Pending festivities

By T Lyne

It is said that Santa will be driving through our village at 10:45 in an open-top MG with a police escort, heading for the primary school and a show of good local consumerism (but also, really, a show of support for various charities, and, hey, what a great way to get rid of those giant kid's unwanted cristmas presents from last year that have been ominously leaning against the coat rack in the hallway just hoping something intersting would happen because the kids never want to play with them . . ), the Christmas school fayre. Last year was the first year in the shiny brand new school here and the thing was mobbed, like an old fashioned boxing day sale, when it really was a sale and you would queue outside the record shop with $45 and hope to get about ten vinyl LPs (showing some age here . . . I'd like you to know I gave my entire vinyl collection to my best friend Jim when I moved to a different continent. . . and I can remember clearly what he said as well, 'HEY, there's my white album, I wondered where that got to, . . and my Black Sabbath, and my Billy Squire, and all my Dianna Ross albums, hey, how long have you had these?' {mind you, I'm not sure he knew what to make or the Ornette Coleman or the Kurt Weil}).

Made me start wondering what the christmas presents for the boys in the band should be. I think this will be predominantly conjecture and possibly cynical humor (I'm Canadian and cynicism and hypocracy are kind of inbred - and you may argue the point, I wouldn't dream of depriving anyone of anything so go on and argue, as long as its fair, and I am in no way trying to suppress your feelings, your origins, or your unique view of national identity, or cast any aspertions on the authenticity of your claim to the throne.).).__! . . Casting christmas gift suggestions should be free of politics and policy.

However, just last week my free and open attitude towards this subject was cut wide open like emergency heart surgery. My youngest rugrat was completing a homework assignment by interviewing family members with the question; If you had a magic wand that granted one free wish for christmas this year, what would you wish for? I had to think very hard. It was a tossup (Toss Up?). I really want some good studio monitors for mixing and recording here at the studio, but for the moment I have nicked Tom B's 2.1 system and I really love the sound, so I thought it greedy to ask for more just at this moment. OK, then the next thing, and I decided this was my answer, I wanted a new widescreen TV with a built in digibox. . . not a really big one, just one big enough so I can read the guide when sitting across the room (my eyes are getting worse these days). Fair enough, I want a widescreen TV.

The youth scrawled it down in his finest joined up writing and disappeared to ask others their wishes. When he returned, the other Christmas wishes, to my surprise, took the form of culturally sound and morally just desires, like, 'I wish a peaceful holidays to my friend who is not very well just at the moment', and 'I wish for peace and an end to fighting in the middle east'. hmmm. Then the youngster said, we are going to write everyone's wishes on card and put them up on the wall at school, but dad, I might not put up your one asking for a TV.

The relevance, . . . well if you've read this far all I can say is HA to the relevance. But there is a kind of relevance. I think for Dave Milligan, there are a few things to wish, and they are all important but again, I'm not here seeking world peace, I'm a Canadian who left Canada after all, seeking an altogether unpeaceful and exciting life, so my gift suggestions are frivolous, possibly cynical and probably wholly unattainable. But if you don't ask, you won't get, as I am fond of telling my kids.

So Dave. Dave, for you I wish some wonderful benefactor out there reads this and thinks it a wise thing to do. It is commesurate with your piano playing and dedication, and I've been listening to some Lyle Mays and Pat Metheney and am starting to hear where you're coming from. So I wish for you a brand new Fazioli under the tree. We played the Dean Gallery last year where there was a Fazioli and the look on Dave's face while he was there, well, its hard to describe, and would be emberassing if I tried. So you rich benefactors out there with nothing better to do than read blogs from obscure scottish piano trios (with Canadian bass players), here is the link (http://www.fazioli.com/). Also for Dave I wish eternal strength, a bit of extra sleep, and warm up that big heart of yours for there is to be a baby arriving in your life soon. Sleep will become a distant memory and your powers of concentration will be challenged, but it will be something like you can't imagine. Kid(s) bring an extra force to your life, you'll fall inlove and everything shifts a bit one way or another, and you'll find something like an anchor that ties a lot of stuff together, you're gonna love it. (and no, this part is not cynical, at all). I was also gonna wish for a speedy and correct return of the new Trio CD but I believe it has already happened so the hell with it.

Tom Bancroft. A christmas wish for the big guy. I am split about this but my intention is pure. There was a great episode of Mr Bean where he painted a room by putting a stick of dynamite in the paint can, a kind of flawed genius that got to the end of a challenge. I am wishing for Mr Bean to show up and help you finish building your house. We are needing your studio finished so we can get back to regular playing and not worry that you will either fall off your roof of chop your arm off with the radial saw. It must be noted though, I am deeply impressed with the work you have done to the house and have the upmost respect. My wish for the Mr Bean helper is to drive you through this last bit and see completeion arrive. And you have to see how selfless this wish is. Because as long as your house remains unfinished, the longer I can hang on to these wonderful studio monitors I have borrowed from you, so finishing the house would mean I had to return them. The less tangeable part of my wish for you is to find some peace and time so you can pursue those things you hanker after. From spending so much time and effort tryring to build up businesses or mechanisms to promote music and creativity in this country, I wish you to take the time for yourself and explore all that is racing through that Bancroftian head of yours, in a free and unrestrained way, like a little puppy racing through the fields experiencing snow for the first time, and peeing with excitement . . . (ok some of that may be tinged by cynicism, but only in the nicest possible way).

Right then, so Dave gets a piano and stocks up on sleep, and Tom gets a free builder (that could be a type of improvisation too) and then some time off. For my wish, its still stupidly pedestrian. I wasn't lying when I said I wanted a widescreen TV, and maybesome new speakers for the studio. We'll share the CD this time (if Dave gives Tom and I any copies). And finally, I do wish for strength and life to pervade everyone I know, because for some it isn't just now and that makes me pause and think how fragile everything really is. And that a wish for a TV needs to be held up as important because it is, and it lends weight to other wishes of a more ethereal nature, which may not be tangeable, but also need to be there to give hope.

I'd also like to say hi to my Mom and Dad. XXX Tom