DEJA’ VU MOMENTS: driving us musically!

DEJA’ VU MOMENTS

C. S. Lewis writes in ‘Surprised By Joy’, of those Devine, delicious vignettes of insight in which we feel an intense, ecstatic joy, only to have them disappear before we can define or discern; yet we forever yearn to recapture, save and savor.  The peace received in those moments of elation may spark a lifetime.

This relates to musical performances and improvisational moments,

for contained in one of those deja’ vu moments might be a virus that drives the force of our musical quest.  We remember the elation after a certain solo, --our sound on a day when we had the ‘perfect reed’, --the reaction to a concert we’d performed.  We want to recapture the ecstasy of those vignettes!

‘listening to John Coltrane on ‘Love Supreme’, what other grail could it be than such an illusive moment?  And speaking of the ‘Love Supreme’ recording, I believe it captures the perfect example of improvisation that is fleeting but perpetual, finding the ‘high priest’ making the pilgrimage to hajj, questing his closest moment with God.

I must relate now my own déjà vu moment, which may have driven me all through my life.

I started a band in 7^th grade

(circa 1955), of a very hip instrumentation: accordion, piano, drums, and myself, playing alto sax and clarinet.  Our first performances were as entertainments for Moose lodges, American Legions, Junior High proms, etc., before moving on to TV talent shows.  I did the arrangements (by simply transposing the sheet music to the instruments needed), and my ear was always listening to what I wrote.

In the Fall of 1955, a time right before ‘Rock Around The Clock’ and after ‘Shake, Rattle, and Roll’, a big hit for Boyd Bennett leaped onto the charts: ‘Seventeen’!  As I remember it now, the changes were traditional: First bar A6, the second D7 (the C Natural there contained).

My little band was scheduled to play on a local talent TV show, Rising Stars, on a Thursday in November, and I wanted to present the ‘leading edge’ of material:

SEVENTEEN!!! 

We practiced in the afternoon before going to the studio (the Belle Stone grade school had excused my group, of David Mariol, Chad Davis, Jim Huff and myself on those televised days, for if we did well, it was great publicity for the school).

As we practiced ‘Seventeen’ (my key being A major), at the beginning of the 2^nd measure, where the written was:  AAA-AAA-(for 2 bars), I suddenly heard: AAA-‘_­C’AA!  This C natural into an A major piece was my first adventure into improvisation, a ‘Blues’ note: To this day I remember the exhilaration at finding that fine, clear, unique note in that spot, a space that was now my own personal promulgation, done right there by me on the spot---invented! 

Well, cloud 9 was my liar all the way to the studio and the Rising Stars Show.

I anticipated playing that glorious C natural in that unexpected spot.  And, by God, one hour or so later, on TV, I actually DID IT!!!

That joy and excitement still remain with me.

Of course there were many other motivating times in my life.  However, this is the first I recall, which propelled me to my lifelong musical quest.

Oh yes!!!: In these moments, God clearly reveals His calm elation toward our humble efforts, and bestows His soothing, caressing help and care, which is our underlying reason for the pilgrimage.

Thank you for your reading and your interest.

Keep open to those déjà vu moments!

Sincerely, and God Bless,

Errol Weiss Schlabach

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