Without a plan

This month's update has been a bit more challenging to conjure than usual ... in part, I think, because there is a shift underway that involves letting go of something to create space for something new that I am just barely beginning to taste. Last month included two big events: first, I coordinated a practice gathering with Lama Rod Owens; the following week, I flew to Amsterdam to present this talk at the Rhythm Changes jazz studies conference on Ornette Coleman's music and its implications for liberatory organizing. (If this sort of thing is in your nerd zone, I'd love your feedback on it!)

But as an experiment, rather than writing about what happened last month, I'll share a few words about what seems to be around the corner...

The turn of the calendar month into October will mark two big milestones: Catalyst Cooperative Healing will move into office space in downtown Holyoke and I'll make my first trip to New York to begin work on the album project. Although I'll still be working from home for the most part, both of these moves are big steps towards something new, despite not having a clear sense of where exactly they are taking me. I don't know much about what that newness portends; it's both exciting and terrifying.

Thank you so much to the four of you who are already supporting the album project on Ampled—the support is so deeply apprecitated. That's almost half-way towards the 10 supporters I need to officially join the cooperative as an artist-owner. If you have the means to support the project for as little as $3 per month, please consider getting in on the ground floor! I recently brought all three horns in for a tune-up and have been enjoying the opportunity to practice more regularly again.

In the meantime, I look forward to welcoming the fall season here, my favorite time of year in the Connecticut River Valley. Next month, I'll have more to say about how this is all going. Thanks again for coming along for the ride.