No News Commutes is about being on the road with James Keelaghan

Been wearing out a James Keelaghan CD lately as I continue with no news during Lent. I will likely switch it out tomorrow. This song reminded me that I am thankful for a relative short commute and a job that does not take me away from home, away from love.
Musicians are a brave lot. They take a chance to survive doing what they love to do, but in the process find themselves far from their home, their love. Next time a favored musician rolls into my area, may I be ever grateful for the sacrifice being made.

Jazz Poetry: William Matthews mourns Coltrane

Church of the Coltrane from the Flickr set of Damian 

The Saint John Will-I-Am Coltrane African Orthodox Church (now at 1286 Fillmore St. San Francisco)
Photographer: Damian Rafferty

Musicians connect to us and their passing can shake us. One of the first I was introduced to was Johnny Cash and I remember the waves traveling through my car the day I found out he had died...  I should have pulled over.


Blues for John Coltrane, Dead at 41

Although my house floats on a lawn
as plush as a starlet’s body
and my sons sleep easily,
I think of death’s salmon breath
leaping back up the saxophone
with its wet kiss.

Hearing him dead,
I feel it in my feet
as if the house were rocked
by waves from a soundless speedboat
planing by, full throttle.

By William Matthews


... then there is the joy of stumbling into videos for a blog post.  Coltrane playing an appropriate tune & the video was posted by a lover of Cash and Coltrane

finally, I play with iMovie and consider the vlog

still got lots to learn, but surely would love your feedback on my directorial debut:




Thanks

...

hoping for the elves to come through and a big date to see Bill Frisell

...


I have a bag full of papers to be graded and material to be prepped sitting under a table in booth number 7 at the Owen J Roberts Craft Show. Any chance the elves that I hope will clean up our kitchen will also take care of those tasks which are waiting in my bag.

Was a bit groggy at the show today, but happy for how the day went. Friends stopped by to wish us good luck. We made a good number of sales. The food was tasty. The other crafters were talented and a joy to be around. and no SNOW!

So we had made a pact that after two weeks of being Olympic late night fools (late for us), we would get some sleep this week leading into the craft show. So there I was going through the mail on Monday when I saw a flier from the Sellersville Theater 1894. I thought..."wonder if they have any jazz coming. Bill Frisell! Thursday night! Dang, how can we go to a concert the night before a Friday which would be a work day followed by setting up for the craftshow."

But Bill Frisell is amazing. He loves music and is not afraid to venture into any genre with his jazz guitar in hand...







and he ended with this tune...

today in photos

I finished the blue background of what will be aptly titled.... My good friend's shower curtain inspired mandala. maybe MGFSCIM for short.. when the project is done I will tell the story

then I broke down and cleaned my glass grinder

glass sludge after the water was drained off


then a splash of yellow, and a bit of green


after a trip to a quilt show, we stopped at Willow Creek Orchards for some local food... zucchini, apples, carrots, cheddar cauliflower, bell peppers, some rolls from the Metropolitan bakery and Willow Creek's own style of Jumbleberry Jam-- strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.

then as I added 7/25 of the red and orange glass, I listened to some Victoria Williams. Here is a video of a childhood memory I share with the woman... sitting in an automobile counting train cars and how cool it was to see the caboose.

Train Song Video


OK, time for the Phillies to show they truly do know what to do when one of their team mates is standing on third base, well it is time for the rain that has been falling since before I arose this morning to stop so they can show their stuff...