August 22, 2015: pop music Saturday

William James "Count" Basie was born on August 21, 1904. I remember seeing the Count Basie orchestra at Bethune-Cookman College when I was about fifteen years old. I sat in the front row, and the Count himself was just a few feet from me. Amazing!

Count Basie Orchestra, "Jumpin' at the Woodside"

August 21, 2015: vegan Friday

Last week we found time to can some tomatoes just before school started. We got a large box of tomatoes from the farmer's market in Sylva, and they yielded twelve quarts that we'll enjoy in chili and vegetable soup during the winter.

August 20, 2015: practice Thursday

Today I had a rehearsal on a piece I've been practicing for a while; the piece, Gradient, is for alto sax and piano and was written by Baljinder Sekhon, a composer in Tampa. The piano part involves placing books and sheets of paper inside the piano to create a "buzzy" sound that matches, more or less, the sound of the slap tonguing in the saxophone.

In our rehearsal, we soon found that choreography will be a major issue in this piece! Within a fairly short time, I need to remove three books from the inside of the piano and replace them with two large sheets of corrugated paper. The books must be placed so they cover all the strings in the piano's lower register; I'm still working on finding a way to side the paper in that doesn't make any distracting sounds, since the saxophone is playing. Fortunately, we have a video of the piece to refer to; I've been studying this performance on YouTube to see how this pianist manages the logistics of the piece. The differences in my performance will be that I will have a page turner (I'm not sure how this guy manages to turn his own pages in this particular piece!); the music desk on the piano I'll be playing doesn't lie flat like the one in this video; and since the pianist here seems to be rather tall, it's a bit easier for him to reach into the piano to place the books (I will probably be walking around to the side of the piano). 

We have a few more rehearsals before the performance, and we need to get all the logistics ironed out, in addition to the music, which is quite challenging! It's a great piece, and completely worth the work we're putting into it.

August 19, 2015: women's Wednesday

Ugh. Not too much to say about this article on sexist dress codes in high schools. My hope is that girls heading back to school this year are able to dress comfortably, and that their male classmates are held accountable when it comes to self control.

August 18, 2015: fiber arts Tuesday

One of the things I miss about living in Black Mountain, NC, is the regular visits I would make to see my friend Leslie at Nice Threads Fiber Studio. Leslie, an accomplished artist with an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design, creates all kinds of pieces to sell at festivals, and she also teaches classes and lessons on everything from felting to dyeing to hand carding. In Leslie's studio I learned different techniques for dyeing wool, and learned how to comb and card wool. It was a real treat to be able to work with someone who has so much experience!

August 17, 2015: outdoor adventure Monday

Western Carolina University started our fall 2015 semester today. Our campus is in the Smoky Mountains, and is one of the top outdoor adventure campuses in the U.S. Right in our own back yard we have opportunities for kayaking, rock climbing hiking, mountain biking, and just about anything else you can imagine. 

For today, I wanted to share a link to a map of some of the walking trails on campus. It's so nice to slip on a pair of sneakers, step outside my office door, and take a peaceful walk in the middle of a busy day!

August 16, 2015: Sabbath Sunday

Yesterday I had the honor of playing the organ at a friend's funeral. E. was a friend from church, and had died suddenly in an accident a few days before on the way to work. It seemed so strange that we had all just seen him last Sunday, and now, here we were at a funeral service for him. Like many funerals, there was a great deal of sadness, but also humor and joy; E. still seemed to be with us, and his kindness and gentle sense of humor permeated the occasion. 

I've played for several large funerals and memorial services; this one seemed special. Everyone there seemed eager to celebrate E.'s life through a worship service. They sang the hymns with gusto, and nearly everyone took communion; the homily was a lovely tribute to E.'s life. In the coming days and weeks, E.s friends and family will certainly be grieving, but we'll be grieving together in a loving, supportive community.