Storytellers

Perceptually, an idea that’s been very important to me in playing has been the whole ‘odyssey’ idea — journeys, voyages and adventures along the way.

Jerry Garcia (An American Life by Blair Jackson)

The storyteller’s role is to comfort.

Legend is that Homer’s epics were performed as songs.

The nature of the story lends itself to something like a chant, something trancelike, slow and hypnotic on occasion, surging and violent at other times, like the rhythm of the waves accompanying the singer.

Many have wondered what the melody was like.

If liberties of imagination must be taken, one may imagine the song sounding like this… the story of Odysseus retold, wherein the finale pushes on and opens up the possibilities…

“My name is August West…”

For afterwards, a bonus track… to play on repeat, with good headphones, loud… out of respect for all the instruments:

(Some of the preceding was borrowed from a longer post on change.)