I enjoyed reading string quartets with friends this afternoon.

We musicians acutely miss playing music with each other and performing for others in concert. So the opportunity to play together these days is a special treat.

Here are some excerpts of works we performed outdoors to an appreciative audience.

During this time of unprecedented stress, fear, and isolation, I find real solace in watching some films that lift my spirits. Here is a list of the first films that come to mind. In my opinion, they are suitable for watching by all ages.

Buck (2011)
I’ve written about this beautiful documentary before. Buck Brannaman is the leading practitioner and instructor in gentle methods of “starting” a horse. Buck helped inspire and was instrumental in the making of the Robert Redford film, “The Horse Whisperer.”

I watch this film at least once every year or two.

My Blog Article: https://blatantcalm.home.blog/2019/11/19/buck-practicing-compassion-while-starting-horses/
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1753549/

As of this writing you can stream it on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, and IFC.

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Waking Ned Devine (1998)
This charming and hilarious film is about a small Irish town that plots to collect and share a massive lottery winning.
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166396/

As of this writing, this can be streamed on Amazon Prime, Vudu, Redbox, Fandango Now, Google Play, and Apple TV.

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Children of Heaven (1999)
This Iranian film is a lovely story about a brother who loses his sister’s shoes. The family is so poor that the brother and sister devise a plan to share his pair of sneakers between them. It is a beautiful and entertaining film.
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118849/

As of this writing, this can be streamed on Amazon Prime, Vudu, Fandango Now, Google Play, and Apple TV.

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Babe (1995)
A sweet and funny live action film about a little pig who learns how to herd sheep. It has the wit and emotional impact that “Charlotte’s Web” had for previous generations.
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112431/

As of this writing, this can be streamed on Amazon Prime, Vudu, HBO, Redbox, Apple TV, Fandango Now, and Google Play.

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Up (2009)
There are so many Pixar films from which to choose, but this film won two Oscars and is the one I rewatch most. As many agree, the first 5 or so minutes arguably pack more emotional punch than the majority of full-length movies, and merely hearing the first few notes of the theme music causes me to well up.

The movie is funny, has great dialog – especially the canine banter – and really warms the heart.
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1049413/

As of this writing, this can be streamed on Amazon Prime, Vudu, Disney Plus, Apple TV, Google Play, and Fangdango Now.

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The Straight Story (1999)
This is a gentle and powerful film inspired by the true story of a 73 y.o. man who drove his riding lawn mower for six weeks to visit his ailing brother. This was Richard Farnsworth’s last film. While playing the lead character, Farnsworth was terminally ill with bone cancer and struggled through pain during the production. His acting is gently powerful, evocative, and unforgettable.
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0166896/

As of this writing, this can be streamed on Amazon Prime, Vudu, Disney Plus, Apple TV, Google Play, and Fandango Now.

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As with any list, looking back I regret all the films I did not include, like Amelie (2001), The Secret of Roan Inish (1995), Sing (2016), The Color of Paradise (1999), Departures (2008), and more.

I would love to hear what films you find calm and healing.

Update: Temperatures have dropped significantly and winds have died down in Oregon. In just a week, daytime temperatures in Portland have dropped from highs of about 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) to 63 degrees F (17 degrees C) today.

The good news is the fires have stopped spreading at alarming rates, and fire crews have had a chance to start to make headway. Some of the evacuation zones have shrunk. One low level zone that was just a mile from my home has moved about 6 or more miles away.

The bad news is that there are still so many fires that fire crews and equipment are all deployed, and we need more.

Furthermore, the air quality continues to worsen. The entire west coast now has the dubious distinction of having the worst air quality in the world:

The bad air quality index (AQI) extends from British Columbia, Canada down to Mexico:

The bad AQI is spread all over Oregon, although it is concentrated down the most populated area of the state:

There is little we can do other than to limit time going outside, wearing masks (cloth masks not recommended, unless they are wet), and sealing windows and doors with cloth, etc. I have been outside my home briefly about once a day for the past three days.

