Back in the late 80’s I had a job as talent co-host on a syndicated radio program called “Sunday Side Up” — a Sunday-morning light jazz/fusion program. The job was a miserable soul-sucking experience, but I liked radio and although jazz wasn’t really my thing, I found some music to enjoy (Real Jazz People are fleeing the blog in droves at this moment, but what can I say? Mileage varies…)
I’ve been listening to Acoustic Alchemy for more than 20 years now because of that show. The song below, “Mr. Chow,” has always reminded me of my time in the Grand Canyon. I can’t explain why, except that the music sounds like sun and dust and rock and water to me. It sounds happy to be all by itself, as if it didn’t need people listening to it at all… and that’s how I’ve always remembered the canyon. Not as stately, not as “grand,” but as a place of light and stillness and the motion of water.
I applied to Clarion in late 1987 because I was dreaming of escape, and when Clarion accepted me I quit that awful job without a quiver or a qualm, even though I had no backup plan. I took Acoustic Alchemy with me to Michigan. And there I met Nicola, and phht, everything changed. The day before Nicola moved to the US, I drove to a lookout over a lake and played this album on the car stereo while I tried to imagine what it would be like to live with someone, to take that leap. It turns out that for the most part, it’s been just like the song. Happy, forward-moving, a little more complicated than it seems at first. Light and water.
Enjoy your day.