Greetings, One & All~
As we move from the blessing of late summer monsoon rain toward the cooler, shorter and drier days of autumn here in Northern Sonora, September promises to be rich in music, myth and mask. Enjoy all the good news in this issue of your A 440 Newsletter!
Sherbino Centennial with RC & Will
On Sunday September 13th at 4 PM I’ll join the inimitable R. Carlos Nakai in Ridgway CO to celebrate the 100th birthday of the historic Sherbino Theater with a concert to raise funds for its restoration. We’ll play selections from our GRAMMY-Nominated Canyon Records CD Awakening the Fire, and as always we’ll weave in a good bit of our spontaneous improvisational magic just for you!
info & tickets at www.sherbinotheater.com
Temenos Quartet at The Studio Space
On Sunday September 20th at 7 PM I’ll join To’Ree’Nee Wolf, Heidi Wilson and AmoChip Dabney for a Temenos Quartet concert at The Studio Space in Tucson AZ, where we’ll conjure up a full evening of our evocative and irresistibly groovy New World Music with a foot-friendly hardwood dance floor at your disposal. Admission is a mere $7 for the music, art, raffles, a food truck and more, all at 4648 E. Speedway Blvd. on the SW corner of Speedway & Swan.
view The Studio Space at www.studiospacetucson.com
Celebrate the River
On Friday September 25th at 7 PM I’ll hold the heartbeat for an Arizona all-star band (including but not limited to members of The William Eaton Ensemble) in the 2nd Annual Celebrate the River Concert at Old Town Center for the Arts in Cottonwood AZ. This don’t-miss event is also the kick-off for OTCA’s eighth season as central Arizona’s premiere small concert venue!
info & tickets at
http://www.oldtowncenter.org/event/8th-season/river-concert-9-25.html
painting by Cindy Carillo
Myths &Masks for Lifelong Learners
Beginning on Tuesday September 29th and continuing on consecutive Tuesdays through November 17th, I’ll conduct my Myths & Masks workshop for adult lifelong learners at Chandler Public Library in Chandler AZ, under the auspices of the New York-based national organization Lifetime Arts. At last count, all but two of the twenty available slots have been filled, but registration is still open at
www.chandlerlibrary.org or 480.782.2800
and you can read more about this program at
https://www.chandleraz.gov/newsrelease.aspx?N_UID=3153
Exceptional Minds, Exceptional Matters
On August 29th, yours truly was interviewed by psychiatrist, author, motivational speaker and radio host Dr. Walter Jacobson to launch his new show Exceptional Minds, Exceptional Matters. Our lively and spirited conversation covered a wide range of topics from contemporary world music to poetry to maskmaking, and can be heard at
Interview with Will Clipman – Musician, Poet, Maskmaker
and while you’re visiting Dr. J’s website, be sure to investigate his uplifting programs and publications!
Remembering a Tower of Song
Tucson’s musical community suffered a great loss with the recent death of Arizona Blues Hall of Fame songwriter, guitarist and singer Stefan George. Those of us who new Stef personally and had the opportunity to play with him have lost a dear friend and bandmate. I got the news of Stefan’s passing from Mark McLemore at Arizona Public Media, who called the next day to request an interview. The thoughts I shared with Mark about Stefan’s remarkable life and career can be heard by clicking on the link below and scrolling down to Stefan George Remembered:
https://www.azpm.org/s/33223-arizona-spotlight-for-august-21-2015/
Poem of the Month
Ah, so. . . life and death. . . perhaps both are made meaningful by the love we bestow and receive? Your September Poem of the Month explores the nature of partnership and loss at the intersection of the wild and the domestic. Enjoy in joy!
Cardinal Communion
My mate brought your mate to me yesterday
as I arrived home with food for us, her body
still warm, eyes still wide and lustrous,
wing and tail feathers still opening in radiant fans.
She broke her neck flying home with food for you,
unable to penetrate the pane between the mirror world
and this one. My mate buried your mate by the greenhouse,
and all day I was beset by uneasiness and a weird sense of loss.
Today you land on the kitchen windowsill
where my mate and I always leave shelled peanuts
for you and your mate, and I suddenly smash
into a pane of sorrow and confusion. Is it just me,
or are you disoriented, too: flitting from branch to branch
in the creosote and palo verde, singing all two hundred
of your courtship songs in vain? Is it just you,
or am I now, too, the brilliant red of oxygen-rich blood
as my heart explodes at the thought of losing my mate
as you lost yours? We go on, you and I, at least for today;
and I take courage from your fierce refusal
to be crushed by the immense fragility of love.
© Will Clipman 2015
May the autumnal equinox
offer a moment of harmony and balance
for one and all
Well-regarded people share their best freely and their worst discreetly.
~Guillaume Henri
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Will Clipman
musician • poet • performing & recording artist • maskmaker • storyteller • educator
office: 520.743.1347
mobile: 520.591.0776
fax: 520.743.0650
email: williamclipman@aol.com
website: www.willclipman.com
facebook: www.facebook.com/willclipman