Farewell, my Jammin' Wolf

My little brother died yesterday. He was in ill health, but it was unexpected. I am very glad we all got to see him over the holidays, and he got to taste the Mulberry Strawberry Jam I gave him. I am also glad that we got to do a little music together. Not nearly as much as I wanted to do, as my energy is still affected by the horrible long covid, and he wasn't always up to hanging out, much less doing music, when I could visit him in Chicago.

It wasn't a great week for me before that. I got word on Christmas Eve that my car was totaled, and directives to be done with my rental by the 30th, and had no spirit to even come here on FB to complain about it, and then on Christmas got some food that badly disagreed with me, so I've been sick ever since. So I'm not in great shape to write about him now. Instead I'll share something I wrote for him a few years ago, and I'll add links to some of our shared music after.

Jammin Hands
Deirdre M. Murphy

He hears the world in rhythms
A breath, a year, a soul
He’s tapping out some healing
To make the broken whole

He’s got Jammin’ Hands
Tapping on the table
Rapping on the chair
Clinking out a rhythm
With the silverware
Jammin’ Hands
Yeah, he’s got Jammin Hands

He drums in the big box store
Over here, then over there
It looks like he’s goofing off
But he’s drumming out a prayer

He’s got Jammin’ Hands
Tapping on a jembe
Shaking shell and bone
Sending out a rhythm
With others or alone
Jammin’ Hands
Yeah, he’s got Jammin Hands

He studies and he teaches
He rocks a keyboard too
He knows that play is sacred
The rhythm will come through

He’s got Jammin’ Hands
Making drums of spirit
Leather, cord and wood
Or from whatever’s handy
To make the rhythms good
Jammin’ Hands
Yeah, he’s got Jammin Hands

Copyright ©2021 Deirdre M. Murphy


Here he is playing on a 4-bell Samba Agogo:
wylddandelyon.bandcamp.com/track/come-to-our-party

He was the drummer on Track 8 of this album:

https://filkersongswap.bandcamp.com/.../cover-to-cover-vol-2