Sliced, smoked beef or ground beef? (06/30/22)

 The big day - June 30, Francis Wong, co-founder with Jon Jang of Asian Improv aRts, retires as CEO on the organization's 35th year. He has a lot to be proud of. Having started in the Bay Area, it is now a national organization with a mid-western branch in Chicago, headed by Tatsu Aoki, with outposts in several other cities, like Los Angeles, represented by yours truly. Its record company, Asian Improv Records has a substantial catalog primarily of Asian American led ensembles performing improvised music that combines musical traditions with the African American improvising tradition. I am proud to be a part of this organization that has supported and influenced my work. 

Because I was performing, there are not a lot of photos of the performance. Someday I may post a page of shots by the official photographers, but not today. Right now I'm just trying to catch this journal up. What you'll see are shots of my walk to lunch. There is a shot of two women on the street. When I walked by them, I realized that the one nearest the curb is proselytizing; the one in the pink is having none of it. But it was all very friendly. 

When I started this walk, my goal was another burger joint. But on the way I passed Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen. And I did pass it. By about two blocks. During that time there was an internal struggle going on - do I really want another burger when there's a Jewish deli right behind me. The deli won. Of the show, there are just shots of Karl, Lewis, Tatsu, Kioto, Francis, Vinay and Melody. Like I said, I was busy. Then some shots from the dinner in Chinatown (different restaurant than the night before). How the chop stick got into Tatsu's shoe, none of us know.

A Walk and a Ride (06/29/2022)

 The next day was the sound check/rehearsal for the big show. At dinner the previous night, my video camera told me the SD card was full. I didn't believe it then and I don't believe it now. Just the same, I had to act on the information. I fired up my MUNI app and prepared for a trip to BestBuy before rehearsal. The museum was on the way to the bus stop, so I got a good shot of it. I also ran across a Farmer's Market adjacent to the museum and had to walk through there, going and coming back. On the return trip I purchased some dumplings for a snack. There is a photo of them in brown paper wrapping. These had the thickest dough I've ever experienced for a dumpling. So thick that I discarded most of it and just ate the insides. This left room for a real lunch at Arbor, one of those boarding on ritzy spots near the hotel. Finally there are a couple of shots of the sister/brother duo in Francis' ensemble. I took no pictures of the bus ride. It is too tight in those buses to be taking photos of folks you don't know. I will say that if you think L.A. buses are scuzzy,  take a ride on some of the lines that serve downtown San Francisco. Like here, for the most part it seems that the only people that ride them are the people that have to.

The Banquet (06/28/2022)

 Got to S.F. in the early evening. Not bad time actually, since I hopped over to I-5 after breakfast in Taft. But to get to I-5, I took some two-lanes that were new to me. Always exciting. I will have to spend a night in Taft just so I can drive around those roads. Anyway…Vinay Patel, the administrative guru of Asian Improv aRts, met me at the hotel. This time I actually stayed in the city. Usually I stay in South San Francisco. I prefer it down there. I don't like the whole driving/parking/rail trollies in the middle of the street/steep hill thing, that is San Francisco. I don't have to mess with that in the south. And it is fairly easy to get into the city from there. But this trip was for the 35th anniversary celebration of the organization, the venue was the Asian Art Museum which is within walking distance of the hotel. Spontaneous group hangs are easier if everybody is within a few miles of each other. It was the Inn at the Opera. Nice old property, a block from City Hall, a couple from the Opera and Davies Hall, three blocks from the Museum and surrounded by some fairly hip eateries. Actually they seemed very hip. Definitely pricy. Once I was comfortably unpacked in my room, had the car parked in the nearby structure (no on premise parking), Vinay and I headed to the big 35th Anniversary banquet already in progress in Chinatown. There were folks there from Chicago, I was the Los Angeles contingent and of course the bulk of people were Bay Area folks. 

The photos below are not captioned. It is a shame, but Blogspot gets incredibly funky when I add captions. It is not worth the bother. Sorry.

Picking up where we left off…(06/28/2022)

On June 27, I had a late night playing with the Kim Richmond Concert Jazz Orchestra. (I know why he calls it an orchestra, but the bass and guitar being the only strings, it hardly qualifies.)

