Cleveland’s Museum of Contemporary Art hosted Tri-C JazzFest’s Lionel Loueke concert

I have a not-so-secret obsession when it comes to organizing things. I feel bad sometimes for Scott who has to put up with my unquenchable urge for lists, schedules and Google Docs (though he does admit he’d be lost without them).

The funny thing is that I wasn’t always like this. My parents lovingly (and sometimes worriedly) called me Space Cadet for the first 2 decades of my life.

But then a switch flipped after college and lists were how I got myself through the day. I like things orderly and prioritized - and I sometimes fear a tiny part of me would fall apart if I had to go cold turkey without my planner.

Lionel Loueke at Tri-C JazzFest

There is one part of me, though, that prefers chaos over order – and that’s when I’m listening to music. When things aren’t fitting in their little square checkboxes and I need to quiet my brain, my favorite music to turn to is jazz.

With all its frenetic energy and sometimes maddening cacophony, I can focus just on unpacking all the sounds and find some temporary solace.

That’s why – after a particularly stressful week – I was happy to attend Tri-C JazzFest’s Lionel Loueke Trio concert at the Museum of Contemporary Art last Thursday.

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