Jazz Cat Dance

The CD, Mingus at the Bohemia (1955), starts off quietly, with just the bass. Kato the mystical cat turns his head toward the CD player beside the bed, ears twitching. When the saxophone comes in, cool and mellow, Kato closes his eyes and raises his head up, as if in meditative bliss. Soon all the instruments are playing and Kato begins the cat dance, kneading the bedspread with his paws, occasionally moving back-and-forth or from side-to-side in a rhythmic dance. From time to time he integrates a yoga asana into the dance: Upward-Facing Cat, or Downward-Facing Cat, or a graceful back arch (Halloween Cat). Then he sits like the Sphinx, paws outward, eyes closed, head up, letting the music wash over him as he purrs contentedly.