Neil Welch, Continuous Resonance Project

Date: 01/31/2014

Instrument: Tenor saxophone

Location: Home studio in Clinton, WA (Whidbey Island)

Performed acoustically

The image accompanying this post by Marc Riboud.

Notes:

This morning I spent a few hours in a coffee shop on the island. Sitting in the empty front room, I read from “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn, of which I’ve been working my way through this past month. I’m currently on the chapter “Impossible Victory: Vietnam.” I was particularly horrified by the description of the My Lai killings:

“There was an order to shoot by Lieutenant Calley, I can’t remember the exact words–it was something like ‘Start Firing.’

"Meadlo tuned to me and said: 'Shoot, why don’t you shoot?’

"He was crying.”

“I said, 'I can’t. I won’t.’

"Then Lieutenant Calley and Meadlo pointed their rifles into the ditch and fired.

"People were diving on top of each other; mothers were trying to protect their children…”

(quotations from “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn).