Original image by There Stands the Glass.
I found my people during my first visit to Vienna. Like me, the inhabitants of the spectacular Austrian city tend to be fastidious, disdainful and aloof. The clean streets are filled with bookstores, ice cream parlors and cafés. I’d fit in rather well if I learned to speak German, dressed much better and lost fifteen pounds. Not insignificantly, music is an integral aspect of Viennese culture. For the first time in years I didn’t feel put out by going more than two weeks without playing pre-recorded music. Echoes of the concerts and music-themed masses I attended involuntarily played on repeat in my head. I’m home now. Based on the throes of ecstasy ignited by new albums by Ahmed, Oren Ambarchi and Bill Frisell, the break refreshed my ears.