Conan the Barbarian‘s answer to this question is, well, questionable. And the movie itself … well, either it’s so bad it’s good, or it’s so bad that it goes past good and back to bad again.

Basil Poledouris wrote the film score to many movies. Film composers have an interesting and difficult job – yes, they have to write good music, but they also have to be careful not to outdo the action on the screen. They can make a mundane scene come to life, or make stupid dialogue sound intelligent. But, all the while, their music has to remain in the background.

long live airbrushed movie posters of nearly-naked people!

I don’t particularly like Hemingway. I spit in the milk of his literature. I’ve read a few of his books. They just don’t resonate with me. Maybe I was too young when I read them. Maybe it’s because I prefer Dickens. I like long sentences, after all. I like details.

Today’s piece is rich in history. I learned a lot writing this. And I’ve only just scratched the surface.

Joaquín Rodrigo wrote Concierto de Aranjuez. Supposedly it celebrated the end of the Spanish Civil War. Supposedly it celebrated the victory of Francisco Franco. More likely, Rodrigo spit in the milk of Franco’s dictatorship. The Concierto was written for guitar and orchestra. Rodrigo didn’t play the guitar. He scorned the milk of the guitar. The guitar made it sound Spanish, though. Even though he wrote it in Paris. Hemingway reported on the Spanish Civil War. He also lived in Paris.

Miles Davis arranged the second movement for jazz orchestra.  It takes up most of the album Sketches of Spain. Some people complained that it wasn’t jazz. They sneered at the milk of Davis’ music. Davis said that he liked the music, though. He sneered back at the milk of their sneering.

Thanks to Al Pearson for the recommendation. Maybe it’s time to read Hemingway again.

How can one capture Martin Luther King in a short blog post? Or one piece of music? It’s a daunting task that took me through lots of pieces, many of which I had never heard before.

American jazz musician and composer Dave Brubeck wrote a piece in 1969 called “The Gates of Justice.” It is a religious concert work, taking its text primarily from the Psalms. However, in one movement, Brubeck  incorporates portions of King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, as well as the ancient Jewish leader, Hillel the Elder: “If the time for action is not now, when is it?”

Brubeck had a fascinating life, including a scandalous graduation from a music conservatory without being able to read music, starting one of the US Army’s first interracial bands, and developing strong religious views despite growing up in a non-religious family.

The words of Hillel remain pertinent today, and probably, always: “If the time for action is not now, when is it?”