Breathe in. Breathe out. Excitement. Did the boy with the brown eyes and the freckles really give ME a paper valentine? Does he *giggle* LIKE like me? Breathe in. Breathe out. Stress. I'm running out of valentines that just imply friendship...should I give this boy a Spongebob or a Captain Planet? Classrooms full of glue, glitter, and construction paper. The agonizing over who gets what and which message to send to whom and guarding fragile third grader feelings. Sugar cookies. Icing. I must wear pink. I HATE pink. Why do I have to wear this? Isn't white or red good enough? *Gasp* that girl wore BLUE. What does that mean? Doesn't she have a Valentine? Breathe in. Breathe out. Disappointment. I didn't get as many valentines this year. But no matter, mom made cupcakes!
Valentine's Day is one of those holidays, like Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, and that odious day dedicated to a groundhog...which loses enchantment the older one becomes. As a child, there's an almost tangible feeling of magic; of conspiracy and youth--associated with these holidays. (Okay, so there's nothing magical about a groundhog,) but there IS something magical about crayons and creativity, no homework for a day, kid's moms coming in with things that taste better than the cafeteria, stickers on noses and frosting on shoes. For just a day, the entire school is wreathed in smiles and fun and drama easily resolved with a tissue and a new activity. The real purpose of the holiday is lost of course; completely buried in layers of sticky sugar and sequined popsicle sticks. Jesus gains one hundred pounds and rides in a sleigh, or sprouts two ears and deposits eggs in secret places. Ancient celebrated saints and goddesses are reduced to pots of gold, fat winged babies and paper bags.
Years pass. Religious meaning becomes known and cherished or discarded. When work and school are no longer canceled for a rodent and his shadow, the less significant holidays' dates are forgotten. Suddenly Valentine's Day becomes something much more sinister. Of course, commercialization has superficially degraded every holiday under the sun, but Valentine's Day seems to take an extra hit from the media. "Prove you love so and so with a diamond necklace...show you care with chocolates!" In other words, "THE AMOUNT OF LOVE YOU HAVE IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE SIZE OF YOUR WALLET."
Now wait a second. Step back and think about this! Wasn't it the Beatles who sang "Can't Buy Me Love" and generations sang along? If you're actually IN a relationship, do you really need a day on the calendar to remind you of it? And if you're NOT in a relationship, do you really deserve to have it rubbed into your face for a week, watching parades of flowers and cards and kisses? I've heard that many call it "Single Awareness Day," or S.A.D. rather than it's official name. It might be a good day for the economy, but it's a sad day for the human soul.
Nevertheless, the date marches on. No amount of protest will halt the onslaught. So instead, I offer only some advice as you celebrate this year's "Day of Love," whether you are alone this year or have someone to share the celebration with.
My advice is this: spend TIME, not money, and concentrate on SHARING rather than giving. Yes, there is a difference between the two. You can give without sincerity, but you can't share without wanting to.
The best valentine's I have ever received from the opposite sex came in the smallest, cheapest, and most meaningful packages (I'm NOT talking about condoms). Many of them didn't even come on Valentine's day, but meant more to me than they would have otherwise because the command "DO SOMETHING FOR A GIRL TODAY" was not screaming at them at the time.
I remember a boy in tenth grade who did something extraordinary: he purchased two dozen or so purple carnations, and throughout the day walked up and down the halls looking for girls who looked sad, or lonely, or obviously lacked that "valentine vibe." Then he would hand them a flower, smile, and ask them about their day. It amazed me the reactions of these girls (and yes, I was one of them that year) the way their faces suddenly lit up, and they took the flower with a smile, and were from that moment immune to the gloomy all-consuming "single awareness" feeling. Why should they feel bad that they were single? What did it matter if they received one of the coveted pink delivery notes which announced a few flowers tied with ribbon, or a special card from a loved one, or any number of wonderful things that arrived for the lucky few?
The girls who held purple carnations knew that they were still human after all. Love didn't necessarily mean having a boyfriend to make out with over lunch. Kindness and compassion went on, regardless of the day. A box of lemon heads, a note scribbled on the back of a receipt, a smile, a phone call on my birthday, a courageous text admitting a crush, a burned CD, a letter, a hand to steady weak legs while ice skating, an embrace to strengthen a broken heart after a bad day...THESE. THESE are the most powerful expressions of human emotion that far outshine, at least in my memories, anything bought with money or compliments.
So when you're making arrangements this weekend for the Big Day, consider purple carnations. Close your wallet, put those corny candles and rose petals away, and do something that you won't regret months later when you're still paying off the bills for that night out that you'll never remember. Put some meaning back into the words "I Love You."
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Waiting...waiting.....waiting...........
Waiting
By Robyn Argyle
The stars wait for that single explosion
the burst of ecstacy and fire
when they become beautiful and visible
to the naked human eye
before they fizzle out and fade
The sky waits to be painted
violent shades of gold and rose and blue
so that those below will look up
and marvel at the breadth of the universe
before being distracted again
The pedestrians wait on street corners
tapping the posts and the sidewalk cracks
waiting for the light to change
waiting to go somewhere important
waiting to cross the road
The pregnant mother waits
her hands folded on her belly
feeling life, and growth, and mystery
wondering about tiny fingers and toes
waiting for that small first breath
The unemployed shuffle their feet
they put on their finest clothes
and their brightest smiles
and hope that someday, somehow
someone will see potential in them
The student sits at her desk
she mouths the words to the song in her head
she stares out the window
she wonders who she is, what she knows
she wonders where she will go
The heartbroken feels the food turn to ash
hears the music turn to noise
and idle conversation turn to silence
they watch as memories lose their color
and wait to feel whole
The hungry wait to be fed
the injured wait to be healed
the silent wait to be heard
the weak wait to be strong
the small wait to be noticed
The powerful wait for more power
the greedy wait for more greed
the sinful wait to sin again
the tossed out, thrown down, and trampled
wait to find meaning
We all wait for hope to bless us
we all wait for peace to last
we all wait for love to mean something
we all wait for happiness to find us
and most of all
we
all
wait
for
our
lives
to
be
lived
By Robyn Argyle
The stars wait for that single explosion
the burst of ecstacy and fire
when they become beautiful and visible
to the naked human eye
before they fizzle out and fade
The sky waits to be painted
violent shades of gold and rose and blue
so that those below will look up
and marvel at the breadth of the universe
before being distracted again
The pedestrians wait on street corners
tapping the posts and the sidewalk cracks
waiting for the light to change
waiting to go somewhere important
waiting to cross the road
The pregnant mother waits
her hands folded on her belly
feeling life, and growth, and mystery
wondering about tiny fingers and toes
waiting for that small first breath
The unemployed shuffle their feet
they put on their finest clothes
and their brightest smiles
and hope that someday, somehow
someone will see potential in them
The student sits at her desk
she mouths the words to the song in her head
she stares out the window
she wonders who she is, what she knows
she wonders where she will go
The heartbroken feels the food turn to ash
hears the music turn to noise
and idle conversation turn to silence
they watch as memories lose their color
and wait to feel whole
The hungry wait to be fed
the injured wait to be healed
the silent wait to be heard
the weak wait to be strong
the small wait to be noticed
The powerful wait for more power
the greedy wait for more greed
the sinful wait to sin again
the tossed out, thrown down, and trampled
wait to find meaning
We all wait for hope to bless us
we all wait for peace to last
we all wait for love to mean something
we all wait for happiness to find us
and most of all
we
all
wait
for
our
lives
to
be
lived
Monday, January 4, 2010
If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out!
