07.18.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 7:42 am
Brooklyn For Peace is an organization that was founded in 1984 by a small group of parents that were concerned about the devastating effects of war. Now 25 years later they are still going strong. I have been a member for 3 years now and have served on the board for 2 of those years. I feel extremely honored to be a part of this group and to know the people that have committed so passionately to the cause for peace. Through them I have learned how to activate compassion and move it in a direction of empowerment. All of us have special causes that we feel strongly about and want others to know about. For me BFP is my special cause.
Those of you who read this blog and want to know more about this unique organization go to www.brooklynpeace.org. Once you’re there, feel free to donate or become a member and help us to continue to embrace humanity and strongly urge mankind to seek the sacredness and beauty of Life.
Namaste.
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07.09.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:29 pm
This would be my second trip to Jakarta as I was there a month before playing with Michael Franks. That first visit was very brief yet amazing because I reconnected with a friend that I hadn’t seen in 25years. Her name Tjut Nyak Deviana Daudsjah or Devi for short. She and I were roommates in Switzerland over 25 years ago and it was great to see her and chat for a while. We talked about playing music together and how we could possibly do that in the future. She also told me about the school she opened and runs in Jakarta. The Institut Musik Daya Indonesia. [http://www.imdi-edu.org, http://www.imdi-edu.net] Please visit the website.
Little did I know that the following month I would be back in Indonesia playing music with my dear friend and conducting workshops at the school.
I arrived on Monday, March 2nd and it was much hotter than I remembered. I was met at the airport by a representative from the Java Jazz Festival and as I went through the process of getting a visa for the two weeks that I would be there, I kept thinking what it must be like living in a place that was this hot and tropical most of the time. Once I got my bags and setteled into the car, we went straight to the school. The Institut Musik Daya Indonesia. Or IMDI as everyone refers to it. There I was introduced to some of the students and faculty and had a bite to eat at the café located at the school. I was invited to stay at the home of Devi and Mayke’ for the duration of my trip and I was delighted to do so. Mayke is a famous web designer and designed the website for the school. She has been so successful at so many things. She is a very talented, intelligent, compassionate person who made me feel right at home. The first day was tiring but I was fascinated by the days that lay ahead.
On the second day of my trip I contracted a stomach virus that accompanied me for the entire trip. I will not go into details as it would definitely gross everyone out, besides it being inappropriate topic for conversation. Needless to say all of the wonderful exotic dishes that I loved in the states were accessible to me in its original form, yet out of reach from my actual physical self.
Despite the physical malady, I still had a wonderful mind expanding time. To discover ones limitations is as exciting as recognizing an innate gift that has been hidden. Three days into the visit was the first event, the Gala Opening. This night ushered the start of the Java Jazz Festival. Devi’s group and I performed two songs as part of the opening ceremony .
Our group, the group that I would work with throughout the festival, consisted of several of the graduate students of IMDI. Mery Kasiman on keyboards, Lie Indra Perkasa on double bass and Titi Handayani Sjuman on drums and on piano was [Devi] Tjut Nyak Deviana Daudsjah, the head of IMDI. All of these young, brilliant musicians were the most sought after musician / composers in the country. And they were instructed and mentored by a great composer and pianist Devi.
For the event a friend of Devi and Mayke, a gifted and brilliant batik designer Carmanita designed the clothes for us to wear for the Gala. Batik by Carmanita world famous designs are eclectic, multicolored and wildly unique designs that and the addition of her use of flowing textured material made each piece a signature for the wearer. It was beautiful and it expressed the unity we felt playing with each other. We were the only band where the performers were American and Indonesian. A true representation of what Java Jazz festival was going for in terms of international exchange. I believe that all international festivals should really strive to make the musical experience a shared one not only through listening, but also through playing with different cultures.
Batik
Finished Product
The next day we went to check out the groups performing in the Festival. There were local musicians that were very well known in their country and of course the American musicians. The festival was mixed with all genres of music. There were all types of jazz, straight ahead, avant garde, contemporary jazz, big band. There was indigenous music as well as pop music, even avant garde rock. What was fascinating to me was the use the angklung, a popular traditional instrument made of parallel bamboo tubes tuned to specific frequencies with a hammer and is shaken to produce certain notes. The music is performed by a choir of angklung players, each of whom is responsible for sounding certain notes. It reminded me of the gamelan ensembles.
