if some of you wondered where i disappeared, i have spent some time in a buddhist centre catching up with meditation and volunteering…
under the guidance of master thangka painter lama rigzin, we decorated the new shrine room of the kagyu samye dzong buddhist centre. this has been a very interesting and fruitful experience for me, meeting and living in a community of amazing and creative people.
many thanks to lama zangmo, namjal and ani for the warm welcome and to all at the centre for all the amazing experiences.
and many thanks to justin, enikö, lydia, mimi, sabrina, alan, holy for the lessons in kindness and compassion, the shared moments, conversations and wonderful food…
amongst the intensive paint work, the many hours of sitting in a beautiful meditation room and socialising with residents, i have managed to find some time for musical experiences, to my great surprise, as i thought i was in for a very quiet retreat…
first i was delighted to find a lama’s fascination with chanting or even singing along with my saxophone. i also played with the amazing flute player lydia polzer. and finally, i was really struck to find an old and nearly forgotten love. after six years dedicated to my new instrument, and while trying to rapidly build up my saxophone technique, i have pretty much abandoned playing the guitar.
wonderful guitar repairer and maker john wilshire amazed me with such kindness and allowed me to borrow and play one of his creations. on hearing the beautiful sound of his guitar, i immediately fell for it and recorded a piece. my playing is very rusty after six years of silence, but this guitar is so incredibly delightful that i could not resist it and just enjoyed the sound… thank you john for this experience.
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cherry on winter icing
recorded in a yoga room of the KSDL centre
london
acoustic guitar, 02 december 2012
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nexttime studio 