Stephen Mejias

Like John">http://stereophile.com/thefifthelement/208fifth/">John Marks and my uncle Omarhttp://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/021308sing/">Omar;, I am prone to enthusiasms. It's not unusual for me to hear some new piece of music and wind up feeling that I need it&#151neeeeeeed it. So what? Music is great. It is unusual for me, though, to hear some new piece of music and be so moved by it that I leave work early, race up Madison Avenue, charge down into Grand Central, take the 4 to Union Square, and face the many temptations of the vast Virgin Megastore to buy that new piece of music.

Photo credit: Gordon Polatnick/Big Apple Jazz

Christian wrote:

Yesterday's episode of Sunday Morning on CBS included a segment with Herbie Hancock, whose River:">http://blog.stereophile.com/fredkaplan/101507jazz/">River: The Joni Letters won two big prizes at the 50th annual Grammy">http://blog.stereophile.com/musicroom/robertbaird/021108/">Grammy Awards: Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Jazz Album.

I loved the way the band worked together&#151how each member lifted every other, and how each member excelled during solos&#151but I was most impressed by the locked-in rhythm section, and especially Pedro Martinez on congas. His hands turned into light, racing across the conga heads, speeding away from everything else&#151the stage, the room, the cold night&#151while remaining right on time.

The wind rushed hard and cold as I emerged from the Columbus Circle station.

Shaking his head and smiling, he says: