Alex Martin - Sparklers

9. Sparklers
Enter Beulah, a potter who grew up as a neighbor and playmate of Philo’s in the Jamison Gap and who was my father’s other closest friend. This song is composed of passages from a longer poem Dad wrote about a nighttime talk with Beulah on her front porch, under the mountains and the stars. The melody and my accompaniment are inspired in part by the Chandrakauns raga, which I’ve studied as a member of the Indian fusion band Kundalika, led by my friend Deepak Shenoy. Chandrakauns is associated with night and has elements that sound bluesy to Western ears. Tom’s mandolin returns to provide sparkle.