Among the most inspiring events to come out of last year’s extensive social unrest were gatherings of musicians during the summer to hold “violin vigils” in Aurora (Colorado), Portland (Oregon), New York City, Los Angeles, and other locations on behalf of Elijah McClain. The story of Elijah McClain, a Black Man who was 23 years old when he died, has captivated millions not only because of the nature of his death but because of how he lived. (To view in full the above artwork dedicated McClain please click here.)

His death came after police stopped him on August 24, 2019, as he was returning home from running a quick grocery store errand.  He was forced to the ground with a carotid (choke) hold, injected with a chemical called Ketamine to make him more docile, and then transported to a hospital where he died a few days later. The following is a short excerpt from a blog post on how he lived:

THE VIOLINIST AND THE KITTENS

“Only those closest to him can speak with any kind of authority about who or what Elijah McClain was but there are videos and public documentation which support claims he was an exceptionally sensitive and empathetic human being. Some might find the description of him as ‘an angel walking among people’ a bit much. Speaking for himself, he declared: ‘I’m an introvert. I’m just different. That’s all.’ That wasn’t exactly all because being a massage therapist did make him a kind of healer in the mode of an angel. In fact, his fateful encounter with police occurred after reportedly purchasing  tea for a cousin.

“And then there is this: he was so concerned about the loneliness from which he believed kittens in shelters might suffer that on his lunchbreaks he played the violin for them. That practice of musical compassion prompted world-class musicians to gather and play in his honor...” (For full blog post please visit: https://www.author-poet-aberjhani.info/blog-visionary-vibes/the-difference-compassion-could-have-made-in-2manylivesgone2soon-my-elijah-rock-shout  )

I’m not a violinist so have attempted to pay my tributes to McClain through writing and abstract Silk-Featherbrush Artstyle canvases like “Jazz Concerto for the Kittens’ Violinist 1st Movement.” My hope is the contrasting horizontal and diagonal patterns visually duplicate the way some jazz combos perform, by playing counter-notes melodies instead of complimentary harmonies. I also like the idea that the idea that the purple, orange, yellow, dark plum, red, green, blue, black, and teal provide a good sense of music made visible.

Aberjhani
https://www.author-poet-aberjhani.info/
Creator of Silk-Featherbrush Artstyle
Black History Month
Co-Author Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
Author of Greeting Flannery O’Connor at the Back Door of My Mind