Soul in live Music.

If you want to tap into the living soul of music.  It has to be live.

It is a truly wonderous experience, playing music with others which I've been lucky enough to do, in a traditional Irish session around a friend's kitchen table-- about fifteen musicians.  I play the bodhran or on this occasion I think it was the salt and pepper shaker or maybe it was just my tighes as the Irish say . . . anyway. . .

When we'd finished one particularly lively set of jigs and reels, everybody looked at one another smiling across the table, a bit sort of emptied but in a very good way, no actual thought or something for a few nanoseconds,  as the music drifted off into some other space.  'Up'. 

The best of everything is always completely out of our control. We just have to give up to it or have it happen serendipitously upon us.

Spencer The Rover . This is a great live performance John Martyn-- big soul. Hope he's having the time of his 'life'.

With the night fast approaching, to the woods he resorted
With woodbine and ivy his bed for to make
But he dreamt about sighing
Lamenting and crying
Go home to your family and rambling forsake

This tune was composed by Spencer the Rover,

As valiant a man as ever left home,

And he had been much reduced 

Which caused great confusion 

And that was the reason he started to roam 

In Yorkshire near Rotherham, he had been on the ramble

Weary of traveling, he sat down to rest

By the foot of yon' mountain 

Lays a clear flowing fountain 

With bread and cold water he himself did refresh 

With the night fast approaching, to the woods he resorted 

With woodbine and ivy his bed for to make 

But he dreamt about sighing 

Lamenting and crying 

Go home to your family and rambling forsake 

'Twas the fifth day of November, 

I've reason to remember 

When first he arrived home to his family and friends 

And they did stand so astounded 

Surprised and dumbfounded 

To see such a stranger once more in their sight 

And his children come around him with their prittle prattling stories 

With their prittle prattling stories to drive care away 

And he's as happy as those 

As have thousands of riches 

Contented he'll remain and not ramble away 

This tune was composed by 

Spencer the Rover As valiant a man as ever left home 

And he had been much reduced 

And caused great confusion 

And that was the reason he started to roam