"You're sad Mista."

 'Mista' Saturday dance...

Da da, da da

Heard they crowded the floor...

Da da, da da

Ain't nothinng without you,

Don't get around much anymore.

* * *

I was lying in bed this morning and looking at Facebook on my phone. Whoever writes a lot of stuff on there, likes to start a story like this:

"A man walked into a supermarket and noticed a friend who had been serving overseas in the military. see more"

I read quite a few of these as I scrolled down through the offerings. I started wondering why they kept mentioning this guy...

* * *

I've been asked to play at a funeral tomorrow, up near Raumati. It's for a singer friend who died - we actually performed together quite a bit. She sang Autumn Leaves, with me on violin and Daryl on guitar, at my brother-in-law's farewell ceremony. I'm to play some background music, while people arrive, and then a feature piece to start the ceremony. She was originally an opera singer, so I thought, as a feature, I'd play 'O Mio Babbino Caro'.

It is possible that some people in the audience might think, "You're sad Mista." The truth is that any of these people who can actually play the violin wouldn't have a shit chance of pulling off some of the things I'll throw in, or of improvising over a Jazz chord progression. The truth is that not many violinists around these parts can pull off playing Jazz changes or comfortably move around the entire range of the violin. So, I really don't give a shit if any of them think I'm 'sad'.

I played a gig at the Tawa library last May with Daryl and George. There was a music teacher there who knows both Daryl and me. She talked to us at the end of our performance. She complimented Daryl on his playing but said to me, "Too many notes!" People who say this, or have the need to say this, are often trying to protect their own boring playing. Their inner voice is saying something like, "Damn, I can't do that! What can I say to protect my own ego?"

* * *

Thought I'd visit the club...

Da da, da da

Got as far as the door...

Da da, da da

Ain't nothing without you,

Don't get around much anymore.

Oh darling, I guess,

My mind's more at ease,

But, never the less,

Why bring back memories?

Get invited on dates...

Da da, da da

Could have gone, but what for?

Da da, da da

Ain't nothing without you,

Don't get around much anymore.