THE SIGNAL from David Katznelson
"Only from the heart can you touch the sky."--Rumi
My wife got to work on an amazing project a few years back, helping design an exhibit/music release for artist Dario Robleto, an exhibit that centered around the heart. Part of the exhibit chronicled the history of the recording of the heartbeat, and one of my favorite stories from that exhibit (and there were many incredible stories: Dario is an incredible artist and researcher) was the story of the heartbeat of love that left the solar system.
When Carl Sagan was asked to curate what would become the Golden Record…the record that was included on the Voyager (the “robotic interstellar probe” that NASA launched to collect data as it roamed the universe), he was madly in love. He had fallen for science writer/big thinker Ann Druyan, and she him. They were smitten.
The Golden Record was an audio disc—two actually—that was to carry information about the earth in the event that an extraterrestrial being came upon the craft and was inquisitive enough to learn about us humans and our planet. The record included diagrams showing how to extract the audio from the platter and contained what Sagan (and a committee he put together) thought would best show off our world. There were greetings in 55 languages. Johann Sebastian Bach found his way onto the record as did Chuck Berry and Blind Willie Johnson (there was controversy around the Berry inclusion, siting the song Johnny B Goode as too adolescent of a representation of what humanity is about). Alan Lomax was part of Sagan’s team and Jimmy Iovine (producer of Born To Run and former Interscope CEO) was the engineer.
To me, the best part of the story was what Dario Robleto included in his exhibit. Sagan sneaked onto the recording….a heartbeat. But not just any heartbeat: the heartbeat of Ann Druyan (her brainwaves were included as well). It was a heartbeat that showcased what the organ sounded like when electrified with love, for it was just a few days prior that the two had declared their love for each other. Both of them wanted to make sure that the feeling of love was represented for any alien to find.
My friend David Pescovitz co-produced a glorious Grammy-winning reissue of the Golden Record and introduced me to Ann and her daughter Sasha—both of whom are continuing the work they did with Carl since he passed in 1996. Their incredible revamp of the Cosmos series is a salute to all of their work over the years. Both Ann and Sasha are such inspired, kind souls and while we have spoken many times, every time I see Ann (on Zoom) the first thing I think about is her heart…and the beat of love that is traveling through the universe.
Happy Valentine’s Day…and happy long weekend.
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Jimmy Cliff Gets Official Passport from Jamaican Government
“Reggae icon Jimmy Cliff has been issued an Official Passport by the Government of Jamaica. These types of passports are typically given to government officials or those who represent Jamaica’s interests overseas in an official capacity…The 72-year-old Grammy Award-winning singer is one of two living musicians to receive Jamaica’s Order of Merit, the island’s highest honor for achievement in the Arts & Sciences.”
Astronomer Avi Loeb Says Aliens Have Visited, and He’s Not Kidding
Do you know what is wrong with modern science? Avi Loeb spells it out…at least his interpretation…and it is not pretty!!!
Here is a nice Valentine-themed article….with Dario Robleto leading the conversation….
WEEKEND LISTEN: Chet Baker: Let's Get Lost: The Best Of Chet Baker Sings
This album features the smoothest, coolest, suavest group of songs sung by the understated yet iconic Chet Baker. They croon romance, and breath heavy with graceful mid-afternoon siestas. It looks to be a cold long weekend, with Valentine’s day perched right in the middle. It is a good time to get lost.
[love is more thicker than forget]
By E. E. Cummings
love is more thicker than forget
more thinner than recall
more seldom than a wave is wet
more frequent than to fail
it is most mad and moonly
and less it shall unbe
than all the sea which only
is deeper than the sea
love is less always than to win
less never than alive
less bigger than the least begin
less littler than forgive
it is most sane and sunly
and more it cannot die
than all the sky which only
is higher than the sky