Cat Stevens is a genius.
New Years has always baffled me at how it manages to make people feel like they need to change. Promises to be thinner, stronger, healthier, smarter, wealthier, and kinder abound as we try to rationalize to ourselves why we are the way we are and what we can do to be different. Last year I swore to do ten situps every day, increasing the amount each month until by December I would be doing one hundred and twenty every morning. I lasted about six days before I started sleeping through my alarm, rationalizing a little give and take here and there, and finally gave up the project entirely. A few months ago when we discussed environmentalism in my philosophy class and talked about the horrible treatment of cows and chickens in some meat plants, I swore to become vegetarian. After some minor guilt I got hungry, went to the caf, saw a sizzling burger calling my name and got over it.
So why do we make these promises? Why do we constantly seek the new and the improved? Who declared that everyone must feel terrible about themselves on December 31st, make impossible promises on January 1st, and feel like failures a week later when the impossible promise is broken? Isn't change a constant, ongoing process? If we aren't satisfied with ourselves now, don't we have the right to change ourselves when and how we choose? Vegetarians aren't made in a day, and neither are bodybuilders, millionaires, or scholars.
Enter Cat Stevens. I've spent many late hours of the night like this: The homework pile grows under the dim light of my computer monitor, my eyes come unfocused, searching for something, ANYTHING, to ease this monotonous drive for deadlines and essays unwritten. Suddenly a hallelejuh chorus breaks forth! My gaze rests on two of my favorite characters in the history of filmography: Harold and Maude. The soundtrack to this 1971 movie is entirely composed of Cat Stevens songs-all strumming guitar and soft bouncing lyrics. Harold, troubled beyond the help of any psychiatrist, finds a new life philosophy in the words of the song "If you want to sing out, sing out" which is sung by Maude and her old player piano.
After countless times of watching Harold's transformation, I am constantly struck by two thoughts. First, I can never quite get over the disturbing scene of Harold and Maude in bed together, in the nude, blowing bubbles into the air. It's not an image that is easily removed from one's memory. Just saying.
The second thought that I have is...why can't we all be like? Why can't we realize that the time we have is short, our relationships precious, and our possibilities limitless?
My New Year's Resolution sung by Mr. Stevens, who could see these things and put them into words better than I:
Well if you want to sing out
Sing out.
And if you want to be free
Be free.
'Cause there's a million things to be.
You know that there are.
And if you want to live high
Live high.
And if you want to live low
Live low.
'Cause there's a million ways to go.
You know that there are.
You can do what you want.
The opportunity's on.
And if you find a new way
You can do it today.
You can make it all true.
And you can make it undo
You see.
Ah ah ah
It's easy.
Ah ah ah
You only need to know.
Well if you want to say yes
Say yes.
And if you want to say no
Say no.
Cause there's a million ways to go.
You know that there are.
And if you want to be me
Be me.
And if you want to be you
Be you.
Cause thee's a million things to do.
You know that there are.
You can do what you want.
The opportunity's on.
And if you find a new way
You can do it today.
You can make it all true.
And you can make it undo
You see.
Ah ah ah
It's easy.
Ah ah ah
You only need to know.
New Years has always baffled me at how it manages to make people feel like they need to change. Promises to be thinner, stronger, healthier, smarter, wealthier, and kinder abound as we try to rationalize to ourselves why we are the way we are and what we can do to be different. Last year I swore to do ten situps every day, increasing the amount each month until by December I would be doing one hundred and twenty every morning. I lasted about six days before I started sleeping through my alarm, rationalizing a little give and take here and there, and finally gave up the project entirely. A few months ago when we discussed environmentalism in my philosophy class and talked about the horrible treatment of cows and chickens in some meat plants, I swore to become vegetarian. After some minor guilt I got hungry, went to the caf, saw a sizzling burger calling my name and got over it.
So why do we make these promises? Why do we constantly seek the new and the improved? Who declared that everyone must feel terrible about themselves on December 31st, make impossible promises on January 1st, and feel like failures a week later when the impossible promise is broken? Isn't change a constant, ongoing process? If we aren't satisfied with ourselves now, don't we have the right to change ourselves when and how we choose? Vegetarians aren't made in a day, and neither are bodybuilders, millionaires, or scholars.
Enter Cat Stevens. I've spent many late hours of the night like this: The homework pile grows under the dim light of my computer monitor, my eyes come unfocused, searching for something, ANYTHING, to ease this monotonous drive for deadlines and essays unwritten. Suddenly a hallelejuh chorus breaks forth! My gaze rests on two of my favorite characters in the history of filmography: Harold and Maude. The soundtrack to this 1971 movie is entirely composed of Cat Stevens songs-all strumming guitar and soft bouncing lyrics. Harold, troubled beyond the help of any psychiatrist, finds a new life philosophy in the words of the song "If you want to sing out, sing out" which is sung by Maude and her old player piano.
After countless times of watching Harold's transformation, I am constantly struck by two thoughts. First, I can never quite get over the disturbing scene of Harold and Maude in bed together, in the nude, blowing bubbles into the air. It's not an image that is easily removed from one's memory. Just saying.
The second thought that I have is...why can't we all be like? Why can't we realize that the time we have is short, our relationships precious, and our possibilities limitless?
My New Year's Resolution sung by Mr. Stevens, who could see these things and put them into words better than I:
Well if you want to sing out
Sing out.
And if you want to be free
Be free.
'Cause there's a million things to be.
You know that there are.
And if you want to live high
Live high.
And if you want to live low
Live low.
'Cause there's a million ways to go.
You know that there are.
You can do what you want.
The opportunity's on.
And if you find a new way
You can do it today.
You can make it all true.
And you can make it undo
You see.
Ah ah ah
It's easy.
Ah ah ah
You only need to know.
Well if you want to say yes
Say yes.
And if you want to say no
Say no.
Cause there's a million ways to go.
You know that there are.
And if you want to be me
Be me.
And if you want to be you
Be you.
Cause thee's a million things to do.
You know that there are.
You can do what you want.
The opportunity's on.
And if you find a new way
You can do it today.
You can make it all true.
And you can make it undo
You see.
Ah ah ah
It's easy.
Ah ah ah
You only need to know.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Love Beyond Years (Or Perhaps Despite Years)
There are a few complications in the human mind that we rarely address on purpose, but that throughout our lives we are forced to come to terms with on our own. These include the question of faith and which religion (if any) is best to pursue; the question of life and what our purpose here is; and finally, the question which I am becoming more and more concerned about, the question of love.
It seems like the more you want to understand what love is the more you have to wait to find out. I'm nineteen, and no closer now to figuring out what those emotions really are then I was at the beginning of the year. Usually when you don't understand something you gain your knowledge from those around you. Like children who learn not to put cheerios up their nose because the adults don't do it (but they might put them up their nose just in case anyway)
The examples I turn to are naturally my family and the people around me I see in relationships. And I've learned a little something about love from all of them. But over Christmas Break, I received the longest and possibly most confusing lesson from two people very dear to me: my grandparents.
My grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease a few years ago, and as his health has steadily decreased the family has tried to adjust accordingly. Over Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to see that while his body was breaking, his spirit was definitely not, and I'm happy to say that this was still the case when we visited over Christmas break. He was physically drained, and more frail than at Thanksgiving (I cannot express with words what it does to the emotions to know that you can support the weight of the patriarch of your family with one arm) yet his pride still remained as undamaged as a lion. He found the strength to sit up and greet us, and to follow the conversation as best he could, and then to "walk" us out to the hallway and remain standing, perhaps a little forlornly and a little smaller, as we disappeared from sight. I know because I kept looking back. I always seem to look back.
Everyone tries to find something that is the most important to them, and drives them to keep waking up each morning. For some it's work, for others money or fame, and for some it's enough to just know they have another day to live. For my grandparents money is not a huge issue, and they have done their fair share of hard labor throughout the years. They could sum up their "most precious" thing in one word: family. This is why my Grandma cries each year as we part ways after Thanksgiving dinner, and why photos of us grandchildren almost drown the refrigerator, and why both of them ever attempted to solve the puzzling cases called "Internet" and "email."
So when Grandma heard we were coming down for a visit, she treated us to lunch and smiled from ear to ear the whole time. She told us stories of her wonderful travels with Grandpa, and some of the friends they made along the way. As a child I'd seen the giant world map spread out on the wall downstairs, with pushpins marking out every city and sight they had seen over their lifetimes. But it's one thing to count hundreds of multicolored pins, and quite another to actually imagine each unique destination for yourself. Jerusalem...China...Spain...Russia...they have seen it all. They were welcomed as celebrities in Beijing, where few if any tourists had ever ventured before; they were held at gunpoint in London on a train by a troubled woman who disliked Americans; they had pen pals from around the world and survived wars, depressions, and troubling times together. They had truly lived, and now found themselves at that threshold where the end of one's road can be spotted, and when more and more people that had entered their lives were now quietly exiting.
Yet both of them remain so strong. So solid. Grandma paid the check and refused to let us argue about it. We all drove over to the home where Grandpa was living, and when we entered the room Grandma excused herself for a moment while we greeted Grandpa with hugs and stories. When Grandma returned she was dabbing her mouth with a handkerchief, and I realized that she had been fixing her make-up in front of the large brass mirror in the other room. Like the young lady who nervously fixes her hair before a first date, Grandma still felt the need to "freshen up" and look her best for her husband. It was endearing and adorable, and I smiled to know that their years of marriage hadn't faded that affection.
Grandma has patience beyond that of a thousand women. Parkinson's does things to the memory, and there were more than a few stories of Grandpa asking an attendant who the "beautiful lady" in his room was. When told that it was his wife, he would exclaim "no kidding!" Slightly over-protective, Grandpa lost his telephone privileges calling Grandma at all hours of the day or night to see where she was and what she was doing and whether she was safe. Sometimes you can actually FEEL the exhaustion coming off of her in waves. But she always manages to shake it off and face her husband with kindness even when he becomes irrational and fussy. As Grandma put it, "Parkinson's is not the nicest guest to invite itself over, but we're doing the best we can."
The feel of the home and its staff is not unpleasant, but there is a hint of loneliness and sadness in the corners of the hallways and the shadows of each patients' eyes. A smiling woman poked her head in the room to invite Grandpa to a New Year's Eve party in the commons room, and his face only registered annoyance at the intrusion to his fortress of solitude. "I'm NOT going!" he announced to the room in general, and we nodded and distracted him with other things. When it was time for us to go he refused the offered arms of Grandma and my dad, preferring to stand on his own. When he felt himself falling he quietly asked my brother and I to assist him, his pride a little wounded but less so because he asked our help himself.
As we disappeared around the corner and I took one last glance at them, I saw Grandpa holding resolutely to his walker, leaning slightly on his wife, who supported his weight easily and without comment. Both of them stayed smiling, arm in arm, until the very last moment, when they let a little of the mask slip and the tired perseverance show through.
The whole experience made me think, not of the fragile existence we all share, but of the strength that love gives us. Would I have the strength to go to my husband's side long after he could no longer recognize me? Would I have the patience to endure day after lonely day in a foreign place, living for the moments when my partner would arrive, full of love and caring?
What am I talking about? I already spend day after day in a foreign place. But at least this place has friendly faces, and distracting classes, and a constant whispering of "you can do this...you can GO places." I just hope that someday the kind of eternal, all-enduring love of my grandparents will find me, and that I'll be able to recognize it when it comes.
It seems like the more you want to understand what love is the more you have to wait to find out. I'm nineteen, and no closer now to figuring out what those emotions really are then I was at the beginning of the year. Usually when you don't understand something you gain your knowledge from those around you. Like children who learn not to put cheerios up their nose because the adults don't do it (but they might put them up their nose just in case anyway)
The examples I turn to are naturally my family and the people around me I see in relationships. And I've learned a little something about love from all of them. But over Christmas Break, I received the longest and possibly most confusing lesson from two people very dear to me: my grandparents.
My grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease a few years ago, and as his health has steadily decreased the family has tried to adjust accordingly. Over Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to see that while his body was breaking, his spirit was definitely not, and I'm happy to say that this was still the case when we visited over Christmas break. He was physically drained, and more frail than at Thanksgiving (I cannot express with words what it does to the emotions to know that you can support the weight of the patriarch of your family with one arm) yet his pride still remained as undamaged as a lion. He found the strength to sit up and greet us, and to follow the conversation as best he could, and then to "walk" us out to the hallway and remain standing, perhaps a little forlornly and a little smaller, as we disappeared from sight. I know because I kept looking back. I always seem to look back.
Everyone tries to find something that is the most important to them, and drives them to keep waking up each morning. For some it's work, for others money or fame, and for some it's enough to just know they have another day to live. For my grandparents money is not a huge issue, and they have done their fair share of hard labor throughout the years. They could sum up their "most precious" thing in one word: family. This is why my Grandma cries each year as we part ways after Thanksgiving dinner, and why photos of us grandchildren almost drown the refrigerator, and why both of them ever attempted to solve the puzzling cases called "Internet" and "email."
So when Grandma heard we were coming down for a visit, she treated us to lunch and smiled from ear to ear the whole time. She told us stories of her wonderful travels with Grandpa, and some of the friends they made along the way. As a child I'd seen the giant world map spread out on the wall downstairs, with pushpins marking out every city and sight they had seen over their lifetimes. But it's one thing to count hundreds of multicolored pins, and quite another to actually imagine each unique destination for yourself. Jerusalem...China...Spain...Russia...they have seen it all. They were welcomed as celebrities in Beijing, where few if any tourists had ever ventured before; they were held at gunpoint in London on a train by a troubled woman who disliked Americans; they had pen pals from around the world and survived wars, depressions, and troubling times together. They had truly lived, and now found themselves at that threshold where the end of one's road can be spotted, and when more and more people that had entered their lives were now quietly exiting.
Yet both of them remain so strong. So solid. Grandma paid the check and refused to let us argue about it. We all drove over to the home where Grandpa was living, and when we entered the room Grandma excused herself for a moment while we greeted Grandpa with hugs and stories. When Grandma returned she was dabbing her mouth with a handkerchief, and I realized that she had been fixing her make-up in front of the large brass mirror in the other room. Like the young lady who nervously fixes her hair before a first date, Grandma still felt the need to "freshen up" and look her best for her husband. It was endearing and adorable, and I smiled to know that their years of marriage hadn't faded that affection.
