The Community Music Hangout gathered for #40 on Saturday, December 16th, 2023. We gathered under brilliant sunshine, at a piano which had been mysteriously rotated 180 degrees. Spooky! The new orientation made for challenging sun reflections off our charts, but we persevered. It was, nevertheless, a wonderful day to be out of doors making music with friends new and old. When Rikki and I pulled up to the piano, Bo was already there, with his flute ready to go. I know Bo from playing jazz at the tunnel by the Conservatory of Flowers, and this was his first time at the Hangout. I love the cross-pollination across genres and events! Bo added great flute solos throughout the day. Great stuff, thanks Bo! Soon, hangout regulars Brian and Sage biked up, while Kyle zipped up on his longboard. We were off to a quick start. Also, Sage brought yummy donuts! Next, we welcomed another newcomer to the hangout in Zai. Welcome, Zai! She had a really clever implement which allowed her to clip the charts onto the headstock of her guitar. Kyle and I were very impressed. Zai not only stayed for the whole hangout, but she actually helped keep the party going for hours after Rikki and I had to leave! Awesome contribution, Zai. Hope to see you back again soon. On Saturday, we were lucky enough to see some Kara and Howard, big time friends of the Hangout. Kara came bearing gifts for us to share, thanks for the colorful tambourines and delicious sweets! We tend to ask people who have stopped to watch if they play or sing, and on Saturday at CMH #40, we had some great hits in that regard. We had Alexandra singing along at her first hangout; we had JD jump in and sing a beautiful rendition of “Stand By Me”; and we caught Robert on his way to join the 5th annual Hole Party i.e. a group of folks gathering to dig the deepest hole they can manage at Ocean Beach. He stopped to sing a song or two before going to join the dig (I later learned that they managed around 12 ft before filling it in and leaving no trace). Nice. Thank you all for joining in and adding your vibes! For me, the highlight of the day was definitely playing tunes with 11-year-old Mateo on alto sax. I started playing when I was 10, so when I looked at him, I saw my younger self, albeit with considerably more fashion sense than I ever had. I mean, check out that hat. It was a real treat to accompany the young fella on a few songs and we all hope we see him again soon. When we started the Hangout, I had not considered the impact we might be able to have on the children who are just finding their way with music. It’s been such a joyful discovery to find that we can put kids in front of maybe their first audience ever! How exciting. Great job, Mateo. Keep it up, dude! There was a very sweet moment when Brian got everyone gathered to sing Happy Birthday to me. Mateo and the rest of the gang did a great job, and I was very moved by it. Thank you, Brian, for getting that started and for everyone wishing me well. I was definitely feeling the warmth! Rikki and I had to take off a bit after 3pm, but by that time, Liz turned up at the piano. I first met Liz at probably something like CMH #5 or 10! She’s a real veteran of the Hang. She and Zai kept the singalong vibes going for another two hours! Wow! That’s exactly the kind of energy I want the hangout to manifest. Fabulous. Thank you, ladies! All in all, it was another brilliant day of musical goodness. We’re off next weekend, but we’ll be back on Sunday 12/31 for one final CMH in 2023. Thank you all!