Many, many many musicians inspire me, as I am sure they inspire you, too.  They play different instruments, they were born a few years ago or a hundred years ago, they are from different parts of the world, but they all do the same thing:  they make something incredible from nothing.

The musician I happen to be thinking of today is Mr. Art Blakey.  Using only four drums and about as many cymbals, Mr. Blakey could create mind-blowing compositions of sound; he could coax an incredibly wide range of colors and textures from his drums.  Listening to Blakey play is like leaving your body for a little while to visit some otherwordly, enlightened place.  I am always in a lag time listening to him, as I struggle to  contemplate something he just played while he has already moved on to something else that will demand even more contemplation.

The picture above is my attempt to show something of what I hear and feel when I listen to him play– the colors, the patterns, the textures all suggest the impression I feel when I listen to him play.

Thank you Mr. Blakey for the wonderful music you gave us.