Adesso Divento Me Stesso
Che immenso piacere suonare con amici e per amici. Un venerdì sera tre jazzisti, io alla tromba, Salvatore al basso, e Peo alla chitarra, ci siamo trovati per condividere delle composizioni originali con un pubblico caloroso, pieno dei sorrisi di molte persone che ho conosciuto negli ultimi vent’anni a Verona, compagni di viaggio.
Assieme ai nostri brani ho condiviso un estratto di una meravigliosa poesia della poetessa americana, May Sarton:
“Now I become myself,
It’s taken time, many years and places,
I’ve been dissolved and shaken,
worn other people’s faces,
Now I become myself.”
Con una voce un po’ tremolante ho recitato la traduzione italiana:
“Adesso divento me stesso,
Ci è voluto tempo, molti anni, e luoghi,
Sono stato sciolto e scosso,
ho indossato i volti di altri,
Adesso divento me stesso.”
Come al solito, i miei amici italiani hanno ascoltato e perdonato il mio accento americano. Evidentemente lo sforzo in più è valso la pena, visto che molti amici hanno commentato dopo che erano molto grati di aver passato insieme una serata così significativa. Creatori di melodie e riceventi hanno trovato un legame tra canzoni ed anime. Mi piacerebbe credere che quella sera io, assieme a tutti gli altri, sono riuscito a diventare un po’ più me stesso.
JKG ott 2018
—
What a pleasure it was to play with friends and for friends. On a Friday night we had gathered together three jazz musicians, myself on trumpet, Salvatore on bass, and Peo on the guitar to share some of our own original compositions with a warm-hearted audience, filled with the smiling faces of many people I’ve befriended over the last twenty years in Verona, fellow journeyers.
Along with our tunes I shared a short excerpt from a wonderful poem by American poet May Sarton:
“Now I become myself,
It’s taken time, many years and places,
I’ve been dissolved and shaken,
worn other people’s faces,
Now I become myself.”
A bit shakily I also recited an Italian translation:
Adesso divento me stesso,
Ci è voluto tempo, molti anni e luoghi,
Sono stato sciolto e scosso,
Ho indossato i volti di altri,
Adesso divento me stesso.
As usual, my Italian friends listened forgivingly to my American accent. Evidently the extra labour was worth the effort, as many friends later commented on how grateful they were for the meaningfulness of our evening together. Both melody-makers and receivers found a connection between songs and souls, and I’d like to believe that I, along with everyone else, became just a little more myself.
JKG Oct 2018
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