A rarity, as I kicked off this Tuesday by listening to a jazz album. I never quite listen to jazz but as I left my house to go to work today, I couldn’t quite get into the mood of any of the songs playing on shuffle. That was, until I remembered this one particular jazz song I listened to right before heading off to sleep yesterday. I watched a video by Drumeo in which its host, Brandon Toews, gets challenged to play this highly challenging 11/8 jazz fusion version of Dizzy Gillespie’s ‘Night in Tunisia’, rearranged by Colombian pianist and composer Jesús Molina featuring groovy and intense drumming by Cain Daniel (as taken from this specific live performance). I quickly figured, this light-yet-powerful jazz piece would be a great musical partner accompanying me as I’d be commuting to work and so I listened to it – and subsequently to the entirety of Molina’s album ‘Departing‘, which is a mixture of the composer’s originals plus some rearranged standards – albeit its equally as impressive studio version featuring Sam Smith (not the pop singer) on acoustic bass and Roni Kaspi on drums instead. As a drummer myself, nothing beats listening to a drummer with such an impressive skillset. Honestly, I wish my abilities could reach even 10% of what Roni Kaspi is showing us in this video here today. Jazz drummers truly are something else. So, while I was basking in the sun that reached me through the train window, I realised that this rare and unusual decision to play a jazz album on my way to work this morning was more than just a pleasant experience. It really created a perfect interaction between my routine morning travel and one of spring’s loveliest days so far, as I made my way through the hustle and bustle of commuting to the old office job. What a great way to start this work week.