One afternoon, Segal returned to Edna’s to see us and give news of the Rainbow Circus we had helped launch. “They will soon be coming to Jerusalem,” she said excitedly. “They want us to perform together in the Old City!” This was good news. Seeing our Rainbow friends and how the Circus has progressed will be wonderful.
Edna tapped into the excitement and began to read from the Torah. Segal, not to be outdone, began to sing the Torah. Edna, not to be beaten, also began to sing. Donna watched all of this as the energy began to spin wildly upward. On the other hand, I had just had a musical idea and slipped out back to Edna’s garden with my guitar. I closed the sliding glass door behind me.
The Garden
Edna was a little unusual. Her idea of gardening was unique. She had planted small plastic bags in the soil, hoping they would multiply and grow more. I composed a new guitar piece in this chaotic garden with more chaos inside. It’s a beautiful, happy tune that oppositely reflects the insanity of the moment. The melodic singing in the house became a contest of loudness. Donna looked wide-eyed out the sliding glass door at me. I continued as the parts of the song quickly fell into place. Before long, the wildness inside depleted all its energy. The two of them collapsed onto the sofa, and my piece was finished.
I returned to the house in a calm state of bliss, having written a new song. Donna was in awe of the electricity she had just experienced. “Wow! I’ve never seen anything like that before,” she exclaimed. Edna and Segal had exploded in an orgasm of joyous revelry.
Here is that song for you. The album link is below. Of course, when I recorded it, I played all the instruments. Considering the moment’s chaos, it still amazes us how peaceful this song is.
The Circus is in Town!
It wasn’t too many days later that the Circus came to town. Segal called Edna, who let us know the day had arrived! We packed up the guitar, walked the block to the bus stop, and caught the bus to the Old City.
When we arrived, it was easy to find our friends. They stood out in the crowd of tourists. Gabbi, with his naturally red/orange afro, and the rest of the colorful crew made them easy to spot. The plan had been hatched that we would make an impromptu parade through the Old City to the Jaffa Gate. Here we would perform a show of peace and recycling.
The parade made its way down the narrow walking streets and alleys. Gabbi, juggling clubs while riding his unicycle. A group of girls belly-danced their way through the road. Donna and I were with the musicians following behind as we played. There were clowns and bubble makers and more!
We wound our way, squeezing past shops selling trinkets and religious paraphernalia. Jesus on the cross bottle opener was my favorite. (I never made it back to get one, which I regret) As we continued, I could see we were beginning to get an escort from Israeli police. We were picking up a trail of curious people following the parade.
Jaffa Gate
Soon we arrived at the Jaffa Gate, and we quickly organized ourselves as a circle of interested spectators formed. Gabbi pulled out the portable popcorn popper as we started the show. The police were not having this. “Stop! You can not make a performance here. It’s too dangerous,” the policeman said. “You can not gather a crowd.” They were worried that a gathered crowd in Jerusalem could easily invite a suicide bombing. It was a valid concern.
The crowd gathered wasn’t too happy to see an end to this. There were murmurs and grumblings, but the police were firm about it. Segal tried to tell them that it was to promote peace and recycling in Israel. But the police were firm, “No! Stop now.”
This was when Karen started singing, “All we are saying is give peace a chance!”
As she sang, it was instantly picked up by the performers and quickly picked up by the audience.
“All we are saying is give peace a chance! All we are saying is give peace a chance!”
The police were stunned. They didn’t know what to do! They looked surprised and lost all ability to stop the chanting that roared through the plaza. Segal went to the lead policeman and offered a compromise of doing half the show and then quickly dispersing. He shockingly agreed.
Gabbi rode around on his unicycle juggling while others made popcorn. The belly dancers danced. Segal sang so beautifully! We musicians played excellent music and peace, and recycling was promoted. Suddenly it was over, and we all quickly dispersed! The police were happy that there were no incidents. It was amazing! Peace had won the day!
Falafels and Planning
After the Jaffa Gate performance, some performers went to see family. Some had plans to continue to the next city to scout the next place, and several of us went for… you guessed it, FALAFEL! I think that falafels must be what they meant when speaking of ‘mana from heaven.’ The three best falafels I’ve ever eaten were in Israel, Amsterdam, and Key West, Florida. We’ve eaten falafel in many other places, but these three have been the best. I couldn’t name a particular city in Israel because they were all fabulous, whether it was Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, or other cities!
While we ate, Segal told us about a few places we must visit and some people we needed to meet. One was a man that was recording very special music in his home named Ramon. She told us his music was unique and that we must meet him. She also had an upcoming gig and wanted me to accompany her vocals for a few songs. So we agreed to play the gig with her and made plans to meet Ramon.
Next: (56) Meditative Music
This is the album that features the song “Edna’s Garden.”
Always a joy to read of your travels. And, the music was wonderful. thanks for sharing.
Nancy
Le décapsuleur jésus !!!très content que la police vous ait lesser jouer !quesque des falafel ?La musique 🎶 🎵 totalement différente des autres. Quoiqu’il en soit, vos récits toujours prenant, on vie avec vous tous le l’on de l’histoire .merci .bisous bisous à vous.