A good day for a Grepsi
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Artist:Esbjörn Svensson Trio
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Album:EST Plays Monk
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Track:In Walked Bud
In the summertime here, the Denver Botanic Gardens hosts a concert series ... a stage is set in the middle of the beautiful landscape at the bottom of a four-sided sloping hill, where people gather with blankets and bottles of wine, crackers and cheese, and full picnic baskets. Artists perform in an in-the-round style format, and there's usually an intimate feel to the concerts. On one evening six or seven years ago my friends and I were there to see K.D. Lang -- who was headlining and put on a great show -- but the real treat turned out to be the opening act: The Esbjörn Svensson Trio. I had never heard of the Swedish jazz group before this night, and I remember sitting there transfixed by Esbjörn's mastery of the piano, and how the group in one moment had launched off into a frenetic free-form jazz improv, where it seemed impossible that they would be able to pull it all back together, then in the next moment all had come seamlessly back into the fold. It was a fantastic set, and we were able to talk to Esbjörn for a few minutes afterward to say how impressed we were. He was friendly, and happy to have garnered some new fans ... he gave me a copy of EST plays Monk, which has since become a favorite of mine.
Over the last couple of years I tried to turn some friends onto the Trio ... it's not everyone's cup of tea, but last summer I decided there was one man who definitely needed to hear them. Chris "Crash" Pryor and I had conversed over on the other M a bit; I knew him to be a Thelonius Monk fan, and I gave him a copy of the album in the hopes he'd enjoy it as much as I had. It wasn't long before I heard back from him ... he was loving it, and a short time later he had written up a review in the one-and-only Crash Pryor style, complete with "porkie-pies," "brush-lush-tastic," and "nothin' but the truth son"'s. When I think back on reading his posts, it was as though I could hear his voice talking in the same room where I was ... every inflection, crash-ism, and nuance was just so, well ... Crash. He was full of mojo, vibrancy, intellect, sharpness, humour, and sage words with a crack-a-lackin twist. And three months later, much to our collective sadness, he was celebrating his birthday in another dimension. But there's still so much Chris left here for us to take in. His blogs are still up, his essence still palpable.
As for Esbjörn, tragedy struck as well in June of this year. His life ended in a tragic scuba diving accident, leaving behind a family, and a legacy of important and wonderful music. That news sealed the already-inseparable aural connect between Crash and this album, for me. It's one I'm going to listen to today, while I'm chillaxin and sending out a toast to the cosmos ... an Oat Soda for me, a Grepsi for you, Mr. Pryor.
Cheers and Happy Birthday, Crash. Your friends on Mog and Multi are thinking of you.
Comments (24)
oh man... that's really sad. R.I.P.
I heard these guys about a year ago and really liked them, but I never got around to really checking them out. I'm going to have to get on that.
Great men, both of them.
You might check out Crash's blog and his review of the album "here":http://mog.com/CrashPryor/blog/104729.
Cheers. :)
I think I'll go pick up a bottle of grape sode for the kids. They'll just think it's a treat, but we'll know better, won't we? Virgin grepsi's all around. :)
It's good to have you back on these shores as well. It would have been agreat loss to not have Crash memorialized here, and for one I'm glad that someone with better dcition than I stepped up.
Covering Monk is dangerous business, the warmth in this version is very evident..nice. Love to Esbjörn, Thelonious, Crash, and you for the lovely words.
Thanks for the memories, Erin.
Ahhhhhhh, Grepsi. A true CP-ism. As sad as his passing was, I'm glad we still have his MOG page and blog up and available for re-reading.
Cheers!
Truly, a special man.
It's nice to be back on the shores where it all began, and great to see you fine fellas here. Lots of good memories around these parts ... :)
Damn. Still miss him. Thanks for remembering.
Thanks for sharing this story Erin. Music's power to connect is truely wonderful as it has no bounds. It's ability to give us a reconnect to a soul that is no longer with us in tangible form is so beautiful and comforting.
happy birthday crash!
sis...here's to a perfect memory post... for a man we hardly knew & yet knew better than many & to a drink made eternally fashionable thanks to the crashtastic Crash Pryor !!!
WRAUUUUUVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
I have no grepsi, but I will be raising my glass of red wine to crash tonight.
god, this sounds so good for a cool fall night. Loving it quite a bit
Hello goodmusiconly!
Crash Pryor, i never had the chance of meeting on Mog (i just joined last december)
For you to remember him on his birthday and pay respect via a post here is one of the most thoughtful acts i've seen in a good long while.
The link to his page! Who is this man? His words.. they actually dance!
I hit the button on Championship Mogging#2 and read this....
"akin to picking the fleas out of the fur of a hopped up wolverine who's just dropped a sheet of MK-Ultra blotter acid...with tweezers."
Good god how does one put words like that together?
A lesson in artistry this will be.. reading his posts...
thank you for that link.
Grepsi... i didn't know what that meant and had to look it up.
Ha! i've been mixing that drink for years and never knew what it was called.....Brilliant!
Happy Birthday to Chris....
Great post Erin. Chris and I had a couple of great exchanges here and at the other m and his passing was more real to me than some of people I've known in the flesh. Thanks for reminding me.
cheers crash.
cheers erin and all. great track.
Allow me to add my thanks for the memory, Erin. Beautifully put. As longtime MOGgers know, Chris was one of the true joys of the site, and his words and insights continue to resonate on his page. Any of you who haven't had the pleasure of his prose should check it out. I was among those who were personally devastated by his unexpected and unfathomable passing, and it still stings. But I'm sure glad to have known the guy. This oat soda's for you, Crash.
thanks for the post, E. although i did not get to know Crash very well because i stopped Mogging for a while there, he is forever in my heart as the very first Mogger who added me as a Trusted. on the very day i joined MOG, i believe. the music is awe-inspiring, something in which to get lost with no security blankets in tow. wonderful comeback, i expected no less. (;
Thank you, Erin.
Your still in my trusted's Crash, your insight is missed.
It's a beautiful thing seeing you all here to share in the toast ... he was truly one of a kind, and is obviously still very much a part of our mog psyche, and sorely missed as a human being. Sending love out to all of you ... XXX
Yummygatalover: I'm sorry you weren't able to 'meet' Crash while he was here, but fortunately his work is still up for new and old to appreciate... a lesson in artistry indeed; and a wonderful way to gleen the kind of character he was, and that we remember so fondly. Chris also had another blog where he wrote on a variety of musings -- Recommended reading!: http://chronicridicule.blogspot.com. Cheers :)
Thanks for your words everyone.
Thanks for sharing your story. That version of 'In Walked Bud' is one of the tunes that first got me excited about EST years ago while hosting a jazz show radio show in Boston.
A while back I put together my own tribute to Esbjorn Svensson. In it I included some live tunes (and links to where you can download a full show).
Also, I visited Denver for the first time a few months ago while working at the DNC. I must say, what little time I was able to spend outside the Pepsi Center was really charming. Great beer and friendly people.
Have a great weekend.
That's a lovely, heartfelt tribute, Erin.