The Weekly Three

Lame joke:
There are three types of people in the world. Those that are good at math and those that aren't.

No one ever laughs.

But, I like the number three. It is balanced and gives you options. Three feels like a bounty whereas two seems like merely a choice. I can easily count to three.

Thus, The Weekly Three. I think it is fun to have a little something you can count on each week to help you kick back and forget your troubles or plan for the future. The Weekly Three should do just that. Hopefully.

I think that the perfect combo consists of a good book, a good album, and the right drink to tie them together. Sometimes the combinations seem obvious, sometimes not. I'll put them out there and see what happens.

Kind Of Blue -- Miles Davis

The Last Opium Den -- Nick Tosches

Johnnie Walker Black on ice

Kind of Blue is my favorie Miles record and gets the nod because it represents a controlled style of improv, an amazing set of players, and a near-hypnotic quality as you listen to the instruments each speaking to the other. From trumpet to sax and with the bass underneath holding it together, this album is one long fix.

The perfect complement is Tosches' quest to find the last opium den and what happens when he gets there. I am a huge fan of his writing style, all lyrical wordplay that seems to be written by an unsung poet of New York (he is a 20th Century Whitman). The book is short and delivers its own opium-like hit.

Johnnie ties it all together. Nothing too fancy like a single malt, just a classic blend that you would easily find in the hands of Miles or Nick as they relaxed before their work, during it, and then after.

That's my first Weekly Three. If you want to suggest a trio, send me some email.

Now, go have a drink.