Matt Alber Hits Fifty…!

[Image description: Matt playing keyboard]

Actually, Matt Alber has just turned forty. Which, quite naturally, is just wonderful! The old adage states that, “Life begins at forty.” Though to be honest, Matt appears to have been seizing at what his span has to offer for quite some years now. As an exemplar to us all, his existence led as he sees fit and following wherever his dreams lead, he is greatly to be admired.

Also absolutely fantastic - but not quite the same order of fabulousness - is the fact that my article published on 26th June 2013 (6.26.2013) on Matt Alber in Birmingham (not Alabama!) (see screen-shot image below) has breached fifty thousand (50,000 ; 50K) viewings this February. Unless the same few folk have been revisiting over and over, that means some fifty thousand individuals have read my blog-post. Truly humbling.

I do not think for one moment it has anything whatsoever to do with my writing, but rather interest in the subject himself, the eponymous singer - musician - composer - photographer - artists’ model - cum - occasional silk screen-printer. This multi-talented chap just keeps on surprising his fans: last year a cultural exchange trip to ostensibly homophobic Russia, whence Matt received a right royal welcome; this year celebrating his birthday with new friends in Sudan, where he has been supporting and singing with Sudanese choirs.

The chap who practices love-in-action (aka agape), better than many a so-called (mean-spirited) Christian, requested that instead of fortieth birthday gifts, donations be made to a young people’s homelessness charity, Larkin Street Youth Services, in his base residence of San Francisco. Whilst appearing to be a living saint, Matt does admit to faults, possibly even vices, in his lyrics - well, that is assuming his compositions are autobiographical and not simply fictional narrative. We all are well aware that assumption is the mother of all f*ck-ups (after “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”): so, Matt probably IS in actuality a saint!

I suppose I have created my own beatific altar to saintly Matt via by blog-posts on him, but from a readership angle especially the Brum one. Although from a personal perspective my ginger take is more of an homage - he certainly gets me all numinous!

Looking at my iTunes list of twenty-five most played pieces of music (see image above), it is not until position sixteen that another artist gets a look-in and a separate artist at number twenty-two. Thirty-three of my top fifty most played are Matt Alber tracks, i.e. two-thirds. (In my top 100, Daniel Barenboim playing Chopin makes thirteen appearances; then Eva Cassidy and Bahramji & Maneesh de Moor with eight appearances apiece; next with three hits each Sébastien Tellier and Sir Neville Marriner conducting Bach pieces. Which should point to the fact I am no musicologist!)

Whilst from pure number of plays, “End of the World” would appear to be my favourite track; it is in fact “Wallingford”. I was thrilled when Matt actually sang this in Birmingham. And I have never recovered from the erasing of the live video-recording which my normally very meticulous technical assistant somehow lost in the transfer process.

I was hoping Matt might reprieve the track last summer in Manchester; but it was not to be. Matt was as personable in M/cr as he had been in B’ham: a perfect English gentleman. Having watched videos on youtube, I know his speaking accent becomes less “American” over here in Blighty; though his sung articulation appears not to be affected by his peregrinations.

Unfortunately, I was having one of my extended periods of ill-health at the time of Matt’s Mancunian visit and so had to be whisked off by my carer as soon as the concert ended, and so could not chat with him, as after the Brummie recital. For this reason also, I never managed to write an item on his wonderfully generous performance.

My muscles were weak and I was suffering sporadic, unpredictable spasming, exacerbated by having to use stairs due to there being no disabled access to the venue. The photographs I endeavoured to take were pretty awful. The image at the head of this posting and below are from the event: the best I have to share I regret.

[Image description: Matt playing guitar]

Finally, my thanks to those of you who read my articles, even if only the Matt Alber ones. And of course, my gratitude to Matt… for his music… for being himself… and sharing himself with us. Looking forward to the next album - no pressure now! ;)

Quaker Meeting & Worship

On Sunday I went to church, well Quaker Meeting actually. I have been attending my local Meeting House sporadically for a couple of years now, often with an old collegiate friend. However, I have dipped in and out of various Meetings around Cheshire/Lancashire (NW England) over more than two decades. Due to my ill-health and especially my disabilities, I cannot get to a Meeting by myself and there is not always someone who can transport/take me. However, when I do attend I love it. The meditative communal silence is nothing like personal meditation: there's a vibrancy; a sense of a living entity; a oneness that defies explanation. I suppose one might call it an hour of the numinous (Numinous).

During this week's service part of Quaker Faith & Practice was read out. Below I cite 10.3 from Chapter 10 (Quakerweb), a long quotation which really is worth reading through:

The Religious Society of Friends is organised into local meetings, each of which should be a community. It is our search for God's way that has drawn us together. In our meeting we can each hope to find love, support, challenge, practical help and a sense of belonging. We should bring ourselves as we are, whatever our age, our strength, our weakness; and be able to share friendship and warmth.

Some of us now live away from our families; some of us move house quite often. Although surrounded by others we may be leading isolated and lonely lives. It is important that our meetings welcome newcomers warmly and that we include them in invitations to our homes

Our sense of community does not depend on all professing identical beliefs, for it grows from worshipping together, knowing one another, loving one another, accepting responsibilities, sharing and working together. We will be helped by tried and tested Quaker methods and procedures, but the meeting will only live if we develop a sense of community, which includes children and adults alike. If all those who belong to our meeting are lovingly cared for, the guidance of the spirit will be a reality. The celebration and commemoration of life's great events draw us together as we share the occasion and rejoice or mourn with one another.

Our shared experience of waiting for God's guidance in our meetings for worship and for church affairs, together with careful listening and gentleness of heart, forms the basis on which we can live out a life of love with and for each other and for those outside our community.

The sense of love & oneness, unity if one will, is tangible, despite many folk being strangers to one another. This is an active living embodiment of the sentiment Jesus expressed to John and his disciples and followers. John 13:34-35 states:

"A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. / By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Quaker worship differs from many others' religious acts in that what binds us together in worship is not what we believe or do not believe, but what we do. It is an expression of agape (ἀγάπη) or love-in-action. It is the inclusivity that Christ preached, but which is so often lacking in the exclusivist denominations and religions, where one can only belong if one does, says and believes exactly the same as others. We Quakers allow for individuality within communal worship, it adds to each Meeting's distinctiveness. It is a given that we are all at different stages in our spiritual walks. No-one is looked down upon including the atheist, the agnostic or the doubter: for even they have something to contribute to the holistic unity.

During the Meeting I shared a picture of us all playing Ring-a-ring-o'-roses, a game where all hold hands in a circle and which allows for new players to join in simply by the outstretching of hands towards one another. A simple act of welcome and inclusion. At the end of our hour we shake hands with one another much like the sharing of peace in some churches. This is a physical expression of our shared humanity.

I am not saying that Quaker worship is best nor even better than this or that. It suits me, my personality, my individuality; and my ego is added to the collective identity. I am at once an individual and a part of a community, a member of a body of worshippers.

Quakers do not sing together - at least I have never experienced such. However, during last Sunday's get-together the words of an old song (©Kingsway) from the seventies came to mind:

"Bind us together Lord;

bind us together,

with cords that cannot be broken.

Bind us together Lord;

bind us together;

bind us together with Love."