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Jazzing the Big Book Look

An office room, yellowish wallpaper, green warn-out yet full of warmth carpet, dark brown wooden chairs, small tables and an old drawing board. The man sitting and illustrating is also jazzing, listening to the melodious record ‘In Walked Bud’, relishing the classic Monk effect.
 
The surprising and free rhythms touch his soul and soothe his forehead wrinkles. Piano teases sweetly, bass and saxophone builds a smoky castle in the air and the drum beats make him spill the rum.
 
He laughs and continues drawing, with two colours maximum, he walks the jaunty jazz path.
Paul Bacon
And he did it till the very end. He was Paul Bacon, an amazing American album and book cover designer and also a jazz musician.
 
With a decent dose of technology available at that time, he drew all his designs by hand (used photographs for some of his album covers) and his minimalistic book cover style – bold title, author’s name and a symbolic image – known as the ‘Big Book Look’ became famous in the late 50s.
Paul Bacon designed around 6,500 book jackets, some of them are –
 
Giving this crazy classic a crazy touch.
Psychedelic soft colours
A twisted touch.
Visions… on the road.
The ‘R’ sways like a flag. Subtly symbolic.
Intense look. 
And we are cornered. 
American dream, just a fable?
BOLD!
The most beautiful map.
We did?
The Asian saga, part one.
Bold colour for the bold classic.
Living in the golden jazz age, attuned to Bebop, Paul breathed his passion for jazz into his illustrations. Apart from the name of the composer, it was upto the designer to catch hold of as many jazz lovers as possible, to reach out and rule.
 
Paul’s magic worked without fail. The album covers reflected the mood of the music enclosed in the round disc beautifully.
 
 
Paul Bacon’s first album cover for the company Riverside.
 
How powerful his work is! All the illustrations are no less than a wonderful jazz composition.
 
Strong and straightforward designs that play the voice of the artist! He carried the charming jazz era within him without any embellishment to glorify it; he was just a true lover of the jazz music.
 
Things are looking up (2002)
 – one of Paul Bacon’s two albums.
To read more about the fabulous Paul Jazz Bacon, click here.
 
Check out the track In Walked Bud, by Thelonious Monk here.  
 
All images from – jazzwax.com
 
 
 
 

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Zigzag Lines

Flash Fiction
Thai Mural
(Source – samforkner.org)

Running lines, zigzag running lines fuel the mind often. Like lost in a busy city, burning with shiny lights, where no one knows whether it is day or night, I am lost walking, running, gliding on a zigzag path.

Neither snow white wintry nor swoony soft summery winds can be heard here, who knows why.

All I can hear is the hub-dub of my heart.

Trapped in this maze, facing dead ends and memory monsters, I solemnly walk ahead. And after an endless time passes by, I walk out of the maze. Exhausted, yes, but hopeful, why, for I kept walking.

Looking back from the mountain top I can see a cloud of zigzag lines, an imprint of time, a link between battles and victories, between a structured confusion and a messy exuberance. Ah! It goes on and on.

My heart is eager and my mind alert for the future to reveal itself.

I am not afraid anymore for the zigzag lines are transparent and always in a rush.


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कलाकार/ An Artist

The wheel is spinning.
Image – Pixabay.

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कलाकार

सोमवार को दी एक पुकार

की जल्दी में क्यों हो सरकार

आना भी है, आकर जाना भी है….   

*

मिटटी गुंधे जो बैठा है कुम्हार

जशन से टशन से घुमाएगा पहिया वो

आदर और अदब से फूंकेगा वो

जब जान, तब बनेगा एक घड़ा जो

जल से भरेगा, तरेगा, करेगा शोर

की जल्दी में कयों हो सरकार

समय से कब बंधा है कलाकार?  

* 

Translation –  An Artist  

I spoke to Monday once

That why was it in such a hurry

To come and in a hurry to go…  

*

The potter who has kneaded the soil

Will spin the wheel in his style

Carefully and respectfully he will instill

A life force and the soil will take the shape of a vessel.

In usage this vessel will make some noise and ask

That why is time in such a hurry,

When it can never bind an artist’s creativity?

*


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Sun – A Flambeau Hi-Fi

Short Commentary
Super close-up of the sun. [Source – BBC]

Brimming over with pure joy, spewing liquid gold, the sun transforms its energy and glows.

In our rawness, oh, we only see it as fire, blasting waves of bright power. Gathered around its warmth we live and grow and pray and surrender.

We cherish its radiance; we dance and sing always attuned somehow to it. I say somehow for we are cursed and blessed with a weak memory.

The sun is our time, a flambeau hi-fi and it is brimming over with pure joy, spewing liquid gold, the sun transforms its energy and glows.


Inspired by a BBC news report – Sun’s surface seen in remarkable new detail


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Let Go

Fly, fly, fly!
Image by Oberholster Venita from Pixabay.

Let go please

This is noise

You are holding to

Getting moulded too

Remember you were hit by

A typhoon, in monsoon, oh my

Oh my, you’re carrying the broken

Dream catcher like a token

Of a promise you made to yourself

Forgotten the recipe? Oh well, just melt

The mind and heart together, then clap twice

Look in the mirror, smile, yours is the choice

Colour the dream catcher in deep green

Of your eyes, in the rainbows you have seen

As a child. Voila, it is ready, a new dream

Catcher that’ll carry your old dreams

To its destination, so… let go.


