Andrei Strizek

Music | Musings

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The Moments That Make You Smile

Sometimes I listen to music to distract me, sometimes I listen to it because its mood matches what I'm feeling, sometimes I listen to it to help change my mood, etc, ... but often times I find myself listening to a piece or recording because there's a part - even if it's just a brief blip - that makes me smile and brightens my mood. It's different than the tears or goosebumps I get with other music; this music brings out a type of joy. I typically like the entire piece, but it's that special spot that makes me really like the piece.

What musical moments make you smile?

Here are a few of mine (for today, at least) - with YouTube links:

  • The clarinet melody in Vientos y Tangos, and the countermelody that follows - heck, the entire section from about 5:55-7:55.
  • Oscar Peterson's solo break in Have You Met Miss Jones? (The tune starts about 5:40 in this clip, and the solo break is at 7:10.)
  • Almost anything in a Count Basie chart. Here: Moten Swing. (The band's entrance at 0:34, and the build to the end starting around 3:50.)
  • The backgrounds behind the sax solo in Fred Sturm's Riverscape. (Here, around 3:50.)

Share some of your favorites below!

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