This is a piece about my dearly beloved cat Cousteau, who quickly developed squamous-cell carcinoma over the course of a month and died in early March. He was only 7.
Cousteau was an absolutely perfect animal. On the outside, he was very much a grumpy throw pillow, but I have never had an animal so down to be a part of my nonsense. He was 20 pounds and would insist on driving his tiny paws right below your rib cage when he sat on your stomach since that was very comfortable for him.
He was present for everything I composed over the two years I had him, and insisted on being in contact with me as I practiced. You could even play a Harmon mute into his belly for a short while and he would tolerate it.
He would be in the bed when I woke up and in the bed when I slept, no matter where the 'bed' was. During the CTU strike, I volunteered to play in support of the striking teachers, which meant I would sleep on the floor of my bathroom so I could get up immediately and take a shower at 5 to be at Solorio at 7. Guess who would be there with me, all bleary-eyed.
He never complained or whimpered or whined or hissed, even when his cancer hurt a lot and made it difficult to eat. We spent his final 24 hours curled up hard together, his body smashed into mine. I miss him a lot.
The final thing he gave me was so simple. When the doctor gave him the drug to make his heart stop, she warned me that often the animal's eyes would stay open after death. I covered his face to make things less scary for him since often he would put his face in my hand when he wanted comforting. When I took my hand away, he had closed his eyes in peace.
Thanks, buddy. You made the time we had together fantastic.
credits
from Alone Again,
released April 26, 2020
Matt Riggen: drumset
I saw the band that's on Bending Bridges live at the Newport Jazz Festival around 2013 and it was the only group there that made me cry. Mary is a fantastic writer and a major influence. Matt Riggen
I'm lucky enough to know Matt and his humility doesn't belie what a deep composer he is, especially on 'Festival'. He also plays tuba and upright on this one, which sets the bar for the rest of us. Matt Riggen
I contributed ~50% of the compositions/arrangements to this record and played in the trumpet section. I believe art can expedite justice by lighting a fire under its audience, and I've seen it here. Matt Riggen