Grandma has patience beyond that of a thousand women. Parkinson's does things to the memory, and there were more than a few stories of Grandpa asking an attendant who the "beautiful lady" in his room was. When told that it was his wife, he would exclaim "no kidding!" Slightly over-protective, Grandpa lost his telephone privileges calling Grandma at all hours of the day or night to see where she was and what she was doing and whether she was safe. Sometimes you can actually FEEL the exhaustion coming off of her in waves. But she always manages to shake it off and face her husband with kindness even when he becomes irrational and fussy. As Grandma put it, "Parkinson's is not the nicest guest to invite itself over, but we're doing the best we can."
The feel of the home and its staff is not unpleasant, but there is a hint of loneliness and sadness in the corners of the hallways and the shadows of each patients' eyes. A smiling woman poked her head in the room to invite Grandpa to a New Year's Eve party in the commons room, and his face only registered annoyance at the intrusion to his fortress of solitude. "I'm NOT going!" he announced to the room in general, and we nodded and distracted him with other things. When it was time for us to go he refused the offered arms of Grandma and my dad, preferring to stand on his own. When he felt himself falling he quietly asked my brother and I to assist him, his pride a little wounded but less so because he asked our help himself.
As we disappeared around the corner and I took one last glance at them, I saw Grandpa holding resolutely to his walker, leaning slightly on his wife, who supported his weight easily and without comment. Both of them stayed smiling, arm in arm, until the very last moment, when they let a little of the mask slip and the tired perseverance show through.
The whole experience made me think, not of the fragile existence we all share, but of the strength that love gives us. Would I have the strength to go to my husband's side long after he could no longer recognize me? Would I have the patience to endure day after lonely day in a foreign place, living for the moments when my partner would arrive, full of love and caring?
What am I talking about? I already spend day after day in a foreign place. But at least this place has friendly faces, and distracting classes, and a constant whispering of "you can do this...you can GO places." I just hope that someday the kind of eternal, all-enduring love of my grandparents will find me, and that I'll be able to recognize it when it comes.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Unholy X-mas
A large body slams into mine, shoving me against a hard metal railing and forcing the breath out of my lungs. I stop my head-banging and turn to see a tank of a man, tattooed to the nines and reeling with alcohol consumption. He stumbles towards me and lays a hand on my shoulder: "Hey sorry about that...you okay?" I nod yes and he gives me a thumbs up, then wanders back into the crowd. A moment later the boy next to me has the same experience and I reach out a hand to him. "Hey you alright?" He looks up grimacing, nods, and we both smile. It's all part of the concert, right?
First rock and roll concert experience: Alcohol? Check. It's EVERYWHERE. It's seeped into my clothes, in my hair, in the sweat of those around me. Gluing my feet to the floor. Volume? Check. Standing a yard from the speakers my ears have already been assaulted by the wailing guitar chords, the singer's grainy voice shouting an inch from the microphone, and the screams of fans behind me. Insanity? Check! The pounding bass is contagious, vibrating through my bones and shaking me around. The people behind me (mostly drunk) are spinning crazily into one another, bouncing off of other bodies like so many pin-balls in an act of mosh-pit madness, eyes closed and obviously possessed by a sense of spontaneity that I have never felt.
One young man is shoved too hard and crashes to the floor. He come up swinging, and it looks like a fight. But the man that shoved him holds his hand out and helps the young man to his feet, and the two join the melee again laughing. I shake my head, bemused. I don't think I'll ever understand what the attraction of alcohol is.
The lights flash faster and the hard metal screams from the speakers, throwing the pin-ballers into a frenzy. My friend Taber turns his attention from the stage to throw a protective arm out every time someone's body hurtles in my direction. As one song ends and another begins, one of the Blacktooth Grin's sound men appears next to us. "Some crazy shit is about to go down. You'll want to protect your friend better. Here, stand like this." He illustrates by placing one hand on either side of me grabbing the bar, his body shielding me from harm. Taber takes his place, and I'm surprised at how much safer I feel. Somewhere in my subconscious I note that the man didn't tell us to relocate or to flee for our own safety. Even the most violent of the drunks is not asked to leave. Perhaps this is what rock and roll brings out in people--a sense of community where there are very few rules beyond common sense: "don't puke on anyone" and "don't invite the fuzz."
Before Grin does a final number the lead singer invites his son on stage. He can't be more than twelve, but already he sports a mohawk and piercings. Those who had been in full destructive mode a moment before rush to the stage railing to cheer this young rocker on, and as the boy begins to sing the entire crowd reaches decibels to raise the roof. The kid's face is glowing and I can see pride shining in his dad's eyes as the two share the microphone, connected by a father-son activity far removed from Sunday night football or golf.
Each time I feel impact behind me I ask Taber if he's alright, trying to relax when he reassures me he's fine. Without knowing I'm doing it my head is banging to the beat and I'm screaming the chorus along with everyone else. Kathy and Tracy are doing the same next to me, and every once in a while our eyes will meet and we'll be bobbing in unison, connected by the music.
After the Grin leaves the stage Taber and I wander off to try to score him a drumstick from the band. When we return unsuccessful the next band has finished setting up and are starting sound checks. I can already tell that they will be different from the last group. Instead of rows of plastic cups filled with beer they have water bottles. Many of the drunk fans have faded out into the crowd or taken seats by the bar, leaving behind a younger and more sober group by the stage.
Destrophy challenges all my preconceptions of rock and roll. Their stage presence is a paradox of professional confidence and humility, rather than the brass in-your-face attitudes of the previous three bands. I'm grateful that the bassist is of a different breed than Malachi's bass player--a young, arrogant twit who spent more time winking at girls than actually strumming notes. Destrophy's bass and guitarist don't battle for attention; like all good musicians, they show their passion for the music in their faces and their hands, eyes closed to the crowd before them. The music transports them away from screaming fans and to a place where very few of us have ever been; where music is God and God is in every note.
The drummer reminded me of Animal on the Muppets--a crazed kind of look on his face while he beat the living daylights out of the cymbals, a whirlwind of spinning sticks and Mylar and metal. For all I know, the guy could be on speed, improvising the whole thing. But if he's the glue that holds the band together, then Destrophy is indestructible.
The lead singer makes sure to thank all the bands opening the show, the fans, and the Knitting Factory, setting him way above the other bands in my view. After the concert is over Destrophy comes out to meet the fans, to sign things, and even to give out hugs. Still on a post-concert high, I got a poster signed and a hug from the lead singer Ari. I shook the drummer's hand and wondered if comparing him to Animal would be offensive. And then we were off. First rock concert experience officially over.
I might have come away from Unholy X-mas believing that all rock and roll was noise and alcohol. I might have come away thinking to myself "thank God I wasn't smashed into jelly against the stage by the crazies." These thoughts may have crossed my mind during the first half of the show, but the last hour changed it for me. Destrophy proved to me that rock can still be rock without being terrifying, and that decent people can exist on and off the stage.
