the knowledge of hospitality

what do food prayer and guitar music make
when mixed together?
what does it mean when you place
rootbeerfloats before people
who partake joyously and willingly
of the pleasure?

these are the important aesthetic
questions of the day
and virtually no one i mean no one
is facing up to it

i guess i should

first it is important to have a real artist
who knows his way around Mac
create a poster
with three guitars appearing
shoulder to shoulder
one classical
one parlor
one dreadnought

onto these guitars are placed
the intention of performance
the performance of three instrumental pieces
as the "purpose" for the event

the invitations are mailed out
posters are placed in the public view
and a date is set

the day arrives
i never thought of the event as a party
but now that i think about it
it was a party
it happened
LAST FRIDAY NIGHT
august 20th

good people came
friends old and new
here's the menu:

bread and tappenade
and water and wine on the tables

I had intended to pass food around
very casually one serving at a time
but once the food started arriving it all
went onto a table and then to the places where people were sitting

i made a nice big pot of
cold cucumber soup
in the mayhem of serving i
forgot to serve the soup
so i served it the next day to the monks
it was a hit in the monastic refectory

so i served
skewered sliced chuck roast
marinated and barbecued
to a succulent richness
people ate a lot of this

i do not know the names of
the next two foods

the one is very much like a falafal
made with split green peas
and spinach
and deep fried
then eaten with a mint parsely and oil
chutney

then there were the plates of
fine little cheese onion and spinach pastries
and
served about the same time
as
plates of fresh garden tomatoes
embellished with fresh sweet basil
crushed garlic and parmesan
and extravirgin olive oil

and a plate of fine cheese and apples

basic table wine was served

i then topped things off with
good chocolate and fresh raspberries

PSALLITE is a 21st century re-awakening
of the antiphonal singing tradition which dates back
to the earliest singing traditions in christendom
it is psalmody set for pilgrims

to segue from sharing food to prayer
is a trick i need to learn

however
inviting people to sing while they walk forth
is a matter of surprise no matter what
people don't do this very often if at all
monks do this and monks are people
but the practice is slowly returning
as people process (stress on the second syllable)
in the activities of faith

the gospel shall be read each day
the lord hears the prayers of the faithful

3 guitars
3 styles of playing guitar
i learned to play the instrument
when i was quite young
and i played only with my fingers on the right hand
until i was in my late 40s so
for forty years i did not know the use of the plectrum

i gave initial expression of the years i studied
classical guitar with
Prelude No. 1 by
Heitor Villa-Lobos
then
i launched into a piece that has been
lumbering around with me for more than a year
an expression of friendship
it is an extended theme and variations structure
with a long drawn out initial melody
an improvisational counter to the melody
marked by everything from dysharmony
rhythmic collapse and surprise to near silent playing
and filled out by a dancelike motif which carries
improvisational character as well
the theme is rounded out by a common chord and
a chordal expression on the bass strings which
mark the sequence of the times through the variations
the piece is entitled FOR SALLY

St. Catherine's Fancy
is a lengthy arpeggio with a melody
spread out on top of a consistent
chord progression
which can be likened to a classical
A and B section song pattern

Michael Peter Smith
has written one of the greatest
songs of the 20th century
a song whose poetry evokes the charming
if a touch sad
presentation of an elderly couple in amsterdam
the title
"THE DUTCHMAN"
it stands out singingly as
a necessary bit of music to anyone wishing
to discuss great songs

i've been playing the blues since i learned
the basic progressions in my teen years
and of late i've been taking some of the
inspiration of ANTHONY BRAXTON and
experimenting with textural additions and improvisations
and free-form flights of fancy
this has resulted in an extended blues arrangement
one that may take 15 0r 20 minutes to fill out
BLUES -A STUDY IN TEXTURES
which i performed on my LoPrinzi dreadnought
an instrument that has both challenged and
delighted me
an instrument which is both strong and subtle
and upon which i play american fingerstyle (alternating bass pattern)
and upon which i use the plectrum as well

what do you say to people who stand on their feet
and applaud
well
you say
here's another piece i wrote
i call it 400 Darfo
which is the address on the house
of some very good friends

this piece came to me while i spent some time
at the home of john and sally mcgill
it is notable in that it utilizes a basic
I-IV-V chordal pattern yet incorporates
atonal chords into the melodic structure
which serve as harmonic settling points

despite the oddity of the sounds
the cadence points are nothing but traditional

what's to be done after all this

ROOTBEER FLOATS

a walk in the moonlight with some friends

and sleep

summer is not over
summer is a season of commitment
commit to the season
do not yield to the demands of september
no
go forth take summer to the end

tennis anyone?!