 |
 |
Thought you all might be interested in a new CD coming out in mid-November by the Debussy Trio, a contemporary chamber ensemble of harp, viola and flute. The title is "12 Days in the Shadow of a Miracle," composed by Grammy Award- winning jazz musician Lyle Mays (he plays with the Pat Metheny Group). In a recent interview, Lyle explained his inspiration for the work: "My wife's father is suffering from Parkinson's Disorder. Right at the time I started writing this piece, his doctors changed the drug therapy he was on. He had a miraculous recovery, or I should say his condition improved tremendously. Even the doctors used the word miracle. I was struck by that, that these normally reserved medical people were using a term like miracle. It applied. He was dramatically more animated, dancing with his wife. It was just marvelous to see. And that mood of everyone at that time was just so upbeat and so strong, I felt that it was affecting everything I was doing, including composing this piece. But I also know enough about Parkinson's to know that this condition is not ever curable, and at any point things could revert back to a more deteriorating state. So, in the back of my mind there was this inevitable future, which is the "Shadow" part of the title. I guess I was trying to deal with the immediate exuberance of the moment and also the lingering reality in the background." The piece is is 12 small sections, representing the first 12 days of the drug therapy. The Debussy Trio records on the Sierra Classical label, a division of Sierra Records in Pasadena, California. I heard the piece performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. It was quite beautiful. No commercial ties to the project on my part... just thought I'd pass it on to the group. Maura D. Bernard (father-Jim, 78, 5 yrs) [log in to unmask]