5 on Friday - Set 180

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

This week I'm handing the set list over to my uncle, Charles Doucet (father of my historical-romance-novelist cousin, Julianne MacLean.)

My uncle has been a musician, among many other things, for most of his life. He's heading off today for a three-day art show with his painterly photography collection at Victoria Park, across from the Public Gardens on Spring Garden Road, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. If you aren't in the area, you can check out his web site where all pieces are available (just contact him through the web site.)

Brad and I are heading over this afternoon to visit my aunt and uncle at the show -- that's them pictured above at their 50th wedding anniversary celebration last summer.

And now...over to you, Uncle Charlie.

~~~

Charlie Doucet’s 5 Tunes from Musicians of Influence

1 - St. Thomas - Barney Kessel

Barney Kessel:  My first and greatest influence as a beginning teenaged, potential jazz guitar player! Bought his album, “The Poll Winners, with Ray Brown on Bass, ( another major influence!,) Shelly Manne on drums. Wore the album out attempting to duplicate what I heard thru my 331/3 LP player in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

2 - All the Things You Are - Hank Garland

Hank Garland: A very tasty guitar player… I learned his tune, “Relaxin”, back in the 1960’s and it’s in my repertoire to this day.

3 - Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me - Ed Bickert

Ed Bickert: A Canadian, working out of Toronto, is recognized as one of the best jazz guitarist in the world. He plays guitar on the Moe Koffman hit, “Swinging Shepard Blues.” Also backed up Paul Desmond, the alto sax player formerly with Dave Brubeck of “Take 5” fame.

4 - Django in Paris - Joe Pass

 Joe Pass: A superb and truly amazing  jazz guitarist! His playing is immaculate, every note true and crystal clear, even at fast and furious tempos. I have a number of his teaching DVDs…too bad he has passed away… a real loss to up and coming guitarists looking for a creative path to follow!

5 - Lady Be Good - Ray Brown

Ray Brown: A Bass Player of impeccable talent. The foundation of time for any musicians he played with… such as Barney Kessel, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitsgerald and countless others. At 76 years old, he had just finished a golf game, went to bed in his hotel room for a nap before an evening performance… and didn’t wake up… another great loss!

5 on Friday - Set 127

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

As the kick-off to our 20th anniversary celebration, my husband and I enjoyed a stellar night out on Tuesday at the Schooner Room to see John Pizzarelli, headlining the jazz festival here in Halifax.

It was an awesome evening.

Joining us for such a superb performance were my Aunt Noel and Uncle Charlie, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary out at the lake where my sister and Newt were married. I'm sure Auntie and Uncle thought John Pizzarelli was singing every love song for them, because Brad and I sure thought he was singing them for us.

Here's a shot of my aunt and uncle saluting one another at their 50th.

1 - Harvest Moon 

2 - Satin Doll

3 - I Feel Fine

4 - C Jam Blues

5 - Hit That Jive Jack

At the end of the show, where my family had their own table up front (Mom, Aunt Noel and Uncle Charlie, my Uncle Warren visiting from Michigan, my cousin Julianne MacLean, my sister Michelle and her husband Newt, plus Brad and me) we bought copies of his new CD which he autographed. Then we got our picture taken together--great job, Brad!

L to R: moi, John Pizzarelli, Julianne and Michelle (AKA Daisy Piper)

5 on Friday - Set 77

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Last week urban fantasy writer A.C. Ruttan shared a playlist from her creative process as she wrote Incarnate.

This week, I'll take you inside some of the inspiration for my Scorpius serial - his boyhood backstory - as well as the adult storyline for which I received requests at the writers' conference. Lots of Scorpius on the brain, these days, from two age ranges.

1 - Stabat Mater by Vivaldi - Philippe Jaroussky

The opening section is my favorite part (first 2 minutes.)



2 - La Stravaganza Concerto 6 in G minor by Vivaldi - Sir Neville Marriner, The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

The section that begins at the 2:50 mark is the part that belongs to my Scorpius tale.



3 - Recercada No. 1 by Diego Ortiz - Flanders Recorder Quartet



4 - Mandolin Music for Renaissance Faires - Allan and Alexandra Alexander



5 - Credo from Missa da Pacem by Jacobus de Kerle - Paul van Nevel, Huelgas Ensemble



An added bonus track:

Last weekend I shot some footage for my uncle, who played a gig at an art gallery with my aunt. Here's the video of one of their repertoire, Wave by Antonio Carlos Jobim. In the video you'll see kids playing on an art piece down at the Halifax waterfront entitled Wave.

The footage I shot was the musical performance and my uncle's art pieces on display at the gallery, the stuff outside the gallery, etc.

Uncle Charlie added other footage he'd shot of the waterfront area and Halifax Harbour.

Virtual Advent Tour - 2010 - My 1000th Post!!

Welcome to this year's edition of the Virtual Advent Tour. The tour has been running for five years now, and this is my third year participating.

