all sustain and no attack

The Poetics of Space, by Gaston Bachelard

On houses:

It is a strange situation. The space we love is unwilling to remain permanently enclosed. It deploys and appears to move elsewhere without difficulty; into other times, and on different planes of dreams and memory.

The main theme of the chapter, entitled “house and universe”, is that the house lives on forever in us, specifically our first house that we remember from when we were young. I found this both true and a little limiting; I suspect it to be most true of those who often found peace in their first homes. Another assertion Bachelard makes is that homes allow us to daydream, that the sanctuary allows us space to create new realities in our minds. I couldn’t help but think of all the homes being destroyed in Gaza, and what that meant for the people of Gaza’s ability to dream after the bombs stop falling, if they are even able to stay alive till then.

The Awakening – Ahmad Jamal

On New Years, hungover and content, I played a few albums by Cal Tjader as andie slept on the couch. They were pleasant and sleepy. The vibraphone is a special instrument, all sustain and no attack. Lately I’ve been listening to unchallenging jazz; Tjader & Vince Guaraldi, Ahmad Jamal, some Jobim. I’m fascinated by these men who seemed to have no desire but to play a simple and pretty music (though maybe I’m mistaking ability and taste for desire). Sometimes I’m very drawn to that tradition, as in the new age music of the 80’s and Windham Hill, things that don’t try to be that much and sometimes accomplish it perfectly. Other times I’m turned off by the lack of ambition. But I know just how hard it can be to make something simple and pretty, so who am I to judge?