Listening, reading, watching

I've decided to have a monthly post on the things that I'm currently listening to, reading, and watching. I hope this is interesting to others...

Listening to: Eliades Ochoa
Lately I've been really digging Cuban music and I'm just now starting to get a handle on who's who in the world of Cuban music. Eliades Ochoa is a vocalist, guitarist, and tres player (similar to a guitar but with three sets of two strings and it sounds nicer) who played with the Buena Vista Social Club. I'm now realizing that Ry Cooder - the man who organized the Buena Vista album and movie - may have been more important to Cuban music and culture than many of the musicians who developed the unique music styles. So many of the musicians from the Buena Vista project are now enjoying well-deserved international fame. Some of the musicians were in their 70's and 80's when the album was being made and have since passed away. If it wasn't for Ry Cooder their music may have been lost.


Reading: The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer
I read this book with my grandma as part of our Nobel Prize reading "club". I wouldn't recommend it unless you like torturing yourself for no good reason. Nobel Prize books are typically not easy reads, but at least you feel like you get something out of them. When I finished this one I was just happy to be done. That's a little unfair, as it did have some good points. The book was essentially about a wealthy white businessman in South Africa and his relationship with the black farmers who worked on his farm - farming was a hobby of his. I suppose the book contained some interesting commentary on race relations in South Africa, but I don't think there was anything revolutionary - at least nothing that I picked up on.


Watching: The Sea Inside (movie)
This may have been the most touching movie that I've ever seen. Don't watch it alone, when you're feeling down, late at night, or without a box of kleenex. Its a story about a quadriplegic man who fights for his right to commit suicide. That about sums it up. After watching the movie I felt that I had a somewhat new perspective on life. The film stars Javier Bardem, now famous for his role in No Country for Old Men. I'm quite impressed with his acting - he did a great job in two completely different roles.