There's No Place Like Home

In one of last night’s posts, I wondered how much longer the love fest could continue. Here at the end of the third (and final) day, the answer was definitive. 

 

The day began with a re-showing of the video (another unexpected surprise) honoring my 20^th year anniversary since first coming to China, as many of the Jazz Course participants had not seen it. Lovely speeches beforehand by my two translator friends and host, complete with funny stories. And a chance for me to praise the group for their openness, musicality, expressive movement, happy spirit, provocative questions, hard work and joyful play. After the video ended, I turned around to see everyone with a flower in their hand which they then came forward with to make one big bouquet. A group photo and finally, over an hour later, the class I had planned could begin!

 

Off we went, dancing the Lindy Hop, singing all the parts to Jumpin’ at the Woodside and on to my way to teach Charlie Parker’s My Little Suede Shows beginning with echoing three do-re-mi phrases and 45 minutes later, ending up with a full-blown arrangement of the tune complete with improvisation and a Latin version in the middle of it. One of the jewels in the crown of how I try to develop the hand’s ability to play, the ear’s ability to hear, the mind’s ability to understand and the heart’s ability to feel side-by-side. 

 

Our afternoon farewell to the instruments was half playing Jumpin’ at the Woodside and have dancing Lindy Hop with their own choreography. Fabulous! Then bring the lights down and play a recording of Ella Fitzgerald’s Embraceable You with strings while all did mirror and shadow movement. Perfect contrast to the short-phrase percussive Count Basie tune to show how jazz embodies these two basic human qualities and needs— the earth and fire elements of dynamic percussive energy and the water and air elements of long sustained legato tones. 

 

I noticed earlier that in demonstrating the AABA form of the Jazz Standard, I played a bit of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and the group sang a long a bit. So for the finale, I rolled the piano into the middle of the room and had them all gather around closely. I have a variety of “shticks” for the closing moments of a workshop or course but had never done this one and it felt perfect. Before playing and having them sing without words, I gave this little talk.

 

Our closing song comes from a famous movie called The Wizard of Oz, where the young girl Dorothy is torn from her home and lands in a strange land. There she meets three friends and together they search for what they think they’re missing. A scarecrow for a brain, a tin man for a heart, a lion for courage and Dorothy for her home. They’re told there’s a wizard who will solve their problems, but like so many politicians who give false promises, he turns out to be a fake. Looking back on their journey together, they realize that the lion showed great courage, the scarecrow contributed good ideas and the tin man showed love in his heart. It was there all along and they just needed each other to bring it out.

 

So I hope that you have found some love, courage and intelligence in these three days, perhaps more than you thought you had! I’ve seen it in the risks you took trying out a new style of music and improvising, the wonderful questions and insights you’ve shared with me, the great love that came out as you laughed and played and created things together. I am no wizard but I have spent my lifetime learning how to unleash the magic that can happen when people gather together with respect, curiosity and good fellow feeling and am happy if I was able to help move all of that along. 

 

But what about Dorothy? After I finished teaching in New Orleans for 10 days, I have five days at home before getting on the long flight to China. My daughter asked me if I wish I was staying home and I replied (here sweeping my arm around all the people circling the piano), “This is my home. Wherever there is love, intelligence and courage like the kind I see here is my home.”

 

And so near the end of the movie, Dorothy puts on the ruby slippers, taps her heels three times and chants “There’s no place like home.” She had to go over the rainbow to find it, to discover that she had all the colors of the rainbow inside of her. And so she sang this song. (I play the intro on piano and we all sing.)

 

So there you have it Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. 

Immense gratitude to all.