I'm looking forward to my next rock concert in the spring, and this time I'll come a little more prepared. I'll wear shoes that I don't care about getting stepped on. I'll bring money for CDs in case I end up loving the music so I won't have to stand back with empty pockets. And I won't bring any preconceptions about the bands I've come to see. I'll let the music speak for itself.
First rock and roll concert experience: Alcohol? Check. It's EVERYWHERE. It's seeped into my clothes, in my hair, in the sweat of those around me. Gluing my feet to the floor. Volume? Check. Standing a yard from the speakers my ears have already been assaulted by the wailing guitar chords, the singer's grainy voice shouting an inch from the microphone, and the screams of fans behind me. Insanity? Check! The pounding bass is contagious, vibrating through my bones and shaking me around. The people behind me (mostly drunk) are spinning crazily into one another, bouncing off of other bodies like so many pin-balls in an act of mosh-pit madness, eyes closed and obviously possessed by a sense of spontaneity that I have never felt.
One young man is shoved too hard and crashes to the floor. He come up swinging, and it looks like a fight. But the man that shoved him holds his hand out and helps the young man to his feet, and the two join the melee again laughing. I shake my head, bemused. I don't think I'll ever understand what the attraction of alcohol is.
The lights flash faster and the hard metal screams from the speakers, throwing the pin-ballers into a frenzy. My friend Taber turns his attention from the stage to throw a protective arm out every time someone's body hurtles in my direction. As one song ends and another begins, one of the Blacktooth Grin's sound men appears next to us. "Some crazy shit is about to go down. You'll want to protect your friend better. Here, stand like this." He illustrates by placing one hand on either side of me grabbing the bar, his body shielding me from harm. Taber takes his place, and I'm surprised at how much safer I feel. Somewhere in my subconscious I note that the man didn't tell us to relocate or to flee for our own safety. Even the most violent of the drunks is not asked to leave. Perhaps this is what rock and roll brings out in people--a sense of community where there are very few rules beyond common sense: "don't puke on anyone" and "don't invite the fuzz."
Before Grin does a final number the lead singer invites his son on stage. He can't be more than twelve, but already he sports a mohawk and piercings. Those who had been in full destructive mode a moment before rush to the stage railing to cheer this young rocker on, and as the boy begins to sing the entire crowd reaches decibels to raise the roof. The kid's face is glowing and I can see pride shining in his dad's eyes as the two share the microphone, connected by a father-son activity far removed from Sunday night football or golf.
Each time I feel impact behind me I ask Taber if he's alright, trying to relax when he reassures me he's fine. Without knowing I'm doing it my head is banging to the beat and I'm screaming the chorus along with everyone else. Kathy and Tracy are doing the same next to me, and every once in a while our eyes will meet and we'll be bobbing in unison, connected by the music.
After the Grin leaves the stage Taber and I wander off to try to score him a drumstick from the band. When we return unsuccessful the next band has finished setting up and are starting sound checks. I can already tell that they will be different from the last group. Instead of rows of plastic cups filled with beer they have water bottles. Many of the drunk fans have faded out into the crowd or taken seats by the bar, leaving behind a younger and more sober group by the stage.
Destrophy challenges all my preconceptions of rock and roll. Their stage presence is a paradox of professional confidence and humility, rather than the brass in-your-face attitudes of the previous three bands. I'm grateful that the bassist is of a different breed than Malachi's bass player--a young, arrogant twit who spent more time winking at girls than actually strumming notes. Destrophy's bass and guitarist don't battle for attention; like all good musicians, they show their passion for the music in their faces and their hands, eyes closed to the crowd before them. The music transports them away from screaming fans and to a place where very few of us have ever been; where music is God and God is in every note.
The drummer reminded me of Animal on the Muppets--a crazed kind of look on his face while he beat the living daylights out of the cymbals, a whirlwind of spinning sticks and Mylar and metal. For all I know, the guy could be on speed, improvising the whole thing. But if he's the glue that holds the band together, then Destrophy is indestructible.
The lead singer makes sure to thank all the bands opening the show, the fans, and the Knitting Factory, setting him way above the other bands in my view. After the concert is over Destrophy comes out to meet the fans, to sign things, and even to give out hugs. Still on a post-concert high, I got a poster signed and a hug from the lead singer Ari. I shook the drummer's hand and wondered if comparing him to Animal would be offensive. And then we were off. First rock concert experience officially over.
I might have come away from Unholy X-mas believing that all rock and roll was noise and alcohol. I might have come away thinking to myself "thank God I wasn't smashed into jelly against the stage by the crazies." These thoughts may have crossed my mind during the first half of the show, but the last hour changed it for me. Destrophy proved to me that rock can still be rock without being terrifying, and that decent people can exist on and off the stage.
I'm looking forward to my next rock concert in the spring, and this time I'll come a little more prepared. I'll wear shoes that I don't care about getting stepped on. I'll bring money for CDs in case I end up loving the music so I won't have to stand back with empty pockets. And I won't bring any preconceptions about the bands I've come to see. I'll let the music speak for itself.
Friday, December 11, 2009
To Dance Again
The symphony of swelling violins, the labored breathing, the staccato of wood smacking linoleum in time to a choreographed rhythm inside the mind...I am swept up in it all.
I remember the smell of shoe resin and elastic and wood and sweat. I remember the feel of smooth wooden bars, muscles stretching taut, satin rubbing on my ankles, pressure on my toes inside their pointe shoes. I remember the nerves right before the music began, running through step after step in my head and wishing that my arms and legs could express the jubilation of flight found in dance.
Last night I went to the Nutcracker ballet for the first time in three years. I helped pass out programs, and as line after line of young girls in their finest dresses passed me, their faces all smiles and radiance and hope, I remembered being that age. I remembered the awe at watching the dancers leap and twirl with grace, the burning desire to be like that someday. It was once the only future I could see for myself. Ten years of ballet lessons and the only thing I still carry with me is a love for the art and, occasionally, the quiet wistful wish that things had turned out differently.
I auditioned for a part in the nutcracker three or four times. A ladybug, a party girl, a fairy. All were denied me as I stumbled through each audition, my nerves and my general lack of grace making me an easy target for disqualification. Each year I would get my hopes up, only to see them dashed by the dismissing hand of the ballet master and an apologetic smile from my ballet teacher, Mrs. Bean. I had trouble remembering fast combinations of footwork. Always had. If I practiced long enough I could always appear decent in our spring performance next to all the other girls in my class. But it seemed the Nutcracker was just too high a bar for me to clear.
And then in my sixteenth year a miracle happened. Now fairly confident on pointe shoes, I decided to try to audition for a part as a waltzing flower, knowing that if I failed this fourth and final time I might never try again. The ballet master stood stern and intimidating before us, his great muscular strength and grace evident even in the way he was standing. There were eight of us altogether in the room, most of the girls in more advanced classes and years than I was. After stretching and going through a few warm-ups, the ballet master lead us through the first few steps of the dance.
He would begin a sequence of steps, showing it to us slowly first, then up to speed, making sure we could see clearly each transition from one movement to the next. We stood behind him in a line memorizing what we saw and trying to copy it in the row of mirrors before us. I knew that I wasn't the most graceful of the girls there. I knew that I was messing some of the steps up, slopping through a few in a rush to get to the ones I remembered best. After almost an hour of audition, I could feel tears building in my eyes, impairing my vision and furthering my frustration with myself for not being able to keep up.
