Music
Gamelan, Off to EDUCAUSE
27 10 08 09:24
YIKES!
On saturday we performed at the Chinese Cultural Center and did far better than I was expecting! Thanks goodness! I’m especially relieved because we have two more performances coming up: one on the 6th at the University of Arizona, and one on the 9th as the Grand Finale at the All Souls Procession. I’m hoping a bunch of friends come to see it. I think our group has managed to do an admirable job. It’s our first foray into Balinese gamelan, and although we play a bit more ‘muddy’ than true Balinese gamelan players, we have had only 6 months of practice (as opposed to playing in an orchestra with a lifetime of dedication!) There are musical moments where precision shines through, and the rhythms are a lot of fun!
As though that’s not enough stress, I am presenting for Apple and the University of Arizona at EDUCAUSE this week. I fly out tomorrow to Orlando, Florida where I am to present on Podcast Producer and how we have begun to use it here at the U of A. I’m nervous, even though I am as prepared as I can possibly be. Even so, I will be preparing at work all day.
This is going to be a fun week, even if it is a bit stressful!
On saturday we performed at the Chinese Cultural Center and did far better than I was expecting! Thanks goodness! I’m especially relieved because we have two more performances coming up: one on the 6th at the University of Arizona, and one on the 9th as the Grand Finale at the All Souls Procession. I’m hoping a bunch of friends come to see it. I think our group has managed to do an admirable job. It’s our first foray into Balinese gamelan, and although we play a bit more ‘muddy’ than true Balinese gamelan players, we have had only 6 months of practice (as opposed to playing in an orchestra with a lifetime of dedication!) There are musical moments where precision shines through, and the rhythms are a lot of fun!
As though that’s not enough stress, I am presenting for Apple and the University of Arizona at EDUCAUSE this week. I fly out tomorrow to Orlando, Florida where I am to present on Podcast Producer and how we have begun to use it here at the U of A. I’m nervous, even though I am as prepared as I can possibly be. Even so, I will be preparing at work all day.
This is going to be a fun week, even if it is a bit stressful!
Gamelan Twit
24 10 08 07:59
So a couple things I want to mention quickly:
Apple emailed and asked me to give them my Twitter account so that when I present at EDUCAUSE they can have a display that shows where each of their presenters is hanging out. I didn’t have a Twitter account, so I set one up. If you have Twitter, add me to your friends list! I downloaded an iPhone app so I can update Twitter wherever I am, and I have been trying to train myself to use it...
...and we have three Gamelan performances coming up. The first is this Saturday at the Chinese Cultural Center, but the more exciting one is that we will be performing Tucson's All Souls Procession Grand Finale! Here is a link to our upcoming performances page.
Apple emailed and asked me to give them my Twitter account so that when I present at EDUCAUSE they can have a display that shows where each of their presenters is hanging out. I didn’t have a Twitter account, so I set one up. If you have Twitter, add me to your friends list! I downloaded an iPhone app so I can update Twitter wherever I am, and I have been trying to train myself to use it...
...and we have three Gamelan performances coming up. The first is this Saturday at the Chinese Cultural Center, but the more exciting one is that we will be performing Tucson's All Souls Procession Grand Finale! Here is a link to our upcoming performances page.
Gamie Jammie
09 12 07 20:32
Well, yesterday afternoon I atteded my first Fine Stream Gamelan 'Gammie Jammie,' a gamelan pyjama party where we all get together, play Christmas tunes modified for Gamelan, and sleep over at Mike and Wayan's home (aka Crickethead Inn). It was a freakin' RIOT! We played pelog, which provides enough tones per octave to play recognizable renditions of 'Silent Night,' 'Jingle Bells,' 'Silver Bells,' etc... Matt describes them as 'twisted Christmas carols,' which they were, a bit. I played bonang panerus, and decided to apply a modified traditional pattern to all the pieces. Chad similarly improvised a semi-traditional bonang part. We made a great team!
