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please enjoy this video featuring an excerpt from "Autumn and Regret II"
The Charity
Alzheimer's Disease is a relatively "new" disease, in the sense that there's a name for a disease that's always existed. My wife and I can both think of some dear family friends who found themselves with Alzheimer's, or taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer's, and it is heartbreaking all around, for all involved.
The Alzheimer's Association was founded by Jerome H. Stone in 1979, and almost immediately, the focus was on raising funds for research, and has thus far invested more than $220 million in research alone. The Alzheimer's Association has also recognized the need to educate and support the caretakers of those who have Alzheimer's.
Today, the Alzheimer's Association has not only a comprehensive website at the above address, but also a 24/7 toll-free hotline at (800) 272 3900. There are also many community-based Alzheimer's Association chapters all over the United States, and many of those chapters sponsor the Memory Walk which is the largest event in the United States to raise funds for Alzheimer's research.
The Song
"Autumn and Regret" originally appeared on my 2002 cd "Bleed", and was originally an electric guitar (with loads of digital delay) piece. I played this song regularly at concerts from 2002 to 2004, and then, like most of my songs, I "retired" it to focus on new songs.
It was just on a whim that I tried to play "Autumn and Regret" on the piano, and it was an unpleasant experience for me (and for the song, probably!). I found myself too focused on the melody of the piece, and not what was happening "in between" the notes. When I shifted my musical focus to what was happening in between the notes, I found a very interesting "second conversation" taking place- one that I either hadn't noticed in the original, or one that was obscured by the effects (reverb, delay, etc...) that were present in the original. From that point, the piece quickly took on new life.
