Two of the best things in the world, and they both run on pure emotion, are young children and music. Steve and I went to the orchestra last night, our once-a-year treat. Brahms! Dvorak! and a contemporary piece by Stacey Brown. Conducted by the twinkling Yannick Nezét-Séguin, with sparkling piano solo by the great Emmanuel Ax. Such sounds! Such beauty, craftsmanship, talent on display. It was humbling. Below is a YouTube video of the piece, with Ax and another NOT the Philadelphia Orchestra. 48 minutes of musical reprieve from your day.

Then, this morning we got an email from Stella with a joyful video in it that carried my music-love forward: A trombone rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. I’m late to the Queen party and a complete fan. And trombone is my all-time favorite instrument, and one with a Kimbrough gene linked to it: Stella played Steve’s trombone from 4th to 11th grade; Steve played trombone in high school; Steve’s grandfather played trombone.

Kimbrough family trombone, played by Steve in the 50s, 60s and by Stella in the 90s and 2000s.

Trombone Bohemian Rhapsody, from their website

Give a listen to this great trombone cover of Queen’s operatic masterpiece. It’s 7 minutes of happiness. Thanks, NPR for rounding it up. Thanks Stella, for sending, and of course compare and enjoy it with a rendition of the piece by the originators. And finally, for those who prefer their music up to the moment, listen to The Guardian’s list of 2018 top 100 songs! Free today, but who knows for how long.