Tuesday, September 04, 2007

One more Saturday night

Last weekend I finally made it to a show at Honen-in. Wind Travelling Band was playing their mellow blend of wind and percussion. It was wonderful to sit on the veranda of the temple with feet dangling onto the moss, looking out at a garden not usually open to the public. Somewhere out in the darkness rang the hollow sound of the shishiodoshi, blending with the percussion, sometimes on the beat, sometimes off. Dragonflies kept up a constant buzzing of the stage, no doubt intrigued by the source of all the pleasant vibrations. Outside on the veranda, a woman in a sack dress contorted in spiralling butoh movements, arms writing sōsho in the air. What in particular inspired these movements? What subtlety in melody caused the shift from right to left, the slow, twisting body drop, the sudden tilt of the head? My eyes stayed with her awhile, until the music took me to my own mysterious places.



On the turntable: McCoy Tyner, "Enlightenment"
On the nighttable: John Banvile, "The Sea"

4 comments:

Taiko Tari said...

Now here's a question for you about John Banvile's "The Sea". So many rave reviews I read on this book prompted the purchase.

Why, oh why, I cannot finish reading it. Can you tell me how to enjoy this book?

Edward J. Taylor said...

Yeah it's a tough read. I really enjoy books written as if they are a conversation, and this one feels like I'm chatting with my upper crust London granfather, (which I don't have).
I'm halfway thru, and it certainly is taking him awhile to get to the story. I guess just treat the book like a friend who talks too much...

I like it though

Anonymous said...

And what about mysterious places? I didn't get that:(

Edward J. Taylor said...

i didn't get it either, hence the mystery...