Now Playing : Chester And Maggie

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I develop most of my musical ideas by playing around on the keyboard. I change from one instrument patch to another and often the instrument suggests a progression of notes which eventually evolve into a tune.

One day in the Winter of 1987, while riding the subway to work, a melody just popped into my head as though someone had planted it there. I was struck by this because it was so different from my usual creative process. The melody stuck in my head and I played it on my mental phonograph for years afterward, never attempting to record it. As my career in I.T. became more demanding and soul sucking, my creative muse began to wither. I gave up my musical pursuits and concentrated solely on my career. Big mistake!

Decades later, I found myself visiting at my sister’s house and watching their black Lab Chester playing with Maggie, a Golden Retriever belonging to a family friend. Watching Chester and Maggie play together was an uplifting experience. Their running and wrestling had an almost choreographed quality to it, as if they were communicating steps and moves to one another in some non-verbal fashion. For years, Chester and Maggie were incredibly close, playing and even napping together. It was a joyful sight.

In retrospect, that may have been the moment that my creative muse returned because as I watched, that melody began to play inside my head. It seemed to fit the bouyant carefree style of their playing and so, my thoughts once again turned towards music. A few years later, I found a job that wasn’t totally draining and that left me with a bit of energy at the end of the day. I began the work of actually recording some of the tunes that were taking shape in my head. You’ll find those tunes on this Website and in honour or Chester, I call them “LabbyTunes”.

“Chester and Maggie” is my fouth LabbyTune, but not my last! Sadly, Maggie has left us but Chester lives on as of this writing. In his old age, he has developed into a beautiful soul. He now has a younger sister named Cleo, who he was very quick to take under his wing. I often wonder though, if he dreams of Maggie and the wonderful adventures they had together.

 

If he does, maybe this is the soundtrack to one of those dreams.