The jazz of Obama

Much of my life has to do with jazz. Given my definition of its conceptual meaning and my execution of it, jazz is the predominant feature of my lifestyle. I don't limit it's meaning to musical expression. So, for me, jazz is a way of life. It's a verb, not a noun. Jazz is a process - the journey, not just the destination.
In fact, it so informs how I live, I sometimes don't see it in others when it's right under my nose.
For instance, it just occurred to me that Barack Obama, at least the way he carries himself and does his work, is jazz. Probably what tipped me off is reading the truck load of stuff being written about him around the world since his emergence a couple of years ago - the campaign, and now the run up to his inauguration as the leader of the free (?) world.
Think about it. He, the beloved, bounces rhythmically, like Count Basie; he's sleek, like a Duke Ellington tune; surgically precise, like a Charlie Parker solo; insightful, like a John Coltrane composition; lyrical, like Joe Henderson's approach to the tenor saxophone; completely African American in style and demeanor, like Dizzy Gillespie's oeuvre; unpredictable, playful, and sometimes contradictory, like Thelonious Monk; steady, like Freddie Green; and elegantly bluesy, like Horace Silver.
There are plenty more but you get the picture.
Like jazz, these traits may or may not be displayed by themselves, in combination, or with the interplay of moving among many of them at the same time. Also, like an improvised melody, the individual characteristic might not always be recognizable.
As my friend, Harriet Smartt, says, his style of governance will be jazzy. While he is steeped in tradition, he doesn't seem chained to any traditional model. We're betting he will take the reality of situations he faces and fashion goals, plans, strategies and solutions utilizing his vast knowledge and experiences, in spite of his relatively tender years.
He's full of swing and has what it takes to lead the homeland of the world's greatest musical art form.

life's tough

As you get older, life gets more and more interesting.
They say it begins at 40 and that's just about true. Certainly by then your day-to-day decisions are as much informed by the adult years of your life span than the childhood ones. Presumably, you grow wiser. At that point, you also begin to learn from experience.
I have been blessed in that I have had tons of experiences, some good, some bad, but all informative.
Still, though, you're never always prepared for what comes your way. You just deal with it. Sometimes (many times) there are contradictions. For instance, I'm on an incline these days as I pursue my craft - writing, researching and producing. At the same time, I struggle with other decisions I have to make. I also suffer as I lose more and more loved ones to illness and death. The wacky ways of today's world are becoming more and more inscrutable as social conditions rage out of control.
But I'm coping as best I can.
Though life gets tougher it gets better.
Fight fear. Peace.

maiden voyage

I've been interested in doing a blog for some time now so here we go.
As an observer of life and all that it includes - at least the stuff I can detect - it is fascinating to me. That's the kind of material I'll be sharing in this space.