Ben Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra says that he wants his musicians to be “one buttock” virtuosos. He wants them to be so ‘at one’ with the undulations and rhythms of the music that they cannot sit flatly and technically in their chairs. Instead, Zander wants them to lift one buttock in synchrony with the textures of the music. I’ve seen excellent musicians move with the music, but the ones that speak to my heart, seem to be unable to contain themselves. They merge with the sounds and embrace the spirit of the silence. Like a romantic encounter where two lovers connect with each other’s spirit, these music lovers remove the boundaries between the player and the played, the music and the musician.
I remember visiting Blues Alley in Georgetown when I lived in the Washington, DC area. I entered the deep, cavernous venue of Blues Alley to hear the genius of Dizzy Gillespie, Marcus Roberts or Wynton Marsalis. I usually positioned myself as close to the stage as possible, close enough to touch the spirit of the performer. But the trumpet or trombone or piano was as much a performer as the hands that lovingly communed with it. The instrument was alive and the musician honored that life that was waiting to be expressed. Often the energy was so palpable that the stage seemed to rise, as I tried to sit comfortably in my seat. But invariably, I would lean to one side, as the player reached a crescendo or when the music stopped suddenly in the middle of a set, to allow the penetrating silence to send the crowd into a frenzy. Every time, without fail, I was having a one buttock experience.
I have experienced African drumming, or the Alvin Ailey dancers, or a captivating song on the radio, and I cannot sit quietly on two buttocks! I have read a beautifully passionate poem or a philosophical treatise on life and faith, and the sheer joy makes me rise out of my chair.
Music shows up in many forms in our lives. We don’t just make music, we are the music of our lives. When we embrace a one buttock life, we live and move and have our being.