Nows and Forevers

I have an odd New Year’s tradition for the past 30+ years tradition: the first song I listen to every year is Artie Shaw and His Orchestra’s version of Cole Porter’s “Begin the Begiuine.”

It happened because in the early ‘90s, my aunt had found a bunch of my paternal grandfather’s records and said I could take whatever I wanted over Christmas break. A lot of big band, some Burl Ives and Roger Miller among the three dozen or so LPs through about the late 60s. I brought home the big band records and this was the first I put in the turntable, a little after I woke up on New Year’s Day.

I was hooked, and the habit stuck. It’s hard to go wrong with Artie Shaw and Cole Porter.