As a lifelong Christmas devotee, I was in an odd place during the Christmas of 2007, when I first came across this blog event. My dad had passed away nine months earlier, my grandmother had just passed away at the beginning of that December, and my father-in-law was in the last month of his life.

I was a little numb. A part of me reached out for Christmas, while another part of me could only watch Christmas stumble past. When I found this blog tour of other Christmas enthusiasts, writing about all the things that made this season special for them - it was a lifeline to sanity. It helped me to celebrate even in the midst of my sorrow.














So now I'd like to invite you to the most special night of the year for my family - Christmas Eve.

My family and my cousin's family grew up together, more as one group of eight rather than two groups of four. We were constantly at one another's homes, so the evening of Christmas Eve needed to be super special.

We began dressing up in our most formal wear for this biggest night on our social calendar. When we were kids, we settled in to watch the Christmas TV specials that were on, like Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, The Grinch and A Charlie Brown Christmas.

That's me above, waiting for my second wind, with my cousin Julianne looking on, and our Gram. We're pictured in Auntie's living room, where the adults gathered for drinks and to chat while the kids played around the house and chatted our little-kid chats. We always knew we had progressed into a new era of our lives when we gravitated toward sitting with the adults rather than hanging out in the TV room with the kid hors d'oeuvres of cheesies and pop.


















As we got older, we stopped eating the kids' meal of hotdogs and french fries, and we discovered the wonders of my aunt's seafood bisque, a dish I dream about all year long.














She's usually busy stirring it as we arrive, because it can't be left unattended even for a second.
































Spouses were folded into the mix, and new little cousins as they appeared.





















My musical family began having a musical Christmas Eve. It's an East Coast tradition to have impromptu musical parties erupting in homes all over this region. But we do rehearse just a tad. We try to keep our performance pieces as secret from each other as we can so there will be a bit of a surprise for everyone.
























There's always the possibilty that we try to dress up on this special night as a way of keeping the silliness factor under control.

But as you can see, it only ever meets with mixed success.



































This year we'll be in Toronto to celebrate with my husband's family.

*insert excited squeal*

But the East Coast Christmas Eve will carry on while we're enjoying the love and hugs from our Big City family and friends.

From our celebration to yours, may you have the Merriest of Christmases.

Thank you to Kailana @ The Written World and Marg @ Adventures of an Intrepid Reader for hosting this beautiful event. ((hugs)) to you!

Thursday Thirteen - 147 - 13 Creative Works by My Uncle, Renaissance Man Charles E. Doucet

It's a huge crowd here today for the opening of my Uncle Charlie's art show here at A Piece of My Mind.

Come in! Come in! Have some chocolate-dipped strawberries, some grapes and cheese. A glass of wine.

Uncle Charlie is front and center for the family portrait. He's usually behind the camera! Take a picture, quick - Oh, well, he's picking up his guitar, getting ready for a jazz duo with his wife, my Aunt Noel. That's how it is with Uncle Charlie. That's why he's the Renaissance Man Extraordinaire.

As more guests arrive to the gallery, let's find a spot to enjoy Uncle Charlie's original composition which he wrote with Auntie especially for this art opening.

1 - Jazz guitar original composition



*clapping*

Oh, I just love the buttery-smooth tone of his guitar.

In case you need a bass player, he can play electric bass, as well. And if your keyboard player can't make it, he can take that gig, as well.



Uncle Charlie is a musician, composer, painter, wood carver, photographer, film and television producer and former underwater filmmaker.

That's him back in the day with an underwater camera casing, out at my favorite spot on earth, Polly Cove.








This is my favorite of his fine art photographs, taken out at my favorite piece of heaven.



- 2 Two Boulders










A lifelong fisherman, wilderness camper and hunter, Uncle Charlie has trekked deep into pristine forests to get amazing shots like Family of Wolves and Lynx in Tree.





- 3 Family of Wolves










- 4 Lynx in Tree








At some point, Uncle Charlie thought - hey, why not try painting?




- 5 An early painting














For most of his career, Uncle Charlie has been writing, producing, directing and editing radio and television commercials, regional TV series, documentaries and corporate videos. Here's a promo for a piece he did about our city of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

6 - Halifax Harbour: A Geological Journey





There's a strong attachment to the sea for Maritimers, and it gives my uncle a recurring theme in many of his pieces.



7 - Dory Silhouette






















8 - Driftwood art photography




9 - Driftwood Twists














10 - A favorite driftwood face












11 - The Viking King






Uncle Charlie has turned his attention more recently to wood carving. Some of his creations do double duty as holiday greeters for the family Christmas Eve dinner.
















A passionate gardener, his affinity for growing things leads to another strong element to his photography.



