As we slide into 2025, here’s a timely reminder that gratitude is the highest vibration and there’s always, always something to be grateful for, right?
Enjoy “Sweet Happy Life”, an awesomely uplifting song by Peggy Lee, for once NOT Leon Russell, because my grandkids persist in pleading with me, “NO MORE LEON RUSSELL, GRANDMA!”
Happy New Year!
Not a lot, except we’ve always celebrated BOTH holidays with highly decorated trees and menorahs and it’s going to be an extra festive week since the first night of Hanukkah starts at sundown on Christmas Day.
The reason why Hanukkah is so late this year is because it follows the Hebrew calendar which is based on the lunar cycle, different from the solar-based Gregorian calendar.
These two holidays converge an average of five times a century, Since 1900, the first night of Hanukkah has fallen on December 25 five times: 1910, 1921, 1959, 2005, and now 2024.
Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!
Now it’s a perfect time for some Leon Russell trivia…
Record producer Phil Spector spent several sessions recording a collection of songs with his Wrecking Crew for a Christmas album. One of the greatest moments during those sessions was when “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)” was recorded by Darlene Love.
Leon Russell was one of three piano players and Darlene said that Leon got into the song so much “he played a like a man possessed; it was almost like a concerto. He played himself right off the bench and onto the floor and kept playing.” Leon was about twenty years old at the time.
At the same recording session, Cher did some background vocals and Sonny Bono was on percussion!
Enjoy these holiday songs from the one and only Master of Space and Time, Leon Russell…
Not your usual Christmas music, but SO VERY Leon. For you Grateful Dead fans (not me), this was recorded with Jerry Garcia at the Armadillo World Headquarters November 1972.
The world lost Leon Russell eight years ago on November 13, 2016. He was and will always be the absolutely gorgeous Master of Space and Time. He is so very missed. I hope that our collective and continued love for Leon offers his family some small comfort as they remember his life. We will never forget him or his musical genius that still brings so much joy.
According to his mother, Leon Russell’s first words happened as a result of observing some birds…“What’s the matter little birdie, you cry?” She was shocked because Leon had never before spoken. For some reason, that sweet story touches my heart. Maybe it was a bluebird.
This Mary Oliver poem about a bluebird seems to convey what I can’t figure out how to say.
What Gorgeous Thing
I do not know what gorgeous thing
the bluebird keeps saying,
his voice easing out of his throat,
beak, body into the pink air
of the early morning. I like it
whatever it is. Sometimes
it seems the only thing in the world
that is without dark thoughts.
Sometimes it seems the only thing
in the world that is without
questions that can’t and probably
never will be answered, the
only thing that is entirely content
with the pink, then clear white
morning and, gratefully, says so. — Mary Oliver
Bluebird by Leon Russell
*Featured photo credit to Enchanted Seashells of scrub jay
This full moon + lunar eclipse sparked such wild dreams that I’m almost afraid to fall asleep. Has this happened to you?
Last night I dreamed that I was in a large supermarket which is kind of unusual for me because I do most of my real life shopping at Traders and Sprouts. I stood in the checkout line with a shopping cart full of food. When it was my turn to pay, I realized that I didn’t have any money or any credit cards; they had disappeared from my wallet. I was SO embarrassed and had to leave the store. People were watching me in that covert, silently judgmental way.
To make matters worse, I couldn’t locate my car. It’s not that I forgot where it was; my car had been stolen. When I thought about it, I realized that my credit cards had also been stolen, so I called the police, sat on the curb and waited.
That’s when I woke up.
I hate it when I don’t have a satisfactory resolution to my dreams; the feeling of loss and confusion can linger for hours after I wake up. Now I’ll never know who stole my car and credit cards. I’m still there, sitting on the curb, sad and stressed out.
I don’t even want to research the symbolism of that dream; I just want to forget it.
“Thanks, full moon, for a disturbing night’s sleep.”
Because I love to add music to posts, here’s Neil Young’s Harvest Moon:
I’ve been having strange dreams again. Apparently the 9/9 portal might be the culprit, or maybe it’s a result of this oppressive heat wave in Southern California, which seems as if it will never end.
