12 Comments
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Brian Funke's avatar

This whole collection was a great experience. Thank you!

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Lynne McMahon's avatar

Same thing often happens to me at night, but instead of words, fragments of music are running through my head. I believe these passages are becoming part of me. I love these earworms, and they often become my favorite passages in any piece I am learning for a performance. Today it’s the third movement of Afro-American Symphony by William Grant Still. Listen to it to hear what I mean.

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Weston Parker's avatar

Listening to it now. I listened to it a long time ago with T. J. Anderson, it was his favorite piece too, as it recall. He got a kick out of poetry too. He and his wife Lois were long time friends of the Easton's. He worked at Tufts music department.

I think it must have influenced Porgy and Bess, don't you?

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Paul Wittenberger's avatar

I’ve had many nights like that, Wes, and I’d grab a pencil and jot down the words only to find gibberish in the morning.

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Weston Parker's avatar

Heh-heh. I've had those by the dozen but maybe we needed to just get past the gibberish and on to the next thing which may be something of quality. My mother, an artist, used to say that. She would tell me, "don't take it personally when something is crap."

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NG's avatar

First- the music! It just doesn’t get any better than Waylon & Willie!

Second- your description of sitting at the crossing with your recollection of the cars flashing by……… we have all been at that crossing sometimes patient sometimes tapping the steering wheel in time to the tune on the radio.

I appreciate you Wes. Keep doing what you do so well.

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Weston Parker's avatar

Thank you Norma.

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Carol Ann Anyan's avatar

Brings wonderful memories of driving my mother cross-country and watching miles of trains carrying freight across the plains. Glad you got up to write

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Weston Parker's avatar

Thanks Carol.

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Stanley Wotring's avatar

You have a right to remain silent!

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Weston Parker's avatar

That's always good to remember. I only lost three hours sleep which likely means a long nap. If I had remained silent I wouldn't have heard from you today Stan.

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Stanley Wotring's avatar

Ha ha but then wouldn’t have been your new construction project.

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