Then there was the day of the performance at the Festival. There were so many people there and it seemed like hundreds of perfromances were going on all at once. We performed in the 3rd auditiorium and it was packed. They filmed it for television and what can I say, the people of Indonesia stole my heart. They were generous and warm and appreciative. It was incredible and the band, they were beyond exceptional. I was so proud of my friend Devi and all of her hard work and dedication to teaching jazz, I was proud of her graduates as they played with honesty and passion.
The next few days were spent exclusively at the school talking to the students, answering their questions learning about their life experiences, listening to their comments and feelings about playing all types of music.
I conducted a couple of workshops and sat in on 2 jam sessions. The students of the school are wonderful musicians with a true heart for music. There was a yearning, a passion to understand and play jazz. It was quite amazing to be in that environment for two weeks, but the real benefit was it really lit a fire under me to want to study more, practice more. Everyone and I mean everyone that I met at the school and talked with left an impression that has changed my life. I feel like I’m a better person, better musician, because I know them and have spent time with them.
Cafe at the school where the jam sessions are held.
Jam session
The last 4 days were my relaxing days and even though I was not feeling that great, I did get in some sight seeing in. We took a two days trip to Bandung.
[Some facts for the facts finders] Bandung is the capital of West Java, a province of which most of its residents are mainly Sundanese people. Sundanese language is spoken as the first language and is commonly used as informal language for communication in streets and markets, while Indonesian - Indonesia’s national language and a lingua franca among its many ethnic units - is used as a second language and the language of government, businesses, and instruction at schools.
Bandung is the place where people who live in Jakarta go to get away for the weekends. The climate is cooler, there are more restaurants that serve a variety of foods and the best part is it is its factory outlets. Bandung’s nickname is (Kota Wisata Belanja) “Tourist Shopping City”. You can get all of the famous name brand items here, because the factories that make them are here. And the price is ridiculously inexpensive.
Delicious food in Bandung that I could not eat because of stomach virus.
Because I was not feeling completely up to snuff, I spent the last day and a half of my visit completely relaxing and doing nothing. Mayke and Devi and I had a mini film festival. We popped popcorn, popped the old fashioned way, in a pan with a little oil, lid covering, shaking it over the burner of a stove. I drank ginger ale to settle my stomach. We must have watched a least 6 movies in a row the first night of the marathon. The next evening Devi and I sat and talked for hours like we did when we were roommates. It was magical and I felt so grateful to know her and to be her friend. It’s funny how with some people you can pick up right where you left off.
The last day I missed my flight as the ticket wasn’t clear that I was flying out on another airline and at 6:00 am. It read that my flight was at 1:15 pm and I got to the airport at 9:00am ready to get on board only to discover that the 1:15 pm was the connecting flight. There were three stops that included one change plane. The attendant for the airlines was not very helpful. She did manage to tell me that there was another flight I could take that day but I would have to stay in a hotel that night and I could grab the connecting flight the next day, but as it turned out there wasn’t a connecting flight to that one until 6 days later. I went with another airline and left the next day. This time I opted for staying up all night and sleeping on the plane, so I watched believe it or not even movies until the car came to pick me up the next morning.
All in all I had an incredible time and would like to make Indonesia a regular stop on my travels. I took lots of photos but the shots turned out blurry and / or two dark. I’m on my way back to Jakarta in August and this time I will take better pictures.
To close this blog I enlisted the help of my dear friend Devi (which I don’t have a decent photograph of), to translate for me words that if you want to know what they mean, find someone from Indonesia and ask them.
Para Mahasiswa, Dosen dan staff IMDI dan
Indonesia, terima kasih atas hati dan jiwa kalian yang sangat terbuka,
Saya senantiasa bersyukur.