After eating, playing, looking out the kitchen window for coyotes and foxes, eating dessert (a black rice pudding with coconut juice), playing some more, and falling asleep on the living room floor, we all went off to our appointed rooms to go to bed. The rooms at Crickethead Inn are beautiful!
In the morning, Wayan and Mike made us a breakfast of pancakes, homemade cranberry bread, strong coffee, yogurt, and fruit. What a treat!
Their B&B borders National Park and their backyard is undeveloped mountains that are protected from development. It is the most beautiful setting imagineable.
After breakfast, everyone went out to play bocce:
Chad left with me, and followed me home to borrow my slentem, since we won't have another gamelan practice for a month.
After arriving home, Carl and I headed out to the 4th Ave. Street Fair, where I did a bunch of Christmas shopping. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out at home.
I guess that's all the news that's fit to prin from this weekend! The holidays are just around the corner and I am getting excited about returning to Massachusetts and seeing my family. It will be fun to be back for Christmas, I think it's been a decade since I have been in New England for the holidays!
After eating, playing, looking out the kitchen window for coyotes and foxes, eating dessert (a black rice pudding with coconut juice), playing some more, and falling asleep on the living room floor, we all went off to our appointed rooms to go to bed. The rooms at Crickethead Inn are beautiful!
In the morning, Wayan and Mike made us a breakfast of pancakes, homemade cranberry bread, strong coffee, yogurt, and fruit. What a treat!
Their B&B borders National Park and their backyard is undeveloped mountains that are protected from development. It is the most beautiful setting imagineable.
After breakfast, everyone went out to play bocce:
Chad left with me, and followed me home to borrow my slentem, since we won't have another gamelan practice for a month.
After arriving home, Carl and I headed out to the 4th Ave. Street Fair, where I did a bunch of Christmas shopping. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out at home.
I guess that's all the news that's fit to prin from this weekend! The holidays are just around the corner and I am getting excited about returning to Massachusetts and seeing my family. It will be fun to be back for Christmas, I think it's been a decade since I have been in New England for the holidays!
Opera
21 07 07 09:45
Last night we went to see La Bohème at the Santa Fe Opera.
The day started with breakfast with Steven and Marla, and Deloria and Thomas. I was psyched that Carl came in to town to join us too! We went to our old breakfast hang-out, the Pantry on Cerrillos Road. It was nice to have a last chance this trip to see the four of them. Feasting with them isn't just about the food. It's about raunchy humor too! LOL... OK not just raunchy but the point is I feel more comfortable with these folks than almost anyone on the planet. I miss my Santa Fe friends!
After chorus rehearsals, I helped around the music department a bit, then Carl picked me up and we went to see Kevin over coffee at Downtown Subscription. He was happier than I have seen him in a loooong time. Thank goodness his brain-zapper transplant is helping treat his depression! He let me touch the wires in his neck and the implant in his chest. Medical technology is a trip. Anyway, he looks good.
Kevin has also scored a new computer that a friend helped him build from parts to keep cost down. Too bad I can't be his lil' computer geek any more! Not only that, but his old car finally started causing him enough problems that he has gone and bought himself a spankin' new Accord. Wow! I'm so glad for him, he deserves the best.
After visiting Kevin, we went home to Joy and Steve's and chatted with Joy a bit. Then Steve came home too. We all took naps in preparation for the opera. After nappy time, we had a bit to eat and headed out. It was a simple dinner... Joy said we are the simplest guests she's ever had because I had a PB sandwich, a peach, and a beer. Carl had something similarly easy to prepare. LOL...
I drove one of the college vans again, as I had the other night when we went to see Ghost Opera at the Lensic. No problems getting there, dropping off, or parking.
The opera was fantastic. It's a simple story without a lot of action, made me think of relationships early in the HIV/AIDS epidemic, actually. I was especially impressed with the orchestra and the staging. The set had a building that folded up for street scenes and opened up for indoor scenes. The transitions were so slick the audience applauded. Our campers enjoyed it a lot, and talked about it a fair amount on the way back to the college. The other thing they were excited about was the Harry Potter book that was being released at midnight. After dropping them off at the college, a number of them were heading to Borders at midnight to get themselves a copy! LOL.
