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Showing posts from September 7, 2010

Magical Moment 221, "Lightning in a Bottle"

Somehow, someway, I got a job as a pianist at a very prestigious ballet school and company  as an on-staff accompanist. I responded to the add, like so many others, one of a dozen expecting never to hear from them. But one day they called me in for an audition . Caught completely off guard, I asked what sheet music they would like me to play. The director explained that it's not so much what you play, but how you play it. The accompanist must watch the ballet instructor as she demonstrates an 8 count dance combination for the class. Based on her vocabulary (adagio, degage, etc) and physical movements, the pianist chooses an appropriate 8, 16, or 32 bars to play. When I drove in for the interview/audition, I observed an experienced accompanist and scribbled notes on a scratch piece of paper for future reference as he skillfully played without question or hesitation for each combination. The class moved so quickly, I was sure I would never get the hang of it. The director asked

Magical Moment 220, "As Time Goes By"

Here is a video from the Play Me I'm Yours project shot at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. Time certainly does go by. I can't believe I've already been here for nearly a year and I feel like I've barely begun. Enjoy the video, special appearance by Joy S. Grimes. For more videos from the Play Me I'm Yours project, click here . For photos, click here .

Magical Moment 219, "The 1,463rd Name"

She pulled her jacket tight around her shoulders and shifted uncomfortably in the metal folding chair that sat in the morning shadow of the building lined street. The chill of the early day made her shiver. The stage and podium were set up only a few rows in front of her, giving her an unblocked view. She waited in nervous silence, her trembling hands clutched the tissue that she held to her face to catch her uncontrolled tears. The eerie feeling of both sorrow and dread was now a familiar, annual event. The bell rang at 8:46, sending a jolting chill up her spine as she released a suppressed sob into her tissue. She closed her eyes, and again, let her mind torment her with what he may have experienced at that exact moment nine years ago. Maybe he felt the ground underneath him give way. Maybe he tried to call her. Maybe he prayed, cried, ran. She shuddered again, and felt the comforting hand of a stranger on her shoulder. She listened as the names were read out loud with similar inf

Magical Moment 218, "One World Trade Center"

I don’t think the anniversary of 9/11 should feel like a storm brewing. Unfortunately, on this eve of the 9 th anniversary, that’s exactly what it feels like. I suppose it has something to do with this being my first 9/11 in this area, about 25 minutes from where the World Trade Centers fell. The drama of the proposed Islamic Center and Koran burning has taken over not only the national news, but every local TV and radio station as well. The wind has picked up outside. The trees are swaying uneasily in the gray, cloudy sky as we brace ourselves for the chaos, protests, and rallies that will surely ensue tomorrow on the sacred ground where so many people lost their lives. It has become the “where were you” question of my generation. I was asleep. A freshman at UNL, my classes that day didn’t start until 11 so I slept late when my dad abruptly woke me and told me to watch the news. Against my parent’s wishes, I went to class that morning on the city bus. Of course, no one could concent

Magical Moment 217, "Ducks, Leaves, and Boots"

There’s a chill in there air now. It’s strange to think that just last week we ran our window air conditioner full blast and now I have to bundle up with a sweatshirt to walk Joy in the morning. Fall is by far my favorite of the seasons. I love the colors, the crisp air, and bringing all my jackets and sweaters to the front of my closet. And boots. Let’s not forget it’s boot season. I think what makes fall so very special, is that it seems shorter and less appreciated than the other seasons. There is a solid 3 months of summer, and yes it goes by quickly, but we certainly know for a fact it’s there and take advantage of every minute. Spring blurs together with summer, making it feel longer than it is. But fall is overshadowed by the long, never ending winters and anticipation of the holiday season. No one rejoices on the first official day of fall, but rather they mourn over the end of summer. No one mourns over the last day of fall, but rather rejoices over the first snowfall.  And l

Magical Moment 216, "A Good Problem"

Another week, another production meeting with Modern Vintage Recordings . I was still feeling the momentum from last week’s stroke of creative genius when I arrived at the Lower East Side studio this morning. It turns out, so was my producer and again, we found ourselves overflowing with new ideas and struggling to eliminate the surplus. I thought that by developing a very specific concept and style for my EP, it would finally allow us to decide on a firm 5 songs so we can begin the much anticipated recording process. Oh how I was wrong. I played what I believed were my strongest songs that told “ my story ” the best. My producer nodded in agreement and then highlighted the song titles on the “definite list.” The trouble is, by the end of the session we had 8 titles instead of our goal of only 5. And there we were again, needing to cross off a song, but not being able to hit the delete button. And finally my producer (his name is Eshy by the way) threw up his hands and said in h

Magical Moment 215, "Whale Watching"

Yesterday was a truly amazing and magical day. Eddie and I spent the day in Gloucester, MA and bought last minute tickets for a whale watching tour. It was about a 7 hour trip all together. We left the port and traveled over 2 hours in the Atlantic to our destination where a large group of hump back whales were feeding off the coast of Boston. As we approached, our guide (who knew all the whales by name) announced over the loud speakers that she spotted whales ahead on the horizon. At once, all the passengers crowded to the bow of the boat, straining our eyes to see. She described the sight as a puff of smoke coming off the water. I had trouble spotting it at first, but soon understood what she meant. I was thankful to see that from afar and had no idea what was in store as we inched closer to them. Suddenly I realized that they were all around us. We were in the center of about 30 hump back whales. We stayed in the area for about an hour and a half and gazed with dropped jaws at t