December 18th 2009

I don't have words to describe going to Jack's funeral service - it is a very personal experience. It was a necessary experience. It was good to be with friends... I've realized that this site has been neglected as of late. So, there are a lot of updates happening... Some release news: The Bastard Wing CD will not be coming out after all, on any format, on any label... There is talk of a possible Summer 2010 UK solo tour... Charalambides will be recording this coming Spring 2010... Please feel free to get in touch... Communication matters.

December 9th 2009

Jack Rose is a singular force in American Music -- in MUSIC. I know we will continue to celebrate his life and his art. It is just so difficult to accept his passing from this place where we can talk and laugh and touch and be friends in the here and now. My mind and heart keeps rejecting this reality...Friendship with Jack was and is an immense gift that was given to me in this absolutely strange, wonderful, confusing, difficult and magical life and world we share. He affected me in such a way that his dying is not something to just be taken in stride, in a stoic manner. I can't do that. Don't want to do that. Jack, as many people have written in the past week, was a person of such clear vision, purpose, and direction. A marvel of dedication and intention. The death of this friend of mine, more than any other loss I've experienced, makes me feel shaken and reflect upon many questions about my life. It's because he touched my life in this immensely deep and solid and lasting way. His playing always made me reflect and question. Now, it's at an even more profound level... There are many things that I've taken for granted. We are very fortunate in this far-flung and amorphous music community that we share. I am very fortunate. I want to express to all of my friends and people who are brought together by our love for music and the bonds of doing something that lifts us out of the sometimes darker aspects of this world that I appreciate you all very much... Memories of Jack keep coming into my thoughts, knocking day-to-day concerns out of the way. But not in a way that they can be clearly or meaningfully related to other people in words. Memories are elusive, especially from the time period when Tom and I very first met Jack. That was a long time ago. But it really did seem as though there wasn't going to be an end for a long, long, long time yet... Things have changed a lot in the past sixteen or so years. Jack's music went through an amazing outward transformation. But, his spirit and who he was, was a constant. He was always so completely genuine and up-front... One thing I am really struck by is that I never felt any conscious or even subconscious talking down to from Jack about what he thought about my music, or about any other woman musician's music for that matter. He always treated me as an equal. He related to what he perceived to be the aspect of my music that was the craft. He would talk about what I was doing, as in the action of the music. He would always talk about music in this way: "She is a great songwriter" (about another woman musician whom he appreciated). It was about what she was working on, accomplishing, attempting: writing songs... It meant so much that he valued what I did. It seemed almost unbelievable at times, because of his immense technical ability that was married to his immense gift for grounding that technique in emotion that people could relate to and enjoy... That was a gift Jack seemed to give to a lot of musicians. He gave a support and confidence that was experienced as sincere because Jack did not give compliments lightly... There are so many other things that were just so amazing about him. But, I'll leave it there for now... Hoping for a less difficult 2010. It will be here very soon.

Love,
Christina