Looking outside, I don’t see the ominous yellow, orange, and brown skies we saw last week. It just looks like heavy fog. But open the door or step outside and you are hit with an oppressive smell, your eyes and nose will burn, and you begin coughing.

Some rain is forecast tomorrow (Tuesday), which may hopefully offer us some relief.

As of this writing, the fires in Oregon:

• have burned 900,000 acres / 364,000 hectares / 1406 square miles / 3642 square km
• have caused 500,000 Oregonians to be placed under evacuation orders (over 10% of Oregon’s population)
• have caused at least three deaths
• motivated the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to extend an air quality advisory for all of Oregon and Southwest Washington through at least Monday afternoon, Sept 14th.

Many update sites are getting heavy traffic, but here are some you can try:

Evacuation Areas
green = level 1, get ready
yellow = level 2, get set to go
red = level 3, go now!

Real-Time Assessment and PLanning Tool for Oregon (RAPTOR) Public 2D map

Clackamas County Evacuation Zones

Marin County Evacuation Zones

Linn County Evacuation Zones

Jackson County Evacuation Zones

Air Quality

AirNow Air Quality Index (AQI)

PurpleAir: Real-time Air Quality Monitoring

Fire Maps

Northwest Interagency Coordination Center Large Fire Web Map

Oregonlive: Real-time wildfires

Be safe, stay informed, follow evacuation orders, and do not spread unfounded/unsubstantiated rumors.

Early on in these unusual and turbulent times, I suspected some great art would be produced. I need only be reminded of the music and art that came out of the anti-war and civil rights eras of the late 60s, the great swing era borne out of WWII, and more.

I was approached a few months ago by a man from my home town and friend of my parents who had an usual request: he wanted an arrangement of “Begin the Beguine” played by zombies. Would I be interested?

Would I?

He is nearing completion of a film, “The Veil of Secrecy 2020.” It’s a parody, horror film:

The project is a full length science fantasy film which features people who have survived the Covid 19 pandemic, but are now neither fully alive nor fully dead. And they are angry!

After some fits and starts, I completed an arrangement for clarinet, trumpet, viola, and bass and with the help of some talented friends, completed the music video. It will be part of the finished film.

To learn more about the production click here:
http://www.popspedster.net/lemonaidnetwork2020/index.html

To support the creative folks dedicating their time to this work, please consider donating to the production’s Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/lemonaidnetwork

I recently finished listening to a multi-part series of Malcolm Gladwell’s “Revisionist History” podcast, Season 5, Episodes 4 through 7. In it, Gladwell traces the invention of napalm, the ascension of air power in modern warfare, and a U.S. general in the middle of both stories: Curtis LeMay.

It is inarguable that LeMay helped lead the U.S. to victory over Japan during WWII. But like debates over the dropping of nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we should question the methods LeMay espoused.

Perhaps we might concede his was the least worst choices. Perhaps not. Regardless, we should know this history and let it inform our decisions in peace and war going forward.

I’ve written a bit more about this podcast and history on my Finding Ojiisan, Finding Myself blog.

This has been a long, difficult time for musicians. All concerts and gigs have been cancelled and all orchestras and theaters have ceased operations at least through the end of this year. For those whose primary income derives from performing, this has been extraordinarily challenging.

I have been sheltering in place for 6 months, rarely venturing out, and always wearing a mask and maintaining my physical distance. That means I have not hosted friends over to play chamber music, one of my favorite things to do. The ache of not being able to make music with my friends has been acute.

Yesterday, I hosted an impromptu “Driveway Quintet Concert.” I invited several supremely talented friends over to read quintets with me outside on our driveway. I also invited friends and neighbors to listen, and we enjoyed a couple hours of live string quintets at distance and masked.

It was the first time in six months and one week since I had played music with anyone else – and it was heaven!

Here are the works we played:

Mozart Quintet #3 in C major K 515, first and final movements
Dvořák String Quintet #3 in Eb Major Op 97 in its entity
Schubert Quintet in C major Op 153, first, third, and fourth movements

Although it was pretty hot out (around 87 degrees F/30.5 degrees C), the sun had just dipped behind the trees, and a light breeze kept us from overheating – while also sometimes giving us the extra challenge of wrangling self-turning pages.

