David Rhoades and Pat Scandalis Duo
(John Cage Music Circus)
(Spring 1992)

David Rhoades and I played one gig as a Trio with Ernst Martin on Bass. I really liked this gig. Lots of room for me to focus on my accompaniment. Also David and I played as a duo at the John Cage Music Circus at Stanford Feb 1992. I have a set list somewhere and will scan it in when I find it. I think that we mostly played schmoozy ballads. As an accompanies I love playing ballads. I think that the chord structure is really interesting with lots of opportunities for chord substitutions and the melodies are wonderful as well.

The John Cage Music circus was one of those musical experiences that changed how I view Music. There were about 100 musicians scattered around various spots in Music Building at Stanford. The diversity of musical forms there was incredible, classical, Jazz, Pop, Baroque, Experimental... and it was all floating through the halls mixing together in wonderful ways. John Cage was in a court yard reading some of his Poetry. It was after this gig that I finally began to appreciate some types of music that I had understood before.

On Sept 5, 1992 David and I went to an 80'th Birthday party for John Cage in SF at Fort Mason. Sadly he had passed away a few weeks before. This party was another music circus kind of event with lots of experimental music. Near the end of the party (at 4:33pm) there was a planned performance of John Cage's Piece 4'33" (of silence). Just prior to the start of the piece, the room was loud and clangy from everyone playing at the same time. A man dressed as a police officer walked in with a megaphone. At exactly 4:33pm he announced using the megaphone that there would now be 4'33" of silence. The whole room dropped dead silent. I remember that there was a man playing with his 5 year old daughter. When the room went silent she seemed suprised for a short while and was looking around at everyone ... then I heard her say ".... WOOooooow....".