youth from the open stage
At the open stage they returned two young women, twin comets in mismatched orbits. Both new to the ritual, both possessed of voices that didn’t merely sing but insisted upon […]
mixing the idiot
Last June or maybe July, Doug McClement, generous as always, offered to record me at the Harris Institute. Two grand pianos to choose from – both gleaming, both waiting for […]
art of not breaking
The older I get, the more important cat-cow and cobra seem to be. Squats too. Balance, flexibility the body’s way of reminding you it still wants to participate. When I […]
free will
Hey Chat GPT, does man have free will? 1. Determinism (no free will) Everything that happens—including your choices—was set in motion by causes before you were born: genes, upbringing, culture, […]
understanding Stan
Rewriting both my framing doc and the book. It was inevitable that the feedback would go this way. It’s also amusing that my supervisor is able to read what I […]
The Mandolin That Could Tell the Future
Fred found it in the attic of a shuttered opera house, its case covered in dust. The mandolin looked ordinary, cherry wood body, ivory inlay, strings dulled with rust. But […]
turn that off and delete it
Sometimes at the open stage I start streaming performers on Instagram Live. It feels like a small gesture of goodwill, a way of tossing something into the river, letting it […]
flight back
The flight back from Sweden was the worst I’ve ever taken. I Usually book an aisle. I forgot. Wedged for eight hours between two large men. By the time I […]
recording day 2
The second day in Stockholm studio had a new cast of characters. Two guys playing upright bass – two upright basses. Is that not nuts? A saxophone, English horn, Trumpet, […]
nychelharpa
Nice to meet all these Swedes in studio and one had a super interesting creation that I took to be a Hurdy Gurdy but it was a Key Fiddle or […]