Man Law Mondays

To preface the true point of this article, many of you may be asking yourself, “what is a side?” A “Side” refers to each side of a record. The cats and hats used to say, “Hey, let’s go listen to some sides!” Music can move mountains and if it can do that, it can also help you get the courage to spend quality time with someone you care about. There’s nothing like relaxing on the couch with your woman, a nice bottle or cocktail shaker and listening to some sides. So turn off the boob tube, make some drinks and get to work!

Great music is the key to lots of things in life. One of them being the ability to drive the ladies crazy. After you went on enough dates and jumped through enough hoops to get her back to your place for a nightcap, you can’t just put on the radio and expect “Hot 97” to set the mood for you, you got to have something that makes her feel comfortable and pulls on her heartstrings. If you have the luxury of being able to sing love songs directly to them from the stage your golden. But whether you are a performer or not, having a stable of excellent records in your arsenal is essential in closing the deal with any woman.  Having a record player that works and enough vinyl to keep it spinning is always a sexy thing to a girl, but if all you got is the Itunes it’s all good. Just hit play and start dancing. 

One of my favorite records of all time for these occasions is, “Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane.” The love songs Hartman croons on this self titled record are just plain beautiful and Coltrane’s saxophone, mixed with the slick harmonies of McCoy Tyner’s piano gets the job done every time. 

Another favorite of mine is “Chet Baker Sings.”  His youthful voice and soft trumpet sound will transport you back to another time. When things moved slower and we had no where to be but where we were at that moment. The love that flows through every track of this album is so strong you’ll have her begging for more… more Chet Baker that is…

Miles Davis had one of the most prolific recording careers, ranking right up there with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. His body of work includes but is not limited to, bebop, the American songbook, cool west coast sounds, 70’s avant-garde and even weird but awesome 80’s style jazz fusion. His music closely followed the style of the times and some would venture to say that he did that the best. Although, we could discuss the eloquence of his artistic being all day, but for the purpose of the article only one record will be suffice. “Somethin’ Else” recorded with and under the name of alto saxophone extraordinaire, Cannonball Adderly and a legendary all-star rythm section featuring Hank Jones, Sam Jones and the incomparable Art Blakey. The feeling of the groove is such a strong element to this recording. It makes you feel like you’re there with them in that dark jazz club downtown. Inhaling the sounds mixed with cigarette smoke. Just buy it.  

Now to the the ladies side of things. “Sarah Vaughan in Hi-Fi” is perhaps her quintessential recording or her career. Featuring the stylings of a young Miles Davis on a few tracks, it takes the best of Ms. Vaughan’s performances from 1949 to 1950. Her voice is effortless and demure and her soulful vocalize soars over the texture of the orchestra and small group recordings. When I listen to record it always gives me that warm feeling of love and heartbreak. 

There are so many wonderful records out there, but that should be enough to start you out with. Check out these influential recordings and find some music that turns you on and I promise, just like Colt 45, it’ll work every time. 

Stay tuned for more ManLawMondays…