Mal Waldron (w/ Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, & Ron Carter), The Quest (Original Jazz Classics)

I've never cared about the thing in-itself, because the thing-in-itself has never existed. Some thing is always next to something else. The relation in-between them may be volatile, mutable, hard to handle. But the in-between is always that mysterious space of change, where things can happen, where they begin to hold interest. One night in the "old town" of Warsaw we happened into a dark restaurant. I've always admired the attachment of the Polish people to the forest. Even in the city you feel you could just take a walk in the forest (usually you can) and kick up some borowiki. The forest is not some dark forbidden place full of wolves and red riding-hoods, but rather an inhabitable space that provides for you. The tree line is not a wall or gestalt, but rather the passageway between one room of your house and the next. On this night in Warsaw I started with venison tartare, and then moved on to roasted goose stuffed with forest mushrooms. You could have any one of those things separately if you wished. The question is why would you wish for some thing like that? As Ania, Jurek, and I talked we began to dance a Fire Waltz. I believe the ghosts of Eric Dolphy and Booker Ervin (such distinct voices!) were conversing while we ate, with Ron Carter on cello and Mal Waldron whispering commentary on the side.
Suggested Wine Pairing: A pairing for goose and mushrooms can be very good, or it can be very bad. The line in-between good and bad is thin. You need something temperamental as a result: a Burgundy or other Pinot Noir. Yes, that's it, the Castle Rock Pinot Noir 2005, Edna Valley California.