Apr 14: Crossroads

South Florida is a true crossroads. It's a place where diverse cultures meet, exchanging ideas and traditions. Such intersections have been important throughout history to help advance knowledge in many fields, including the arts. They offer cross-pollination among human beings and enrich everyone who spends any time around them. That's happening right here, right now. People who arrive in South Florida to visit are part of this scene, as are those of us who come to make this our new home. We all bring our own kind of vibe, a hodgepodge of upbringings and beliefs and talents and tastes that together create an excitement to enjoy and a wild variety of influences to learn from. I was lucky enough to sample some more of those influences over the weekend, both at a public event and a private party.

It began with another great concert in the series of Fort Lauderdale performances by masters of classical Indian music. The Association of Performing Arts of India brings these extraordinary virtuosos to town a few times each year. On Saturday night, Ustad Ali Ahmed Hussain Khan and his two sons gave a memorable show on their shehnais, accompanied by Pandit Subhen Chatterjee on tablas.

I've been listening to Indian music since I was a teenager but didn't know what a shehnai is until now. This instrument is similar to an oboe, double reeded, but with a very different tone and technique. Tablas, of course, are Indian drums played with the hands. In the crossroads that is South Florida, I was able to experience two hours of this uncommonly beautiful music just a 15-minute drive from my condo. Then on Easter, I was at a local party with folks from everywhere - as far away as Sierra Leone in Africa, Japan and Sweden as well as all over the United States, from New Jersey to Minnesota to California. Fun group. Coming one day after the Indian concert, this party emphasized again for me what a rich place South Florida is. Sure, many of us arrive here initially for the weather, tourists and residents alike, just as I did in 1989 when I moved away from Vermont's endless winters. And yes, the weather is part of the reason we stay or return year after year. But only part of the reason. In addition to the subtropical climate, our vibrant, patchwork culture is central to my love of the Fort Lauderdale area and I suspect it has much to do with our tourist appeal too. The sun and the ocean create the lovely South Florida melody. But it's the people from around the world who give us our harmony and rhythm and make the music whole.