Normally this isn't a problem but the next morning I had to head up to the Bay Area for Asian Improv aRts 35th anniversary and co-founder Francis Wong's retirement celebration. I had to leave home significantly later than I prefer, which is between 3:00 & 4:00 AM. I was conflicted about stopping in Taft for breakfast, but I'm on a bit of a chicken fried steak kick. Taft has at least one other reviewed restaurant for that item. As far as I knew, this trip would be my last taking that route for awhile. I decided to get a good night's sleep, stop and enjoy my breakfast. I'd get to San Francisco when I got there. 

This chicken fried steak was from "The Same Place," cafe. A smaller place than Jo's Diner and no booths. So if somebody wants to talk to you, they can. And they did. Well, one of them did. He heard me tell one of the somewhat confused wait persons (I can't imagine why she was confused.), that I had come there specifically to try the chicken fried steak. He told me that he didn't really like the chicken fried steak at this establishment. It was too chopped for him. He told me what for him, was the best item on the menu. It is a sandwich, which I hope to try someday. He was right about the steak, it was indeed chopped. Or ground. Mixed with onion and spices, reformed and cooked. I liked it. I guess if you can call Salisbury Steak a steak, you can call what I had a steak. Again, I liked it. But I liked the gravy better. The gravy was especially excellent. It was a good thing that I had ordered biscuits and gravy as a side. The cafe sells jellies made by a woman in Maricopa. (There is a cafe in Maricopa that I hope to try before too long.) Anyway, the proceeds from the sale of the jellies go to the Maricopa Community Church. I didn't care about that, but since the fruit used was probably local, I figured I had better get some. I've gone through the blackberry, almost done with the pomegranate and looking forward to the strawberry. 

The Pronghorn Is Not An Antelope Nor A Deer.

 Wednesday I did an improvised performance with Dominique Matelson. It was a last minute thing. Dominique put the evening together in a former yoga/dance studio in Atwater Village. There were also performances by Dylan Marx & Armand Paul, and Cate Kennan. Dominique and I have only worked together one other time. Corey Fogel was also part of that improvisation. So we had no idea how it would work out this time. I have to say it was quite fine. 30 minutes of a coherent improvisation anchored by three of Dominique's poems. The crowd was definitely into it. 

I got to use two instruments for the first time. A while ago I made a Pronghorn oboe. When I ordered the bone (the femur), I expected it to be a lot bigger. I had a different vision for it. But it is very small. Maybe 6 inches long. So I had to adjust. I put a hole in its closed end, and three fingers holes along its length for some additional notes. I use a plastic oboe reed to generate the sound. It is pretty hip. Works better when it is played loudly. The other one is the fujara. It is an overtone flute, originally from Slovakia. Traditionally they are made out of wood. The one I purchased is made of PVC and is in sections. Makes it easier to take around. Nice sound. Very soft though. 

I've said it before, I'll probably say it again...this Blogger app is incredibly funky in placing photos. I'd never chose the order/layout you see here. And I had to take the captions out. They seem to confuse the software in an extreme way. I don't have the time or energy to fight it, particularly if I am going to lose anyway. 

So it goes. 

Juneteenth, Julius Eastman and Wild Up!

Sunday, June 19th was Juneteenth. It is getting to be a big holiday all over the country now. For black musicians it is very much like the Month of My People - February. All of a sudden we are working. I had one job, with the Afro-American Chamber Music Society Orchestra (what a mouthful) that got canceled. I won't say why. Actually, I don't really  know why. Just very informed rumors. Then at close to the last minute, I got asked to participate in a performance of Julius Eastman's "Buddha." This was the first time that I've performed a work by Eastman. That tells you something about his place in the world. And mine. Fortunately, these days he is starting to get the attention he deserves. But he is dead, so it doesn't help him much. A lot of people have worked and are working hard to bring about this late recognition. The group that invited me to play is Wild Up, one of Los Angeles' premiere chamber music ensembles that specializes in new music. They have released two recordings of Eastman's music. This performance was a celebration of the release of the second recording. The show wasn't billed as a Juneteenth performance per se, but hey, it was Juneteenth, it was Julius Eastman...I can't believe it was a coincidence. It was TWELVE hours long! The sections I played in lasted only about five hours. That was five hours of nearly continuous playing. It was glorious! Thanks to the inimitable Patrick Shiroishi for recommending me.

Remember, you can get the Juneteenth spirit any day by downloading my eponymous solo tuba tune from Bandcamp.  

Some photos from the performance. Thanks to Wild Up and 2220 Arts + Archives