After half an hour more the ballet master gathered us around him, looking each of us in the face. "Ive decided...to keep all of you. I think that with a little work all of you will do the company proud."
At this I cried freely, disbelieving the impossible. Ecstatic girls rushed out to the foyer to be congratulated by Mrs. Bean and our parents. I lagged behind the rest, still in a state of shock. The ballet master approached me and asked me why on earth I was crying. "This is a happy thing!" he said, a look of concern on his face. I confided in him that I didn't expect to make it, and at this he seemed to grow visibly more wise and aged before my eyes, contemplating what I had said. Finally, he replied:
"I could do this performance with seven girls. Or six. Or five. But I could see that each of you wanted this so badly, and I know that it's this desire which will make you practice and become perfection at the performance. Will you do that for me?"
I nodded yes. Over the next two months I practiced like I had never practiced for anything in my life. I listened to the music as I fell asleep, and woke with dreams of dancing figures still in my head. I practiced wherever I could--in the living room, at the studio, in empty rooms after school. When it came time for dress rehearsal I felt ready. My mom video taped the whole thing and we watched it together. I was amazed to see that I looked no different than the other girls. I did not stick out like a goose on a stage of swans.
The actual performance, I'm sorry to say, I do not remember much of. I know I didn't trip. And I know that my legs only shook a little. My family and friends came out to see me, and I got a bouquet of orange roses at the end.
After that triumph I made the decision to stop going to ballet lessons. My job, my school, and my other commitments took up so much time that I knew something had to give. I knew that I would be kidding myself if I thought I could be a professional dancer, although I still love ballet. I ended my ten year struggle with success, and rarely look back.
But sometimes, like last night, I watch the curtain go up and hear the cues of the music and watch the dancers in perfect harmony with the stage...and I wonder. What if?
I remember the smell of shoe resin and elastic and wood and sweat. I remember the feel of smooth wooden bars, muscles stretching taut, satin rubbing on my ankles, pressure on my toes inside their pointe shoes. I remember the nerves right before the music began, running through step after step in my head and wishing that my arms and legs could express the jubilation of flight found in dance.
Last night I went to the Nutcracker ballet for the first time in three years. I helped pass out programs, and as line after line of young girls in their finest dresses passed me, their faces all smiles and radiance and hope, I remembered being that age. I remembered the awe at watching the dancers leap and twirl with grace, the burning desire to be like that someday. It was once the only future I could see for myself. Ten years of ballet lessons and the only thing I still carry with me is a love for the art and, occasionally, the quiet wistful wish that things had turned out differently.
I auditioned for a part in the nutcracker three or four times. A ladybug, a party girl, a fairy. All were denied me as I stumbled through each audition, my nerves and my general lack of grace making me an easy target for disqualification. Each year I would get my hopes up, only to see them dashed by the dismissing hand of the ballet master and an apologetic smile from my ballet teacher, Mrs. Bean. I had trouble remembering fast combinations of footwork. Always had. If I practiced long enough I could always appear decent in our spring performance next to all the other girls in my class. But it seemed the Nutcracker was just too high a bar for me to clear.
And then in my sixteenth year a miracle happened. Now fairly confident on pointe shoes, I decided to try to audition for a part as a waltzing flower, knowing that if I failed this fourth and final time I might never try again. The ballet master stood stern and intimidating before us, his great muscular strength and grace evident even in the way he was standing. There were eight of us altogether in the room, most of the girls in more advanced classes and years than I was. After stretching and going through a few warm-ups, the ballet master lead us through the first few steps of the dance.
He would begin a sequence of steps, showing it to us slowly first, then up to speed, making sure we could see clearly each transition from one movement to the next. We stood behind him in a line memorizing what we saw and trying to copy it in the row of mirrors before us. I knew that I wasn't the most graceful of the girls there. I knew that I was messing some of the steps up, slopping through a few in a rush to get to the ones I remembered best. After almost an hour of audition, I could feel tears building in my eyes, impairing my vision and furthering my frustration with myself for not being able to keep up.
After half an hour more the ballet master gathered us around him, looking each of us in the face. "Ive decided...to keep all of you. I think that with a little work all of you will do the company proud."
At this I cried freely, disbelieving the impossible. Ecstatic girls rushed out to the foyer to be congratulated by Mrs. Bean and our parents. I lagged behind the rest, still in a state of shock. The ballet master approached me and asked me why on earth I was crying. "This is a happy thing!" he said, a look of concern on his face. I confided in him that I didn't expect to make it, and at this he seemed to grow visibly more wise and aged before my eyes, contemplating what I had said. Finally, he replied:
"I could do this performance with seven girls. Or six. Or five. But I could see that each of you wanted this so badly, and I know that it's this desire which will make you practice and become perfection at the performance. Will you do that for me?"
I nodded yes. Over the next two months I practiced like I had never practiced for anything in my life. I listened to the music as I fell asleep, and woke with dreams of dancing figures still in my head. I practiced wherever I could--in the living room, at the studio, in empty rooms after school. When it came time for dress rehearsal I felt ready. My mom video taped the whole thing and we watched it together. I was amazed to see that I looked no different than the other girls. I did not stick out like a goose on a stage of swans.
The actual performance, I'm sorry to say, I do not remember much of. I know I didn't trip. And I know that my legs only shook a little. My family and friends came out to see me, and I got a bouquet of orange roses at the end.
After that triumph I made the decision to stop going to ballet lessons. My job, my school, and my other commitments took up so much time that I knew something had to give. I knew that I would be kidding myself if I thought I could be a professional dancer, although I still love ballet. I ended my ten year struggle with success, and rarely look back.
But sometimes, like last night, I watch the curtain go up and hear the cues of the music and watch the dancers in perfect harmony with the stage...and I wonder. What if?
Monday, December 7, 2009
The Soul of Jazz
Every once in a while there will come an event which shatters your perspective. It rips through your calm exterior and forces you to make a decision: have courage and do your best to pick up the pieces (whether literal or figurative), or fall apart. Sometimes, you do both.
Out of all the classes that I am taking this semester jazz band is by far my favorite. I've been playing the tenor saxophone for a little over three years now, and while I could say I do so because I love the deep tones and the reedy melodies and the winding harmony, mostly I play tenor because of jazz. I am not an expert on the genre. I don't own Kenny G or Miles Davis tapes or know of more than a couple of famous saxophone players. On my ipod the only jazz I own is Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie, and they are only played when I get tired of everything else.
But something about jazz speaks to me in a way that most music can't. It's a melancholy journey to more desperate and simple times. It's a complex emotion that can make your heartbeat jump one moment and bring tears to your eyes the next. And what I love most about jazz is that it's all heart. Sure there are dynamics and tempos and beats written in the language of music, but these things are more guidelines than actual rules. You could set a piece of jazz music in front of twenty different jazz musicians, and each one would come up with a different interpretation of it. Fast. Slow. Smooth. Staccato. It's all relative. Especially the solos.
