Saturday, April 28, 2007

Zan Getsu

Just put up a clip of the other piece that I played on Thursday - the great Zan Getsu. This clocks in at 21:00 so the 10 minute limit on YouTube is significant. It just starts to get cookin' when it cuts off. I'm going to put up both in their entirety on my website soon.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Recital

Had a good night playing last night at Tenri for my shakuhachi graduation and certification.

I played one honkyoku piece - Echigo Sanya - and a Sankyoku piece with Mitsumi and Masumi Takamizu - Zan Getsu.

(I just posted a clip of Echigo Sanya on YouTube and the MySpace page.)

I was given the name "Yoraku" by my teacher Jim "Nyoraku" Schlefer.

I'll be playing Echigo Sanya again at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens for the annual Cherry Blossoms festival - Sakura Matsuri - on Saturday at about 3:30.

And I'll be playing once again at Tenri with the dancer Sachiyo Ito and Mitsumi-sama on May 6th.

Just enjoying the all the playing. Have been having some good nights on bass on the boat as well. More to come!

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Billie's B-Day

Just got home a bit ago from a nice hang with my bud Scott Feiner. Should crash, but WKCR's b-day broadcast of Billie Holiday has started and they are playing all this great early stuff from 1937/38. She's 22!

Here is a sampling:

"witout your love"
"me myself and I"

buck clayton tpt, lester young ten sax, freddie green guit, walter page bs, jo jones dr. among others

"Brunswick" Label

June 1937

Feeling pretty inspired anyway after hearing Kreisberg at Iridium tonight - the midnight set. Killin' band: Will Vinson on alto, Frank LoCrasto pno, Obed Calvaire dr, Orlando LeFleming on bass. Mostly Kreisberg's tunes, with the exception of "Autumn in NY" ("inverse seasons") which he played as trio. Everbody sounded great.

My first time hearing Frank. Obed I had heard a couple of weeks ago at the Zinc on a Sat with Marianni. That cat is FLExible! Great touch, and can play the brazilian stuff as well as the spang a lang.

JK's tunes were cool, esp a new thing in 5. Pat Martino was playing the gig earlier in the night and got his props from Kreis.

OK, now I AM fading. It is almost 5:00. Billie is the perfect latenight soundtrack. WKCR is going to be playing all Billie over the next 24 hours straight. So many great tunes i have never heard i am now hearing...

Billie Holiday singing in 1930's New York. On and on it goes.