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Changing Taste

I remember buying a copy of Money Jungle during a summer vacation spent in our only getaway from Jamshedpur - Kolkata. Big mistake. I rued my decision as the album was way too intellectual and heavy on dissonance for my school-going self.

Times have changed and I'm being increasingly drawn into Jazz trios. It's a trend that's being paralleled even in Classical music. I was of the opinion that chamber music (excepting solos) should never include the piano since it simply doesn't fit in with the strings. I religiously avoided everything other than solos or concertos that had a role for the piano to play. Dad refuted my belief but I held on to my views obstinately. The only exception known to me was Schubert's Trout Quintet. Not surprisingly, though, the piano always was and still is my 2nd favorite instrument.

I was delighted each time I discovered an 'exception.' The exceptions have over time inflated to such an overwhelming repertoire that I reckon it safe to say that they are no longer exceptions but rules.

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