After chorus rehearsals, I helped around the music department a bit, then Carl picked me up and we went to see Kevin over coffee at Downtown Subscription. He was happier than I have seen him in a loooong time. Thank goodness his brain-zapper transplant is helping treat his depression! He let me touch the wires in his neck and the implant in his chest. Medical technology is a trip. Anyway, he looks good.
After visiting Kevin, we went home to Joy and Steve's and chatted with Joy a bit. Then Steve came home too. We all took naps in preparation for the opera. After nappy time, we had a bit to eat and headed out. It was a simple dinner... Joy said we are the simplest guests she's ever had because I had a PB sandwich, a peach, and a beer. Carl had something similarly easy to prepare. LOL...
I drove one of the college vans again, as I had the other night when we went to see Ghost Opera at the Lensic. No problems getting there, dropping off, or parking.
The opera was fantastic. It's a simple story without a lot of action, made me think of relationships early in the HIV/AIDS epidemic, actually. I was especially impressed with the orchestra and the staging. The set had a building that folded up for street scenes and opened up for indoor scenes. The transitions were so slick the audience applauded. Our campers enjoyed it a lot, and talked about it a fair amount on the way back to the college. The other thing they were excited about was the Harry Potter book that was being released at midnight. After dropping them off at the college, a number of them were heading to Borders at midnight to get themselves a copy! LOL.
Falling Behind on Blogging!
20 07 07 06:45
Here are a bunch of things I wanted to mention in earlier blogs but didn't:
When I left, pdBean coffee was still in the CSF library. Dan, the coffee man, was one of the most important social organizers on campus. Staff, students and faculty from units all over campus would hang at pdBean, sharing ideas, reading magazines (it's the library, after all), and even arrange formal meetings around the coffee cart. On the first day of Music Camp, Steve asked me to arrange with Dan to make breakfast burritos and a carafe of coffee for us every morning. I discovered through Steve that Dan has moved his operation to a small shop on Cerrillos Road. It's beautiful! Still close to campus, and furnished with plenty of plush chairs, tables, and WiFi, it is a great hang out spot. Dan is doing well, too! The business has picked up, and he is happy with the move. Hurrah! The breakfast burritos have been a hit among our campers too.
Meanwhile, Robert Bond, fellow computer guru and now campus webmeistro, has bought the coffee cart in the library and his wife runs it. OMG. She makes the best iced coffee I have ever had. They actually prepare coffee ice cubes for it. I'm addicted! I don't think I'll find anyplace in Tucson that makes iced coffee with such attention to detail, but I'm sure as hell going to look for just such a place when I return...
Yesterday morning I was really worried about Carl's respiration tribulations! He just can't get enough oxygen at this altitude because of his asthma. He woke during the night and just could not breathe. When we were making plans for the day yesterday, I said 'just don't go to Taos!' thinking the altitude is higher and worrying about his breath.
Later, Carl called me from Taos! LOL. He enjoyed the drive and the area a whole lot. When I got off the phone with Carl, I looked at Steve Paxton and said 'he just called me from Taos!' Steve laughed and said he could tell from the look in Carl's eye when I said not to go to Taos that he would be doing exactly that.
Come to find out Taos isn't really higher in altitude than Santa Fe. The whole time I lived here I was delusional about Taos' altitude.
Steve and Joy are building a new home! It's off of Old Pecos Trail and has views to die for! Steve asked if I wanted to check it out with him yesterday, so off we went in his pickup to see how the construction is coming along.
We passed Bobcat Bite on the way, so I snapped a photo of it out the window for Bernard who had mentioned it to me earlier this week.
So far, the construction site is just a foundation that needs a bit of work before they can begin actual building. Looks great, though. I snapped a few panoramic photos that I will stitch together for him when I get back to work (we have software for such projects in the labs that OSCR maintains).
