Why Twinklefingers?
Why “Twinklefingers”?
Well, a beloved Lutheran pastor of Grace Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) in El Cerrito, CA, Pastor Janke, used to call me that. And reaching back through the mists of time, I think a high school chum, Steve Swayne, also called me that. Or perhaps that was my nickname for him.
At any rate, I could tickle those ivories with the best of them. But as the Ellington song goes, “I don’t get around much anymore.” After almost two decades as a church musician (organ and piano), I retired from weekly church gigs and now concentrate on my “day job”. From time to time I do play for a funeral or special liturgical occasion. But no more weekly church bells for me.
Do I miss it? Yes and no.
My piano sits just a few feet away gathering dust and CDs. But this summer I’m going to stretch those “twinklefingers” and get down to some heavy duty scales. The neighbors ought to love that!
On this blog I’ll be posting my thoughts, recollections, and musings on music: jazz, classical, composing, performance, recordings — the works. It’s one small but significant step I need to take to restore a part of myself that has been dormant for far too long.