The 9/9 Energy Portal is a sacred gateway of powerful energies that invites us to step into a time of profound spiritual growth, completion, and transformation. As the energies of the cosmos align, this portal opens the door to new beginnings, urging us to reflect, release, and renew our inner selves. angelladycrystalsboutique.com
In numerology, the number 9 is the symbol of completion, wisdom, and spiritual enlightenment.
These two dreams were the most intense:
I was waiting in the cell phone lot at the airport for a friend’s arrival when I got a notification that their flight was abruptly diverted to India. It made no sense, but that’s all I remember, except for feeling distraught because there was nothing I could do. Southern California diverted to India? Not to LA or Orange County, but halfway around the world? How odd is that? How random…and I can’t explain how inconsolable and dejected I felt as I had to drive home alone.
In the other dream, it started out OK, because, as I often do in real life, I ran up the steps to the top of my garden at dusk to look for coyotes. (That’s how I actually broke my wrist once upon a time.) However, in the dream, my backyard morphed into a recurring dream location that’s a mountainous hiking trail with a steep ridge. Crazy, but I often dream of this place which is more like Joshua Tree than anywhere else I can recall.
When I got to the top (no coyotes this time) and looked down, I thought I was following the garden trail back home, but the backyard no longer existed as I was now in that recurring dream place.
The sun disappeared completely into a dark and moonless night. It was cold and I realized that I was frightfully lost. I couldn’t find my way home. I started down one wrong trail after another, but there wasn’t any path that took me to a familiar place and my head was spinning with panic.
Still dreaming, I figured the best solution would be to simply stop aimlessly wandering and wait for the morning light as I was becoming more and more agitated. I wanted to go HOME.
That’s when I woke up. It was unsettling to feel so disoriented. I have no idea what it all means, but I thought of that Steve Winwood song, Cant Find My Way Home. I like this acoustic version:
Do you feel this way, too?
The days seem to be slipping through my fingers, dripping one by one like a faucet that can’t be turned off.
I can’t fix it, can’t stop it, can’t slow it down. MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday, it’s all the same, it’s going nowhere, it’s going everywhere. I turn and turn the handle but there’s nothing I can do to slow the incessant leak.
(Maybe this was the real message about all those plumbing problems I had a couple months ago.)
First it was January; then I blinked and it’s almost the end of August.
Where has the time gone?
I can’t put all the hours back on the clock, I can’t halt the inexorable passage of time, I can’t stop the sand in the hourglass from running through my fingers.
I don’t know what happened to time. It’s out of my control.
Everyone has heard the version that of Who Knows Where The Time Goes by Judy Collins, but I just learned the original artist and songwriter was Britain’s Sandy Denny. She had the voice of an angel.
Of course Judy Collins is magnificent:
I needed a brain cleanse from all the pictures and chatter about J.D. Vance* enjoying an intimate moment with his SOFA, so I had to share this cute little anecdote…
My son is/was a fairly good piano player. He started taking lessons when he was five years old because my mom thought he had talent along with some interest, so we brought home a pretty cool piano.
He was OK but not a prodigy. Even though family legend has been that we might be slightly related to a world renowned pianist, it didn’t seem to be his joy and after a few years, he quit playing except to entertain friends.
Now that there are Angel Kids, they seem to gravitate toward the piano when they visit. This last time, eight year old Angel Boy was pounding on it, driving me crazy.
I’d say, “Gentle, gentle, Use a gentle touch, PLEASE!” but he didn’t really understand what I meant.
Dad was off surfing (of course) so I couldn’t ask him to play something, as he could have demonstrated what I meant. Since I absolutely can’t play a note, I’m useless.
I had a brainstorm. Thinking that maybe he needed to SEE how the piano ought to be touched, we watched some of Leon Russell’s videos where AB could see the light, gentle touch used on the keys, and the beautiful sounds it would make.
We listened to a lot of Leon Russell’s magical music, I mean A LOT. Like I said, I’m obsessed, haha!
Since kids nowadays know more about the internet than we did at that age, he saw the sign of the red line under each video, to indicate that I had watched a LOT of Leon’s live performances.
“Grandma, did you really watch all of this?”
“I DID, I told you he is a musical genius, and I love to watch him sing and play piano.”
