o magnum mysterium

One of my current joys is playing in a very good concert band that rehearses one evening a week and offers four formal concerts per year (plus four to five informal summer band/ outdoor concerts in parks and on organization or church lawns). Our holiday concert coming up in two weeks will feature nine pieces, four of which are Christmasy. We are playing a concert band arrangement of this lovely piece embedded below, O Magnum Mysterium by Morten Lauridsen -- one of the Christmas-themed pieces. Seraphic Fire performs this really beautifully, and if I do say so, the purely instrumental is quite other worldly as well. Some of the favorites we are also playing include a traditional Light Cavalry Overture arrangement, Themes from Green Bushes for a bit of English folk song, and a fun piece called Danzas Cubanas. Off on a quick visit to see my parents today. Ciao.

a different kind of thanksgiving

Bad weather sidelined our plans to travel today. This is the first Thanksgiving in my adult life I have been in my own home - not traveling, toting contributions to meals and sometimes early Christmas gift's for my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. Sometimes I have cooked a Thanksgiving meal on Christmas Eve because I am a pretty decent cook if I do say so, and I enjoy cooking this meal. So, we quickly gathered what we needed to whip up a nice small Thanksgiving meal today at home. While the turkey breast is roasting, and nearly all the side dishes done and ready to heat, I thought I would do a quick post here to share one of my favorite Eddie Izzard bits on the topic of Thanksgiving, and a few more thoughts below.

I am truly grateful for many blessings. I am grateful even for enough worry and difficult times to recognize joy when I feel it. I am watching it all - aiming for equanimity.

Wherever you are, if you are reading this, good wishes for peace, love, and safety on this holiday of the very best intentions. I have many fond memories of this day growing up. In recent years, since blogging here at JPP, I have put to keyboard quite a few Thanksgiving thoughts and quotes. For fun sometimes, I search the blog on a word, and scan through my past thoughts. If you want to do the same, here is the search on "thanksgiving." Cheers.

the week of nothing good

I was so tired yesterday morning that I blurted out to Tom, "this has been the week of nothing good." I was referring to yet another great loss... Leonard Cohen. What Leonard Cohen song to pick? His new CD, recorded while he was very ill, in pain, and in retrospect so clearly dying, is very dark. While brilliant, I can't go there. So Sisters of Mercy? Suzanne? And of course, Hallelujah?

I decided to embed two songs below, in addition to the sneaky hyperlinks above. I really love Choir! Choir! Choir! and they did a great job with Hallelujah (along with Rufus Wainright who does a lovely rendition himself). And, I wanted to include a song about Leonard by Joni Mitchell. The two had a year-long affair and some great writing came from that time. (That Song About the Midway and The Gallery are both written about Cohen, and A Case of You - below - is largely believed to be about Cohen also.) Enjoy. Cohen's spirit will live on for a long time. 

of sailors and whales

Do you have 20 minutes for some imagination at sea? This is one of the pieces my band is playing next Sunday. It is called "Of Sailors and Whales" and was written by a great symphonic band composer, W. Francis McBeth, who was on the faculty at Ouachita Baptist University. This is a 2012 performance by the Ouachita Wind Ensemble in honor of McBeth who died earlier that year. Of Sailors and Whales is a really cool piece in multiple movements, and a lot of fun to play (and sing in one movement). Our concert will also feature a very fun Gershwin medley piece and two other more traditional concert band pieces along with the usual America the Beautiful and Stars and Stripes. Usually we play nine or ten pieces, but this and the Gershwin are both quite long.

Whine alert: I so wish I didn't have to travel for work this coming week so I could practice more. I could practice in the hotel room, but it would disturb others. (I am reminded that I used to practice between 90 min. to 2 hours a night in high school to the point where it would get on my mom's nerves and she would call up to my attic bedroom asking me to "stop all that toodling for the night." How many kids got asked to stop practicing? I don't think it was because I played badly... I was just relentless.)

bottle

Last night I drifted off to sleep streaming YouTube videos made by Kirsten Lepore (instead of watching the debates). These videos have made the rounds back when they came out, but they are new to me. Just amazing. This is my favorite. Comical, mesmerizing whimsy, thought-provoking and deep. Enjoy "Bottle".

