I played a benefit the other night at the club that was owned by that jazz singer in the junction who died much too young a year ago. At her club I enjoyed some wonderful moments of improvisational music especially Michael Keith playing the three string ukulele and Mark Hundevad bringing in Jiuni Booth formerly of Sun Ra’s ensembles. Just before I got up to play I saw Cleave sitting nearby. I played more than three hundred shows in another lifetime with him. Often improvised together, just piano and drums before thousands of people. I wondered if he would agree or not if I asked him to join me, I wondered if we would sound good together if we would hear the piano and drums ok and I wondered if it would be pointless in a bar where people aren’t quiet and how much silence helps make music powerful vs. how noise destroys it. He said ya sure as soon as I asked. And so we got up to play piano and drums. I started the song I wrote about Ellen McIlwaine but after 5 seconds a bassist in the crowd jumped on stage. No doubt believing he was the answer to our prayers considering we were just piano and drums. Truly, it was then pointless couldn’t hear the upright piano over the bass and when next I tried to play an ostinato in F the bassist’s contribution obliterated the dynamics… so nothing else to do but play in a kind way and finish quickly in a kind way and leave humming kinda blue.