LA letter, part 2
So it is about 9:50 am and believe it or not, it is early in our LA household. I am the first one up, as we caught Eddie Izzard with the groundlings at the coronet after our show last night. The performance was fun. Izzard is not nearly the improviser that the 3 groundling men were, so I enjoyed it best when they were on. Also, disconcerting to see a few starfuckers, one in particular, howl with laughter at every utterance of Izzard’s. Seemed very insincere, but also emblematic of a large # of fairly faux people in the LA entertainment industry. I told Mac you could throw a brick into the line waiting to get in to see Izzard and probably 1/2 the people hit would be shopping themselves as actors, writers, directors, etc…just like if you did that in North Berkeley 1/2 of them would be on their way to a yoga class.
It is an interesting phenomenon, this LA schedule, since back in Albany, usually everyone else is asleep by 11, so whether or not I have a gig, I am up by myself late. Now, I am in the unusual position of being up earlier, a very uncharacteristic place for me to be in.
Nothing too earth-shattering to report. I have continued to go out and listen to music and sat in with a group of LA fusion stars the other night at Lavelee’s, one of the 3 big fusion hangs in the area. This night it was Scott Kinsey, Scott Henderson, Gary Novak and Dave Carpenter. I had played with Carpenter on a gig with Steve Smith back in Seattle a few years back and we had hooked up well musically. He is a nice cat and great player so it was definitely fun to jump into the fusion storm. I am also planning a couple of hits with Michael Barsimanto before the end of July. He plays in a cool, loose and modern style. Not at all surprising since Lieb recommended him. One thing that is clear is that I thrive musically when I play with world-class players, and that is sporadic for me back in the Bay, so I need to continue branching out and making contacts all over.
The show continues to go well – the audiences are uniformly positive about Carla’s show, so now it is a waiting game to see if it makes sense for her to continue. There is a ratio of paid full-price to comps we have to reach, in order for it to be feasible. I think overall it is a fantastic experience for her to be pushing herself and pursuing her dream and it is absolutely allowing me to think about what my dream is, and am I living it. If not how do I make that happen?
Mac seems to be thriving here for the most part. He is improving his basketball game, getting in terrific condition and being a very cool and cooperative young man. I think it is a little hard on him that the only interaction he is having with kids his own age is on the basketball court, but it is also excellent that he is being stretched out of his comfort zone and adapting well. He is getting much more relaxed and outgoing with adults and is charming and witty for the most part. I asked him if he wanted to come back up to the Bay area with me when I do my week at the Jazzschool, and his immediate response was, no, that’s kind of like quitting the mile 1/2 way through. I think he enjoys a lot of what we do here, and finds the city and schedule conducive.
It is hard to believe that a year ago at this time, I was traversing the streets of Paris, a journey of introspection and discovery. I still have a small blue stone brought back from Rue Rambuteau as a keepsake of that lovely visit, and I did not imagine back then in Paris that I would be in Los Angeles today. So prognostications of the future are pretty much futile, I think. I won’t even venture a guess as to where I’ll be a year from now – hopefully touring Europe with my own group. The true Buddhists are folks I admire immensely, since they are able to be in the moment without any expectations of the future. Kind of like zen stock brokers – past performance is no guarantee of future results. As I watch my father slip, see my son blossom, it is odd to dig back through my vague memories. Pictures help, and videos help more, but when I look at them, they are stirrings and tuggings, and also different people. The young, long-haired slim man swinging the arms of his delighted and beaming 2 year old is not me and it is not Mac. We are only now and I am doing my best to embrace the moment and gather enough knowledge to have some sense of what I should do next. All I do know is that I have this show to the end of the month, and we will see what life brings after that. More will be revealed as the saying goes…
It is an interesting phenomenon, this LA schedule, since back in Albany, usually everyone else is asleep by 11, so whether or not I have a gig, I am up by myself late. Now, I am in the unusual position of being up earlier, a very uncharacteristic place for me to be in.
Nothing too earth-shattering to report. I have continued to go out and listen to music and sat in with a group of LA fusion stars the other night at Lavelee’s, one of the 3 big fusion hangs in the area. This night it was Scott Kinsey, Scott Henderson, Gary Novak and Dave Carpenter. I had played with Carpenter on a gig with Steve Smith back in Seattle a few years back and we had hooked up well musically. He is a nice cat and great player so it was definitely fun to jump into the fusion storm. I am also planning a couple of hits with Michael Barsimanto before the end of July. He plays in a cool, loose and modern style. Not at all surprising since Lieb recommended him. One thing that is clear is that I thrive musically when I play with world-class players, and that is sporadic for me back in the Bay, so I need to continue branching out and making contacts all over.
The show continues to go well – the audiences are uniformly positive about Carla’s show, so now it is a waiting game to see if it makes sense for her to continue. There is a ratio of paid full-price to comps we have to reach, in order for it to be feasible. I think overall it is a fantastic experience for her to be pushing herself and pursuing her dream and it is absolutely allowing me to think about what my dream is, and am I living it. If not how do I make that happen?
Mac seems to be thriving here for the most part. He is improving his basketball game, getting in terrific condition and being a very cool and cooperative young man. I think it is a little hard on him that the only interaction he is having with kids his own age is on the basketball court, but it is also excellent that he is being stretched out of his comfort zone and adapting well. He is getting much more relaxed and outgoing with adults and is charming and witty for the most part. I asked him if he wanted to come back up to the Bay area with me when I do my week at the Jazzschool, and his immediate response was, no, that’s kind of like quitting the mile 1/2 way through. I think he enjoys a lot of what we do here, and finds the city and schedule conducive.
It is hard to believe that a year ago at this time, I was traversing the streets of Paris, a journey of introspection and discovery. I still have a small blue stone brought back from Rue Rambuteau as a keepsake of that lovely visit, and I did not imagine back then in Paris that I would be in Los Angeles today. So prognostications of the future are pretty much futile, I think. I won’t even venture a guess as to where I’ll be a year from now – hopefully touring Europe with my own group. The true Buddhists are folks I admire immensely, since they are able to be in the moment without any expectations of the future. Kind of like zen stock brokers – past performance is no guarantee of future results. As I watch my father slip, see my son blossom, it is odd to dig back through my vague memories. Pictures help, and videos help more, but when I look at them, they are stirrings and tuggings, and also different people. The young, long-haired slim man swinging the arms of his delighted and beaming 2 year old is not me and it is not Mac. We are only now and I am doing my best to embrace the moment and gather enough knowledge to have some sense of what I should do next. All I do know is that I have this show to the end of the month, and we will see what life brings after that. More will be revealed as the saying goes…
posted by Michael Zilber at 10:32 AM
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