The “Muse Room” is the room in my house where I make music and my wife makes visual art. Published the first Friday of the month, each issue of Letters from the Muse Room includes news and updates about my music, as well as something that has inspired me creatively over the past month.
Dear friends,
This has been a good week to be a Kansas Citian. First, on Sunday, this happened:
Then (as a result), on Wednesday, this happened:
[Chiefs victory parade and rally at Union Station]
More on that in a moment.
But first, I have a new clip of music for you! I finally finished my first draft of the piano trio, and I was particularly excited about the way the ending turned out.
You can listen to the last minute of the piece, including the surprise ending, here: https://www.ajharbison.com/wp-content/uploads/pianotrioendingclip.mp3.
While I feel the ending fits the piece very well, it’s also an homage to one of my favorite pieces: Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. It’s a great piece, and you really should listen to the whole thing, but if you don’t have 23 minutes you can skip to the ending here.
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So… how ’bout those Chiefs??
I’ve been watching sports since I was a little kid, and I’ve always enjoyed watching sports, but it’s only recently that I’ve realized why. As I talk about in my artist statement, music for me is all about storytelling — and I’ve realized that that’s why I love sports, too. A football game, a whole football season, is a particular genre of story that’s being written in real time.
I’ve realized that the reason I enjoy watching football more than any other sport is because I feel like it writes the best stories.
In baseball, for example, each team takes a turn on offense in each inning. Nothing can change that; it’s part of the game.
But in football, everything can change in a moment — a surprising punt return, a fumble, an interception, a trick play, a runaway touchdown, and suddenly there’s a whiplash-worthy twist and the whole story changes.
(Or, you know, 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl.)
The Chiefs have written a pretty amazing story this season, culminating in their first Super Bowl win in 50 years (they won Super Bowl IV before it was even called the Super Bowl, in 1970).
My wife, my daughter and I braved the cold and the crowds to attend the victory parade on Wednesday, and it was fun to celebrate a great happy ending.
I hope you find some inspiration in unexpected stories this month.
Till next time!
Peace,
AJ Harbison