Deep sleep

“Fast asleep” drawn with pen and ink by Sanford R. Bender
“Deep sleep” composed and performed with guitar, clarinet, bass, snare drum, and crash cymbal by Sanford R. Bender on March 21, 2024

Carnival of bygone days

“Ocean City. NJ amusement park” photographed by Sanford R. Bender in the summer of 2023
“Carnival of bygone days” composed and performed with clarinet, concertina, and guitar by Sanford R. Bender on March 9, 2024.

A glimpse of light

“Snow field ” drawn with pen and ink by Sanford Ross Bender on January 23, 1995
“A glimpse of light” composed and performed with guitar, clarinet, snare drum, and crash cymbal by Sanford Ross Bender on January 20, 2024.

Hunting tale

“Prairie Hawk” drawn with colored pencil in sketchbook by Sanford R. Bender on August 26, 2023
“Hunting tale” composed, performed, and recorded with guitar and clarinet by Sanford Ross Bender on August 23-25, 2023

Simply from the Heart

“Simply from the Heart” composed, performed, and recorded with concertina and clarinet by Sanford Ross Bender on July 1, 2023
“Farmlands” painted and drawn with watercolors and ink by Sanford Ross Bender

Out the door they go!

“Out the door they go!” composed, performed and recorded with dobro, banjo, clarinet, concertina, glockenspiel, and crash cymbal by Sanford Ross Bender on June 23, 2023.
“Out the door they go” drawn with charcoal by Sanford Ross Bender

Dancing tears

“Brass and Percussion Band” drawn in sketchbook by Sanford Ross Bender in 2009.
“Dancing tears” improvised and recorded with guitar, glockenspiel, concertina, and clarinet by Sanford Ross Bender on March 9 & 11, 2023.

Royal sunset & Fountain of innocence

“Royal sunset” drawn with colored pastels and charcoal on paper by Sanford Ross Bender
“Royal sunset” composed, performed, and recorded with dobro, concertina, and clarinet by Sanford Ross Bender on December 16, 2022
“Fountain of innocence” composed, performed, and recorded with guitar and concertina by Sanford R. Bender on December 24, 2022.

Dirge

The next morning, I added a clarinet part to the composition while imagining another musician in the sombre parade. I also realized that the independent concertina and guitar parts needed to be separated.. The lower wind-blown tones of the clarinet blends with the higher tones emitted through the concertina’s bellows while interweaving with the resonant dobro bass line. The guitar part in the reprise provides hope and renewal. S.R. Bender

“Raven” drawn with charcoal pencil by Sanford R. Bender
“Dirge” composed and performed with concertina, dobro, guitar, and clarinet by Sanford R. Bender on July 24, 2022

Memory of a Drowned Town

“Memory of a Drowned Town” composed, performed, and recorded with vocals, guitar, banjo, and clarinet by Sanford Ross Bender on December 30, 2015.

“A natural occurence” painted with gouache by Sanford Ross Bender

Memory of a Drowned Town

The river washed my house away,

I always liked the view.

The rocks that I had piled up,

Tumbled away and broke through.

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My cat climbed into the highest tree,

My dog just ran away.

Only the old rooster,

Took command of the bay.

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Down in the valley so far below,

Lay a wasted town.

Some people found their old row boats,

The rest must have drowned.

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We never thought the storm would come,

To our sacred isle.

This is what comes to the best of us,

When we live our lives in denial.

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Sanford Ross Bender – Copyright: 12.30.2015