Hartbeat Ensemble/Plays in the Parks
Blue Back Square/West Hartford, CT

I spent last Saturday playing duets with one of my best musical friends, Joe Morris. I love Joe, and we just jump into the music without having to discuss anything: a bit like continuing a running conversation. Add to that the fact that Joe is a quintessentially orchestral player, as Bill Dixon would say, and you have the makings of a delightful work environment. Joe always creates such beautiful form!

We were invited to join Hartbeat Ensemble, a wonderful local theater group, for the third year of their Plays in the Parks summer performance series. Okay, Blue Back Square is not a park, but it was a pleasure to perform in West Hartford, something that almost never happens for me. The last time I threw down in this neighborhood was at a benefit for Real Art Ways, where I used Salim Washington, Wes Brown and Alvin “Abu” Carter, Senior.

Big ups to Universal Healthcare Foundation of Connecticut for their ongoing advocacy for public healthcare and for choosing the arts as a medium to convey this essential message.

Image of Joe Morris by Nick Lacy