One young audience member, a talented high school student, sketched us while we were playing:

Musicians and audience members alike seemed delighted to experience the joy of live music after such a long absence.

I predict we will be doing this again.

The daughter of a friend of mine, A’ishah Mokrani, has painted her interpretation of Picasso’s famous Guernica inspired by recent city and federal police action in downtown Portland. She calls it Portland’s Guernica.

Mokrani’s work is acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, and follows a long line of artists inspired by Picasso’s masterpiece.

Picasso’s Guernica is one of his best known works. The massive 11’5″ x 25’6″ (3.49m x 7.76m) black and white painting shows the chaos and horror of war. Picasso painted it in response to the 1937 bombing of the Basque town of Guernica in northern Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Rebel Nationalist faction leader Francisco Franco requested the bombing, which was carried out by his allies, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Franco later ruled Spain from 1939-1975 as a dictator.

Living in Paris under German occupation during WWII, Picasso saw news reports of the bombing of Guernica and was horrified. He worked on the painting for 35 days and completed it on June 4, 1937. A Nazi Officer allegedly saw a photograph of Guernica and asked Picasso, “Did you do that?” to which Picasso replied, “No, you did.”

Paintings Inspired by Guernica

Guernica has inspired works by other artists for decades.

Contemporary street artist Ron English created a series of paintings based on the work
recently displayed at Allouche Gallery in New York City.

Spanish contemporary artist, Mercedes Lagunas painted her interpretation, Pop Guernica (Lux) just last year.

Spaniard Lluís Barba created Guernica, 2013 which is displayed in the Cynthia Corbett Gallery in London.

Portland’s Guernica by A’ishah Mokrani

Mokrani is a Portland artist, a Berber Muslim, and has personal experienced living under authoritarian rule in Algeria. Her grandfather and great-uncle both fought against French colonial rule in the Algerian War of Independence. She left Algeria just as the peaceful rebellion (also known as the Rebellion of Smiles and the Hirak Movement) against the authoritarian, military-backed government was building.

She views the struggle and protests in Portland similar to those for equality and freedom worldwide. Many Algerian Americans in France have joined protests there in support of Black Lives Matter. As in the U.S., they too face oppression and racism.

The artist perceives parallels between experiences of American Muslims and the greater BIPOC community. She stands with and supports Black Lives Matter and the BIPOC community’s struggle for equality.

She hopes her work will serve as a message to all about the dangers of authoritarianism and divisiveness. She supports and encourages continued peaceful protests and unity across all groups for freedom, equality, justice, and peace.

Long live the hirak!

This morning I was on hold for 1 hour, 39 minutes, and 22 seconds. I have a few questions for you. My answers are at the bottom.

1. If the hold music loop takes 30.5 seconds, how many times did I listen to the music repeat before I spoke to a human being?
2. The music featured a soprano saxophone. Is there any instrument you would like listening to for over 1.5 hours, repeatedly?
3. Is there any music (genre, song, etc.) that you could listen to over and over again for X times (refer to #1 above)?
4. When was the last time you heard hold music you found agreeable?

Toby’s Answers:

1. 1:39:22 = 5962 seconds
   5962 divided by 30.5 = 195.5
   
   Therefore, I heard the same music loop repeated 195.5 times.

2. Even the most agreeable sounding instrument will grate on my nerves if repeated 195 times with no change in melody, dynamics, or tone.
3. My most favorite melody or song will grate on my nerves if repeated 195 times.
4. Never. The closest was a kind of radio show where songs were rotated through. But that experience was ruined by frequent interruptions either telling me “your call is important to us” and/or advertisements for goods or services. Give me good music, or give me silence!

The ReplyAll podcast had an early episode where they claimed to find the “Best Hold Music in the World”. Here’s the podcast:
ReplyAll #6 This Proves Everything + The Best Hold Music in the World

Oh, and the music is “Simplicity” by Macroform.