Monday, July 27, 2009

Old Friends of Mine



While Steve Noonan was the first guitar of this Paradox crowd,
he was also the first friend I had among them.
I met Jackson, who sits in the audience about the same time.
The most recent addition to the Paradox musical
review must be Cat Girton, daughter of maestro John Girton
whom I met 15 some years later.
Three old friends from opposite ends of the timeline,
brought to the stage by those same two
firestarters.
Bob and Helen Sheffer sure know some good folks.

17 comments:

Diane Smith said...

I love that photo of the Girtons. What a talented family. And yes, hearing Cat makes you realize that the Paradox does indeed live.

Nice photo of Steve, too.

Thanks, Rand.

Unknown said...

I think this is really an amazing small world story, our daughter married a very good friend of the guy that came to our Coffee House......Talk about connections!
Good pictures of the Girton 3.
Cat couldn't help but be musical, Cat grew up thinking all men play guitar, all the men in her life anyway. Cat also plays clarinet, piano and flute
and recorder, plus having a brilliant mind......

Rik Elswit said...

Cat blew me away in a casual conversation at the last reunion. She was sitting, noodling on the piano, and answered a question I asked, while playing Mozart at the same time. I was thinking, "Hmm..., it seems to run in the family."

Unknown said...

She get's that from her dad, he'll be playing a very complicated jazz number and be having a coverstion at the same time at one of out local pubs.

Unknown said...

Whoops! I wrote coverstion, when I meant to write conversation.....I'd chang it, but I don't know how.

Rand Launer said...

Chang it?
Is this another racial words
coverstion?
Ha.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
(Notice some of my
"post removed by author"
moments. I couldn't figure out how to change them either!!! Dang!)

Unknown said...

OK Rand! So I'm a creative speller! If someone would tell me how to correct my spelling on this here dang machine I could be way less interesting, besides, why do we need all them extrey letters????

I get many pleasing comments on my new had painted blouse by the way.

Unknown said...

Hand painted....better?

Rand Launer said...

Spelrin.
Don't wrorry about that.

I have the same problem.

Brain to fingers to keyboard to screen is a long way to go from idea.
It mess's me up plenty
every day.
Spell check is just another
computer monster.
So keep a'writen and don't even think about it.
We know what you meant.

Rik Elswit said...

My aunt and uncle had the foresight to insist that I take typing lessons one summer when I was 13. Never typed again until I got my first computer 25 years later. I was amazed at how quickly it came back. Stuff you learn when you're young seems to stay with you forever.

Songs I learned learned in the 60s, and haven't played since, are still locked into my muscle memory. Stuff I learned to teach students with in, say, the last five years goes away immediately, unless I add it to my book. So these days, my students will either learn what I already know, or they'll bring me in a song that I want to add to my book. That's the way I learned the Gerhard arrangement or "The Water is Wide".

Currently working on a Dan Bruce arrangement of "Embraceable You", which satisfies my other criterion of learning anything that makes Norma melt.

Gary and Susan Mullen said...

O.K. Rik...Next time maybe we can get you to flex some of that Muscle Memory and sing "Red Rubber Ball". I'm not sayin' It's gonna make me MELT, but your's was always the coolest version.
***CHECKKED WITH SPULL CHUCKER***

Rik Elswit said...

My misspellings are consistent, based on the fact that my dyslexia only shows up when I'm typing.

Rand Launer said...

I was wondering if that applies to your name.
I mean, like, R-i-k.

Spelling stuff is of little consequence, but
like the devil, it's always there an ya' always
gotta fight it.

Rik Elswit said...

Rand, I was originally Richard, but was taken in by relatives who already had a son with that name. So he became Dick and I became Rick. In spite of the fact that I got the better part of the deal, I was a little put out at having my name changed, so I customized it.

The fun came when I was introduced to the concept of silent letters in school. I, and another friend who was too smart for his own good, figured out that you could have silent numbers, too. So I became Ri53k, with a silent 53.

We later went on to dealing with invisible letters and numbers. We later got kicked out of school.

Rand Launer said...

Rik...
What an interesting answer.
I would have guessed it was just a whim but the
real story is so much more.
I'm fascinated by words
and origins of names.
Thanks for the story.

Diane Smith said...

Dear Ri53k, with a silent 53:

You are a genius. I hope you know that.

Unknown said...

I agree with Ri53k, wy do we ned al thse extra letrs, phone shld be fone. The French are really nuts, they just stick letters in for absolutly no logical reason, such as depot???? go figure.....