A few takeaways: Rosanne Cash sings a beautiful rendition of her father’s tune “I Still Miss Someone” with the orchestra, and the song is absolutely seamless with Stephen Foster’s work. Interesting.

Hearing Rosanne sing “Beautiful Dreamer,” Aoife O’Donovan sing “Slumber My Darling,” Dom Flemons sing “Old Folks At Home,” Joe sing “Oh Susanna,” the Comet Bluegrass Allstars harmonizing on “Camptown Races” (hashtag doodah!) and Karin singing “Hard Times” – it all makes me want to go home and keep writing, come what may.

A good song: Such a wild and precious gift, like life itself.

I remember when I recorded my solo piano records, I wanted the records to feel like I was just thinking outloud at an upright piano one room over. But I always put imaginary furniture in that room (my mother’s hymnal for starters) and would often select a few imaginary people to be present – Stephen Foster, Eric Satie, Bill Evans. Or maybe Keith Jarrett, maybe Maurice Ravel, maybe Lyle Mays…

But I always wanted Stephen Foster to be there in spirit.

His friends in Cincinnati knew him as a bookkeeper. We know him as the father of American Songwriting. He died at age 37 pretty much penniless, and more or less alone. But left behind a gift – some 200 songs, back before the Civil War, before there was any such thing as being an American songwriter.

Reminds me of a Frederick Buechner quote: This is your life. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.

Lets’ do it all again tonight.

L.

PS They are recording the proceedings to be released on a record.