Steve Nash, Anna's, More Bonds, Yoshi's hangs and a Slight Angle To The Universe
It’s been a while, so thanks for your patience, you who are avid blog-followers. Have heard some good music, played some and even written a bit more since the last entry. The big news here is the avid family investment in the Phoenix/Lakers series. Steve Nash to me is the epitome of the ultimate team player, so it is tough to see, as of this writing, the Lakers handling the Suns. Also fascinating to watch Kobe Bryant make the instantaneous transformation from the most egocentric and selfish player in the game to a wonderful conductor of Phil Jackson’s offense. Makes me wonder what Jackson said to him to make the transformation possible.
Anna’s continues to be a wonderful weekly event, and many friends and musical acquaintances have already fallen by to listen and sometimes play. It is the real deal – a jazz club meant for listening and the friendly, music-loving staff makes for a nice night out for all. The group (Susan, Shifflett, Bulkley and yours truly) are starting to get into some very cool terrain, and when Jeff Marrs subs, we get into that East Coast egg-scrambling I know and love. Also, John Stowell has joined us a couple of times now and that is always a treat. I can’t think of a guitar player I enjoy listening to more.
Speaking of acclaimed guitar players, my friend Andre Bush invited me to join him for a day baseball game recently, and the experience, great seats in the hot sun, a lyrical and bucolic vibe, were all very very pleasant. The big moment of drama came when Barry (nothing has been proven) Bonds limped to the plate as a pinch hitter in the 9th, 2 out, and hit a game-tying home run. I am still not a fan of baseball, finding the pace tedious and soporific, but that was a nice bit of theater for sure.
Hung a few nights back with James Genus and Uri Caine after the Dave Douglas gig at Yoshi’s. Always great to see James, a friend with whom I go back almost 20 years. Hard to believe, but he is now a Dad, so we talked about the astonishing changes he is experiencing that way. Uri Caine was also a cool hang. He is a very fun, wry and thoughtful man, so we had an excellent time. Needless to say, James remains maybe my favorite bassist and Uri sounds wonderful on the Rhodes. I would love to hear him on acoustic. Always good to see Clarence Penn, a true magician on the drums, and Dave D and Donny McCaslin played with real command, passion and authority on Dave’s challenging, shape-shifting material.
The other noteworthy music I have heard since last posting was the Scofield quartet with Eddie Henderson, Bill Stewart and Dennis Irwin. Eddie is, in me humble opinion, the best living jazz trumpet player, mixing perfect 8ths, sterling note choice, drama and soul. It was gratifying that he remembered my playing fondly from the time we gigged with Sylvia Cuenca, and he and I both expressed a desire to reconnect musically. Bill Stewart is a truly innovative and exciting drummer, and I appreciated that he didn’t feel the need to always obfuscate the underlying pulse during his solos, something that is a bit of a disease among some younger drummers.
Other than that, we have rented a house in LA for Carla’s one woman show, Wedding Singer Blues, and rented our place out, so quite an adventure is in store the next few months, as the household, complete with dogs, heads to LaLaland. As the saying goes, more will be revealed, so stay tuned to this space! Here is an excellent parody by Paul Hipp based on I Am The Walrus . You can hear it at http://decider.cf.huffingtonpost.com
Lastly, speaking of lyrics, I heard a beautiful quote from E.M. Forster and somehow this set of lyrics came out. Not sure what it all means, but it just rolled out, and sometimes we need to trust our intuition. It is called Slight Angle To The Universe:
At a slight angle to the universe
With head askew like the jack of spades
A smile at once demure and perverse
He uses his thin grin to charm the maids
At a slight incline and very still
He salts his wounds with rueful tears
He never stumbles but he will
And waits for the letter that never appears
At a slight advantage he slips, he trips
And falls ever upward to brighter nights
Balancing a drink that he never sips
It helps him miss the tourist sights
At a slight denial he takes no offense
But soothes the waters with pearl grey words
No need, it’s only common sense
To share your dinner with the birds
At a slight angle to the stars and moons
He bids adieu to the friends he knew
And buries each last one in satin ruins
Well after all, wouldn’t you?
Anna’s continues to be a wonderful weekly event, and many friends and musical acquaintances have already fallen by to listen and sometimes play. It is the real deal – a jazz club meant for listening and the friendly, music-loving staff makes for a nice night out for all. The group (Susan, Shifflett, Bulkley and yours truly) are starting to get into some very cool terrain, and when Jeff Marrs subs, we get into that East Coast egg-scrambling I know and love. Also, John Stowell has joined us a couple of times now and that is always a treat. I can’t think of a guitar player I enjoy listening to more.
Speaking of acclaimed guitar players, my friend Andre Bush invited me to join him for a day baseball game recently, and the experience, great seats in the hot sun, a lyrical and bucolic vibe, were all very very pleasant. The big moment of drama came when Barry (nothing has been proven) Bonds limped to the plate as a pinch hitter in the 9th, 2 out, and hit a game-tying home run. I am still not a fan of baseball, finding the pace tedious and soporific, but that was a nice bit of theater for sure.
Hung a few nights back with James Genus and Uri Caine after the Dave Douglas gig at Yoshi’s. Always great to see James, a friend with whom I go back almost 20 years. Hard to believe, but he is now a Dad, so we talked about the astonishing changes he is experiencing that way. Uri Caine was also a cool hang. He is a very fun, wry and thoughtful man, so we had an excellent time. Needless to say, James remains maybe my favorite bassist and Uri sounds wonderful on the Rhodes. I would love to hear him on acoustic. Always good to see Clarence Penn, a true magician on the drums, and Dave D and Donny McCaslin played with real command, passion and authority on Dave’s challenging, shape-shifting material.
The other noteworthy music I have heard since last posting was the Scofield quartet with Eddie Henderson, Bill Stewart and Dennis Irwin. Eddie is, in me humble opinion, the best living jazz trumpet player, mixing perfect 8ths, sterling note choice, drama and soul. It was gratifying that he remembered my playing fondly from the time we gigged with Sylvia Cuenca, and he and I both expressed a desire to reconnect musically. Bill Stewart is a truly innovative and exciting drummer, and I appreciated that he didn’t feel the need to always obfuscate the underlying pulse during his solos, something that is a bit of a disease among some younger drummers.
Other than that, we have rented a house in LA for Carla’s one woman show, Wedding Singer Blues, and rented our place out, so quite an adventure is in store the next few months, as the household, complete with dogs, heads to LaLaland. As the saying goes, more will be revealed, so stay tuned to this space! Here is an excellent parody by Paul Hipp based on I Am The Walrus . You can hear it at http://decider.cf.huffingtonpost.com
Lastly, speaking of lyrics, I heard a beautiful quote from E.M. Forster and somehow this set of lyrics came out. Not sure what it all means, but it just rolled out, and sometimes we need to trust our intuition. It is called Slight Angle To The Universe:
At a slight angle to the universe
With head askew like the jack of spades
A smile at once demure and perverse
He uses his thin grin to charm the maids
At a slight incline and very still
He salts his wounds with rueful tears
He never stumbles but he will
And waits for the letter that never appears
At a slight advantage he slips, he trips
And falls ever upward to brighter nights
Balancing a drink that he never sips
It helps him miss the tourist sights
At a slight denial he takes no offense
But soothes the waters with pearl grey words
No need, it’s only common sense
To share your dinner with the birds
At a slight angle to the stars and moons
He bids adieu to the friends he knew
And buries each last one in satin ruins
Well after all, wouldn’t you?
posted by Michael Zilber at 5:58 PM
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