Tuesday, June 20, 2006


Shakuhachi Return


Went to see Sensei Jim in Brooklyn yesterday for the first time since December. Felt great to see him again and hear his sound playing back at me.

We were at the teaching review level when my season so abruptly came to a halt in January. We picked it back up with Mama no Kawa. Everything pretty much felt ok physically - my sound feels good, but my endurance is low. Both in sustained notes and holding the left arm up. But that will all come back with time and playing.

My schedule is filling up with Bateaux gigs as well.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Relaxin' With Lee


Set to go out and here my buddy Pete McCann playing with Lee Konitz at the Jazz Standard.

It's a nonet.

Hung downtown today. Got both court dates put off until November. Was down at Ground Zero. Looked into the pit. Can't believe that was almost 5 years ago.

Civic


I've got to hand it to NYPD. I drove around for about two weeks in early April without wearing a seatbelt. A seatbelt was about the last thing I wanted to put over my seatbelt-related injury. I just drove extremely defensively and took my chances.

I was starting to get pretty cavalier about "the Law", thinking cops don't pay much attention.

And then of course the very week I thought that to myself I got stopped twice.

The first time the cop was pleasant enough when I explained my injury, but still gave me a ticket and assured me I could go to court to argue it.

The second time the cop was in an unmarked car and had a militancy about him - hard core takes-no -shit kind of guy. I told him about the injury, showed him my 4 inch scar, and he immediately said (with the air of someone who knows), "I don't mess with anybody with any scars on their body or arms", and let me go.

There was no third time because I got tired of getting stopped, so now I wear the lap belt but side-down the shoulder strap. It is still risky I know. I used up a few of my nine lives in January and don't want to contemplate any sort of repeat. Be careful! I see assholes driving like idiots every day. It ain't worth it.

So my court date to argue the seatbelt ticket is in November.

It was April 17 that the guy stopped me. My 6 month ins. card had expired on the 15th and I had neglected to put the new one in my wallet, but had the old one. So he actually gave me two tix, assuring me I could argue the ins card as well.

So I am now leaving to go down to 19 Rector St in lower Manhattan to deal with it.

Probably not my idea of an ideal afternoon, but all the times I've done jury duty down there, or dealt with other things official, I've always dug the vibe. Something about the history and the quirky little Old-World streets which are now New-World canyons. New Amsterdam 1626. New York 2006.

Thursday, June 08, 2006


Gallery Online


I just put up some pics I took tonight. Check it out here.

Pete McCann played guitar tonight.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Update


Well I have finished my fourth week back doing gigs. By week I did 3,4,5 and 4 respectively. The Bateaux is cranking every single night on into August and probably beyond, so anything less than 7 per week is a result of subbing it out. Last year, if there were 7 cruises in a week, I would pretty much do all of them. I remember doing strings of 13 in a row. 217 in all. I think I like the idea of not doing so many.

Right now I'm doing 4-5 per week.

So how is it going?

Short answer: Getting there.

Longer answer: I can play, I'm regaining my strength and endurance on bass. There are fewer episodes at the end of a certain tune, or the end of the night, when I am groaning (had a couple of each of those over the last two weeks).

As far as the bone actually getting together, and hardening, I'm not sure. I haven't been x-rayed since March.

I am definitely way past March. I remember the first day I saw Cheryl Ann - April 3rd. Man, I had no mobility, plenty 'o pain and an uneasy uncertainty how everything was going to shake out. The future seemed like a pretty dark road in those days.

I'll see her again tomorrow after my first week NOT seeing her last week (Mem. Day and then I mixed up days and missed one - doh!).
And I'm doing 5 nights on the Bat. this week.

Also got a call from David Oliver last week to play Sono in Norwalk, CT with the drummer John Cutrone. I did this gig once in August 2004. Really cool - right out on the water.

I think there's still a picture of that day at the bottom of this page. Also some interesting shots of some great musicians.

I noticed he's had the great trumpeter Scott Wendholt up there to play the gig.

Friday, June 02, 2006



Highlands


Went up yesterday to the northern end of the Hudson Highlands Ridge, 60 miles north of the City, parked on 9W and hiked up to the peak of Buttermilk (pictured). Went solo, shooting a fair amount of vid and stills.

The day was a little overcast (also pictured), but into the evening it had a very cool diffuse light thing going on.