J.R. Rhodes & Hans Teuber

I know J.R. through my friend Jesica.  Several years ago Jesica a book signing for my book “Rowing into the Son,” several years ago in Moscow, Idaho. I was invited by two professors I was working with on a project to create a curriculum around rowboat trips down the Mississippi River.  Jesica grew up in Seattle and when tinyboatsession came about she said her friend, J.R. Rhodes would be perfect. 

She was right.  J.R. liked the idea of playing some songs in a tinyboat and even invited her friend, Hans Teuber to play the clarinet and flute as a duo.  It was wonderful to get two talented musicians at the same time, and it was also the first time I’d had a clarinet in the boat.  

When they started to play together I realized that not only were they friends and fellow musicians, but they had worked together for years.  It was clear that their communication was not just verbal.  A subtle nod, a move of the shoulders, a laugh that said more than I could pick up on.  

It was a hot cloudless summer day, late in the afternoon, but the hottest part of the day.  On the water it made for a perfect temperature.  August in the Pacific Northwest is almost too green. It's nice to be out on the water to add some blue to the pallet.  We found some wonderful backgrounds of Gasworks Park, the George Washington Bridge, and old tugboats.  Hans even brought out what I can only describe as a keyboard clarinet and played “Drunken Sailor.”  J.R. sang her soulful and thoughtful lyrics while an old oyster schooner called LAVENGRO was kind enough to tack right behind us.  ‘Lavengro’ is a Romany word that means ‘Word Master’ or ‘lover of words’ and seemed like the perfect ship to sail by while J.R. sang. Instagram: @rrhodesco, Instagram: @hansteuber