Last night Carl and I were invited to tag along with Deloria and Thomas, and Marla and Steven for a talk Marla organized at the Institute of American Indian Arts museum. Marla now has her PhD and has been hired to organize such events at the museum. Steven Miller, being married to Marla, gets recruited to run sound. Thomas Atencio still works security at the museum. Deloria Atencio, being married to Thomas, gets recruited to set up and break down chairs. I, being close friend to all of the above, and Carl, being married to me, get recruited to hang out, lend a hand, and look fab.
The talk, Branding the Native Artist: What does it cost to be famous?, was great, although poor Steven struggled with noise in the wireless mics the entire time.
One guy came up to Carl and said "get your hairy arm off my chair: are you Jewish?" Carl said "no." "Israeli?" "No." "Well what are you then?" Carl responded "Armenian." The guy laughed and said "Even worse. Northern Turkey!" Carl and I just looked at each other baffled. So I said to the guy, knowing full well everyone there was American Indian, "Are you Jewish?" "No." "Israeli?" "No, I'm Apache." Darnit... he didn't let me play the whole game. LOL. Then he said "here look at my work," and gave Carl a manilla folder with photos of artwork in it. Some of it was pretty cool.
At the event there was a woman with huge, blonde, hairsprayed hair. Very Texas. We were sitting two rows behind her. I was mesmerized. I pointed her out to Steven and we had a chuckle. Then I pulled out my iPhone and photographed it. Her hair was the lightest colored large object around and caught the spotlight behind us so well that her hair literally glows in the photo. I showed it to Steven and told him we better stop laughing about her big hair because she's obviously an angel of some sort. We could not stop laughing.
After the talk, Deloria, Thomas, Marla, Steven, Carl and I went out for drinks and socializing at Santa Fe Bar & Grill's downtown restaurant and bar. We had a great time and were able to catch up. Marla mentioned she knows the big-hair woman and that her email is 'bigbucks.' LOL. What a riot!
Thomas wins an award for the best ring tone. He had the entire table in fits. It's hard to describe though. You'd probably have to have Navajo friends to understand it anyway.
Coffee
When I left, pdBean coffee was still in the CSF library. Dan, the coffee man, was one of the most important social organizers on campus. Staff, students and faculty from units all over campus would hang at pdBean, sharing ideas, reading magazines (it's the library, after all), and even arrange formal meetings around the coffee cart. On the first day of Music Camp, Steve asked me to arrange with Dan to make breakfast burritos and a carafe of coffee for us every morning. I discovered through Steve that Dan has moved his operation to a small shop on Cerrillos Road. It's beautiful! Still close to campus, and furnished with plenty of plush chairs, tables, and WiFi, it is a great hang out spot. Dan is doing well, too! The business has picked up, and he is happy with the move. Hurrah! The breakfast burritos have been a hit among our campers too.
Meanwhile, Robert Bond, fellow computer guru and now campus webmeistro, has bought the coffee cart in the library and his wife runs it. OMG. She makes the best iced coffee I have ever had. They actually prepare coffee ice cubes for it. I'm addicted! I don't think I'll find anyplace in Tucson that makes iced coffee with such attention to detail, but I'm sure as hell going to look for just such a place when I return...
Carl and Taos
Yesterday morning I was really worried about Carl's respiration tribulations! He just can't get enough oxygen at this altitude because of his asthma. He woke during the night and just could not breathe. When we were making plans for the day yesterday, I said 'just don't go to Taos!' thinking the altitude is higher and worrying about his breath.
Later, Carl called me from Taos! LOL. He enjoyed the drive and the area a whole lot. When I got off the phone with Carl, I looked at Steve Paxton and said 'he just called me from Taos!' Steve laughed and said he could tell from the look in Carl's eye when I said not to go to Taos that he would be doing exactly that.
Come to find out Taos isn't really higher in altitude than Santa Fe. The whole time I lived here I was delusional about Taos' altitude.
