“Notes and More Notes” | Anthony Satori
“Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.”
— Frederic Chopin
Notes and More Notes
music
A Different Breath
“The Tortoise and the Hare, Revisited” | Anthony Satori
“Truly to sing, that is a different breath.”
— Rilke
The breath used in singing does indeed seem to be a different breath, by its very nature. It shares its essence, it seems to me, with yoga breathing (pranayama), embodying the same kind of mind-body connection that this spiritual practice aspires to attain. It is the breath of life, of love, and of connection. It is a breath that holds a deeper creative resonance, as referred to in the ancient scriptures and mystic texts. It is a breath that comes not just from the body, but from the heart, from the soul, and from the spirit.
The Glory of Expression
“The Trumpet Man” | Anthony Satori
“The art of art, the glory of expression, and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.”
— Walt Whitman
A man walked out onto the beach, unpacked his things, and began to play his trumpet. The sweet, muted tones of his soulful melodies sang out for anyone who would listen. The place he sat was the same concrete bench that had been there before. Around him was the same sand, the same lamp post, the same air. But now, in this space where there had been no music, there was now music. Now, all the rollerbladers and the volleyball players, the sunbathers and the beachgoers, they all had a soundtrack playing around them. This is the art of art. This is the glory of expression. This is simplicity.
The Blue Centerlight
“Girl Playing Guitar by Firelight” | Anthony Satori
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes ‘Awww!'”
— Jack Kerouac
Be in Love with Life
“Portrait of a Street Musician” (triptych) | Anthony Satori
“To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.”
— Osho
88 Keys
“88 Keys” | Anthony Satori
There are only eighty-eight of them, but when they are infused with the creativity of the human spirit, the possibilities are endless.
A Music Conducive to Dream
“A Music Conducive to Dream” | Anthony Satori
“Truly fertile Music, the only kind that will move us, that we shall truly appreciate, will be a Music conducive to Dream, which banishes all reason and analysis. One must not wish first to understand and then to feel.” — Albert Camus
Dive Bar Messiahs
“Dive Bar Messiahs” | Anthony Satori
The Dive Bar Messiahs headlined last Saturday night at the Lookout Bar and Grill in Channel Islands, California, and they took the house down. With each individual band member boasting an impressive resume, this newly-formed power trio blew the roof off the place with songs by the Doors, the Beatles and the Animals, and packed the dance floor with tunes such as their unstoppable rendition of Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music.” Against the backdrop of the Channel Islands Harbor and playing to a diverse crowd, this show was a blast for everyone attending. Be sure to check out the Dive Bar Messiahs’ Facebook page and find out where they’re playing next, so you can join the party! https://www.facebook.com/divebarmessiahs
Trumpet Like Satchmo
“Wail, Man, Wail” | Anthony Satori
A portrait of musician Chantz Powell. This performer is a true triple-threat: singer, dancer, trumpet player. He’s been on the scene for years, and I recently got to see him put on a show on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California. Crowds gathered, the energy was high, and music was in the air. Some performers just bring it, no matter where they are, and Chantz is one of those. If you find yourself in the Santa Monica area this holiday season, keep your eyes and ears open… you might just get lucky and catch a performance. If not, you can always catch up with him at chantz.com.
Satori Circle | Art & Culture 