Some years ago, before my injury, we invited Maria and Kevin to our deck to perform their music – a mix of tango and blues, as Eric describes it. Evenings were still mild, so we, Nathan, and some of our friends sat on our backyard to listen to beautifully played and sung tango blues. Maria and Kevin spent the night with us before travelling to their next destination, so we had plenty of time to chat and get acquainted. We became fast friends from one day to the next, and we stayed friends through Facebook.
Then I had the injury, and after a year or so, the pandemic fell on the world. Due to their failure to eradicate it, countries had to impose quarantines, and the situation got really bad for everyone who worked indoors. Musicians were primarily affected, and mainly those who had to travel abroad to perform, like Maria and Kevin. We really felt for them and wanted to help. We signed up on a crowd-funding service whereby musicians invite patrons to online concerts, among other things. That’s how we got the opportunity to watch Zalon, an online performance in which Maria and Kevin participated.
The performance takes place every year. Its organizer is Andrea Clearfield, a well-known musician and composer. She started doing it in the mid1980s in the manner of the musical salons of the nineteenth century and invited top-level musicians of all genres to play. With the onset of the pandemic, she quickly moved it to Zoom and changed its name to Zalon. This online transformation gave Clearfield the opportunity to expand her choice. At the same time, it gave my family and me the opportunity to come into contact with many wonderful musicians we hadn’t even heard about. It felt like an evening outing: we watched while we ate dinner. We had to leave before it ended because it was time for me to take my meds and go to sleep, but we had truly enjoyed it. It gave us a feeling of contentment.
Yet It also brought back memories both happy and sad, and a sense of yearning for everything I’d lost. I could see Eric, myself, Nathan, and our friends sitting on the deck on a fall evening. The portable gas heaters we’d borrowed from our neighbor warmed the night as we listened mesmerized to Maria and Kevin do their magic with guitar and harmonica.
Maybe we’ll do it again. I’ll be sitting on my wheelchair on the deck, and my family and friends, on benches. Maria and Kevin will do their magic, and we’ll listen mesmerized.
Then I had the injury, and after a year or so, the pandemic fell on the world. Due to their failure to eradicate it, countries had to impose quarantines, and the situation got really bad for everyone who worked indoors. Musicians were primarily affected, and mainly those who had to travel abroad to perform, like Maria and Kevin. We really felt for them and wanted to help. We signed up on a crowd-funding service whereby musicians invite patrons to online concerts, among other things. That’s how we got the opportunity to watch Zalon, an online performance in which Maria and Kevin participated.
The performance takes place every year. Its organizer is Andrea Clearfield, a well-known musician and composer. She started doing it in the mid1980s in the manner of the musical salons of the nineteenth century and invited top-level musicians of all genres to play. With the onset of the pandemic, she quickly moved it to Zoom and changed its name to Zalon. This online transformation gave Clearfield the opportunity to expand her choice. At the same time, it gave my family and me the opportunity to come into contact with many wonderful musicians we hadn’t even heard about. It felt like an evening outing: we watched while we ate dinner. We had to leave before it ended because it was time for me to take my meds and go to sleep, but we had truly enjoyed it. It gave us a feeling of contentment.
Yet It also brought back memories both happy and sad, and a sense of yearning for everything I’d lost. I could see Eric, myself, Nathan, and our friends sitting on the deck on a fall evening. The portable gas heaters we’d borrowed from our neighbor warmed the night as we listened mesmerized to Maria and Kevin do their magic with guitar and harmonica.
Maybe we’ll do it again. I’ll be sitting on my wheelchair on the deck, and my family and friends, on benches. Maria and Kevin will do their magic, and we’ll listen mesmerized.
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