We arrive at the normal time for load-in, between 5:30 and 6:00. Our process for preparing the space has streamlined somewhat, but this week there are two oddities to keep in mind: first, there is the men's group that meets on the first Sunday of every month. They have already given us permission to use the larger room upstairs for this session, but we will need to know how to accommodate their program while taking care of our own business . . . second, we will be competing against the Super Bowl as Sunday evening entertainment. This will impact our draw and, as we would soon discover, our parking.
With the men's group gathering and socializing downstairs, it is a good time for the Circle to warm up. Victor calls out a tonal progression: A minor pentatonic, to A harmonic minor, to C symmetrical, to C harmonic minor. There are motions happening in different places in the circle at different times, but they mostly lack assurance, resulting in an ambiguous, chimeric improvisation. Victor suggests to listen for something to happen in the music before making a change, similar to our approach in the "twinkle" section of Austurias. The second take is more sure-footed, and the grounds for something to explore in the future.
The performance is slotted around 8:00, slightly later than usual but with people continuing to wander up from downstairs and in from the cold. Overall, it is a strong set from the Circle, featuring a coherent, compellingly diatonic imrpov; a stomping surprise duet from Chris and Rick; and a Blockhead with a back-and-forth guitar breakdown from Glenn and Victor over the polyrhythmic coda. To put a period on this fairly action-packed evening, the Circle kindly asks permission to debut a new piece: Debussy's The Sunken Cathedral. This prelude makes a good conclusion to the set.
A forty-four minute performance for another generous, and highly receptive, audience. Afterward, Victor is called away to familial duties, and given the late start, the rest of the Circle decide to tear down a little early.
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