The Melodious Infusion Principle

"Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight." So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him."
1 Samuel 16:22-23

Music soothes our weary souls. There is no denying the emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental intermingling that exists between staff and heart, beat and rhythm, note and piece. An aesthetic switch clicks in my head when I hear a certain kind of musical package. It seems as though there is an instant endorphin masking that coats the melodious membrane residing inside of me as I can feel a warm rush overflowing. The overflow comes in three main types.

The first type is the adrenalin-fused burst - a membrane infusion that causes you to want to get up and dance or find the keys to the Masseratti spider convertible for a high speed jaunt. The genre of the stimulating notes doesn’t seem to matter for I can feel the same burst from Metallica’s “Invisible Kid” to Dianne Reeves’ “Smile”.

A second overflow is purely ethereal for it rests on the substratum, living in the crack of a perfectly snapped snare head or in the strangely bent third harmony note that just about fits on scale. It’s not necessarily related to a difficulty level in performance, but rather, it is usually related to the genius of design – a well-placed and crafted arrangement or technique that soothes the symphonic sensei.

Thirdly, there is the unconventional aesthetic impulse that refreshes a newness in faith found in those who remain true to form while stretching the frame such as Polytown with David Torn, Terry Bozzio, and Mick Karn. Moving beyond mere tradition and course this overflow capriciously carries you to the edge at times without dropping you on your head- curved sense without nonsense.

May you find beauty, solace, refreshment, and energized motivation permeating your musical explorations.