As I browse the internet, I collect up interesting videos, articles, and things to think about. Some of them become blog posts of their own, but mostly my thoughts are too brief for that, so once in a while I round up the excess and remove it to my pensieve. Here’s a little look at what’s been swirling around my mind over the past few weeks. There’s a loose theme here around art, expression, joy, authenticity, and nostalgia.
1) This inspiring celebration of slow art and authenticity:
2) This send up of that very celebration that made me laugh forever:
3) This next video is over a year old, but recently I’ve been relistening to J. Walker McSpadden’s Robin Hood on Librivox on walks and it has inspired me to revisit Lars Anderson’s incredible archery techniques, learned from studying the past:
4) Speaking of the past, Nintendo is releasing a miniature version of its classic console, preloaded with its most popular games – Super Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, and the like. I probably shouldn’t be sharing this because it’ll just make it harder for me to buy one before it completely sells out, but it is too awesome to keep to myself. Even though these aren’t the first video games, they’re definitely nostalgic classics.
5) One of the greatest joys in my life is social dancing. This Vimeo mini-documentary captures perfectly the quality of wordless expression and joy found in Lindy Hop (my particular favorite), and likely all social dance:
6) And speaking of Swing, if that previous video captured you at all, check out this tribute to Frankie Manning, the creator and legendary ambassador of Lindy Hop:
7) Speaking of Swing, part two, check out this effort to honor the legendary Chick Webb by transcribing a large portion of his catalog for modern big band live performance. You should always do your own due diligence before contributing money, of course – though it looks like they’ve reached their goal (and then some!) already. To hear Frankie Manning and Norma Miller talk about the brilliance and prowess of Chick Webb, look no further than this short video:
I wish I had something poignant and interesting to say about authenticity, origin, nostalgia, and joy, but for now these thoughts will have to remain unformed. There’s nothing I can’t say that isn’t already said much better in the videos and links above.
Stories & Soliloquies 
5 thoughts on “In My Pensieve: A Link Round Up”
nannus
That Benny Goodman music is actually what I have grown up with. I have heard it during my whole childhood, and I have inherited those records. This music has become hard wired into my brain 🙂 I have grown up with Goodman (and like his versions a lot) but I prefer Webb.
Michelle Joelle
That’s such a great way to have your brain wired! Trad Jazz, Big Band, and Blues all have such a wonderful mix of structure and freedom, giving you familiarity and surprising improvisation all at the same time.
nannus
I also listened to a lot of Lous Armstrong (… and the Hot Five). I think this is what primed me to get a deep understanding of African music and African dance later in life. I also heard a lot of classical music. I think it is a good idea to expose children to a wide range of high quality music. My father used to play these Swing records again and again and again, so I really know some of these tunes in and out. They do not get boring and that is a sign of quality.
Michelle Joelle
I agree, on all counts. I find that a lot of Jazz and blues songs get better the more you hear them, rather than getting played out, especially when you hear them live!
James Pailly
The mini-NES sounds interesting. I actually didn’t play a lot of those games when I was a kid, and I feel like I missed out on some great stuff.