Thrilling!  That’s the word that keeps coming up.  Absolutely thrilling!  Inspirational music took on new levels of inspiration last night as both Jenny Burton and Chieli Minucci and Friends closed out Series II in majestic form.

As I stood in the back of the room with the Missus and watched and listened and teared-up and danced, I was aware that we had reached, yet again, new heights.  This was an evening to be remembered.  (As if all the others weren’t?)  This was quickly becoming the new standard.

Here were four master musicians (Chieli Minucci, Philip Hamilton, Alan Grubner and Jenny Burton) taking us on rides of wonder, flights of daring, and journeys into the music of their minds revealing places never before visited.  Here was music pouring out of the minds and souls of master musicians – the kind of experiences that make us mere mortals sit in fascination and stand and scream in exhaustion when it’s over.

Standing ovations a-plenty:  In this day of seemingly obligatory standing ovations, no matter what the talent, here was musical number after musical number ending with the audience jumping to their feet in honor of what had just been given.

All the hard work that we have put into this, all the hassles, all the mental mind-games that we have played to pull it all off in the middle of this world music crisis were paid off.

Now I can begin to prepare Series III, starting in July, with the renewed energy of that night, those people, those musicians, that promise.

583 Park Avenue rocked.  The audience got ten times their money’s worth and went home with music coursing through their minds and hearts.  And, after all, ain’t that the point of all this?

A woman came up to me afterwards and wildly exclaimed, “I had forgotten how to listen to music!  I used to do it all the time, but I’ve gotten away from it in these last years and never knew how much I missed it.  Tonight, just sitting here, focused on the wonders of these players and the intensity of Jenny’s commitment just brought me back to myself.  I won’t miss another of these.   Thank you!”

Now if that isn’t a quote to close Series II, I don’t know what is!  She got it.  So did the rest as well.

Jenny Burton’s act was based on the theme of “She’s back”.  That’s the end of that.  It’s now official.  She never went away from us.  She’s the Jenny of old / the Jenny of new.  Still the thrill, but now with a somehow deeper life resolution poured into each moment.  Her new closer, Peter Gabriel’s In Your Eyes spoke well of it.

All my instincts, they return
And the grand facade, so soon will burn
Without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside

In your eyes
The light the heat
In your eyes
I am complete
In your eyes
I see the doorway to a thousand churches
In your eyes
The resolution of all the fruitless searches
In your eyes
I see the light and the heat
In your eyes
Oh, I want to be that complete
I want to touch the light
The heat I see in your eyes

Was she talkin’ to God? Perhaps.  But to me she was simply speaking from the heart to her devoted audience.  She accomplished her mission.  I watched her.  She touched the light.

And Chieli and Friends…  I don’t know where to start.  These guys’ instruments (Chieli – Guitar, Alan – Violin and Philip — Hand Drum and Vocals) are simply extensions of their musical minds – whatever they think comes out in musical mastery.  This is what all the practice comes to.

While you and I were out playing baseball when we were kids, these were the kids who were home alone in their rooms workin’ on their chops, playing those scales – lost in the world of their music.

When I was a kid one of my best friends was a little boy who was a polio victim.  He was a tiny, skinny little kid whose left arm dangled like a limp rope from his shoulder.  He had an imagination at war just like I did.  We could sit in a dark closet and shoot the Germans for hours after school, but he always had to leave at 4:30 to go home because of his weakness.

He went home each day and went up to his room to rest, I suppose, but up there he practiced the saxophone.  He grew up to be David Sanborn, one of the world’s great saxophone players over the last several decades.

Chieli, Philip and Alan are these special kinds of humans — men who have mastered their instruments and are now reaping the rewards of all that practice.

Actually, it is we who reap the rewards.

They’ll all be back – and more.

Stay tuned for Series III – coming this summer.