Read
Memoirs of expatriate Americans in Paris became notable with Gertrude Stein’s Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas in 1933 and again three decades later with Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast, a posthumous publication in 1964. Each, in their time, inspired Americans to travel to Paris. In Living Well Is the Best Revenge, published in 1971, Calvin Tomkins beautifully tells the history of Sara and Gerald Murphy and their sojourns in France after the Great War. As October days grow shorter, these books will offer hours of fine evening reading.
Available at Barnes and Noble.
-Maureen Millea Smith is a librarian at the Edina Library and a Minnesota Book Award-winning novelist.
Drink
I always say I select wine based on my mood or my food. So is there an ultimate grape for pairing? There are some absolute pairing tips, like never pair a wine with lots of tannin with fish oil, and never pair egg dishes with wines that carry oak. However, a couple of grape varietals slide across the scale when it comes to pairing to a good deal of foods. A red is pinot noir—light-bodied, low tannins, generally bright cherry to raspberry fruits and often, easy drinking. A white Austrian grape, grüner veltliner, pairs well with fresh green veggies or salads. An easy sipper for your fall mood is Alto Limay Select pinot noir from Patagonia, Argentina. Macerated cherries, dried tobacco, ripe cherry tomato with bits of vanilla and cinnamon spice excite the palate in every way. Turn to page 34 for Leslee Miller’s feature story on expert wine and cheese pairing suggestions.
Available at France 44.
-Leslee Miller is a certified sommelier and owner of local wine consulting firm, Amusee.
Listen
Irv Williams is a Twin Cities living legend. At 96 years young, he’s released a new CD called Pinnacle. It features Williams’ distinctive smoky sax sound with Steve Blons on guitar and Billy Peterson on upright bass. Williams has been inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall Of Fame and received the Arts Midwest Jazz Masters Award. He’s also had a day declared in his honor in Minnesota, and continues to be a delight. Williams still performs regularly at the Dakota Jazz Club where his CD was released earlier this year. This project is especially historic, as it also includes conversations with the late, legendary Leigh Kamman, jazz broadcaster from the Jazz Image on MPR, talking about Irv’s life in music.
CD available at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis every Friday where Irv plays from 4 to 7 p.m.
-Patty Peterson, award winning vocalist and Jazz 88, KBEM radio host.
