Playlist: Morning

I cherish the morning, and I have especially since a friend of mine gave me a copy of Mason Currey’s first book Daily Rituals, a book which recounts the routines of “inspired minds,” everyone from musicians and artists to politicians and writers. While I was reading his recounting of so many of my heroes, I kept a running tally of their exploits, and the overlapping Venn Diagram indicated that those whom I most admired had one thing in common: they all woke up early.

As I began doing so, setting my alarm for 5:30AM, I found for a time that I was far more productive. In fact, before the rest of my house was awake, I’d completed most of the day’s work. A number of circumstances have led me astray from that old ritual (and perhaps I will return to it one day), but one which remains is this Spotify playlist. It’s comprised of songs with which I’ve become so aligned that I have their order memorized, and I’ve tweaked the playlist to align with my morning exploits, often skipping ahead to certain tracks to maintain some aspect of order. Showers usually are comprised of instrumental pieces from Richard Dworsky, Book T. & the M.G.’s and The Cannonball Adderley Quintet. Coffee always begins with Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day.”

If, like me, you thrive with a routine, try this Morning playlist.