Hung Truong: The Blog!

Sonny Stitt: Just In Case You Forgot How Bad He Really Was

If you ask almost anyone about Sonny Stitt, they’ll probably tell you he was really bad. Like, in a good way. But occasionally, some people will forget. In case of this rare occurrence, there’s a cd that’s appropriately named: “Sonny Stitt: Just In Case You Forgot How Bad He Really Was.”

I just got it from the AADL. Not because I forgot, but because I happen to like Sonny Stitt. The songs are all pretty good. I think it’s parts of a live set that he did a while back. Stitt is just really freakin’ good, and not as repetitive as some people (Dexter Gordon, I’m looking at you!).

My favorite part of this album is probably the cover art. Seriously, I think they looked through all pictures of Sonny Stitt and found the one where he looked baddest.

Worst Thing Ever

The worst thing ever happened to me today at work. Google Calendar went down. NOOOOO!

Goin’ To Chicago (Interview with Orbitz)

I’m going to Chicago this Thursay and Friday for an interview with orbitz.com. With the help of some friends (and Google Maps) I compiled a map of stuff I should see while I’m there. The timing might be kinda tight since I also have to interview (the main reason I’m there) but hopefully I can do things like:

• See the mirror blob thing
• Eat some pizza (Giordano’s seems to be the most popular choice)
• Go up to the top (or almost the top) of the John Hancock building
• Eat some popcorn
• Go to the Apple Store (low priority but I need to do some name dropping or something)

This is my first time in Chicago (well, I drove through once to get to Michigan but didn’t stop) so it should be interesting. I wonder if Obama is still hanging around. Maybe I can do the fist bump with him if I run into him…

Song Currently Stuck in My Head: Falling in Love With Love

There’s an instrumental version of this song by the Art Blakey Trio that I’ve liked for a while. One day, I don’t remember quite when, the random feature of iTunes played me the vocal version on the giant Clifford Brown collection I have. I like learning the words to songs, especially Jazz standards, so it was a surprise to me that the song actually had words:

Falling in love with love is falling for make-believe

Falling in love with love is playing the fool

Caring too much is such a juvenile fancy

Learning to trust is just for children in school

I fell in love with love one night when the moon was full

I was unwise with eyes unable to see

I fell in love with love with love everlasting

But love fell out with me

What’s interesting is that there are two rhymes for each line. Like how ‘trust’ rhymes with ‘just’ and ‘fool’ rhymes with ‘school.’ It’s easier to do in this song since there’s only like, eight lines and most of the time they’re just rhyming ‘love’ with ‘love’ anyway.

I like the idea of a song about falling in love with love. It’s meta! The only way to get more meta would be to write a song about this blog post about a song about falling in love with love! Someone should totally do this.

At first, I thought the line was “caring too much is just a juvenile fantasy” because all the instrumental versions I’ve heard give that note extra “syllables.” I guess instrumentalists can take more liberties with the song than vocalists. Sometimes I think adding more “syllables” is a bad idea, but it works in this song (maybe because I heard it that way first).

I started listening to a bunch of different versions of the song on Last.fm. The Sarah Vaughn version is pretty damn sweet!

Situational Comedy Television Show Idea: Hammer/Escher

Idea: MC Hammer has a nearly fatal brain injury, caused by a falling hammer (irony). It turns out that half of his brain has been permanently damaged. The only choice is a semi-brain transplant. The only available brain belongs to MC Escher. It has been cryogenially preserved since his death in 1972. The operation is a major success; MC Hammer has now become MC Hammer/Escher. The world ushers in a new era of really confusing rap.