Last spring, when Alina and I were mere penpals and budding friends (lovers in waiting?) I sent her a mix with a live version of "Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. She told me later that the first time she heard it she cried from its sheer beauty. A similar event occurred with me just a few days ago...I was driving around listening to it, and my God, the LIFE in the song -- it's as if no one has laughed, sung, had as much FUN as the Ella, Louis and the audience are having during this song. I listened clenching both fists, and kept repeating "YES! YES!" as I welled up in tears out of sheer excitement. I got so wrapped up in every vocalization and every timbre that I nearly ran off the road a few times.

If there's a such thing as a perfect recording, this is it. Every now and then I prepare a mix I would give to an alien race who wanted audio representations of human civilization at its best...This track would for sure be included.

Ella and Louis- "Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"

Do yourself a favor: Download and listen to this song. Listen to it as actively as you can.