December Concert

You could reasonably describe last night’s concert as “intimate”, which is simply a nice way of saying “sparsely attended.” But, since the amount of music stayed the same, the flavors and appreciation were concentrated. It was fun.

I introduced a few new songs. I’ve been working on “The Irish Girl” as performed by Lissa Schneckenberger, a song that, as a solo guitarist, is a real challenge to make interesting, at least in my head. “Auld Lang Syne” found it’s way in – using James Taylor’s arrangement – and I was surprised at how well it turned out, considering that I’d never played it before putting it behind the mic. I totally blew “Hackler from Grouse Hall” as performed by Christy Moore – I’d just done “Maid on the Shore”, and the two are similar enough in my head to be almost the same song. It’s rhythm totally jacked me as well, but with a small audience composed mostly of friends I didn’t sweat it so much, and neither did they.

The highlight for me was a duet with Mary Espinosa. After the singing was over – officially, at least – I was asked for “The Water is Wide.” I knew Mary knows it, so I invited her to take a microphone: she sang melody, I played and sang harmony. It was beautiful, and a good finish to the evening.