Stories And History

Clayz.com Homepage | Clayz.com Contents | On-Line Songbook | Ocarina Essay and Study | Catalog | Major Links Stories in the works at stories.html and stories1.html and stories2.html. See stories3.html for Zelda updates. stories4.html Peace Through Music, stories5.html for Elsie's Poem and fmtm.html for updates on "From Mud To Music".

STORIES      The story begins like this...Once upon a time, as a result of a Karmic Collision (real or imagined, doesn't matter), a partnership/collaboration was born between Sandi and Richard. In the pursuit of religious and romantic freedom, Clayzeness Whistleworks, for sometime a going concern, received a cosmic shot in the arm.
     Throughout our years together, so much has been written down, it will be quite some project to bring it all together. We are going to try.
     The latest, and one of the best, Ocarina Stories to date is the OCARINAGIRL.GIF STORY. It's very recent, so maybe we'll work our way backwards.
     One of the first biographical pieces is "Cardboard Boxes", as much an avowal by Sandi as anything, although it's lots of things. After a visit to Horsethief Lake in 1993 to visit Tsgalalal (She Who Watches), Richard wrote "Rock Art", then lost it. "Probably in the storeroom", one or the other of us says way too often.
      It's true our big old house nearly burst at the seams because of our unceasing collecting of whistles, flutes, drums, books, dolls, sculptures, pots, paintings, prints, more whistles and books, etc., etc. We filled up a big old storeroom, then the house again, until they're both nearly bursting. There will undoubtedly be a story involved with the organization of our collection of goodies, the stuff. As the stories float to the top, we'll send them up. In the meantime, enjoy a few gems we lifted right off the www.

"FROM MUD TO MUSIC"       Sitting in some box in the Storeroom is a copy of "A Little Treasury of Folk Wind Instrument Makers", a cheapy photo copy of a pamphlet put together in 1979 by Sandi and Alan Albright, a man who, sooner or later, will help link the whole "From Mud To Music" story together. Neither of us has met Alan Albright in person, and have only met a couple of folks who have. When Sandi was referred to him by F. Carleton Ball, big time pottery guru from Tacoma, her whistles played great little tunes, but had no "system". She shipped off a Dragon Whistle with a plea for guidance, having heard hints of a way to tune the instrument with four-holes so that it would play a "do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do". Alan shipped back a finely crafted walnut ocarina, tuned to a "do-re-mi..." scale. Included was a letter explaining the mathematical formula. In further correspondence, Alan told us of the formula's connection with someone in England. The "someone" is John Taylor.
      This exchange began several years of correspondence and the acquiring of several of Alan's pieces, including a triple chambered slide whistle made from Kentucky Aromatic Cedar. The instrument collection stood up and applauded when it arrived.
      The "Folk Wind Instrument Treasury" lead the way, in 1987, to the "From Mud To Music" Group Show of 27 ceramic instrument builders from around the world. But, that is another story, taking a new form...see fmtm.html
      The point of these paragraphs is to tell you of our ongoing scholarly pursuits leading us to the story of the "Firebird Egg" and Baz Jennings and John Taylor who, more than any other 20th/21st century Ceramic Musical Instrument Makers, are responsible for sparking the fire that is still burning under many makers to this day.