mack the knife

It was time to get out and into the city on a Saturday night.  Beautiful weather, a sexy sax, and a crescent moon.  (You know you're to make a wish on a crescent moon, don't you?)

And four food trucks.  Four!

This was the Grand Opening of Two Corks And A Bottle, a wine bar in the Quadrangle.  They'd had a soft opening a few months ago but tonight was about getting serious with wine and food and for me of course, music.  It took some us back to the days of decades long gone, spent in and around the Quadrangle.  The days of Baby Routh and 8.O...   

The Mark McKenzie Duo was playing the early shift.  I'd recently asked Mark if they play Mack The Knife, suspecting they do ("But of course.") and that I've probably heard the quartet play it numerous times, but for-the-life-of-me I couldn't recall.  Perhaps because the song screams for a big band accompanying Bobbie Darin.

Oh, the shark babe, has such teeth dear

And it shows them pearly white.

Mack The Knife has a long history, from its original German production in 1928 to the first English language, American show in 1933; the Threepenny Opera.  The character, who's become known now as the worst type of gangster, was named Mackie Messer, messer being the German word for knife. 

The lyrics are wild and the vocals in Darin's version are rich with all the "huh"s and that "eeek".  But you don't need to know all this to enjoy it.  You just need to feel the drums give it that kickstart....and there you go.  You'll find yourself humming it for days.

So, special thanks to Mark and George for playing it.  Play it you did, even without Jon on drums and Ray on bass! 

Then there was food...

I hit the Three Men and a Taco truck first; a single serving of Spicy Asparagus on Rice.  My sister had Ssahm's Potato Fries with Caramelized Kimchi and Chicken.  Both snacks forced us to share a second bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.  I swear; they were hot!  We also ordered Panzeroti, little breaded and fried, potato croquettes from Geonarino's to cool us off. 

My palate recovered, and five songs later, I was ready for that Vietnamese 12" baguette with daikon radish, jalapenos, and spicy mayo but the truck had pulled out.  Learned my lesson.

The Grand Opening was a grand night.  Robin won these glass coasters as a door prize.  I want them.  I'll buy her dinner at the next food truck if she gives them to me. 

I drove home under the light of the crescent moon, listening to Mack The Knife, full of wine and food and a saxophone.  Full of happy.

Oh, the shark babe, has such teeth dear

And it shows them pearly white

Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe

And he keeps it ... ah ... out of sight. 

Ya know when that shark bites, with his teeth, babe

Scarlet billows start to spread

Fancy gloves, though, wears old MacHeath, babe

So there's nevah a trace of red. 

Now on the sidewalk ... uuh, huh ...
whoo ... sunny mornin' ... uuh, huh

Lies a body just oozin' life ... eeek!

And someone's sneakin' 'round the corner

Could that someone be Mack the Knife? 

A-there's a tugboat ... huh, huh, huh ...
down by the river don'tcha know

Where a cement bag's just a'droopin' on down

Oh, that cement is just, it's there for the weight, dear

Five'll get ya ten old Macky's back in town.

Now, d'ja hear 'bout Louie Miller?  He disappeared, babe

After drawin' out all his hard-earned cash

And now MacHeath spends just like a sailor

Could it be our boy's done something rash?

Now ... Jenny Driver ... ho, ho ... yeah ... Sukey Tawdry

Ooh ... Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown

Oh, the line forms on the right, babe

Now that Macky's back in town.

Aah ... I said Jenny Diver ... whoa ... Sukey Tawdry

look out to Miss Lotte Lenya and old Lucy Brown

Yes, that line forms on the right, babe

Now that Macky's back in town ...

Look out ... old Macky is back!

Mack The Knife
Written by Kurt Weill/E. Bertolt Brecht/Marc Blitzstein