The Christmas Spirit Shall Not Be Denied

Every year, as the holiday season starts rolling, I wonder if this will be the year that I never am able to muster the Christmas spirit. And every year, the spirit kicks in -- sooner or later.

I wasn't that jazzed about the prospect of attending last Saturday's Cleveland Jazz Orchestra Christmas concert, to tell the truth, mostly because I find that I have waning patience for sitting and watching musicians. Music is the stuff of life, of course; it's the sitting in a cramped theater seat, just watching ... nothing ... in particular. I wish they'd show cartoons or something.

Anyway, this year the confluence of having my sketchbook and pen in hand and listening to an especially inspired musical program cheered me and brought on the spirit. Oh, and by the way, that's a pretty good likeness (if I say so) of band leader Sean Jones. You can check him out in a photo on this page, if you're interested.