standard.

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#jazz #jazz music #music #lush life #billy strayhorn #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+#popular songs #josh walsh #Youtube #lgbtq artist

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greaterstokesawareness · 4 months

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Stokes Song Spotlight: "Lush Life"

This first song spotlight segment is brought to you by me learning that the word "distingué" exists and what it means (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

Okay so hear me out, I was on the phone with my mom discussing normal everyday things like Frank Sinatra songs we've never heard before. My mom offered up the recommendation to listen to "Memories of You" from the new Sinatra Platinum release (x). While I was scrolling through this album on Spotify, I saw that "Lush Life" was on there.

"Lush Life" is a song that I had never heard before summer 2022 when I heard Brian Stokes Mitchell sing it at 54 Below. He told the story of Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington and how Strayhorn was a black, out, gay man during the 1940s/50s jazz scene. He wrote the song when he was 16! A few days after the 54 Below show, I heard Stokes sing the song on the Boston Pops performance that aired on the radio, and then again two more times live at the Perelman Center (10/5/23) and Ridgefield Playhouse (10/29/23). Ted Firth features prominently on piano, playing a long mood-setting intro before Stokes comes in on vocals and then another solo in the middle of the song.

“where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life, to get the feel of life..”

It’s one of those hypnotic songs, that somehow feels both simple and complex at the same time. I am extremely biased (you know where you are) but I’ll type it out anyway, Stokes’s version is my favorite. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen him sing it live and up close and you can tell he loves it too, but I also think his version is the most mournful. And what I mean by that is he just gets across all the story potential in the song. Like he paints the scene of a guy in a rumpled suit, sitting at a corner table, a fedora pushed back to the crown of his head, hungover and nursing a drink too early in the morning —but in that sad, smoky almost Edward Hopper-like picture you can also see that he’ll be back later, decked out and ready for those brief moments of life that the night brings when the band is playing and everything is right. I know I watch too many old movies it’s true. I guess what I’m trying to say is Stokes makes it cinematic ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ My next favorite version is by Sarah Vaughan.

Anywayyyy, I’m not gonna lie I thought the lyrics were “distant gay traces” but they are actually “distingué traces.” I’ve never heard that word before and I had to look it up, it means having a distinguished manner or appearance and it makes the song so much better. It also gave me the idea for doing these song spotlights because I love learning and sharing my dumb nerd research. So please enjoy the links below for more info about Billy Strayhorn and then pop your headphones on and give this song a listen in all its many forms. And here’s hoping that it makes its way onto a Stokes album someday ✨

[side note: looking up stuff about this song also helped me to learn that the aforementioned Ted Firth has an album titled Lush Life with Tony Desare and one of the tracks is, you guessed it, Lush Life!] (x) (x)

Links:

versions of Lush Life by Stokes (x)

playlist with other versions of Lush Life (x) (x)

the lyrics (x)

an NPR interview from 2007 in support of PBS documentary about Strayhorn (x)

Link to Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn by David Hadju on amazon (x)

#brian stokes mitchell #jazz #billy strayhorn #duke ellington #lush life #ted firth #tony desare #greater stokes awareness: song spotlight #greater stokes awareness: author's note #greater stokes awareness

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syringavulgaris · 1 year

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Kim Addonizio

#kim addonizio #lush life #what is this thing called love #poetry #feb23 #integral

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autodidactadelavida · 1 year

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“Then you came along

With your siren song

To tempt me to madness….”

#hernán andrés polanco vergara #mood #lush life

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eternallyfleeting · 2 years

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silence

reminds me that

no words are

needed

#art #connection #mindfulness #anti poetry #mental health #musings on life #poetry #art with a message #illusion #lush life #musings #poemsociety #words #writing #self love

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nectarink · 2 years

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It’s so important to maintain a good perspective.

#I have everything I need and want #everything else is coming #loa #lush life

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verstappieatheart · 2 years

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Me; drunk; on my friends balcony; enjoying the warm summer evening; thinking about Maxs lip freckle

#also fp2 started just now #max verstappen I love you #lush life

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thehumanexperience8b · 6 days

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April 18th, 2024: NOT REALLY FANART BUT I'LL DO IT!

Sorry feeling a little crazy tonight it is 1 A.M. right now. I really want to be on The Orion Experience fan art page-- no... I NEED to be on The Orion Experience page! I'm an artist come on don't test me- OH! I've made some interesting works around T.O.E. maybe I'll post that! I made this I just wanted to share it because I spent I think an hour and thirty minutes on this and I can't even figure out what to do in Ponytown! I named her Bell Bottomz because I really want bell bottoms... also I just thought that would be a cute name. So enjoy my cute little pony. I have both the vinyl albums I really want Lush Life on vinyl side note.