Guelph Jazz Festival

Wow! I'd forgotten how wonderful live music is, especially when it is free, under the stars and in community. I almost stayed home, despite the nearly full moon and perfect clarity of a September evening. We went to the Free Tent on Wyndham Street, and happened upon Mike Essoudry's Mash Potato Mashers a most marvelous conglomeration of brass instruments and percussion, combining New Orleans, Klesmer and Jazz - ending by parading off the stage, down the aisle and out of the tent while playing. Joyful. I drank in the delight this spectacle with a motley group; babes in arms through to grannies bounced and smiled to the happy beat.

It took awhile for the next group to set up, but it was well worth waiting for
Rebel Rhythm with Jane Bunnett & Larry Cramer - an irresistable Latin sound that got me and most of the tent up and dancing. I am sore, but full, replete, satisfied, happier than when I started out. And isn't that why we need the arts? To pull us out of ourselves and connect us with the larger body of humanity. This is good food for the soul.