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Like Water

To be just like water…
[Image from Pixabay.]

Flowing like water, befriending every rock, shaping it and letting it shape the movement… flowing like water, at peace with the dirt that blurs the vision, that disrupts the course and just letting it settle down… flowing like water with an open heart, warmth for the tiniest being and love for the fiercest soul… flowing like water nurturing and rejuvenating, sprinkling and splashing… flowing like a stream, a river, attuned to a wonderful rhythm, spirited to meet the sea, the supreme in the end… I wish to be, rejoice and live like water.


The post is inspired by what architect Douglas Wan said in this video – ‘people are like water… more adaptable than objects.’
 


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MIRAI

Mixed Fiction

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Mirai o Mirai, where are you? You cannot hide for long.

Mirai o Mirai, I will find you.

*

Flying in the past and future simultaneously.
©Studio Chizu    

*

Those childhood days gone by, gone by in playing, playing hide and seek, ice-water and cycling, cycling all day long like a crazy fool and laughing, those childhood days gone by eating candies and ice creams, hopscotching and skipping ropes, flying kites, strolling aimlessly, gazing at the sky, merry minds flying high, those childhood days are now a dream.

I remember, I still do, Aru and I were sitting, Pinti was roaming around as always; Aru was talking non-stop, sharing one of her charming stories, a feature film story I must mention – our protagonist, a little girl, the best detective in the town, begins her quest, she is looking for some stolen bright precious stones – we paused the story and went to play hopscotch with Pinti, she had re-drawn the rectangle-y pattern for us, sweet Pinti, we talked and played, then followed the clouds, just when we were about to get hold of the moody clouds, they turned and shouted, “peek-a-boo.”

We screamed and ran back, but could not out-do the rain bullets. And then… then we guffawed and danced in the rain, I remember.

Those childhood days gone by were full of dreams, dreams of the future, pocket full of adventure and sweets and joy and endless playtime… those dreams were of the future, a hidden gold chest…

Through those dreams we time travelled and blushed, knowing well that we have to wait a bit before we discover this treasure… we treasured the future and waited.

Those childhood days gone by, what a sweet melody… the future we still dream of, what a happy idea…

And what is left is the present, this very moment – quiet, true, rudely true, factual and boring, but euphoric if grasped and powerful enough to change everything, the past as well as the future.

Take the golden thread I say, take it and chart the course, know that it will not break for it is tied to you, you of the past and you of the future.


Mirai is a Japanese animation film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda.

A truly beautiful and emotional film, it is a must-watch for it is a piece you need to get hold of to solve this jigsaw puzzle called life. It is beautiful!

*

Solving the life-puzzle in Mirai style is the best style. ©Studio Chizu    

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Moon Colour

A touch of the moon colour!
[Image from Pixabay]

A touch of the moon colour and this life will glow and slowly will it know of a love story so pure that has travelled a long distance facing boldly every storm that has become a norm, followed by all, the same ones who secretly, meekly hope for someone to rise, rebel and risk it proudly, showing the world that a heart beats in every being, a heart that falls irrefutably in love, in love with a smile, a gesture, the earth, the sky and the moon… all this life needs is a touch of the moon colour.


Ready for a MOON-y overdose, read more –

Moon!
The Moon is Singing White Light
In Slo-mo Towards the Moon
Moon, Moon, Moon, Moonlight
The Moon Talks
The Moon is Moving
Crescent Moon Lights


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It Counterpoised Me Again

Wallflower by Jovita Alvares.
[Source – ImranMir.com]

It counterpoised my anger and my frustration by allowing me to see the yellow wallflower, in all its glory, befriending a butterfly on a cold winter’s day. And when the clouds thundered and became dark, it reminded me of a wonderful painting, letting me feel the wild wind.

It counterpoised my hate and disgust by telling me that it is alright and by asking me to breathe. And then the rain shower, the autumn leaves, the wet earth, the dripping music, everything made me feel alive and better.

It counterpoised me again, the other half of me did it, and quickly I changed my gait walking on the same old path, quietly listening to the rain.

*


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Unpack Your Destiny

The journey within…
[Image by Victoria Borodinova from Pixabay]

In a green velvety suitcase inside a wooden trunk she packed it nicely, neatly, firmly forever.  

“I want it to be safe.” While the world rises and falls without any knowledge of it, she feels positive and shielded; her destiny is properly packed and locked.

Sitting cross legged she awaits the change, for the destiny to operate from underneath her crisp, fine, obvious thoughts, packed and placed in a corner.  

“I keep in touch of course, why are you being so sarcastic?” She laughs loudly for she is confident of her victory and rightly so, what will stand in her way when she remembers to keep a check on the package, clean the dust off the wooden trunk and pray that the suitcase does not vanish away magically.  

“Yes I remember, it is my destiny, I know…” She knows it all, yet she is afraid and waits for others’ approval and appreciation. Calculating the possibilities, probabilities, time and years she takes a step forward.  

She did pack a piece of the truth in that suitcase, what is wrong in it?

She forgot to unpack it, she forgot that the truth evolves, our understanding evolves. What is destined for someone is destined and yet it changes, that is the rule.  

The truth, the destiny unfolds when a mind lets it.  


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