Stay on the path!  
 Contribute Articles and Poems 

Still On the Path
by Charles Keil
Submitted 9/8/05

I haven't put my writing into the Path Times for a while because Dont Buy In and Conserving Consensus and Music Grooves and Born to Groove all need time and attention these days. (Please visit these websites.) But all of this play is "on the 12/8 Path" as far as I can tell. In a big way, the Path of 12 steps to recovery and the 8 fold path of Buddhism, has simply taken over. The DP (Deeper Power) is calling forth the pds (participatory discrepancies) more easily with every passing day. I still have to "show up," put on the timer for 12' and 08" to stay focussed on what the next right thing to do may be. Otherwise I go around in daydreaming circles over all the wonderful choices in front of me.

Berkshire Stompers have two young trumpeters now, Shana in 8th or 9th grade and George a junior in HS I think, and Yvette showed up for the first time last Sunday with a great ear and timing for high end percussion parts. So I can settle down on the bass drum, and maybe we'll be able to assemble a mix of pros and amateurs to make a good showing at the benefit for the Arts Garage on Sept. 18th, just down the street at Lehman Morgan art gallery in Lakeville.

The Biocentrics and Berkshire Stompers are overlapping here more and more, like they did back in Buffalo. And that's a very good thing. I'll write about how the "2 bands are groovier than one" slogan works next time.

I'm going to hire arrangers to put together a Path book of charts for 2 trumpets, 2 saxes and 2 trombones so that we have a reference point for the existing bands in Buffalo, Berkshires, NYC, and a starting point for any music reading musicians anywhere. We will need both a "Basic Book" of 10 or 12 tunes, and a bigger book that has all the possible arrangements as they accumulate.

Hoping to find fresh words and chants this fall for all the Biocentric and Path tunes, just there as options, (like the "book of charts" is an option, a fallback, an alternative scenario for getting on the Path) so that when horn players get tired of tooting they can drum ­ OR they can chant.

Remember this Path is about mobility, inclusion and funny hats ­ FOR DANCERS ­ a world in which everybody has the skills to spress everything they want to spress. Spress yourself!



Back to the 12/8 Path Times Front Page


Path Home | Why? |Why Not? | How To Start A Path Band | Plenty of Path for Everyone
Path Times | Contribute Articles and Poems