There is a certain quality which makes a piece of music or art special. It is a certain reassuredness, a calm undertatement which takes hold of the recipient and makes him or her feel at home. It is a feeling that what is perceived is enjoyable without any demands, intellectual or em0tional, being placed. Maybe this quality should be called 'serenity' or something.

While I certainly feel that art should often make demands on its audience, works of art which manage to grab a hold without impressing, astonishing or provoking do have a place. I think Kind of Blue from Miles Davis is certainly such a work of art, maybe even an archtype. Today I found such an approach in Donald Fagen's new solo album, Morph the Cat, especially in the song "What I do". In the song, Donald accounts for a visit from the ghost of Ray Charles. It is a warm, melancholy tribute to a master. I particularily like Ray's verse:

"He says Don don’t despair - just take some time
You find your bad self - you’re gonna do just fine
Its what I do - its what I do
It’s not some game I play
It’s in my DNA
Its what I do".


Another place where I have found such solace lately has been the landscape photography of Charlie Waite. His pictures take one into another place, yet not through provocation or flamboyance but through simplicity and charm.