Steve's Construction Site
We passed Bobcat Bite on the way, so I snapped a photo of it out the window for Bernard who had mentioned it to me earlier this week.
So far, the construction site is just a foundation that needs a bit of work before they can begin actual building. Looks great, though. I snapped a few panoramic photos that I will stitch together for him when I get back to work (we have software for such projects in the labs that OSCR maintains).
IAIA
Last night Carl and I were invited to tag along with Deloria and Thomas, and Marla and Steven for a talk Marla organized at the Institute of American Indian Arts museum. Marla now has her PhD and has been hired to organize such events at the museum. Steven Miller, being married to Marla, gets recruited to run sound. Thomas Atencio still works security at the museum. Deloria Atencio, being married to Thomas, gets recruited to set up and break down chairs. I, being close friend to all of the above, and Carl, being married to me, get recruited to hang out, lend a hand, and look fab.
The talk, Branding the Native Artist: What does it cost to be famous?, was great, although poor Steven struggled with noise in the wireless mics the entire time.
One guy came up to Carl and said "get your hairy arm off my chair: are you Jewish?" Carl said "no." "Israeli?" "No." "Well what are you then?" Carl responded "Armenian." The guy laughed and said "Even worse. Northern Turkey!" Carl and I just looked at each other baffled. So I said to the guy, knowing full well everyone there was American Indian, "Are you Jewish?" "No." "Israeli?" "No, I'm Apache." Darnit... he didn't let me play the whole game. LOL. Then he said "here look at my work," and gave Carl a manilla folder with photos of artwork in it. Some of it was pretty cool.
After the talk, Deloria, Thomas, Marla, Steven, Carl and I went out for drinks and socializing at Santa Fe Bar & Grill's downtown restaurant and bar. We had a great time and were able to catch up. Marla mentioned she knows the big-hair woman and that her email is 'bigbucks.' LOL. What a riot!
Thomas wins an award for the best ring tone. He had the entire table in fits. It's hard to describe though. You'd probably have to have Navajo friends to understand it anyway.
Spirit and Music and Technology
19 07 07 10:21
Have you ever taken a music theory class? Ever taken a bad one that makes music theory into a set of hard, cold, repetitive, mathematical rules? Ugh. ...and yet music, although far too often described in such a stale theoretical manner, always transcends such descriptions and touches spirit. Wow. Music is mystery. I know for sure this is part of it's attraction for me. In place of mystery in God, I focus on mystery in music and mystery in relationship.
Makes me think, too, that technology can be similar. We generally approach it as cold, rigid, repetitive... I often find myself training people who want to pull out a pen and write down every step for completion of a task. Ugh. Maybe we need to find ways to teach and approach and IMBUE technology with spirit. It must be something we can accomplish! It's probably imperative as we approach an age of machine intelligence, too. Our survival could depend on it.
Peace,
Music Camp Photo Album
18 07 07 15:49
I have created a Music Camp photo album, send the link to anyone who might be interested!
Deep Listening
18 07 07 12:58
Last night we took the music campers to a concert at the Lensic, as you can see below. It was amazing! The Ghost Opera incorporated all kinds of non-traditional instruments and sounds of stone, water, metal, strings, etc... Being a 'Ghost Opera' it had dream-like qualities and mystical qualities. It seemed an excellent follow up to my Deep Listening workshop.
After the opera, Lindsey, Steve, Carl and I went to 2nd Street Brewery to, as Steve said, 'tip a beaker' and talk. One of the things that came up was my Deep Listening workshop and how perfect it was as a precursor to the concert. Lindsey also said she did not think my workshop went poorly at all, that for me to capture the attention of that age group for a full 45 minutes was amazing, and that their silliness was a sign that on some level they were engaged. Steve agreed. I think they are right. I need to learn to accept situations as they are!
I also fall back to my thoughts as a Planned Parenthood educator: if my one workshop is one of a dozen such messages that eventually encourage some of them to see music in a different way, then I have accomplished something important. People don't have to come to my understandings right away or in the way I would like them to. Everyone learns in their own manner at their own pace.