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07.08.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:17 pm
Now is the time to write about my trip to France. Even though I made this trip a year ago, I’m feeling very Bohemian and Parisian today. And I’m ready to tell my story. In preparation for the trip I began learning French 6 months before I decided to go, actually it was a year but then I’d have to admit that I am a reeeealy a slow learner. I used the Carpetz method along with Tell Me More system. I think that those are very good programs, but nothing beats just being there and having to make conversation. Did I learn anything? Not really. I was never very disciplined and this goes for more things in my life that I care to admit to. Although now, I really am determined to learn the French language, a something ‘I must do’ before I die.
I arrived on May13, 2008 around at 12:00pm. I was met at the airport by Pascal Fievet. I had not met Pascal face to face but we had corresponded via email. I met Pascal through a friend of mine Christina. She and Pascal had attended the same masters program in London. How the story goes is that through their conversation Christina found out that Pascal liked jazz. At the time she had a CD of mine and passed it on to him. He really liked the CD a lot and being a musician himself thought that it would be great to talk about jazz once I came to visit. My visit was to last 6 weeks and I was staying in an apartment that Elodie and Pascal were so graciously providing for me. During that wonderful time Elodie became my French teacher, a job that she was very good at and also very, very, very patient. Pascal however, was working on a project where his English skills would be a big plus, so he wanted to speak English. I found it quite amusing at times when Paul, Pascal and Elodie’s son, would ride over to the apartment on his bicycle and would talk to me in French. I only knew a few words and I felt very embarrassed that after all that time with my CDs and DVDs, I couldn’t carry on a basic conversation with an eight year old.
The weather was actually quite chilly most of the time I was there, even though it was the middle of May beginning of June. My purpose was to revisit Paris and to scope out the jazz music scene. The real beauty was being there for 6 weeks. I had an apartment and went shopping everyday for food. I had a chance to look at the city from a resident point of view as oppose to a tourist. My days were spent traveling into Paris as the apartment was in a suburb of Paris (St Lazare), roughly about a 20 minute trip to and from Paris. I would take the train from Saint Lazare to Paris. Gare Saint Lazare was the first Parisian railway station; it was first built (1837) a little further to the North, next to the Place d’Europe. Its main line was its link from Paris to Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The Gare Saint-Lazare was immortalized by Claude Monet in 1877 with his painting of the same name. I walked all over Paris; by the end of my trip I could travel the Metro and or walk anywhere in Paris and the arrondissements.
Other times I went on excursions with the Fievet family, where we visited museums and galleries. Elodie was an art historian and had worked for art museums in the past and her knowledge was extensive. And then there was the day where just the girls, Hortense, Elodie and I visited Maria Antoinette’s little farm right next to Versailles.
All in all I could say that I was successful on my adventure, but the best part of the entire trip was spending time with the Fievet family. They had two incredible children, Paul who was 8 years old and Hortense, who was 18 months. Hortense and I hit it off right from the very beginning. Her nickname for me was Coca. They made me feel so welcomed and at home. I will never forget that and I carry that still and always will. The funny thing about this trip was that I didn’t take as many pictures as I would have liked, because my brand new camera broke on the second shot I took. Elodie did get some nice shots in and when Travis arrived the last week, he brought a backup and we took some shots.
I included pictures of the Hortense an d Paul and one day when I have time I will post more pictures of my time in Paris, but for now….
I definitely plan on going back; actually I would like to makeParis a second home for me. The jazz music scene is not really as active as it is here in New York, but perhaps it can be a point of departure for me when I do other jobs around Europe. I do love Paris, it’s culture and it’s people. Who doesn’t?
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03.07.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:25 am
As I walked into the studio, I recalled the famous photograph taken in 1958 “Great Day in Harlem”. The first time I saw that photo I was amazed at all of the legendary people that were there that day, but what really struck me was the image of Marion McPartland and Mary Lou Williams side by side talking. What were they talking about? I thought, now is my chance to ask her, maybe she might remember. Well, I never got the chance because from the moment I entered the room, I felt transported to another world. I couldn’t believe that for the next hour or so I would be sitting here talking to her just like I talk with everyone else and I would be playing music with a legendary artist. I thought about the stories she could tell, all of her experiences during those days. I also felt intimidated. But that didn’t last long, because a soon as I met her, I felt as if I had known her all of my life. Better yet, I felt like I was with one of the band. That feeling where everyone is completely themselves.