In high school I took jazz twice in the early morning hours of winter semester. A small group of about twenty or so of us would arrive at 7 AM, shake the snow and frost from our coats, and go through the normal routine: softening reeds, warming up mouthpieces, tuning the bass and the guitar, experimenting with new drum rhythms. By 7:10 we were warmed up, and soon the first few notes (always a little out of tune) would gather and collide in the air. Sometimes we sounded great. Sometimes we didn't. It was always a process. Our solos, for the most part, were written out for us. The only solo I ever had in two years of the class was on my grandfather's flute. We were playing "Cute," a Count Basie favorite, and the swift lilting melody of the flute had been written out note for note directly from the Basie recording to paper by our conductor's wife. I practiced for a month and a half to get that solo down, and was surprised at how after several rehearsals I could feel the notes as if from my soul, my fingers moving easily from memory.
My first day of jazz at college was terrifying. For one thing, there were less than a dozen of us. Only one person per instrument, except for two alto saxes. I'd never been the only tenor before. All of them were upper classmen except for myself and the trumpet player Brad. Our music stands were bare, and our teacher Rob Walker explained that today would be an exercise in improvisation. Improv!! I'd never tried it before. Rob picked a key signature, B flat minor, and the percussion section started us out. A simple rhythm. A few chords from the bass and the piano. Then the trumpet picked out a melody from somewhere in his mind, and the rest of us followed suit. A lover of harmony, I struck a deep A flat to fill out the chords of the other instruments, and while I tried to move around the scale a little I always returned to this note as my anchor.
Then Rob threw the curve ball. We would go in a circle, taking turns at solos completely improvised, for twenty four measures each. On my first try, I was tentative. I tried feeling out a melody, picking notes at random and gaining more confidence when they worked with the rest of the band. By the second and third tries I was actually feeling something. It was that old familiar prickling somewhere deep inside. I was jazz. Jazz was inside of me. Deep blues and purples, bright reds and oranges, it was every color of my soul.
Now the semester is drawing to a close, and we finally had our winter concert four days ago. Although I had now been practicing improvisation for over four months, I felt no more secure in my solos. One week I was able to get a great reaction out of Rob and out of the band, urging the percussion on with notes that worked and a few bold wails on the high notes. The next week it seemed every other note was wrong, my saxophone squeaked and my fingers faltered. Now it was the day of our performance, and I could only hope that this time around would be a hit and not a miss.
At the beginning of rehearsals I got out Lola. She's a Selmar Mark Six, one of the best of its day. Forty years ago this saxophone was the highest quality model money could buy. Now she's worn from years of passing hands from student to student, her brass no longer shiny and bright, her keys sometimes sticking, her octave trigger constantly needing fixing. But her sound is the same. I always marvel that instruments manage to maintain their tone years after human aging has stripped us of ours. Lola had somehow ended up a school district instrument, being loaned to high school students over the years and gaining her fair share of dents and repair bills from clumsier musicians. When I first opened the case it was love at first sight. I kept her all my high school years and couldn't bear to part with her for college, striking a deal with the music office to purchase her for a relatively cheap price. Mr. Burger helped me remove the school district numbers off of the case and off the saxophone bell, and that was it. She was mine.
Before I left for Caldwell I took Lola to the only instrument repairman in town (and in my opinion of the best on the planet). He advised me to take good care of her, warning that because of her age eventually she would just wear out, and then my only option would be to sell. "She'll be worth a lot. Those Selmar's sure were something!" Dave said. The thought of selling Lola makes me sick, but I took his warning to heart. I am careful in taking her out of the case, I clean her with care and I make sure not to press the keys too hard or force the mouthpiece into place.
But for some reason last Thursday tragedy struck. Mid conversation with another band member, I placed Lola on my chair and reached up to put the neckstrap over my head. The chairs were upholstered with a slick fabric, and without my knowledge Lola was slowly slipping sideways at a crazy angle to the floor.
CRASH.
Time froze. I heard collective gasps all around the room. "On the day of concert!" somebody moaned. I dared to look down. There was Lola, face down on the hard wooden floor of the stage, one of her rods dislodged and visibly separated from the rest of the instrument, like a broken bone sticking out of the skin. I picked her up with trembling hands, feeling out the damage. I felt like a nurse checking a fallen child for bruises. Two bent rods, one rod and pad completely dislocated, the lower C pad wasn't working, there was a new dent in the lower bell. I put the instrument to my lips and tried an experimental runthrough of the scales. To no avail. It sounded like a herd of zebras.
I felt the tears come then. I had failed Lola. It was like pushing a grandmother down the stairs. She was old! She might not come out of this. The tears fell harder. How would I play the concerts now? What would I do? The band instructor took her out of my hands and confirmed the damage, asking the rest of the band if anyone had an extra tenor. Erica, a clarinet player, did. She rushed to the storage room to get it. I knelt by my case and put Lola away piece by piece, my face still hot and damp.
The next hour and half was a blur to me. After rehearsal I went to the cafeteria for a quick dinner, knowing I would pass out if I didn't eat something. But my stomach was still churning from the accident. I could barely hold the salad down and chug a glass of milk when I ran to my dorm to change into concert black clothes. Then I arrived back at the auditorium a half hour before everyone else, alone on the stage. I pulled out Erica's saxophone and ran through my pieces, experimenting with the key changes and the feel and weight of the instrument.
Every saxophone is different. You can't sit down and play any random one like the piano. The weight, the feel, the position of the keys...even the tone can be completely different from one model to the next. I was used to Lola. She was the only sax I knew. Using a new one was the equivalent of giving a singer a new voice box, or a dancer a new pair of feet, minutes before call time. Erica's was a Bundy II, a much heavier model made specifically for students but not necessarily for concert musicians. It could reach the lowest B flat easily where Lola struggled, and I didn't have to constantly press the octave key down when reaching the lower scales. But it was harder to reach that C sharp. Harder to transition through the opening phrases of Sister Sadie. Harder to move quickly through the notes on Dubinishka. These things I learned before the concert, becoming familiar with the replacement sax so that there would be no surprises during the performance.
The symphonic band concert was first, and our group of forty or so students surprised ourselves by performing better than in any of our rehearsals throughout the year. This gave me confidence when the stage was cleared for the jazz concert, and I felt a smile return to my face as we opened with Sister Sadie and I didn't miss a beat. When it came time to solo I stood with confidence, feeling new colors in the jazz than before. The green of bruises, the white of healing, the clear blue of a perfect C major. My sound was different, but jazz was the same.
The last notes of our final song lingered in the air, and the audience burst into applause. I ended up telling and retelling my tragedy to a visiting jazz instructor, my parents, the other members of the band, and some of my friends on campus. My parents carried Lola's case and her broken body out to the van, me following behind solemnly like a funeral procession. They would take her back to Idaho Falls and to Dave, who I knew would perform a miracle on her and restore her to her splendor.
In the meantime, I've been listening to an awful lot of jazz lately, hearing all the colors and wondering what inspired each one.
Out of all the classes that I am taking this semester jazz band is by far my favorite. I've been playing the tenor saxophone for a little over three years now, and while I could say I do so because I love the deep tones and the reedy melodies and the winding harmony, mostly I play tenor because of jazz. I am not an expert on the genre. I don't own Kenny G or Miles Davis tapes or know of more than a couple of famous saxophone players. On my ipod the only jazz I own is Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie, and they are only played when I get tired of everything else.
