

Why This Is Awesome: To quote Shakespeare, "if music be the food of love, play on!" That was my exact sentiment as I walked through the Institute of Jazz Studies @50 exhibit at the Paul Robeson Galleries last Wednesday. Along with saxophones from jazz greats like Ben Webster and Lester "Prez" Young, a gown worn by Ella Fitzgerald, sheet music marked by the hands of Charlie "Bird" Parker, pages from Louis Armstrong's autobiography manuscript, and other countless hard-to-find pieces of memorabilia that defined the world of 20th-century jazz, you can find this beauty -- a victrola from the 1920s that's handcrafted with the same level of care, artistry and devotion to music as any other precious song, instrument and record in the room.

Why This Is Awesome: I've carried the purse in the photo above for 10 summers. I measure its age in ...
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I originally began this post 10 days ago with the intention of sharing it last week. But I held off hitting the "Publish" ...
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Why This Is Awesome: Two years ago yesterday, I returned from my first -- but hopefully not my last -- trip to Paris ....
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