We all sat around 2 grand pianos as we talked. Marion asking questions with her humor and sharp inquisitiveness, then the time came for us to play. Travis and I did our thing , then Marion and I played a song together. Even though that was incredible, the highlight for me was when I sang and Marion and Travis played. I have never sang with two pianos accompanying me at the same time. It was amazing.
It was very difficult for me to write this blog because there was so much for me to say about my experience, yet the more I thought about what to write the harder it became to sum up what I really felt. Sometimes it’s not the words, but just the melody. And being a singer, I forget that. I am truly grateful for the experience of a lifetime and that Marion shared her amazing life and talent with Travis and I for that brief moment in time.
Before I knew it 2 hours had past. As the saying goes. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”
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02.25.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:36 pm
I wanted to share this website, created and maintained by a friend of mine, Debra Seltzer. It calls to my love of the roads less traveled. Maybe it will call to you too.
www.RoadsideArchitecture.com
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08.22.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:23 am
On April 18th, 2007, at 8:00 am we arrived at WBGO’s station, located in Newark, NJ. It was a chilly overcast day and I was really nervous. We were greeted at the door by Mr. Walker. His friendly smile quickly erased all of my fears of making a fool out of myself. We walked down a hallway that had these wonderful pictures on the wall. We found out later that it was an exhibit of an artist that photographed places in the south that looked as if time had stood still. Our walk ended in a sitting room that looked into the announcing area of the studio. There was a table there, that had fresh fruit and coffee. Mr. Walker was finishing up the first half of his morning show which begins at 6:00am. I was scheduled to go on at 9:00 am.
The funny thing about this interview was, I thought that it was only going to last around 15 minutes. You know, announcing the new CD, I say a few words and then off I go. But instead it was an entire hour. An hour spent with an intelligent, witty man, extremely knowledgable about this music that I love so much. And from his enthusiasm, I could tell he loved it as much as I did. The hour passed so quickly that it could have easily been that 15 minutes I spoke of.
Now you might say, “you’ve done radio interviews before, what makes this one so special?” Well, when I moved to New York City, I listened to WBGO. It was THE radio station and still is, for real jazz. At the time, I thought how incredible it would be to hear myself on that station. I guess that’s every musician’s dream, to hear themselves on the radio. Little did I know that over thirty years later that would be a reality.
We started off with a couple a cuts from the CD at the top of the hour and then we talked a bit. Mr. Walker had certainly done his homework and it showed with the ease in which the interview was conducted. This was the format for the rest of the hour. Music, then talk. It was really easy to laugh with Gary and I felt as though I had known him all of my life and that we were just sitting, shooting the breeze. It was fascinating being behind the scenes of my favorite radio station and meeting some of the on-air personalities. Everyone was so laid back, sort of what one would expect at a jazz radio station.
This blog is a thank you to Gary Walker for having vision, integrity and the courage to take a chance on a relatively unknown musician, but one who has over three decades of history in the jazz world. To acknowledge this is a rare thing to find these days in the music business. And most importantly, for helping me make a long-held dream into a reality.
I can’t wait to do it again. So I better get to work and get out the next CD!
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10.26.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:59 am
I know, I know….too long since last entry. Also last entry was sad. Why would you leave us feeling sad?
Maybe this will leave you feeling happy. I finally finished the new CD entitled Standard Delivery. Scheduled release date - January, 2006.
I had such a great time making this one. It also was a lot harder to make than the first one. I think it’s because it was so simple and basic. The usual core crew is on this one, Jaz, Travis and Jennifer and they sound great.
Also I get a little backup singing time on Michael Franks’ new CD, Rendevous in Rio. Which by the way is a wonderful CD. I am always amazed at how he keeps writing tunes that are so diversified. We just finished up Michael’s tour. Finishing up at Scullers in Boston.
I would write about Standard Delivery, but I put all that information in the liner notes. So instead I’m going to mention some of the CDs I purchased just recently.
Ella Fitzgerald at the Opera House - Ella Fitzgerald; (Day Dream) Best of the Duke Ellington Songbook - Ella Fitzgerald; The Jazz Sides, Charlie Parker - Jazz and the Philharmonic 1949 with Ella Fitzgerald; Juju - King Sunny Ade & His African Beats Music; Rise Up - Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited , This Time - Al Jarreau; Mishka - Mishka and Mishka-One Tree.
