Happy St. Ignatius day! No, not Antioch, but Loyola. He’s the subject of my recent book Take 5: On the Job Meditations With St. Ignatius.
My publisher chose the title, and I’ll always be grateful for it. Now I can’t think of the founder of the Jesuits without hearing Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond.
Mike, I’m a long-time reader and very infrequent commenter who deeply appreciates your work.
I had to take the opportunity to say what a great image the appropriation of jazz’s classic elements (improvisation of an existing structure, gorgeously expansive chords, cultural infusion) to the first General of the soldiers of the popes is. Jazz can get pretty free-form, and sometimes the jam derails, but when the fundamentals are recalled and applied, man what a result!
Now back to your regularly scheduled program.