A former Catholic socialist-leaning Clinton-voting Pitt graduate and a reformed Catholic conservative-leaning Reaganite Penn State graduate walk into a basement with wine and whiskey, have a conversation about intelligent design, politics, philosophy, and faith, and come out on the other side with love.

That ain’t bad, huh?

The album Astral Weeks was reportedly recorded in an exceptionally short period of time and the musicians, for the most part, did not use lead sheets.  Van Morrison apparently sat in a booth by himself, the band left to improvise around him whims, words, and moods.  But it ends up something singularly wonderful.  It’s free flowing.  Sloppy at times.  Several of the songs need minutes to really find cohesion.  But the emotional core of this record is as cavernous as the universe, or a human soul, both of which may very well be one and the same.

My favorite conversations, the ones that resonate, provide me with insights and depth even as I’m laughing or frolicking about, making sense or talking nonsense, are the ones that flow like that recording session.

Jazz.

Improvisation.

No structure.  Just two or more people in relationship, communicating honestly, attempting to work WITH the shared undercurrent rather than against it, recognizing that we’re not in control of anything but knowing that the thrill of human connection gives us access to whatever is.

I’m thrilled to present to you, “Playing Without Charts,” which might well be subtitled: Del Norris 3.2.

Enjoy.