12 - Grapes












13 - Amaryllis Leaves













Oh - there's the artist now! Uncle Charlie - ((hug)) - I'm so glad you decided to have a show here on my blog. I absolutely love your new website, Charles E. Doucet Creatives.


You mean you built your website yourself?


The Renaissance Man shrugs. What can he say?




And here comes his daughter, historical romance author Julianne MacLean. "Hi, Cuz!" she smiles.



Oh, Julianne - your dad's art show is really amazing.










Her brother Charlie runs up to join us.


"This is awesome!" he says.













And Uncle Charlie's sister - my mom - and his wife, my Aunt Noel join us just as another tray of cheesecake squares and Cape Breton 'pork pies' (maple and date tarts) goes by.

Mmm...I think I'll nab a few of those...

Auntie, I loved your flute in the music video.

"Oh, thank you!" she says.

The crowd continues to stroll past the art work, and Uncle Charlie is busy chatting to guests. Thank you so much for coming to my latest art show! If we're lucky, they might pick up their guitar and flute again...

Robin says Wow, a Renaissance Man is right - he's extraordinary! I love his nature photography. Thank you so much for sharing your Uncle Charles with us.

Julianne MacLean says Wow - what a fun show! I'm very proud of my Dad. He is such an inspiration to me - and so are you, Julia, my lovely cuz, for hosting his art show at your exquisite "blogallery." Great start to my day :)

Uncle Charlie says My daughter Julianne described it nicely in her comment,a "blogallery." I loved your creative approach to displaying the various images...a virtual art gallery tour complete with the obligatory wine and cheese offerings, ( and how about those chocolate covered strawberries!!) Your Auntie Noel, (my dear wife,) and I thank you for your thoughtfulness and creativity in your very impressive blog...see you soon!

Poetry Train Monday - 134 - Holding Christmas Near

Welcome to a brand new year aboard the Poetry Train!




Here is my newest poem, freshly crafted this evening. For more poetry, Ride the Poetry Train!





















Holding Christmas Near


Not yet ready
To put Christmas away
Not yet ready

Mom whipped up a
Huge pasta dinner
Mom gathered us to her
Not yet ready to put Christmas away

The tree remains
Stands at a safe distance from
Neighboring eyes
The tree remains
Behind closed blinds, brightly shining
We still hold Christmas near

My husband and I clear the way to this table
Clear the way through the fresh page of snowfall
My husband and I clear the way for fresh starts
Mom gathers us round the table
Still holding Christmas near

My sister and her honey bundle up through the cold
My sister and her honey bring news and laughter
Mom gathers them round the table
Still holding Christmas near

Not yet ready to put it all away
Auntie and Uncle bundle up through the cold
Auntie and Uncle bear smiles and hugs
Mom gathers them round the table
Still holding Christmas near

Uncle bears salad greens
Grown in his greenhouse
Grown with no heat source but the sun
We eat the earth’s bounty
Freshly picked this January day

The tree remains
The lights still shine
The laughter still erupts
The appetite for family never wanes
Still holding Christmas near

- Julia Smith, Jan. 3, 2010

Madeline D. Murray says I like how the repetition evokes the comfort of the stability of family.

Akelamalu says Well we've put Christmas away - but then we have to pack for our cruise next week! LOL

Ms Snarky Pants says If I had a bigger house I'd get a pink tree and leave it up year round with different decorations for every holiday. :-D

Thursday Thirteen - 138 - 13 Things We'll Be Doing This Christmas Eve

For all of you celebrating Christmas, my deepest wishes for a wonder-filled holiday.

This is what I'll be up to this Christmas Eve, my favorite day of the whole year.














1 - Hugs - loads of them. This one features my mom and Auntie Noel.














2 - Silliness - in abundance. Partaking here are my cousin Charlie, my husband Brad and me.














3 - Eating the meal I anticipate for the other 364 days of the year - my auntie's lobster bisque...mmm...














4 - More silliness - from my cousin Julianne and her husband Stephen, demonstrating romance novel clinch cover style.














5 - Laughing - demonstrating proper laugh technique is my mom, sitting with my cousin's wife Heather.


















6 - Shooting lots of video footage, usually done by Stephen.














7 - Combine hosting and musical director duties, always done by Uncle Charlie.














8 - Play music - performed here by my cousin Julianne's daughter, Laura, with wee dancer Sarah, my cousin Charlie's daughter.














9 - Clap! Shown here are clappers Mom and Julianne.


















10 - Play percussion, shown by enthusiastic drummer, Charlie's daughter Emily.














11 - Sing! Shown here are my sister Michelle and Mom.














12 - More silliness - it's important to keep the vibe flowing regularly throughout the evening, as demonstrated here by top silly pros Charlie, Heather, Sarah and Emily.














13 - Chill - remember to weave liberal amounts of chillin' throughout the silliness, fun and frivolity. Expert chill technique demonstrated here by Julianne's and Stephen's dog, Molly, cuddling with Stephen's aunt.

Michelle Johnson says Hope you have more silliness than you can stand.

Susan Helene Gottfried says Wow. Talk about tidings of joy, Julia.

Akelamalu says Have a wonderful Christmas Julia.