The next morning as I was making his fave buckwheat pancakes, I heard Angel Boy open the piano and start playing.
I could tell that he was trying to emulate the way he observed Leon’s hands glide across the keys-not pounding out sounds, but allowing each key to speak and tell a story and that’s when I knew my little buddy was hooked.
His performance was extemporaneously lyrical. Was I in heaven, or what?
When their visit was over and I was driving everyone to the airport, I paired my phone with the car and started to play (what else) Leon Russell.
From his car seat directly behind me, Angel Boy pleaded with me, “NO MORE LEON RUSSELL, GRANDMA! NO MORE!” He said he’d rather hear my favorite Swan Lake than hear ANOTHER song that he had been “forced” to listen to for DAYS. (However, he really liked “Tight Rope”, so I know he was actually listening.)
It was pretty funny, but I had done my job. Mission accomplished. Whether he knew it or not, my Angel Boy, representing a new generation, was already inspired by Leon Russell’s magical genius.
The legacy lives on. Now his parents need to get a piano and start lessons with a great teacher.
At the very least, he stopped pounding on the keys, so it was a win for me.
Leon’s mind blowing version of Over The Rainbow, always the master of space and time.
*J.D. Vance is the orange turd’s incredibly idiotic choice for vice president, not that it’ll matter ‘cos I predict that Kamala will WIN by a landslide.
Featured photo is Leon Russell as a child at the piano.
There was a recent WordPress writing prompt to describe what type of music you listen to — although I never follow a prompt, I did however, think about it and decided I didn’t give enough attention to Leon Russell.
(OK, I admit it, I’m still obsessed with Leon, especially since I had a light bulb moment as I watched a video of Leon and Willie Nelson in concert.)
I thought to myself, OMG, I was only ONE DEGREE from Leon Russell! It’s true.
In 2006, Willie came to San Diego to promote his own brand of biofuel– BioWillie. In a strange set of circumstances, I attended the Sustainable Biodiesel Summit where he talked about alternative fuels. I believe he was accompanied by Darryl Hannah but I can’t be sure…actually, I’m 100% sure but my laser focus was only on Willie.
(I’m an unlikely country music aficionado, but only for certain musicians and only at certain times. I like the old hillbilly stuff, too, like Hank Williams.)
Here’s what I know about myself: I have no fear when it comes to talking to anybody whether it’s a celebrity or a high ranking politician. Or His Holiness the Dalai Lama. No fear, none at all. It’s like my brain goes into a different space (and time haha) and I become hyper-focused on the interaction and I simply do it without thinking of anything, really. It’s a very strange feeling, but not unpleasant…
I can’t recollect the exact reason why, but I remember walking on the stage to introduce myself to Willie and he gave me a big, lovely bear hug in front of a roomful of people. Why did I do that? I have NO idea.
It was so random, so unexpected, and soso COOL.
And then, literally just this minute, it dawned on me that I was THAT CLOSE to Leon Russell and how it was a total and absolute missed opportunity.
After the first time I saw Leon Russell in concert in the 70s, he performed in San Diego at the Belly Up at least half a dozen times, the last time a few months before he died. I never saw him again. It’s one of my biggest life regrets.
I was ONE DEGREE AWAY FROM LEON RUSSELL!
I would have most definitely been brazen enough to introduce myself to him and recount my previous interaction with Willie. In the story I tell myself, after that encounter, we’d forge a lasting friendship. At least that’s how it plays out in the little fantasy world in my crazy head.
This is Part Two of my Leon Russell obsession –the master of space and time. I’ve travelled down a rabbit hole to learn all about who he was.
What is even more remarkable about his extraordinary talent is that he was born with cerebral palsy, causing some paralysis to his right side which resulted in a limp. It made him the target of bullies while growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the 1950s. Also because of this, he had to teach himself new ways to play the piano (and guitar).
I find him even more fascinating because I possess ZERO musical talent in any and every way. I can’t sing (you wouldn’t want me to), I can’t play an instrument, and I can barely keep the right count when I dance.
However, Leon Russell’s talents are forever; as a classically trained pianist, arranger, band leader, and songwriter.
Here’s Willie and Leon together:
Did you know that Leon played piano on many Beach Boys recordings?