So, I think I did good!
After the opera, Lindsey, Steve, Carl and I went to 2nd Street Brewery to, as Steve said, 'tip a beaker' and talk. One of the things that came up was my Deep Listening workshop and how perfect it was as a precursor to the concert. Lindsey also said she did not think my workshop went poorly at all, that for me to capture the attention of that age group for a full 45 minutes was amazing, and that their silliness was a sign that on some level they were engaged. Steve agreed. I think they are right. I need to learn to accept situations as they are!
I also fall back to my thoughts as a Planned Parenthood educator: if my one workshop is one of a dozen such messages that eventually encourage some of them to see music in a different way, then I have accomplished something important. People don't have to come to my understandings right away or in the way I would like them to. Everyone learns in their own manner at their own pace.
So, I think I did good!
Night Out at the Lensic
17 07 07 18:00
Music Camp
17 07 07 10:57
All through Chorus I felt extremely emotional, it is so great to be back at the Contemporary Music Program and see so much continuity between my hard work for years here, and the evolution that has begun to happen since my departure. I can see how much my colleagues appreciate the work I put into this program, and I'm excited by the creative ways it is continuing to grow. I love it here so much!
I feel like my workshop was a failure in some ways, though. At 11:15am I started a second 'Deep Listening' workshop, this time what I tried to do with the group was a performance of Zena's circle, a great piece for demonstrating fractal time. Some of you who are not musicians might be confused by this so let me sum it up in a few sentences... Most of the time when we perform music the math behind it's theory is the simpler mathematics of ratios and rational numbers: harmonies are comprised of frequencies that are related to each other by perfect ratios; we subdivide beats by twos, threes, fours, sixes, sevens... all fairly simple mathematical expressions. Even thematically we generally use simple ratios: a song might be divided into two or three sections with repetition of one or more section, for example...
What we're not used to doing is listening and incorporating fractal math into our performance, although we do on some level all the time. The variations of sounds we procure from a violin bow drawn across a string, imperfections in our timing may add some complexity to our music. This complexity we actually value a whole lot because if we remove it, music sounds sterile, unbending, cold...
Zena's Circle highlights musical complexity by creating a fractal rhythm. A circle of people sends a pulse through their hands and react to it as quickly as possible and simultaneously sounding. When people really concentrate on the performance, the response time of each person and the natural delays as sound moves around the circle becomes more chaotic even as it adopts a noticeable rhythm. The sound passed through the circle becomes fractal due to different response times of each individual, which may be based on the length of our arms and the time it takes for the impulse to react to reach our brain and then pass out our mouth, for example.
Well, in the end we could not perform it because some people wouldn't participate and were actually mocking the process. I didn't handle it very well either: what I tried was to forge ahead with belief that as we repeated the exercise it would eventually become less funny and the disruptive people might become interested. It never happened. There was not enough time to defuse their lack of interest in this manner. Sigh. It really is a beautiful piece when performed with concentration. Listening and performing it can also lead one to all kinds of musical discovery, if only because we rarely step back from music and try to understand the ways complexity adds character even as we perform music that is mathematically simple.
I just had a thought, though, which is to perform the piece with a dozen people serious about performing it on Saturday's concert. Maybe if the younger members of our group see us performing it with attention they will be naturally invited to pay attention and find something intriguing about it...
Highs and lows often go hand in hand. Despite my workshop setback, I love this place and am glad to be participating in this first annual music camp...
Summer Music Camp
16 07 07 21:40
On Friday right after work Carl and I left for Santa Fe so that I can help teach at the first College of Santa Fe Summer Music Camp. Carl and I went as far as Lourdsburg, NM the first night. Next morning we woke, had breakfast at a cool old diner with a waiter who had carefully arranged a rainbow of click pens in his back pocket (hmmm...) and hit the road again.
