i don’t remember what
The meeting ended when someone folded the moon. The activists stacked chairs that grew lighter each time they were lifted until the final chair floated toward the ceiling and remained […]
Equal Temperament
I’ve tuned pianos for forty-three years. Concert grands in theatres. Baby grands in churches. Uprights that smelled faintly of mouse. I’ve learned every instrument lies. Wood swells. Steel stretches. Humidity […]
The Arithmetic of Harmony
When David suggested they tour together, everyone told him it was a smart idea. “Your audiences overlap.” “You’ll each bring your own crowd.” “You’ll save money.” “Twice the publicity.” David […]
satisaction
With the release of the new Rolling Stones record, I have found myself less interested in the songs than in Mick Jagger’s interviews. He speaks about John Lennon, David Bowie, […]
16
Every evening at exactly seven o’clock, Leonard climbed onto the windowsill and waited. Not for dinner. Not for birds. For music. His owner, Margaret, taught piano lessons from the living […]
the philosophers and machine made music
Socrates and Plato walked through the Agora when they encountered a crowd gathered around a curious bronze box. From within came music. Not merely melodies. Entire symphonies. Love songs. Funeral […]
dialogue
John Coltrane and Louis Armstrong found themselves seated on a park bench overlooking a city. Music drifted through the air from every direction. None of the musicians were visible. ARMSTRONG: […]
wes chimes in
Most of the time, growth is invisible. Then, one night after a concert, another musician approaches. Not a fan. A peer. Someone who knows what it costs to arrive at […]
the miracle
The open stage: A retired accountant arrived with a Martin guitar and sang a ballad about his wife of forty-three years. His voice wandered in and out of tune as […]
on the park bench we kissed and then
I found an unfinished song the other day. It must be at least twenty years old, maybe thirty. I finished it. What struck me wasn’t the song so much as […]