ára bátur

"Sigur Rós (English pronunciation: /ˈsɪɡər ˈrɒs/, Icelandic: [ˈsɪːɣʏr ˈrouːs]( listen)) is an Icelandic post-rock band with melodic, classical, and minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound and lead singer Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto." I really like this group. They are playing in Brooklyn this coming Friday and some friends are going. They have an extra ticket. This is one of those times I really wish I lived closer to NYC.  I have posted this group before, but it has been a while (2008? blog time flies).

flute-tastic and a few reflections

This morning was made for coffee and listening to Emma Resmini. While Emma isn't yet on the Wikipedia list of child prodigies, she should be. For whatever reason, wind instruments get a stingy side glance from those that deem who is prodigious and who is not. She debuted at the age of 10 (well actually at age 7, but at age 10 back in 2010, she started getting major attention). She is now 16 and studying at the Curtis Institute (the conservatory that recruited my grandfather, who declined the opportunity in order to stay home to work and raise his family.) I have been following Emma on YouTube for nearly six years now and she has developed further. What an incredibly fine musician she is! I am posting a couple of pieces for you here. The first, above, is a beautiful piece by Ian Clarke called Hypnosis. This was recorded two years ago when Emma was 14. The other, below, is a briefer piece by a composer I really like that shows Emma's incredible technical ability. Estländler by Arvo Pärt is a piece designed for unaccompanied flute. This was recorded last year when Emma was 15. 

I started playing the flute at the age of 9 and in some ways, grew up with flute players. There really is a diva thing that goes on with many flutists who have decent abilities. I couldn't stand it, actually, as much as I loved to play. When I would go to solo competitions, I would go off by myself to stay away from the "head game" girls and the "nervous nellies." I just wanted to play, do my best, and then have some fun. I mostly succeeded. Except for the part where others would be jealous of my good marks when the scores came out. I disliked and was hurt by the jealousy the most. For whatever reason, I was consistently first flute and I just wanted to have fun and have people like me. Again, I think I mostly succeeded. Walking away from all the flute stuff mid-college was  freeing and a bit sad at the same time.

Now that I am back to playing again, I am really happy to be playing second flute. I look forward to getting back (hopefully mostly) all my technique and tone. My new flute is a joy to play. I am even doing some duets with a woman who works on my campus for an event in a couple of weeks. Having a musical outlet, for me, is a way to pause other life stresses, be in the moment, and breathe.

Off to the day. WJPP here, signing out.

a sun came

WJPP here, on a cooling Sunday morning as the cold front thankfully drifts in. Here is a song for you: A Sun Came, by Sufjan Stevens. It is short and sweet. You might want to take a look at the lyrics link and you might even want to play it twice.

in your eyes - another take

Someday, I would like to go to Toronto and join in with Choir! Choir! Choir! Enjoy one of the most beautiful songs ever. Sung with many voices: simple, beautiful, and chant like, Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes.

who really knows?

My birthday, as pleasant as it was, has come and gone; Labor Day Weekend, so beautiful as it was, come and gone. The first day of school (on Facebook) has come and gone. [So, so odd to not have a first day of school after 13 years....] Things are abuzz on the campus where I work and I haven't sat down at the home computer to write for a bit of time.

I had mentioned I planned to treat myself to a new flute and I am ecstatic to report that I found a beautiful instrument ... it is hand-made, was pre-owned but well taken care of, and the nicest instrument I have ever played/ owned. In every spare moment I just want to practice! We have had off from band rehearsals since the beginning of August and start up again next week. I cannot wait.

With highs and lows, I try to keep the old Chinese parable with the wise refrain, "we'll see" in my mind to try to stay with some sense of equanimity. Do you know the story? Worth a read and a moment of contemplation.

Meanwhile, enjoy this driving piece, Roll the Bones, by Shakey Graves. Thought-provoking lyrics. I guess we may all be rolling those bones.

music for a sunday groove

WJPP here bringing you no stranger. Andrew Bird is a musician featured here several times in the past. So.enjoyable. Thanks KEXP for this live studio performance recorded earlier this year.  Set list: Capsized, Are You Serious, Left Handed Kisses, and Roma Fade. Three out of four of these may be familiar from a recent TinyDesk concert I posted a bit ago. Not sure about you, but I don't tire of any of these. Back to the day full of allergens, scratchy throat, and heavy eyelids. Wishing I didn't have to work this afternoon/evening. So goes life.

atomic number and nine others

WJPP sharing a recent top ten songs list by WFUV:

1. Wilco  "If I Ever Was a Child"
2. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings  "I'm Still Here'"
3. Maggie Rogers  "Alaska"
4. Father John Misty  "Real Love Baby"
5. Michael Kiwanuka  "Love & Hate"
6. The Head and The Heart  "All We Ever Knew"
7. case/lang/veirs  "Atomic Number'"
8. Radiohead  "Burn the Witch"
9. Ray LaMontagne  "The Changing Man/While It Still Beats"
10. Beck  "Wow"

