miles davis quartet, newport jazz festival, 1955
—
in honor of international jazz day
never stop taking those risks
and play on.
—
“risk is at the heart of jazz. every note we play is a risk.”
-steve lacy
—
image credit: vintage industrial jazz
i so enjoyed irish musician
glen hansard
one of my absolute favorites
you may remember him from the indie film ‘once’
for his surprise academy award for best song that year
for his heartfelt, passionate, and powerful music
or perhaps not at all
but on this night
he told the stories behind each of his songs
invited detroit musicians up on stage with him
sang a traditional irish song with his entire crew
including the roadies
giving each a chance to shine
asked the audience to sing with him
and graciously thanked all for being a part of this night
i’ve seen him with his band ‘the frames’
and with his partner as the ‘swell season’ duet
and this time
with a mix of irish, canadian, and american musicians
all playing as one
and i was amazed all over again.
—
“music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.”
-ludwig van beethoven
—
below is a live version of a song (fitzcaraldo)
that he performed in ireland with the frames,
definitely worth 6 minutes of your life.
hang in there until the end.
grandie creates his quilt
stitching fabrics of his choosing
that he’s learned to sew upon
this machine that he is using.
his ukulele sits nearby
waiting for some play
as the sled stands outside
with hopes of snowy day.
—
“the class of your performance is built on the grade of your skills.”
― wesam fawzi
‘the four building blocks of the universe are fire, water, gravel and vinyl.’
-dave barry
—
london, ontario, canada
in our getaway spot we are graced with
our own private phantom of the opera.
—
“musicians don’t retire; they stop when there’s no more music in them.”
-louis armstrong
summers in the late 60s
mc5
grateful dead
play free concerts in the park bandshell
late summer 2017
grandsons free play in the same park bandshell
“dig into the roots of culture, and it will grow.
it’s like a grass that is growing, and it cannot stop,
and music is like the fertilizer for that.”
-burning spear
—
west park, ann arbor, mi, usa
(2 more days and 2 more parks to go)
—
band image credits: ann arbor news archives
(my glamour shot after returning from the salon and in full singing mode)
—
i love that my class
is unaware
that i am not a top notch singer
they are the best audience ever
very non-judgmental and accepting
as i belt out my tunes
and try to get them on board
i often improvise my own lyrics
when i only know part of them
or
think of something i’d like to add
many times accidentally
creating my own key
it’s all about the gusto
and not so much the skill.
—
“music in the soul can be heard by the universe. “
-lao tzu
nothing like a box full of shared music
waiting patiently for me on my doorstep
to make my day.
—
“if you show me good music, i will never forget you.”
-author unknown
great night
spent reenergizing
with the bodeans
and good company
at the ark
one of my favorite places
thanks for the music, m.
—
“music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
-berthold auerbach
as i walked in, i looked around and asked out loud,
“is this elvis day or something?”
i heard a deep voice following me in who answered,
“you better believe it baby.”
and that is how we found ourselves sharing a breakfast space.
luckily, elvis read the sign, waited to be seated
climbed up on the counter and belted out hits
elvis worked the crowd and met a tiny dancer
and changed costumes before my second cup of coffee
it was a full breakfast.
—
“to me, john lennon and elvis presley were punks,
because they made music that evoked those emotions in people. “
-joey ramone
I didn't have my glasses on.... 