But something about jazz speaks to me in a way that most music can't. It's a melancholy journey to more desperate and simple times. It's a complex emotion that can make your heartbeat jump one moment and bring tears to your eyes the next. And what I love most about jazz is that it's all heart. Sure there are dynamics and tempos and beats written in the language of music, but these things are more guidelines than actual rules. You could set a piece of jazz music in front of twenty different jazz musicians, and each one would come up with a different interpretation of it. Fast. Slow. Smooth. Staccato. It's all relative. Especially the solos.
In high school I took jazz twice in the early morning hours of winter semester. A small group of about twenty or so of us would arrive at 7 AM, shake the snow and frost from our coats, and go through the normal routine: softening reeds, warming up mouthpieces, tuning the bass and the guitar, experimenting with new drum rhythms. By 7:10 we were warmed up, and soon the first few notes (always a little out of tune) would gather and collide in the air. Sometimes we sounded great. Sometimes we didn't. It was always a process. Our solos, for the most part, were written out for us. The only solo I ever had in two years of the class was on my grandfather's flute. We were playing "Cute," a Count Basie favorite, and the swift lilting melody of the flute had been written out note for note directly from the Basie recording to paper by our conductor's wife. I practiced for a month and a half to get that solo down, and was surprised at how after several rehearsals I could feel the notes as if from my soul, my fingers moving easily from memory.
My first day of jazz at college was terrifying. For one thing, there were less than a dozen of us. Only one person per instrument, except for two alto saxes. I'd never been the only tenor before. All of them were upper classmen except for myself and the trumpet player Brad. Our music stands were bare, and our teacher Rob Walker explained that today would be an exercise in improvisation. Improv!! I'd never tried it before. Rob picked a key signature, B flat minor, and the percussion section started us out. A simple rhythm. A few chords from the bass and the piano. Then the trumpet picked out a melody from somewhere in his mind, and the rest of us followed suit. A lover of harmony, I struck a deep A flat to fill out the chords of the other instruments, and while I tried to move around the scale a little I always returned to this note as my anchor.
Then Rob threw the curve ball. We would go in a circle, taking turns at solos completely improvised, for twenty four measures each. On my first try, I was tentative. I tried feeling out a melody, picking notes at random and gaining more confidence when they worked with the rest of the band. By the second and third tries I was actually feeling something. It was that old familiar prickling somewhere deep inside. I was jazz. Jazz was inside of me. Deep blues and purples, bright reds and oranges, it was every color of my soul.
Now the semester is drawing to a close, and we finally had our winter concert four days ago. Although I had now been practicing improvisation for over four months, I felt no more secure in my solos. One week I was able to get a great reaction out of Rob and out of the band, urging the percussion on with notes that worked and a few bold wails on the high notes. The next week it seemed every other note was wrong, my saxophone squeaked and my fingers faltered. Now it was the day of our performance, and I could only hope that this time around would be a hit and not a miss.
At the beginning of rehearsals I got out Lola. She's a Selmar Mark Six, one of the best of its day. Forty years ago this saxophone was the highest quality model money could buy. Now she's worn from years of passing hands from student to student, her brass no longer shiny and bright, her keys sometimes sticking, her octave trigger constantly needing fixing. But her sound is the same. I always marvel that instruments manage to maintain their tone years after human aging has stripped us of ours. Lola had somehow ended up a school district instrument, being loaned to high school students over the years and gaining her fair share of dents and repair bills from clumsier musicians. When I first opened the case it was love at first sight. I kept her all my high school years and couldn't bear to part with her for college, striking a deal with the music office to purchase her for a relatively cheap price. Mr. Burger helped me remove the school district numbers off of the case and off the saxophone bell, and that was it. She was mine.
Before I left for Caldwell I took Lola to the only instrument repairman in town (and in my opinion of the best on the planet). He advised me to take good care of her, warning that because of her age eventually she would just wear out, and then my only option would be to sell. "She'll be worth a lot. Those Selmar's sure were something!" Dave said. The thought of selling Lola makes me sick, but I took his warning to heart. I am careful in taking her out of the case, I clean her with care and I make sure not to press the keys too hard or force the mouthpiece into place.
But for some reason last Thursday tragedy struck. Mid conversation with another band member, I placed Lola on my chair and reached up to put the neckstrap over my head. The chairs were upholstered with a slick fabric, and without my knowledge Lola was slowly slipping sideways at a crazy angle to the floor.
CRASH.
Time froze. I heard collective gasps all around the room. "On the day of concert!" somebody moaned. I dared to look down. There was Lola, face down on the hard wooden floor of the stage, one of her rods dislodged and visibly separated from the rest of the instrument, like a broken bone sticking out of the skin. I picked her up with trembling hands, feeling out the damage. I felt like a nurse checking a fallen child for bruises. Two bent rods, one rod and pad completely dislocated, the lower C pad wasn't working, there was a new dent in the lower bell. I put the instrument to my lips and tried an experimental runthrough of the scales. To no avail. It sounded like a herd of zebras.
I felt the tears come then. I had failed Lola. It was like pushing a grandmother down the stairs. She was old! She might not come out of this. The tears fell harder. How would I play the concerts now? What would I do? The band instructor took her out of my hands and confirmed the damage, asking the rest of the band if anyone had an extra tenor. Erica, a clarinet player, did. She rushed to the storage room to get it. I knelt by my case and put Lola away piece by piece, my face still hot and damp.
The next hour and half was a blur to me. After rehearsal I went to the cafeteria for a quick dinner, knowing I would pass out if I didn't eat something. But my stomach was still churning from the accident. I could barely hold the salad down and chug a glass of milk when I ran to my dorm to change into concert black clothes. Then I arrived back at the auditorium a half hour before everyone else, alone on the stage. I pulled out Erica's saxophone and ran through my pieces, experimenting with the key changes and the feel and weight of the instrument.
Every saxophone is different. You can't sit down and play any random one like the piano. The weight, the feel, the position of the keys...even the tone can be completely different from one model to the next. I was used to Lola. She was the only sax I knew. Using a new one was the equivalent of giving a singer a new voice box, or a dancer a new pair of feet, minutes before call time. Erica's was a Bundy II, a much heavier model made specifically for students but not necessarily for concert musicians. It could reach the lowest B flat easily where Lola struggled, and I didn't have to constantly press the octave key down when reaching the lower scales. But it was harder to reach that C sharp. Harder to transition through the opening phrases of Sister Sadie. Harder to move quickly through the notes on Dubinishka. These things I learned before the concert, becoming familiar with the replacement sax so that there would be no surprises during the performance.
The symphonic band concert was first, and our group of forty or so students surprised ourselves by performing better than in any of our rehearsals throughout the year. This gave me confidence when the stage was cleared for the jazz concert, and I felt a smile return to my face as we opened with Sister Sadie and I didn't miss a beat. When it came time to solo I stood with confidence, feeling new colors in the jazz than before. The green of bruises, the white of healing, the clear blue of a perfect C major. My sound was different, but jazz was the same.
The last notes of our final song lingered in the air, and the audience burst into applause. I ended up telling and retelling my tragedy to a visiting jazz instructor, my parents, the other members of the band, and some of my friends on campus. My parents carried Lola's case and her broken body out to the van, me following behind solemnly like a funeral procession. They would take her back to Idaho Falls and to Dave, who I knew would perform a miracle on her and restore her to her splendor.
In the meantime, I've been listening to an awful lot of jazz lately, hearing all the colors and wondering what inspired each one.
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