We ended up at Gila Cliff Dwellings. It was a beautiful day and hike, just 1 mile round trip with a lot of steps and ladders. Carl limped his way through, having just had knee surgery three weeks ago! I was worried but he knew his limits. We returned to the car and he iced his knee, and in the end he thinks the exercise was really good for his knee. Whew. The views at Gila were spectacular.
We stopped for an unexceptional lunch at a motel cafe at the intersection of Rts. 15 and 35, unexceptional save the hummingbird feeder outside the window which must have been attracting half a dozen birds! Then we took 35 to 152, backtracking to Silver City for the night. We stayed at a pretty bad motel, the Drifter, and had a terrible meal of Chinese fast food because we went out to find food too late to go to a better restaurant. Actually, we left the room in plenty of time but spent our time walking through downtown Silver City absorbing the local vibe until we realized it was 10 minutes to 9pm, and even the fast food restaurants close at 9 in a town of 10k like Silver City... Oh well!
The next morning we packed up and headed to Santa Fe via Rte 152 through the mountains to I25. 152 was absolutely beautiful! I snapped a panorama or two that I'll post when I can stitch them together...
On the way to Santa Fe we stopped in Albuquerque for lunch with José. What a sweet man! I wish we lived closer because I miss hanging out with him. We ate at Sophia's which was a treat.
We arrived in Santa Fe at about 2pm and hung out in the Contemporary Music Program with Steve Paxton (the director, my former boss and close friend) until Joy, his wife, returned home, then he sent us up to his house to meet her. It was great catching up with Joy. She said I should consider myself to be 'Gregory Paxton,' lol... She even slipped at one point and said 'when you left home...' as though I really was their adopted son who left the roost when I moved to Tucson from Santa Fe.
Today I woke early and Steve gave me a ride to the College. I saw a lot of friends. I'm not sure my Deep Listening workshop went so well, but some people seemed into it. I'll have one more chance tomorrow anyway. I am in the chorus, I think because Steve only had one other male voice in it and he needed more.
This evening I had dinner with Steve Berlyn, that's a longer story, though, and I'm getting tired. I think this is enough for now. More tomorrow, as well as some photos...
We stopped for an unexceptional lunch at a motel cafe at the intersection of Rts. 15 and 35, unexceptional save the hummingbird feeder outside the window which must have been attracting half a dozen birds! Then we took 35 to 152, backtracking to Silver City for the night. We stayed at a pretty bad motel, the Drifter, and had a terrible meal of Chinese fast food because we went out to find food too late to go to a better restaurant. Actually, we left the room in plenty of time but spent our time walking through downtown Silver City absorbing the local vibe until we realized it was 10 minutes to 9pm, and even the fast food restaurants close at 9 in a town of 10k like Silver City... Oh well!
The next morning we packed up and headed to Santa Fe via Rte 152 through the mountains to I25. 152 was absolutely beautiful! I snapped a panorama or two that I'll post when I can stitch them together...
We arrived in Santa Fe at about 2pm and hung out in the Contemporary Music Program with Steve Paxton (the director, my former boss and close friend) until Joy, his wife, returned home, then he sent us up to his house to meet her. It was great catching up with Joy. She said I should consider myself to be 'Gregory Paxton,' lol... She even slipped at one point and said 'when you left home...' as though I really was their adopted son who left the roost when I moved to Tucson from Santa Fe.
Today I woke early and Steve gave me a ride to the College. I saw a lot of friends. I'm not sure my Deep Listening workshop went so well, but some people seemed into it. I'll have one more chance tomorrow anyway. I am in the chorus, I think because Steve only had one other male voice in it and he needed more.
This evening I had dinner with Steve Berlyn, that's a longer story, though, and I'm getting tired. I think this is enough for now. More tomorrow, as well as some photos...
Ususual Gamelan Rehearsal
08 07 07 10:19
We rehearse in a small room crammed full of all of us, so it becomes really hot before too long! There we all were, crammed in like sardines, clanging away at our instruments, while the patient film crew wedged themselves in at all kinds of odd angles to videotape us at work. It was like a game of Twister!