Leon Russell and Glen Campbell were part of a group called the Wrecking Crew, first call session musicians in Los Angeles for Phil Spector. I can’t post it here, but look on YouTube for In Session – Glen Campbell & Leon Russell – 1983 https://youtu.be/TXHR_L6LeVo?si=thP93HlKfv1qrcy1
This a a compilation of many of Leon’s live concerts:
Herb Alpert had this to say about Leon Russell, “Leon was a wonderful musician and had a major effect on all of my recordings. His touch can be heard on many Tijuana Brass records, including “Whipped Cream” and “A Taste of Honey.” To top it off, Leon was a true gentleman with a special talent and he was a person that I had a great feeling for.”
In the early 1960s, before Leon became the long haired, very sexy blue-eyed pianist/songwriter/producer, he was the house pianist for the band on the Shindig TV show.
Here he is playing Roll Over, Beethoven.
Shindig again with Glen Campbell on banjo.
THIS! Delta Lady, one of my all-time faves. Leon wrote it for Joe Cocker (I never liked him) but does it so much better himself…some say it was written for Rita Coolidge.
To answer that expired prompt, right now it’s obvious that I listen to a lot of Leon Russell. Here’s a list of my recently downloaded playlist on my iphone:
One More Love Song
Magic Mirror
This Masquerade
It’s a Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall
Tight Rope
Delta Lady
Stranger in a Strange Land
and of course, A Song For You
I really hope I’ve inspired you to re-acquaint yourself with Leon Russell’s vast body of work and if you have never listened to him before, please do!
He will always be the master of space and time; a musical genius.
“I love you in a place where there’s no space or time…”
As I drove around town last week, I heard A Song for You by Leon Russell on the radio. I haven’t heard that song in years and years and it grabbed my heart just like it did decades ago. Others have covered this song, but no one does it like Leon.
I later found out that he passed away in 2016. I had no recollection of that and I’m so sorry that I didn’t know because I always loved his music, That was the same year that we lost David Bowie, Glenn Frey, Prince, Leonard Cohen, and George Michael! Can you imagine the loss of all that talent? Crazy.
In fact, I sort of recalled seeing him in concert –-once upon a time — and texted my friend that I used to go to concerts with (she’s the one who reminded me of the time I jumped on the stage to see Jim Morrison) and she totally remembered that we HAD seen him perform.
Back then — before smart phones — no one regularly documented each and every moment of their life, so I have to rely on my memory (or hers).
I’ve been listening to him on repeat for days; his voice was mesmerizing (he was gorgeous, too, with those beautiful eyes), and the story of how he lived and died nearly in obscurity because of poor life choices and poor health — is tragic.
In 2011, thanks to his good friend Elton John, he was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Even before he became famous, Russell had a career as a first call session pianist, performing with everyone from Frank Sinatra, Dylan, Streisand, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys.
“Russell was music’s North Star, pioneering a distinctly American sound that changed the career paths of stars, including Eric Clapton, George Harrison and Elton John. He created a band that became one of music’s most legendary live acts; made Mad Dogs & Englishmen, for Joe Cocker; stole the show from a white hot lineup of artists at the Concert for Bangladesh; became a star in his own right with solo albums that featured songs that became standards, including Song for You and This Masquerade; and inspired the icon Willie Nelson to create his enduring outlaw country persona.” https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/mar/05/he-was-central-to-music-history-the-forgotten-legacy-of-leon-russell
Featured image photo credit to The Daily Beast via Pinterest
I lovelove this song, and it’s perfect for the last full moon of 2023.
“It’s a marvelous night for a moon dance
With the stars up above in your eyes.”
Today, December 26, the full moon is in Cancer. Because of that, we might experience heightened emotions and feel some déjà vu. This Cold moon is all about healing old wounds, tapping into the supernatural, and accessing our intuition. It’s a reminder to sit in stillness with practices of introspection and awareness.
“You know the night’s magic seems to whisper and hush…”
Last night, the moon shone so brightly through the window that it woke me up. I’m glad I had remembered to put my crystals outside on the deck to savor the full moon’s cleansing energy.
Happy almost 2024!
Art curated from Pinterest
Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 