Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Band, Syracuse Jazz Fest, Onondaga Community College Campus, July 3, 2016   Often you hear the term “living legend.” I suspect that designation is reserved for those individuals who have built a stellar body of accomplishments that defy our ability to comprehend how any one person can reach that plateau of excellence. And all too often, that descriptive designation emanates from a small group of believers and then over time, that thinking and adoration grows to become regional, national, and eventually global. Trombone Shorty (google image) A musician and artist known as “Trombone Shorty” is a living legend in New Orleans, Louisiana known for his mastery of the trombone, trumpet, lyrics and old school dance moves. I saw him and Orleans Avenue, his back-up band, at the JazzFest held in Syracuse, NY this past Sunday where he closed out the two day music festival. As an early fan, on Sunday night, I marveled at his evo...

That’s right! Austin C. Morgan (c) 2015 (Photo Provided) While you may have thought  the festival ended, Austin Morgan returns with another intriguing story, “The Embers of Dusk” the second installment of a four part series that may rest with the overall title, "The Automatic Orchestra" when it is in book form.  For now, we simply refer to these stories as the "Melancholy Quartet."    Austin's first story with aaduna,  “Julie Templeton and the AutomaticOrchestra,” was published in aaduna's summer 2014 issue, and it tantalized our readers.   His second piece is an ambitious piece of story- telling that once again shows Mr. Morgan's mastery of words, narrative imagery, and movement through space and time.      So, let the festival continue.   Austin returns in aaduna's upcoming 5th anniversary-spring 2015 issue scheduled for publishing this month! Here’s an unedited t...

If you read “Julie Templeton and the Automatic Orchestra” in the current issue of aaduna, then you do know who we are referring to.   If not, you need to check this writer out now since we will present another of his stories in the winter 2015 issue, and you may want to be in the know before the crowd! (c) 2014  Delaney Aby, Photographer I had the opportunity to chat with our mysterious ACM as we glimpsed his life and background.   Click here to read the interview on aaduna's website:     Conversation with Austin C. Morgan   Afterwards, make sure you read his short story.   Then you, like us, will know ACM! Enjoy. Stay creative,  bill

There are writers and poets who craft intriguing stories and verses that find a vacant space in our brain; crawl in oh so quietly; just sit there…without sound or movement …enabling us to feel our latent reactions; shape argumentative opinions, and wish we could hear more words from them.   Here is [Jasper’s] Austin Morgan’s short story excerpt taken from “Julie Templeton and the Automatic Orchestra,” followed by a snippet from [ Cincinnati ’s] Joyce Miller’s poetry and closing out with an excerpt from [Levittown's] Olivia Lin Deluca's "Pure Bliss."   Enjoy! Austin shares,             H e could nearly feel himself flying, as if he would look down and see the tips of his sneakers levitating from the pavement.   Heart on flight in his boney chest, excitement oh-so riveting, unlike anything he had ever felt before.           Maybe it had been the sunrise that h...