The food was great and we rehearsed better than we have in a long time. Holly and Matt will receive a copy of whatever they end up airing, which is likely to be five minutes or less airtime, but what fun! We're all TV stars now!
Above are two photos of the group, and a small photo of a member of the film crew from VOA...
Gamelan, Grandma
05 03 07 13:37
Friday I had one of the best days I have had in a long time. I attended a rehearsal with Fine Stream Gamelan. I felt quite awkward, attending without knowing a single member of the group on my arrival, but everyone was quite friendly and I felt like I fit right in. Mike Finstrom and his wife were especially sweet to me... making sure I understood the music and could follow along. I could hear a couple other members of the group coaching me quietly by counting along when I became lost. It felt really great to again be playing music as part of an ensemble...
On Saturday, Carl and I discovered that we have copper coming out our hot water faucets. We spent much of the weekend worried that our pipes might be corroding. We are only today able to start calling around to get a plumber to come diagnose the problem. Hopefully it's a minor problem.
On Sunday we had a wonderful brunch with one of Carl's friends, Jack, from San Diego. He is of Chinese descent and speaks Chinese, so we went out for Dim Sum and had some of the best Chinese food I have had in a loooong time. It was nice having someone in the know with us. Yummy! After brunch Carl and I went to a Tucson Symphony Orchestra string quartet concert, which was a treat as well.
Today, however, I have been dealt the worst card I have been dealt all year. When I returned from lunch, I had a voicemail from my Dad informing me that my grandmother, Ernestine Anderson, is quite ill, and it is quite serious. She needs surgery, but cannot have surgery until she recovers from a bout of pneumonia. Kurt, my uncle, is going to fly in to Ohio to be with her, and I will hear more updates soon. I have considered myself lucky to still have three grandparents into my late 30's, but I love grandma dearly and I don't want her to be in pain, or be ill, or die. I am crossing my fingers. Please send good thoughts our way...
I just joined the Gamelan!
28 02 07 17:39
I am PSYCHED! I just called Matt Finstrom from Fine Stream Gamelan. I found his number again on the American Gamelan Institute's websites. He told me to come join the group! They meet now at the Crickethead Inn on Fridays at 7:30pm. You can bet I will be there! I need so badly to get involved in music again... this is just what I need to lift my spirits! Yaaay!
Ethos Percussion Ensemble
24 02 07 17:19
Wow! Yesterday we attended what I think was the best concert I have seen so far in Tucson! The Ethos Percussion Ensemble was brought to Tucson by UA Presents. Here is the program. The first piece was my favorite, but I loved hearing the Reich piece live. The resonant buzzing from the drums and the room created phantom melodies that were fun to listen for. I couldn't stop hearing these aleatoric melodies in my head during intermission. It was also great to witness such a great blend of contemporary and classical eastern and western music traditions.
Hearing Ethos Percussion Ensemble made me aware that I must get off my keester soon and join the gamelan ensemble here in town, which I was about to join when I was in my bicycle accident. I had called Michael, the ensemble director, early last summer, and he told me I could join but that they did not meet during the summer. I was waiting until late August to call back and show up at their first rehearsal when I was hit by a truck commuting home. No fun!
Now that I am fully healed, it's time to become musical again.
I think I will call right now!
Hearing Ethos Percussion Ensemble made me aware that I must get off my keester soon and join the gamelan ensemble here in town, which I was about to join when I was in my bicycle accident. I had called Michael, the ensemble director, early last summer, and he told me I could join but that they did not meet during the summer. I was waiting until late August to call back and show up at their first rehearsal when I was hit by a truck commuting home. No fun!
Now that I am fully healed, it's time to become musical again.
I think I will call right now!
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
16 02 07 22:14
Mom, Dad and I went to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, presented through UA Presents. Mom told me Grandpa was really excited when they told him that Carl and I had bought them tickets to go with me. He said, "oh my goodness, that would make the whole trip worth it!" Well, they were great. We were not disappointed. I was still really sick, however, so we did not stay the whole show, but we won't tell Grandpa (wink).