Blue Monday, Black Coffee
From Chopin to Hardfloor - The Best Of, the Rest Of, and a Cup at Kilim.
We’re past the halfway point of summer. Already. July 16 was the meteorological midpoint, and ever so slightly, the daylight has begun to shrink. I try to stay positive, because fall is not a bad season, it’s just that time seems to speed up the older you get, and I’d just love to have summer, especially this gorgeous weather in the New Hampshire Seacoast, last another three months.
Morning iced coffees. Blueberries for days. Birds chirping. Live music. And those mid-70s temperatures with a gentle Atlantic Ocean breeze... Wouldn’t that be nice?
I know the cats love this weather, too. Poking their little furry heads in the window sills, feeling that ocean air on their faces, and staring out the back door, hoping one of the many rabbits might just suddenly pop up to say hello…
Summer Reading
Speaking of summer, I have been tearing through my summer reading list and just finished another by J.M. Coetzee.
J.M. Coetzee is in his eighties and still creating beautiful words on paper. His latest, a late 2023 novel called The Pole, is a page-turner and a short novel I just finished.
The Pole is a love story only if you squint. Witold is a Polish pianist pushing seventy, known for a dry, unsentimental Chopin. Beatriz sits on the Barcelona concert committee. He decides she’s his Beatrice. Dante Alighieri is in the room the whole time…
Told in six chapters with short numbered sections, like stanzas, I think. Modest on the surface. Strange underneath and definitely worth the read. Published by Liveright Books.
Next Up: I’m about three stories deep in ‘Thrilling Tales of Modern Men’ by Danny McBride. So far, it does not disappoint!
New Music
This week, New Order released a new collection, The Best Of & The Rest Of New Order. This new deluxe 4CD set combines the original albums with remastered audio, two additional CDs full of rare, previously vinyl-only tracks, and 4 new, never-before-released remixes. The CD version is about $40 bucks… not bad!
This newly remastered, limited-edition LP just arrived at my house. I can’t wait to lay it on the turntable later tonight! I will always remember Clark Terry. He spoke to my music class at the University of New Hampshire in 1994 and told a story about how he helped save Miles Davis’ life during his early struggles with addiction.
Terry played with Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, and many more over his long career in jazz. I’ve never heard this album before, but with Shirley Scott on organ, it’s got to be magic!
Originally released on Impulse in 1966, it also features drummer Mickey Roker alongside bassists George Duvivier and Bob Cranshaw.
But First, Coffee
Caffe Kilim is more than a great cup of coffee. They’re also a great neighbor. It has been a fixture in Portsmouth, NH, for years, and it wears that history well.
It's a community spot in the truest sense — the kind of place that welcomes everyone who walks in, no matter who they are or what they order. The benches out front are half the appeal. On a good morning, you'll see regulars, first-timers, and someone's dog all sharing the same stretch of sidewalk.
And there's more coming: a newly upgraded cafe is nearly ready, which means the room that has held the neighborhood together is about to get even better. I can’t wait.
Bring on the dancing goats! 🐐 ☕️
*disclaimer: I don't rank coffee shops. I collect them.
Playlist
Here are ten songs by Canadian artists. Each one is brilliant. I hope you enjoy!
Sloan - People of the Sky
Leonard Cohen - Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye
The Guess Who - These Eyes (2003 Remastered)
The Band - Acadian Driftwood
The Tragically Hip - Yawning Or Snarling
Do Make Say Think - Herstory Of Glory
Men I Trust - Numb
The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour
Alvvays - Archie, Marry Me
Voivod - The Unknown Knows
Angine de Poitrine - Sarniezz
August arrives next weekend. Let’s take the rest of the summer slowly and catch up with the ones that matter. Take care of each other. ❤️ Thanks for reading! - JB