All of us have a limited life. That is why I believe we
teach that change is good. It causes us to do our best, to enjoy the time we have. To
love, innovate, become happier during our brief journey. We pass that on with little
regret to those coming after us, giving them a springboard to their limited
life and change they can make to improve after them.
Certain situations bring a cleaner sense of mortality, like
cancer. It awakens you to your own limited life, and one that could now mean
even more limited. Your sense of importance changes. A realization that things
you do can work for your, against you, or not mean anything at all to you. I am
here to say that Music means a lot to me. What I listen to and enjoy is a
reflection of who I am and who I want to be stronger as.
I was schooled in Blues tonight. You cannot beat Live music,
and you may not know it necessarily, either from self-awareness or the choices
you have made that have not encompassed your life.
Tonight, I saw it, heard it, and even more importantly felt
it. Perhaps not to the extent of everyone else, or to the musicians themselves.
But it meant something to me personally. Their emotion on stage transferred to
me, making me change for the good, to understand why these musicians do what
they do. What they did was to contribute to my limited life journey, creating
change, raising the bar of life’s meaning. It was so good.
I cannot write enough. Carlos Johnson and Roosevelt Purifoy
(The Mad Hatter 'Hat') were exceptional in their Blues this evening. Entertaining and
funny yes. Talented and true to themselves, now that is what I came for. They
taught me how Blues is played; how deep emotional it is to be from light
thought to heavy meaning. Exceptionally good.
The Steepwater Band is who I came to see, to listen to, to
support, and most of all for myself to enjoy. They did their job. They laid it
down exceptionally well. They are the band I have seen the most, ever, and I
still will never get enough. They add joy to my limited life that is now
challenged by some cancer, creating that happy journey that I enjoy sharing
with others, with no regrets.
Then, and it is a big THEN, Carlos Johnson and The Steepwater
Band played together at the end of the show. It was spectacular to see Carlos
blend in with the band, and at the same time keep his uniqueness at play while
in the band. Moreover, when Jeff and Carlos connected it was nothing short of
miracle music. The feeding to / from each other, the togetherness, the “we are
one” happening right in front of you. Such pleasure and joy watching and listening
to them. For my Christmas present, or New Years resolution, I want to see and
hear Carlos and Jeff perform as a duo. I would even want to see and hear a trio
that includes ‘Hat’. THAT would be a huge addition to my journey, my enjoyment
of life, in our brief moment in time.
Here are some photographs and videos of the evening. Note I
am not a videographer. Just thank me for having a good camera, and no talent
for that genre.
