A Little Night Music

Ah, the dinner party! That queen of meals, that most social of occasions, and, in keeping with the theme of this here blog, the one that demands the most from its accompanying music.

I have always believed that every occasion goes better with music. An interesting example for me and my lovely wife, Mary, was the birth of our daughter, Nina – a planned C-section. Mary and I were the first to enter the OR, where we were left alone with a CD player, and the anaesthesiologist’s CD collection. Unfortunately, it was too late to go home and get some favorite choices, but, nevertheless, I got to DJ the birth of my daughter! (U2, and The Ronettes’ “I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine” stand out in my mind.)

But I digress. Music and food – the right pairing is as important as food and wine. Nothing is more frustrating than going to a dinner party where the hosts have the radio on. Come on --- it only takes a little bit of thought! First up is the cocktail hour. For my money, Getz/Gilberto is a sure winner. “The Girl from Ipanema”, albeit an overused song, is perfect. (It also holds special meaning for Mary and I, as we first heard it coming through a jukebox in a tiny bar adjoining a gold rush-era hotel in the tiny town of Volcano, California.) Listening to “Girl”, you feel like you’ve been invited to the most exclusive party in town: there’s Joao Gilberto, the epitome of bossa nova, singing as if Portuguese were the only language of love on the planet; then his wife, Astrud, just happens to drop by to translate. Finally, Stan Getz layers over the smokiest, soothingest sax solo, while the master, Tom Jobim, sits back on the keys and listens to it all come together. “Girl” sets the right mood for any dinner party.

For the main course, may I recommend “A Meeting By the River”, Ry Cooder’s underappreciated collaboration with V.M. Bhatt? Cooder’s first album entirely devoted to the seamless blending of the bottleneck guitar with the music of another culture (here Bhatt’s mohan vina from India) mirrors the guests now intermingled seamlessly at your table, regardless of whether you’re serving curry, paella or pasta. The tablas and mohan vina are insistent, yet soothing rather than overpowering, so your guests will enjoy the music while able to also enjoy the food and the conversation.

After the guests have gone, it’s unfortunately time to clean up (if you’re like Mary and refuse to wake up to a sink full of dirty dishes), and this requires the right mood music as well. References to the Motown clean-up scene in “The Big Chill” aside, the music must be fun and upbeat, but not too forced. For us, a good Rembrandts album always contains a number of perfect pop songs to do the trick. The Rembrandts can be forgiven for the “Friends” TV theme – at their best, they give Michael Penn a run for his money, as in the timeless “Johnny Have You Seen Her?”

Now turn off the music – I'm tired and it’s time to go to sleep.

Posted by berzerkleyboy at October 5, 2005 04:51 PM