Whether you celebrate the Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah, or Las Posadas, I have a gift for you.
Last year, I became obsessed with the idea of taking some of the most musical poetry verses I had written in the past five years and record them at Jamie Saft’s studio “Potterville.” It was a fortuitous decision because, today, Potterville is located in Maine.
In real life, I would not have been able to afford a player like Saft or even time at his studio. It was simply the fact that it was winter, I lived close and we were friends.
The original description of the project was put down like this:
I was listening to Kerouac's spoken word album featuring Steve Allen on piano sometime around Christmas when the thought occurred to me that I knew one of the greatest Jazz pianists of our time, Jamie Saft. As is always the case with me, when I get latched on to an idea, I don't let go until it becomes reality--most especially in the realm of music, art or poetry. I got in touch with Jamie and mentioned the Kerouac album and he was into it. He said I should listen to Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize speech with Alan Pasqua playing piano over that. Yes! That was what I was looking for. In my opinion, Saft's contribution was worlds beyond even that.
I still feel that way today. Saft has excelled in the area of improvisation for his entire career. According to Wikipedia:
He has performed and recorded with an eclectic variety of artists including John Zorn, Wadada Leo Smith, Iggy Pop, Steve Swallow, Bobby Previte, and Marc Ribot. He has also written several original film scores including Murderball and God Grew Tired of Us; selections from these were released by Tzadik Records as A Bag of Shells. The same label has released several of Saft's recordings.
Long story short, the guy is no slouch. You can hear in this nearly 20 minute spoken word piece how sympathetic his ear is—especially when it comes to illustrating words.
Since February of 2021, this has only been available for sale and only through download. I went ahead and changed permissions so that all of my friends who read my stuff throughout the year can now stream this anywhere, anytime through this link:
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Again, happy holidays. I hope you really enjoy the gift, and I will see you tomorrow in your mailbox.
Billy
I love your gift. Thank you ❤️
Thank you for sharing, Billy. I just listened to the first two minutes and wow! My husband and I are carefully navigating the holidays as bereaved parents for the first time. We'll definitely include listening to this beautiful piece in full at least once—maybe Thanksgiving Day, on our way out for a walk along the Cannon Beach. Thanks for sharing your gift!