The Seven O’Clock Cheer has become so much more than support for the health care providers who are on the front line. It’s also a way to support ourselves.
The West End is ideal for human exchange: a single voice carries over lanes and roofs to hundreds of others on balconies, who break out in their own applause. A beautiful cacophony. And eye contact.
Often spontaneous events burn brightly but fade quickly. Still, the nightly cheer goes on. Naturally, people make their own contributions; they take advantage of this amazing performance space; they find ways to keep it going.
One who does is Caley Honeywell (caleyonsax – Instagram) She plays her saxophone from the rooftop of her building on the edge of Stanley Park. From a block away, it doesn’t sound like any saxophone you’ve ever heard.
After some blares and improvisations, she breaks out in ‘O Canada’. Listeners even a short distance away can’t quite tell where the sound is coming from. It goes right to the heart.
Here she is – “Pied Piper of Unity” – in a video taken by neighbour Alex McCullough:
Hi Gordon, I couldn’t see a video of the saxophone player in your apartment building. Can you resend it?
Hi Rosalind. It’s at the bottom of the article.