Yeah.......that's me............with HER!!!!!!!! BIGGEST SMILE - I may officially be her biggest fan in N. Fla. I'd happily arm wrestle any challengers to the title. :)

What a wonderful inspiring evening. Gabriela's CD - Bach & Beyond - to me, was kind of like the answer "The Matrix" to Neo. There had always been a lurking connection somewhere just beneath the surface. The shock of hearing Keith Javors expertly play Chopin's Revolutionary Etude and then break out into a jazz rendition half way through was the spark. Then, when I heard Gabriela improvise Bach's Prelude in C - the piece I had played at my father's funeral, I was blown away. Changing the classics always got that "you're cute but kind of crazy" side ways smirk from any of my teachers - it's just not suppose to be done that way. I've spent years peering over that ledge. And I've jumped wildly and crazily over many ledges in my day. This ledge is the one that terrifies me most. And then, in an almost painfuly simple continuation of a well worn classical phrase - it was done. Expertly. On CD. Like anyone can listen to it. Anytime. The faithful trusting step into the vast unknown - stepped joyfully - it's truly amazing. Plus, it's pretty much anti-establishment. I have a special fondness for that kind of thing. When I first got this CD it would make me weep. Driving around San Marco to the bank or to pick up my kids - I either looked like a crazy woman or someone suffering badly from allergies - & I'm not allowed to suffer from that. Looks bad for my business. BTW, I only sneezed twice this year. No claritin. Only the magical Pe Min Gan Wan & Zhong Gan Ling. - But I digress.

The lovely folks at the Amelia Island Chamber Festival brought her in. This concert was very small. She played her new CD - Solatino - amazing as ever. And she did some improvisations from the audience. She completely slayed Happy Birthday. It was hilarious. And look. They had an after party and I got to meet and chat with her and Phillip Pan, who's gentle spirit and infectious smile will brighten anyone's day. She confirmed the lesson, that music comes from an intelligent, intuitive creative flow - we all have access to it - and when if flows, "we" disappear. I'm still working on that ;) Just now able to disappear when working with my acupuncture needles, but now I know - Yes I can improvise on the piano - Yes I can!!!!! I love it when teachers confirm the internal voice. Thank you Gabriela. I am your biyatch forever. So this is me - the groupie. I've always been a little dorky. But to me, this was super duper COOL.