Oasis in the concrete jungle

When I was booked for the first time for that new place, a newly opened hotel in Benidorm I was not thrilled at all. That city has a reputation for being a place for tourists that come just to spend all their money on drinks and parties, leaving behind them an ugly image. But work is work, and it is also the thing that I like to play the piano. It feels like putting together fun and being paid for it. Why would I ever refuse that? Well, if a place is bad and the conditions are not good I will not go, that is why I avoid working in Benidorm, but I was assured by my manager that it is different. I could feel safe and that I would like the place. (Not everything in that city is bad, don't get me wrong, it is just the nightlife of it and the consequences of the same that are not very attractive). After a few phone calls and messages we agreed, I got the directions and that Saturday evening headed to the concrete jungle with my good friend, Voyager.

Red light. Green light. Skyscrapers. Roundabout. 30 km/h. Palm trees by the roads. Convertibles that don't care about the speed limit. Police cars. For a moment I thought I found myself in a Spanish version of the Miami Vice series 😂

But actually, I found myself in a little oasis in that madness. Very friendly hotel staff, zen ambience and then... and then I was introduced to the garden where piano music was needed for that night. It was a garden full of palm, olive and banyan trees around the pool and hammocks, with a terrasse for having dinner or drink.

The staff of that newly opened hotel was very kind. First, they showed me the place and asked me where I would like to play. It was my stage piano that was installed in the place I found the best for myself, being discretely camouflaged between the tables. I don't like to be at a stoplight if we talk about this kind of event. I just like to be there, bringing from somewhere the tunes that will please a few souls. I don't even like applause between the pieces I play, it kind of reveals that there is a musician but what is actually important is not me, but the music. I want to be in the background.

What in reality happened is... that the people who occupied those few tables applauded, loudly, after every single song I played. What an abashment!! After a bit less than an hour of playing I took a break to have a drink myself too and let those people go to their rooms :D

In the second part of my performance, just those more relaxed people stayed and enjoyed the music, approving the sounds coming from my piano with a smile or meeting my sight. I understood they enjoyed the experience and saved it for the enrichment of their inner peace.

But guess what? Those who were clapping after every song in the first part continued to listen to me from their balcony and here and there I still heard applause 😂

After I finished my piano playing time, I wanted to stroll around in that little oasis. I wanted to be the guest, not the one who worked and feel the presence of these trees. Do they feel something, the trees? Can they hear sounds and distinguish the vibrations that music can bring from the vibrations that the busy city and its life, just outside of the fence can provide? Is there a difference between music and noise?

Well, let's live that question unanswered, we would just suppose and not know for sure what the trees can sense. Another stroll, now in the hall and bar of the hotel. It was a very calm evening for them, a place that just opened a few months ago needed time to get more guests. Also, October is a month when the tourist season gets a bit weaker. I imagine this summer will bring more guests to a place like this.

It is tempting to take a few moments and relax. Just be. But Voyager and my piano were ready to go, and I went back to the streets of the concrete jungle, heading home.

This is one of the examples of what work means for me and the places I get booked sometimes. I have to confess, I would gladly go back here to work, anytime they need piano music for an evening like this! 🎶