I had some fun searching these out on YouTube and checking out lyrics. I decided to showcase Atomic Number by case/lang/veirs.  Neko Case,  k.d. lang and Laura Veirs. Honorable mentions to Wilco, Michael Kiwanuka, and Ray LaMontagne. I actually like nearly all of these. Have some fun. 

the joy formidable

This is the best band name I have seen in a long way. This is The Joy Formidable and "Little Blimp," at the noon hour here on WJPP. I hope you are having a great day and regardless, let this piece leave you energized!

lake street dive tiny desk concert

Here's a different lake take . . . enjoy this NPR Tiny Desk Concert. So much talent! SO much fun.

on the genius of tom petty and other memories

With my daily micro-poem writing over at tiny river splash this month, I haven't been spending much time here. But after going on a Tom Petty video watching marathon last night (streaming YouTube on the television screen), I knew I had to post a video or two today here. (My) Tom and I had read an article on the seven most underrated Tom Petty videos since we both agree he presents as just one of the coolest human beings ever. (Do you notice his detached observation mode in almost every performance? The videos somehow capture that ethos.)

Anyway, from the moment I first set eyes on him singing Refugee on Saturday Night Live in 1979*, I have felt a strange kinship with a rock and roller I will never meet. There is a deeper level to his lyrics and videos than the surface might show. He seems to have an understanding of suffering, pathos, and mistreatment of human beings in this world and yet, his songs and countenance portray the necessity that we still exist within and among this array of emotions and scenes, this crazy world.

Anyway, feel free to scan the article linked above and search out the seven videos. You might certainly be thinking of some of the more famous videos like Last Dance With Mary Jane... that one doesn't appear because it certainly isn't underrated. I will embed two below that I found interesting, disturbing and brilliant, each in different ways. These videos remind me of the MTV era of my younger days when there was a layer of interpretive art added to what would otherwise have been more two dimensional listening of music. We have been mainly back to just listening and watching live or studio performance videos with only the occasional true art video in recent years. Enjoy Swingin' and Walls. You will see a few cameos in Walls if you look carefully.

*Watching Tom Petty on his SNL debut is a very clear memory. Just recalling it now, I am transported back to the family room of the Moritz's home on W. Pine St. in my hometown where I was babysitting into the wee hours of the morning most Saturday nights. I was 14 years old with fairly conventional and strict parents. I would otherwise not have been allowed to be out at night at that hour and I wouldn't have been up allowed to be up watching SNL on the family TV. I loved babysitting at the Moritz's. Not only did they have great snacks (and always macaroons during Passover), the kids were nice, went to bed by 10, and I had hours of freedom after dark in a fun home. Sometimes I would call the late night radio host and request songs, in the days before caller ID, preserving my anonymity. My guess is that the DJ did not know how young I was or he wouldn't have flirted with me the way he did. The family paid pretty well (although babysitting wages were abysmal), and they came home happy and toasted. It was definitely one of my better babysitting gigs.

crystal river

I have been enjoying Mudcrutch lately. This is of course Tom Petty singing with some friends of his... and a mildly Grateful Dead groove like thing going on. I like the idea that "nothing can touch me here on Crystal River." Today is my first day of some much needed time off. It is sunny and warm and I couldn't be happier than I am in this moment. Enjoy this day.

high hopes

Friends, having trouble blogging poetry or positive thoughts lately. Words are on my finger tips. I am seeking wisdom and comfort in the words and voices of others right now. The state of the world is depressing. I can't bring myself to blog about the RNC or Donald Trump or race relations and the violence that is going on between certain lives and certain other lives because I get seriously nauseated (and/or numb).

Even with all the privilege I have allowing me at times to bury my head in the sand, everyday life can be challenging in its own ways. Living moment to moment is good - and I am finding wonderful distractions, however temporary they may be. This is a melancholy selection. It is a beautiful selection.

Enjoy this track off Pink Floyd's 1994 Division Bell called High Hopes. I posted another version of this song back in 2012, but the video has been taken down. It is worthy of repeating.

Pasted below is a selection from one of my favorite writers Anne Lamott who recently provided some powerful inspiration. She is a bit too "born again" for me at times*, but I adore her writing and her fierce, loving voice, wit, and intelligence. (*Don't get me wrong, I have faith and seek to experience the divinity of the universe . . . I just don't have the specific faith beliefs she ascribes to. Her progressive and liberal activism is admirable. When she asks WWJJD? She really looks into what that means!)

