reincarnation
I don’t believe in reincarnation, but then the brown sugar dies and turns into a rock, and I add a fruit peel, an orange, most days, and hours later it’s […]
improvising
Playing an F Bob
Near the end of Robert Priest’s show, I get waved onstage to sit in. Bob Cohen starts flashing chord shapes at me helpful like hand puppetry. I say, “No thanks, […]
doubt with good posture
Improvisation is doubt with good posture. You walk out there pretending you know what you’re doing, which is the first lie necessary for the evening to continue. The audience wants […]
punster
There is a guy on Instagram named Darren Walsh who improvises puns. It’s astounding. He stands in public places, in the UK, and offers puns to walkers by. People try […]
the clock
The universe is so tightly wound. Everything follows rules as if machine-driven. Planets rotate, flowers bloom, dogs bark, ants scurry and predators eat minnows. Humanity moves through all of it […]
The New Song
I ask the Lyft guy about his car. I always do. It’s a reflex at this point. I know the rough prices, the dealer choreography, the creative interpretations of larceny […]
on the subway
On the subway a guy across from me, big white hair pompadour,exactly like Jim Jarmusch, film-ghost of a downtown dream,and I liked believing it was him,this artist of smoke and […]
dr jekyl
I think about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde often. Folks talk about it like a strange horror story, but it isn’t strange at all. It’s honest. That’s what we are. […]
fusion
Old fusion albums. Listening back, a lot to learn there. Sometimes it’s just meandering, people testing the edges while forgetting about the center. At other times, it’s greatness. Risk becomes […]
cecil, keith & pee wee
Cecil Taylor, Keith Jarrett, and Pee-wee Herman walk into a bar. The bartender says, “What’ll it be?”Cecil Taylor launches into a 45-minute solo order that nobody understands, Keith Jarrett complains […]