Zeus and Hermes

Zeus was the Greek equivalent of the Roman God of Speed Mercury, pictured here on our old US Mercury dime.

Hermes was the son of Zeus and Maia. Hermes was Zeus messenger. Zeus was the fastest of the gods. He wore winged sandals, a winged hat, and carriied a magic wand.

"Zeus and Hermes came disguised as ordinary peasants, and began asking the people of the town for a place to sleep that night. They had been rejected by all, "so wicked were the people of that land," when at last they came to Baucis and Philemon's simple rustic cottage. Though the couple was poor, their generosity far surpassed that of their rich neighbors, among whom the gods found “doors bolted and no word of kindness."

After serving the two guests food and wine (which Ovid depicts with pleasure in the details), Baucis noticed that, although she had refilled her guest's beech wood cups many times, the pitcher was still full (from which derives the phrase "Hermes's Pitcher"). Realizing that her guests were gods, she and her husband "raised their hands in supplication and implored indulgence for their simple home and fare." Philemon thought of catching and killing the goose that guarded their house and making it into a meal, but when he went to do so, it ran to safety in Zeus's lap. Zeus said they need not slay the goose and that they should leave the town. This was because he was going to destroy the town and all those who had turned them away and not provided due hospitality. He told Baucis and Philemon to climb the mountain with him and Hermes and not to turn back until they reached the top.

After climbing to the summit ("as far as an arrow could shoot in one pull"), Baucis and Philemon looked back on their town and saw that it had been destroyed by a flood and that Zeus had turned their cottage into an ornate temple. The couple's wish to be guardians of the temple was granted. They also asked that when time came for one of them to die, that the other would die as well. Upon their death, the couple were changed into an intertwining pair of trees, one oak and one linden, standing in the deserted boggy terrain."

The Picasso from Rocky Mount, N.C.

The following remarks were delivered yesterday by Eddie Ray of the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame at the ceremonies honoring Thelonius Monk, which took place in Rocky Mount, N.C. I was privileged to be asked to write a little something befitting of the occasion; and glad to do it.

My original draft was a little bit different in that it included 3 paragraphs which Eddie Ray chose not to speak, thus proving his legendary talents as an accomplished Artists and Repertoire (A&R) man. I have been known to go on tangents and need minding. 

So, here is the text of the remarks as written by me and edited to a fine edge by Eddie Ray, and then spoken at the ceremony. It was an honor for me to write about Thelonius Monk; and although I might not be the number 1 fan as purported in the in the opening remarks; I do recognize the genius of the man.

Introduction by Bobby Monk.

Eddie Ray:

“Thank you Bobby,

When Robert Williams,  a devoted fan of Thelonius  Monk,  heard that I had been honored to participate in Thelonius’  97th  Birthday Celebration in his home town of Rocky Mount, NC, he sent me   some  suggested  comments  about his musical idol  that he would  have liked to share if he were participating in the Celebration.  Robert’s comments were so beautiful and emotionally moving, I decided to share them with you. He entitled his presentation, 

 

“THE PICASSO FROM ROCKY MOUNT”

“The leaves would have been turning; just as they are now. Look around outside at the beautiful colors surrounding us; these were the first sights that the boy would ever see.  And though he traveled far; would they ever leave him?  The sounds of his first winter would have been full of the wind as it howled and blew through  the hills;  and when it froze  he would have heard the cracking of the tree limbs as they broke away from the trunks, crashing,  quietly muffled on the snow  covered ground; crashing quietly; just like the struggles evident in his music later on; when discordant notes fought for a place among sweeter melodies. Could his senses have ever really forgotten from where that came?

Surrounded by the colors and SOUNDS of these hills and mountains where he was born had to have helped form the mind of the boy who would someday mesmerize the world with his unique SOUNDS. And although he would leave these hills at an early age; he was only 5 years old when his family moved to New York City; this is where he came from.

After moving to New York, where the people today still claim  him as their own;  it seemed like everybody wanted a piece of him.  A largely self-taught   musician, he did attend Julliard for a while; where it must have been difficult for him to contain his musical visions within the confines of a structured school setting.  But, at age 17 he toured with a gospel band playing the organ for a few years before forming his own ensemble. 

After that, came the legendary years, which produced such classics as “Round Midnight” in 1947. Photos of him at the time; he was 30; show a sharply dressed and focused man. I could go on about all his great achievements in the field of Progressive; and even Advant Garde Jazz, but all of that has been covered elsewhere by others. You didn't come here to hear a biography. You came here to celebrate a great musical SOUND.  

Somewhere, sometime; there was a note, or possibly a melody, which entranced you and drew you in, And then you were hooked on that “SOUND”. Thelonius Monk was that SOUND personified. And his entire life; until his death over 30 years ago; was a continued exploration of just how far he could take that SOUND, from Rocky Mount, NC to New York City and to every city in the world he took his SOUND he refined it each step of the way , adding something he heard here; and a note he heard there; until those combined SOUNDS became the soundtrack of his own life and travels; and the lives of those that traveled the musical path with him.

But in the end it always comes back to the place where it began. Sometimes it takes a while for the SOUND to travel; but travel it does. And this time it has traveled all the way back to Rocky Mount, NC where it began”.    ©Robert Williams

On behalf of the NC Music Hall of Fame,  I am  honored  and grateful  to have  the opportunity to  help  preserve, honor and promote Thelonius  Monk’s extraordinary contributions to the rich musical history of our State of North Carolina and to the entire world.  The memory and enjoyment of his amazing musical contributions to the world of music will live on forever.

For more about both Eddie Ray and the NC Music Hall of Fame in Kannapolis, go to their link at;

http://northcarolinamusichalloffame.org/

Scylla and Charybdis

This is a cool story and is a perfect example of reading being a key to self-education. I was reading a biography about Johnny Carson when I came across a phrase with which I was unfamiliar. I caught the meaning, but not the source. So, I looked it up. The phrase was Scylla and Charybdis and was used in reference to being in an awkward situation with little choice and dire consequences. At least that is what I inferred from what I read.  I wasn't too far off, as it is usually used to denote being between a rock and a hard place. Here’s why.

Scylla and Charybdis were the sea creatures who guarded the Straits of Messina; a place I have been to many times in the Navy. The first was Scylla, who was located on the same side as the Italian mainland and took the form of a 6 headed monster. The other, Charybdis was located by the shoals off the Island of Sicily and was characterized as a whirlpool. It was a double blind of sorts, as to pass too closely to one would put you in the range of the other.

This story is all a part of Homer’s story in "The Odyssey" as he is forced to choose which of the two demons he must face to successfully navigate the Straits. (He is described as having just passed the Island of Sirens.) He decided to risk the wrath of Scylla which would cause the least amount of casualties, rather than the whirlpool of Charybdis which would have meant the loss of his entire crew.

This is the origin of the phrase “between a rock and a hard place”, which also gave rise to the more modern “from the frying pan into the fire.” In Latin the phrase is “incidit in scyllam cupiens vitare charybdis” which translates as “he runs on Scylla, wishing to avoid Charybdis.”

This is what I love the most about reading. Everything I learn is another piece of the puzzle. But here’s the problem with learning stuff on your own. Most of my life I have been reading about things I have never heard pronounced aloud. President Truman had this same problem. 

I wish I had a buck for every time I mispronounced a name or word that I have come across while reading. But I also wish I had just a thin dime for each time I have been told I was pronouncing something wrong by someone who knew the correct pronunciation, but had no clue to the meaning behind the words. Undoubtedly, I would be awash in small coin.

The photo at the top is of the Castello Scilla located on the coast of the mainland at Calabria.