[powerpress]
Finally back from Asia after nine days, a 20-hour journey, and a 37-hour Saturday, I made a Kaddish on horn again at long last. I was beyond thrilled to be working with an instrument again (finally!), with a decent Blue Yeti microphone and Garage Band instead of iTalk on an iPhone or iPad, with my kaddish collaborator Mira reading the text live. Kaddishim the way they’re supposed to be again, finally!
Except…
Except my dog Kjersti had other ideas. Just as we set up the gear and hit Record, Kjersti grabbed a squeaky toy and went nuts with it, chomping the squeaker and snapping the toy’s neck.
The percussive effect was inspiring to both of us, as you’ll hear. In the stopped passage better known as “that THING,” I couldn’t resist doing a little improv in response to Kjersti’s squeaker motif. In nearly all of it, Mira could barely suppress laughter.
You just never know whence the lessons of the daily mourning ritual will come. On this day of finally returning home to “kaddish in two-part harmony” as usual, Kjersti reminded us both that there are more important things than bereavement, prayers, and music.
Like squeaky toys.
A kaddish for somber kaddishim.
