thoughts of why

Gary on photo shoot for original "Thoughts of Why" album

The album, "Thoughts of Why," is out.
The album is for sale in Japan, coming to record stores possibly near you. There are record stores in Japan, in fact they still have Tower Records. Remember Tower?

This is what the Japanese marketing looks like (I think it is too cool):  It says it is a great album, etc...

70’s Folky Jazz SingerSongWriterゲイリー・マークス幻の3rdアルバム世界初CD化！

ジョン・スコフィールド、アート・ランディ(ルビサ・パトロール) 、ポール・マッキャンドルス(オレゴン)他参加。

名盤の呼び名高い1stアルバム『Gathering』,2ndアルバム『Upon Oanda’s Wing』につづく、ゲイリー・マークス初期(70年代)三部作の集大成。

鈴木惣一朗(ワールドスタンダード)×小柳帝…『モンドミュージック』、『ひとり』等、それまでのディスクガイドの概念を超えた音楽書籍で多くの音楽リスナーのレコ買い人生に衝撃と影響を与えてきた二人が、自信をもってオススメする傑作アルバム。

ゲイリー・マークスに、
三枚目のアルバムがあるなんて。
ぼくは知らなかった。
こんな大切な音楽家の。大切な作品を。
誰も教えてくれない。
朝焼けに、夕暮れに。しんとした深夜に。
ぼくはひとりで聴こう。
それがこのアルバムへの。
正しい付き合い方なのだと思う。
鈴木惣一朗（ワールドスタンダード）

＜参加ミュージシャン＞
Art Lande, Bill Douglass, Catha Rexford, David Samuels, John Scofield, Kurt Wortman, Mark Isham, Paul McCandless

録音/オリジナルリリース：1978年アメリカ

Here is the title track.  And here are the lyrics of the song, Thoughts of Why. Wasn't he a deep guy for such a young person?

I'm a spirit 
with the soul of a windblown cloud.
And I say I've tried
to be strong and 
at least find out
where I'm going.

East winds take my mind back
through the years
teach me to seek out
whisper to be what I believe

But my spirit has an anchor
as light as youth.
And I keep drifting
even after my eyes have seen the truth.

West winds pull me to be free and fly
wander through the distant skies
all thoughts of why now disappear.

I'm a spirit who's had lessons so perfectly clear.
And I say
I want to follow them
and the age of decision is here.

North winds like the thunderous threads of death
prove to me
'til south winds soothe me,
but no no
this can't go on forever.

I'm a spirit
with the soul of a windblown cloud.
And I'm sure to come to rest
if I only remember now 
to know why.

listening party

Last Friday we had about thirty people over of all ages to listen to music.

We played them Annabel's newly recorded track.
We played them three of Sky's new songs.
We played them several songs from Gary's new album.

We gave them lyric sheets so they could follow along.

And then we served apple pie, ice cream cones, cookies, nuts and chai.

Everyone loved the songs and I hope you will too.  I will be sharing them here and elsewhere.

reminisce, 2003 and march musings

Shawn is a baby, Annabel is just five years old, 

Sky is seven.  A lifetime ago.

Today Shawn is nine, going on ten, Annabel is fourteen, Sky is sixteen.  Daddy took them to the movies and shopping while I stayed home nursing a head cold. I did manage to make a pot of soup, clean the upstairs of the house, and dust the piano, but I also took some time to rest and make a collage, which was really fun.  I love to cut out phrases and words that inspire me, as well as images.  To me it's kind of lazy man's art, and yet it is as satisfying as a day of painting.  The two younger ones went to a movie by themselves while Dad walked around the mall with Sky, finally buying her skinny jeans and a tee shirt at Pac Sun, which is a very cool store in case you didn't know.

After some time they all came home and Dad took a break.  Annabel and Shawn played Sumdog, which is a math video game that I occasionally allow, despite the video game ban that we have continued, and our kids are no worse for the wear from.  I helped Sky clean and organize her room, something she enjoys doing, but only with me.  On the floor I found a piece of paper, in Gary's handwriting titled, "Songs Sky is Going to Write."  It had fallen from her folder of songs.  Years ago in 2003, when Sky was seven and beginning to write songs, she dictated her future song titles to her dad, who wrote them down for her in her song book:

Sailboat Sail
There's Nothing Better than Hearing a Skylark Sing
Song of the Beauty
7 is my Favorite Number
My Daddy is the Best

Now Annabel is taking a walk and the redheads are playing tennis in the driveway, because I told them they needed to go outside and get some fresh air. Time to check the soup.

annabel's first recording

Annabel was given the opportunity to record a song she recently wrote.  A couple of months ago Gary's engineer came with his wife for dinner and Annabel played the song for them.  The engineer loved it so much he offered to give her a free hour in the studio, dovetailed with one of Gary's sessions. This is the result.  The song is titled, "Shadow."

a little excitement

Gary just signed a contract for another re-release of his third album, "Thoughts of Why!"  It is the same record company in Japan, called Stella, that re-released his second album, "Upon Oanda's Wing," last summer.

Pretty cool.

silence

A little over a year ago I began meditating every day, determined to make the time to do it consistently. I have missed a day here or there, but for the most part I have sat for thirty minutes each day.

I learned the practice eight years ago when the children were younger and life was constantly busy.  I do recall the few times I did meditate, headaches would disappear, I would have wonderful dreams, or I would feel really peaceful afterwards.  Still, it wasn't until last year that I decided to be disciplined about practicing daily.  

Meditation is described as something that is practiced because it is practice for life. There are numerous opportunities every day to practice what one gains from meditation.  Modern medical research is now showing what the ancients have known for thousands of years, that meditation changes our physiology. By sitting daily with the intention of breathing peacefully in silence, I have changed from within.  I have developed a keener awareness of my mind and my negative tendencies, of which there are plenty.  I have developed more patience, a calmer attitude, a better sense of humor, more perspective and detachment.  My meditation teacher says do not underestimate the subtle progress you are making.  My goal is to be able to have a steady mind at all times, despite my external experiences.  I still have far to go, but I have had glimpses, moments of something different, a sense of humor, something that feels like peace, even in chaos.

Since regular meditation, I feel that my nervous system is calmer.  I am more comfortable with silence.   In fact I went away a couple of months ago and was able to experience lots of silence, for several days in a row.  And I found that instead of feeling lonely or feeling I needed to fill the silence with something, I loved the silence.  The silence filled me.

That was such a beautiful surprise.

mahog

I've been thinking a lot about the passage of time.  What changes, what stays the same.  Our kids are growing up right before our eyes.  The teen years make this very real.  So much more independence now.  Last weekend the girls went out in our town for several hours on their own for the first time.  They shopped, they went out to lunch, they shopped some more.  They stayed in touch via cell phone.  They had a great time and did fine.

It's a bit of a let go for me, trusting that they are safe.  It's a bit hard for me. They are my babies.  But they are not my babies.  They are young women. Still, they are my babies.

The Hebrew word mahog came to us in a dream some years ago.  Mahog, the passage of time.  Like the hands on a clock.  We are all each others' little mahogs.  We are here to remind each other of so many things.

practice

There's something really special about being on a team.

Shawn has three great baseball coaches this year, all fathers, all friends, all encouraging to the boys.
So wonderful.  Regardless of how they do as a team Shawn will gain a lot from this experience, all because of the coaches.