I haven’t been up to much lately, except the usual things working, practicing the bass, writing songs. I did participate in the Brooklyn Parents for Peace Fair last Sunday. It was astounding. There were over 150 participants there. Even though the various groups had their agendas, they all came together under the umbrella of peace. Setting aside agendas. This can be the hardest thing for us to do. Sometimes we need to set aside that which makes us uniquely different and focus on that which makes us uniquely similiar. This is necessary if we are to communicate with each other.
It’s that time of the year, my favorite time of the year. Fall. When I’m not touring, I spend part of my time in Brooklyn and the other part at the house in Woodstock. This year the trees in Woodstock are breathtaking. I guess this is the first time that I noticed, really noticed nature’s talent for color and texture. I’ve noticed how crisp the air is and how resolved the clouds appear. Also some of the best holidays are in the fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, my birthday………The latter is probably the reason why I like the fall so much. Some people don’t like birthdays, I know, but me……It’s a nice reminder of the relevence of time and if I’m doing anything that helps create value in someone’s life. Doesn’t have to be anything big, a hello or a smile is enough at times.
I’ll keep this one short.
Those of you who celebrate Halloween, have happy one!
Peace, Happiness, Love & Prosperity
V
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07.22.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:23 pm
My last entry was about a new life, this one is about the end of a life. Today we put our Smokey to sleep. To explain his malaise would be to complicated. All I know is that the cause of his affliction is a mystery, the effect however is devastating for a cat. He’s lived with us for over 10 years. To say that we will miss him would not be true for those words or any words to put it honestly, cannot express what we really feel. So it’s best not to say anything. To Smokey: Thanks and don’t worry , we will be waiting!
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05.16.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:45 pm
When I thought I had seen it all, life reminds me that I still got a long way to go. Last Tuesday I help deliver my god daughter Ivy’s baby girl, Myriah. I can honestly say that I will never be the same again. The funny thing about this is that I was present when Ivy was born almost 20 years ago, but she was delivered by Cesarian and that’s completely different and I mean completely different than natural child birth. I am hard put to find the words to describe the experience. All I can say is, if you ever get a chance to be there, be there!!!! The picture which is slightly out of focus, probably because I couldn’t stop crying, is of baby Myriah at about 20 minutes old. Now I truely understand when they speak of miracles happening every day, every second. And the one about ‘how time flies?’ fa get about it!!!!!!
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04.18.05
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:07 pm
Happy 2005!!!! Yeah, I know it’s been 5 months already.
It’s going to take me at least 3 blogs to catch up with all that’s been happening. This past year has been one exciting and unbelievable journey for me. Let’s see, where shall I start. For starters one of my entries I wrote about not going to Africa. Well, we finally made it and what an extraordinary place it is. I really didn’t have any expectations about the trip. We were in Johannesburg and Cape Town. It was amazing to see how many fans Michael has there. They were dancing and singing the lyrics to the songs. Shouting out requests of their favorite tunes.
I didn’t really get out that much in Johannesburg, but in Cape Town I was a true tourist. Of course I did the usual shopping for souveniers for friends and family and let’s not forget the self. We shopped at a couple of places. One was located right on the ocean and the artists were sitting on the beach carving the statues, talking to each other. It was quite a visual forever imprinted . The other place was an outdoor market with aisles and aisles of basically the same thing. It was really difficult buying from one vendor and not the other considering they had the same stuff.
I’ve included some of the photos I took on the trip. One shot is of a young South African woman who was incredibly proficient on the djembe. We also road this cable car up to the top of this very high mountain that overlooks the ocean and the town, there’s a shot of that. Breathtaking. I’m always intrigued how a thin little cable can hold up so many people. A view shot and the last one of the guys hanging out. One night in particular, after a performance the owner of a local restaurant held it open for us to have dinner there. The thing that I remember the most about this restaurant was it was upstairs overlooking the beach and that we had Japanese cuisine there and it struck me as funny that I would be eating Japanese food in Africa. The days magnificent, the nights magical. Very grateful for that experience.
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