Last night we went to the Wayne Shorter Quartet performance at the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival. Although each individual musician was remarkable in their own right, I realized throughout the performance that I just don't get jazz. The improv and experimentation gets entirely too complex for me. I had difficulty following the melody and the structure, or lack there of, in the music. My husband, who is a musician, asked the question, "Does it matter if you understand it?" One can still appreciate the music and the creative process behind it without connecting with the music. Listening to unfamiliar music is like being in a foreign land. You hear "jibber jabber" and you feel clueless, yet there is something there that seems familiar and you know enough that you can appreciate the conversation or the activities happening around you.
Despite my lack of jazz insight, I am drawn to the the Jazz Age and the cultural revolution that it brought. The 1920's fashions were chic. The women of that era became more empowered. It brought us the Charleston, Billie Holiday, Art Deco, and fabulous hats.
A friend of mine shares my fondness of hats. In 2006 we decided to take VIA rail from Saskatoon to Jasper decked out in our new fab hats and dress coats (fabrique par moi). Where ever I travel, I keep my eye out for a new hat.
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| Anna's gorgeous wool hat. |
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| We each purchased a hat at Hats & That on Broadway (Saskatoon). Our men look dapper. |
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| I bought this hat along with a pair of circa 1930's shoes at a vintage store in Montana, Virgelle Merchantile |
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| I bought this one at McNally Robinson. Who knew a bookstore would have such great hats. |
