Cynthia Sayer plays at the Levitt Pavilion this Sunday (July 3, 7 p.m.).
Cynthia Sayer
She’s one of the top 4-string banjoists in the world — that’s what the website says, anyway. She spent 10 years with Woody Allen’s jazz band. She’s performed with Wynton Marsalis and Les Paul, and for 2 US presidents.
But that’s not what this post is about.
Cynthia is no stranger to Westport — and she’s got a great Westport story. I’ll let her tell it:
I have family in Westport – my cousin lives there, and my sister lives right on the border.
Shortly after moving there, my sister invited me up to see her house for the 1st time. I took the train from New York City and hopped in a cab at the Westport station, giving the driver my sister’s new address.
A few minutes later, the driver dropped me off in front of this big house. I walked up the drive and rang the doorbell. A teenage boy I didn’t know – a friend of the family, I presumed – opened the door and welcomed me in, then hurried away.
I didn’t see anyone else around, so I sat down in the living room and waited. I soon saw other people, none of whom I recognized, though one gave me a warm smile as she went by.
I knew my sister had bought some new furniture with the move, but it suddenly dawned on me that aside from these unknown people, there was nothing in the room that was familiar – not a single one of my aunt’s paintings hung on the walls, none of the things we had grown up with together that my sister would always have on display. I was in the wrong house!
Without anyone being the wiser, I slipped out the front door. Outside, I checked the address I had given the cab driver. Sure enough, he had dropped me off at my sister’s next door neighbors’. I don’t think we ever told them, but I guess they’ll find out now!
