Mo(u)rning Glory(ă)

Mother Jean Gloria
October 25, 1921 - August 25, 2011
Rest in Peace
September 09, 2011

This is my mother at the age of 20, or so. While sorting through some of her possessions in the days following her recent death, I came across a high school yearbook dated 1941 where without a doubt she was by far the prettiest girl in her graduating class, and I say that with all personal bias aside. My father once told me that after returning from his tour of duty in the Philippines during the Second World War, he fell for her the instant he first set eyes on her at a local dance hall. All of his buddies however told him that he'd never have a chance with her --- a good looking, small town Italian girl like that who comes from an Old World family would never even give him a second look. But she did, and shortly thereafter they fell in love, married, and remained husband and wife for 65 years, and now into eternity.

Jean Gloria passed away exactly one year and three days after the death the man she loved so dearly. His departure left an immense hole in her life that she felt with every beat of her ailing heart. While simultaneously tethered to a kidney dialysis machine that seemingly did more her more harm than good, she finally came to the realization that if this was to be her life, then it was hardly what one could call living and so she resigned herself to the likelihood of death as a preferable alternative. But despite her suffering, she continued to carry herself as she did throughout her entire life --- with humility, grace, dignity, and courage --- and that is why I offer a photo of young Jean Gloria. Self-conscious of her increasing frailty, she succumbed to the prison that life had become. The fragile and brittle figure that she had transformed into was not how she wished to be seen, nor is it how she would have wished to be remembered. By comparison her healthier body and spirit of yesteryear was a thing of rare beauty --- vibrant and alive, filled with love, compassion, and devotion to family. That is how I choose to remember her. But now with her passing, along with my father's which occurred at this same time last year, I too am left with an emptiness in my own life that can never be refilled. Those of us who have been lucky enough to experience a lifelong friendship and loving bond with our parents know this loss all too well. And those who haven't will never know, nor will they ever understand all that they have missed.

I certainly know that I will miss my mother, as I have missed my dad. Therefore I'd like to dedicate this post in honor of her --- Jean Gloria and her unbridled love --- knowing that she has finally been released from the suffering that she (like my father) had been forced to endure in the final years of their lives. And I hope too that she will have finally found the restful peace that we all long for so deeply within our hearts.

Mo(u)rning Glory(ă), Pt.1
A Memorial Suite in Two Parts

1) 'Introduction'
2) Bing Crosby
Van Dyke Parks
3) The British Museum
4) Gentle Persuasion
Gabriel Yared
5) Buffalo Voice
Frank Zappa
6) "I'd like to somewhere else right now"
7) Who Shot Sam?
Charlie Rich
8) Maud And Roland In North Hampshire
Gabriel Yared
9) A Life In East Poultney
Tin Hat Trio
10) This Is Only The Beginning ('Anything Goes')
Harpers Bizarre
11) The All Golden
Van Dyke Parks
12) New York Theme
Tom Waits
13) Naval Aviation In Art?
Frank Zappa
14) Donovan's Colours
Van Dyke Parks
15) Poignant Thoughts
16) Maud And Roland
Gabriel Yared
17) Hey, You In The Crowd ('Anything Goes')
Harpers Bizarre
18) Journey To Whitby
19) A Hotel Room In Whitby
Gabriel Yared
20) Last Dance
Sarah McLachlan
21) "Parlez-vous Français?"
22) Si Tu u'Etais Pas La (Fréhel)
Edith Piaf
23) Into The Mystic
Van Morrison
24) A Pig With Wings
Frank Zappa
25) "This is all wrong!"
26) La Valse d'Amélie
27) Le Petit Chateau
Yann Tiersen
28) If I Were You
Peter & Gordon


Mo(u)rning Glory(ă), Pt.2
A Memorial Suite in Two Parts

1) Punchy Tack Piano
Jon Brion
2) He Needs Me
Shelley Duvall
3) Waikiki
Unidentified Lounge Singer
4) Mona Chimes
Jon Brion
5) Wasting My Time
Harry Nilsson
6) Soir De Fête
7) La Redécouverte
Yann Tiersen
8) Xmas Values
Frank Zappa
9) Girl Talk
Billy May
10) Blossoms And Bloods
11) Here We Go Again
12) He Really Needs Me
Jon Brion
13) Walk Through This World With Me
Conway Twitty
14) Moonlight Serenade
Glenn Miller Orchestra
15) Sand Dog Blues
Tin Hat Trio
16) You'll Lose A Good Thing
Barbara Lynn
17) They Made Me Eat It ("What's It Like?")
Frank Zappa
18) Girl From Ipanema
Harvey Mandell & Red Rhodes
19) "True or false?"
20) Navanax
Frank Zappa
21) Width Of The World
Tin Hat Trio
22) Little Cowboy
Harry Nilsson
23) When Sunny Gets Blue
The 'Incredible' Johnny Mathis

I'll be taking the remainder of the month off and will resume publishing in October when I'll return with a new Frank Zappa Project/Object that I'd been working on at the time of her death. I hope I'll see you then.