David Coggins’ No-Nonsense Guide to Embracing the Holiday Season. The holiday season is approaching, and repeat AoM podcast guest David Coggins has an article on Artful Living on how to embrace the festivities with some grace and style. A few of his suggestions that stood out to me: keep holiday gatherings simple, consumable indulgences like French butter cookies make a solid gift, always write a handwritten thank you note, and use the season to make some bold sartorial choices like wearing tartan pants. This article is classic Coggins: thoughtful without being precious, elegant without being stuffy.
Japanese Rib Knit Beanie. As the temperatures start to fall around here, my morning walks get nippy, and I begin busting out this beanie. Crafted in Japan in a classic fisherman design that never goes out of style. Comes in different colors. Pick up one (or two) for the winter season. They make a great stocking stuffer!
King of the Tenors by Ben Webster. We featured this album in our guide to getting into jazz. And for good reason. Lots of great songs on here. Ben Webster’s version of “Tenderly” shows what made him special. He’s got a breathy, vocal vibrato at the ends of phrases that feels like it’s coming from his throat, not his sax. “That’s All” is a great song to put on your Thanksgiving playlist. If you think jazz is all frenetic bebop or abstract noodling, this will change your mind. Webster’s tone is warm and lyrical.
On our Dying Breed newsletter, we published Sunday Firesides: Boredom Cures Boredom and The Wearing-Pajamas-to-the-Airport Theory of Societal Decline.
Quote of the Week
Let us do our duty in our shop or our kitchen, in the market, the street, the office, the school, the home, just as faithfully as if we stood in the front rank of some great battle, and knew that victory for mankind depended on our bravery, strength, and skill. When we do that, the humblest of us will be serving in that great army which achieves the welfare of the world.
—Theodore Parker
