There are times in life when you find yourself in the middle of a moment, and you knowingly acknowledge that you'll remember it for the rest of your life. Last week was...well...a week full of them. I'm not even sure where to begin, there were so many magical moments, in the school, at the gigs, watching 3 musicians attempting to practise hurling with malteasers as a sliotar-hell, even in the car en route from one place to another there were some magical moments!
Where to start with the music...? It's probably best described with the little adage - music is the language we use when words don't work. There were so many breathtaking moments, so many funny moments, so many lovely moments, that it's hard to isolate just one.... Liane's version of God Bless The Child, The Impossible Gents tribute to JT, the kids jamming away throughout the week, and those lovely little moments of wandering into a class to find a beautiful jam or chord progression happening....just...bliss.
I think it's pretty fair to say that music is one of the most important things in my life-when I was a kid, before I got guitar lessons, I would pick up my brother's guitar and try and write songs. (ok, they were usually crap and all played on one or two strings, but I enjoyed them!) As a teenager, it's fairly safe to say that music kept me going when I felt everything else was failing around me. In my 20s & 30s, there has been very little that has bet the buzz of live music, of witnessing a moment of magic between musicians and the crowd, when the right notes hit the heart at the right time and between the crowd, the stage, the gig, it somehow feels like the universe has created a moment of unity between all that can never be repeated....and yet it feels all the sweeter for that!
Between everything recently, life's been pretty annoying. More surgery on the knee, more stomach problems, generally, a lot more pain. But I've to try and stay off the painkillers, as they exacerbate the stomach issues. Which isn't so fun. Last week was agony a lot of the time. And yet, sometimes, a series of notes, a voice, a face, a thoughtful lunch, would just lift my soul enough to get through to the next period of pain free time. The company was also rather brilliant, between the lovely Lieve, my co-conspirator in many a shooting scenario, and the talented Kris & Dominika, I was able to actually chill out and enjoy a lot of the music as it happened; unlike previous years.
For those of you who have no idea of what I'm on about, it was the Sligo Jazz Project. While it is all about jazz in one respect, it's all about life in another. There's a love, a philosophy, a feeling from the week that I've not quite found elsewhere in life. Quote of the week from our guest of honour Chuck Rainey "it is, what it is...." ; something which I think many of us have stolen as a life adage. Everything was what it was-the non-stop musical madness, the fleeting moments of closeness and peace and quiet. The faculty, the returning students, the new students, all combined to leave a feeling of pure love-love of music, love of people, love of life.....just....love.
Between watching the progress of the returning students, being majorly impressed by the new students and the fun with the faculty, (I know I've mentioned it before, but you've not seen fellas playing hurling until you've seen it being played with malteasers- a memory that will always make me smile when I'm over that side of town!) Despite the week finishing majorly sleep-deprived, with a dead laptop, banjaxed memory card, microphones & all round sheer exhaustion, it was still something rather wonderful and special....roll on next year!
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