Our Diary

When we first ran 10 Albums for the Inspired Writer, we were surprised by how much positive feedback we received. Help with the nuts and bolts of writing is apparently very welcome. The idea was to share music that could be used in the background while you write — a highly individualized choice, of course, but at the same time, aren’t we always looking for new music?

And so, I bring you eight more of my favorite wordless or foreign language albums (that don’t gum up the verbal faculty with lyrics, as that faculty is being used for something else) along with some notes on what kinds of projects they might be best suited for.

Bear’s Sonic Journals: That Which Colors the Mind by Ali Akbar Khan. A 2 hr.-concert performed by Ali Akbar Khan, master of the sarod (a Hindustani stringed instrument, as popular as the sitar). At the height of the 60’s era, Khan gave a concert in San Francisco that was recorded by the Grateful Dead’s Sound Engineer, Owsley “Bear” Stanley. Yes, the same Owsley who made the era’s best LSD. Suffice it to say, no one at this concert was asking Khan to stop.

>> You might also try: Raga Sindhi Bhairavi also by Ali Akbar Khan. The only disadvantage? The ragas — and hence the semi-trance periods the may provide — are shorter.

Live in Paris 28.05.1976 by Robert Fripp and Brian Eno. A two and a half hour guitar and synthesizer concert that feels five hours long, in a good way. You hear people clapping, someone getting yelled at (I think, it’s all in French), but soundscapes are 98% of this experience. You might try this when you really need to clear away all distractions.

>> You might also try: Thursday Afternoon by Brian Eno. The first time I put it on a playlist, I didn’t realize this “song” would be an hour long. Then it came on and everything became Thursday afternoon, and that turned out to be a good time to get a lot of work done.

Midnight Blue by Kenny Burrell. We need some jazz in here, so how about this album straight from the middle of the genre’s golden era (if you ask me). Burrell speaking through his Gibson L-5 (nickname: “Midnight Blue”) might encourage you to hear your own voice as he explores a range of emotions.

>> You might also try: Grant Green Ain’t It Funky Now: The Original Jam Master (Vol. 1) by Grant Green. More jazz guitar, this time just as it is edging into funk and soul. The grooves are a little more infectious and nobody’s giving up on an idea too soon.

Melhdau Covers: Surprise! An actual Spotify playlist here of the pianist Brad Mehldau’s sophisticated covers of popular songs. You will recognize these tunes, or small sections of them, so this entry might work if you want to be set forth to dream, on the one hand, but need a touchstone as you work through some murky territory, on the other.

>> You might also try: Mon Chien Stupide, Melhdau’s score for a French “comedy-drama” film (2019). I never saw the movie, but the album itself hints at a beginning, middle and end, a reversal and a denouement — all the good stuff without having to learn someone else’s narrative while working on your own.