"Life has always been this scary here, and we have always been as vulnerable as kittens. Plagues and Visigoths, snakes and schizophrenia; Cain is still killing Abel and nature means that everyone dies. I hate this. It's too horrible for words. When my son was seven and found out that he and I would not die at the exact same second, he said, crying, "If I had known this, I wouldn't have agreed to be born." Don't you feel like that sometime?

My father's mother lost a small child in the 1918 flu pandemic. Someone in the family is having a nervous breakdown. A yoga teacher was shot down the road last year by some druggies, while walking on a foot path. A yoga teacher! And then in recent weeks, Orlando, police shooting innocent people, and innocent police officers being shot, and now Nice.

How on Earth do we respond, when we are stunned and scared and overwhelmed, to the point of almost disbelieving?

I wish there was an 800 number we could call to find out, so I could pass this along to my worried Sunday School kids.But no. Yet in the meantime, I know that we MUST respond We must respond with a show of force equal to the violence and tragedies, with love force. Mercy force. Un-negotiated compassion force. Crazy care-giving to the poor and suffering, including ourselves. Patience with a deeply irritating provocative mother. Two dollar bills to the extremely annoying guy at the intersection who you think maybe could be working, or is going to spend your money on beer. Jesus didn't ask the blind man what he was going to look at after He restored the man's sight. He just gave hope and sight; He just healed. To whom can you give hope and sight today. What about to me, and disappointing old you? Radical self-care: healthy food, patience and a friendly tone of voice, lotions on the jiggly things, forgiving pants, lots of sunscreen and snacks. Maybe the random magazine.
Do you have your last computer on the shelf, that you really don't have time or effort to take to the after-school program in your town--but you are going to do today? Go flirt with the oldest people at the market--tell them you are glad to see them. Voila: Hope and sight.

Remember the guys in the Bible whose friend was paralyzed, but couldn't get in close to see Jesus preach and heal, so they carried him on a cot, climbed the roof, and lowered him down for the healing? Can a few of you band together--just for today--and carry someone to the healing? To the zen-do? To a meeting? Help a neighbor who is going under, maybe band together to haul their junk to the dump? Shop for sales for a canned food drive at the local temple or mosque? How about three anonymous good deeds?

There is no healing in pretending this bizarre violent stuff is not going on, and that there is some cute bumper sticker silver lining. (It is fine if you believe this, but for the love of God, PLEASE keep it to yourself. it will just tense us all up.) What is true is that the world has always been this way, people have always been this way, grace always bats last, it just does--and finally, when all is said and done, and the dust settles, which it does, Love is sovereign here."  Anne Lamott

hearts and bones

I've been listening to some old Paul Simon lately after falling in love with his current album. This song, going back to 1983, is such a standout. The lyrics contain some of my favorite lyric snippets of all time. So, I appreciated finding this video with the lyrics flashing across the screen (something I ordinarily find a bit annoying). Savor the music and the words. (My suggestion if you have time is to listen to a version without the words visible after reading through the words once to experience the listening only version.) Nicely done, Paul. Thanks, YouTube. WJPP here wishing you a good day.

a song to fit life

Perfect for this evening. A favorite song performed in a beautiful location on a cool instrument in a really relaxing, comfortably numb manner. Thanks Jamie Dupuis! Heading back outdoors to take in the breezes and fresh air of the deck. After enjoying this video on my phone while relaxing in the anti-gravity chair, I had to come in to post this. Will be back soon to do a "round up" post of where I've been lately. All is well. I have tomorrow off from work, so I hope to find a moment or two to jot a few words here at the old blog. WJPP saying Happy Fourth of July. Namaste!

 

voices and breathing - how they should be

WJPP here bringing you a recent NPR Tiny Desk Concert with Jesca Hoop and Sam Beam. They perform three songs off their new collaborative record, Love Letters For Fire. This set is perfectly relaxing and a nice reminder of the inner state I should tune into even when I have about 7 hours of "to do" ahead on this Sunday. I am trying hard to keep on track with what has to be done before the next three busy weekends... visit to Dad Saturday and then concert Sunday next weekend, high school graduation the following weekend, and graduation party the following.

I really enjoyed the Tiny Desk description of this gorgeous music: "the album's sound fits right where you'd hope it would: between the inventive hookiness of Hoop's terrific solo work and the more somber ruminations of the work Beam makes at the head of Iron & Wine." Lovely harmonies. Set list: "Sailor To Siren," "Know The Wild That Wants You," "Every Songbird Says."

Carry on.