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It's Our Scars That Unite Us

from A Crack Where The Light Gets In by Steve Lawson

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(title taken from a line in Bruce Cockburn's autobiography, Rumours Of Glory: A Memoir, which I highly, highly recommend)

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Brokenness is perhaps the most interesting and motivating state of humanity to me. I’m not interested in people who think like they have it all sown up and behave accordingly. Faith is more interesting that certainty, Doubt more compelling than the cynicism of rejecting things unexperienced out of hand. Screwing things up, discovering our frailty, the finite nature of our powers of observation, the humility that comes through our reliance on others, our ongoing discovery of interconnectedness, the compassion that comes through identifying with the suffering of others... None of these are about being fixed. They’re all about learning through being broken.

I didn’t want this notion to be explored through some something sad and tragic - the hip-hop-meets-60s jazz underpinning to the music is a nod to both of those being musical forms that have taught me, that have been a field of exploring the human condition, not places where I’ve found smug people with all the answers, but ones where I’ve found fellow travellers exploring what it is the be human.

The title itself comes from Canadian singer/songwriter and activist Bruce Cockburn’s autobiography, Rumours Of Glory (an extraordinary book that I wholeheartedly recommend) - here’s the relevant quote:

“But the real voice , that of the spirit, is saying to us: Be quiet, listen, feel. Be kind. Accept differences, even those of Divine belief, for there is no “truth” in these things, only lessons. Learn from the differences. Feed your neighbour. Take your anger out on an untilled field. Liberally apply compassion, especially to yourself, for if we’re not compassionate about our own foibles and screwups, then we can’t authentically be compassionate toward others. We’re all in the same foundering boat. It’s our scars that unite us.”

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from A Crack Where The Light Gets In, released September 14, 2015

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Steve Lawson UK

The UK's most celebrated and prolific solo bassist - alternating between solo and collaborative releases - have a rummage around and see what you find. The subscription is by FAR the best way to keep track of the many musical goings on!

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