In My Mind’s Zen Garden

Okay, enough Disney stuff… let’s get down with some New Orleans Jazz-Funk with the Kenny Garrett Quartet LIVE in Montreax Switzerland, performing “Wayne’s Thang”.

Please forgive my going down memory lane with the Disney classics… but, I just love this Swedish version of the song “Belle” from Beauty and the Beast…

Just felt like posting this. I like the melody.

I’ll repeat what one commentor said… “How do you get that many hot ladies that know how to play in one spot? Don’t say band camp.”

Okay, this is my video contribution for today.

Okay, it didn’t help that I randomly visited Eric Cheng’s site and found a youtube video of Japanese piano prodigy Aimi Kobayashi… okay, I found another video that’s equally amazing!

So, early today I thought I had a gig at an upscale residence in an upscale part of town. When I got to the door the daughter of the birthday boy greeted me and invited me in. She showed me the options of where our jazz trio would perform, then I asked when the party was going to start because there was no one there yet. Things looked very quiet. And she said that the party wasn’t until June 7th.

OOPS!!!

Okay, today is May 7th. Apparently there was a mix up with the dates. Daughter of birthday boy (he’s turning 100 next month) had to leave to do an errand, then singer and keyboardist arrive in their van. Hehe… when I told them that the party wasn’t until next month… jaws started dropping.

So, no gig… I wasn’t getting paid. And, so I went home…

Okay, getting back to the little Japanese girl who is a piano prodigy… man, that girl plays better than me and I’ve been playing piano for decades… since 5… I’m not jealous or anything but I’m a bit depressed now… well, I’m not really a classically trained pianist, and now I don’t know what kind of pianist I am… hmm…

The gig with the Flamenco group went quite well last night. Not that there are times when things go wrong. For the most part the Flamenco group is always a fun gig and we generally do well. But last night was pretty special.

We had a nice crowd there, but it wasn’t as packed as Thursday night. Someone in the band mentioned that Cinco De Mayo is coming just around the corner, so people were probably getting geared up for the partying on Monday. And it’s too bad I don’t have a gig on Monday.

There was a young lady at the gig last night who was very enthusiastic about our music, and was dancing right up front there. It was very apparent that she was digging my drumming, and she called me “drummer boy”, and she complemented me more than once. One of the guys in the band was a bit nervous about her, as if she was rather “stalkerish”, but I had a talk with her after the gig, and she’s a very nice person. Just very enthusiastic about our music, that’s all. And I’m grateful for that. It’s nice to see people really get into what we’re doing.

I wanted to do something a bit different last night. I wanted to re-approach what I was doing on drums and started off playing as minimalist as possible. Sometimes, it’s best to approach the music from the point of “nothingness” and then slowly build from that. And I think it worked very well. I’ll be using this approach from now on.

Drum Solos are the hardest thing to do.

Especially when you play at any venue several times a month, the challenge is to keep things fresh because there are people that come to see you more than once. Sure, there will be times when I’m not as much in the zone as I could’ve been, but the main thing is to keep things creative and fresh each time. I had some very different drum solos last night, which I was happy about. I never want to play the exact same thing each time. And thus the challenge.

But, I’m at a point now where I want to add another cowbell and a woodblock. Mix things up more with the drumset. And get another set of double pedals so that I can strike the bottom of the floor tom.

Anyway, sometimes at the gigs I can feel like I’ve glimpsed eternity… until I get home and find myself once again away from the crowds and the excitement… back to the solitude of home, back to nothingness… until the next gig.

Found a cool video of jazz trumpeter Tom Harrell and his quintet, live in Paris, France. Very cool! Love the groove, the vibe and solos.

Tom Harrell usually stands back, away from the microphone with his head down in silence, motionless, when not playing the trumpet at that moment. He suffers from paranoid schizophrenia:

Tom Harrell (born June 16, 1946) is a renowned American post bop jazz trumpeter and composer. However he has a disability which profoundly affects his life away from the stage. He suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. On stage he stands away from the microphone, off to the side, his head bowed and his hands clutching his trumpet. When called upon to play, he walks slowly to the microphone, head still lowered, raising it only to play. When finished, he bows his head and resumes his original place.

He takes antipsychotic drugs for his condition, but has to deal with the side-effects such as weight gain and muscle spasms, depending on which drugs he is taking. Newer drugs appear to control his condition with fewer side effects.

Appetizer
Name something you would categorize as weird.

Anything related to the paranormal I find very weird. And I’ve experienced some pretty weird stuff throughout the years, like the vanishing woman at Starbucks.

Soup
What color was the last piece of food you ate?

Green… I just got back from the sushi bar and the sushi chef was able to make me some raw vegan mixed-vegetable sushi.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy being alone?

Nowadays, being a dad, a husband, and working musician, I enjoy being alone. I need time alone. So I would have to rate it close to a 9. The other ten percent is when I’m feeling this type of aloneness.

Main Course
Fill in the blank: I will _________ vote for ___________ in _______.

I will NOT vote for A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE in THE NUDE.

Dessert
Describe your sleeping habits.

My sleeping habits are definitely not consistent. Sometimes I fall asleep late at night while watching a DVD. But most of the time I’m asleep in my bed. Lately, I’ve been sleeping very well… a deep sleep, and typically I don’t dream, unless I have one of these strange dreams. I typically sleep on my right side in a semi-fetal position, and sometimes I need two pillows to support my head.

Just stumbled upon this, and I really think this is quite creative and cool…

New Online Stores Added!

Recently, I added a couple of online stores to my site. This is through the Amazon.com Associates program. Basically, you can add an aStore (your very own store at Amazon.com) and mine’s here. But, what’s even more cool is the fact that you can insert your store “inline” into your blog. I’ve created two so far:

1. Recommended Products
2. Randomguru’s Jazz Store

Recommended Products

This is my main online store, and I’ll be featuring all kinds of stuff from CDs to DVDs to books and electronics… I add new products individually here, so whenever I come across a cool new gadget, a great book, or a new DVD, I’ll be sure to add it to the store.

Randomguru’s Jazz Store

This special store features the latest and best-selling Jazz music… Full Spectrum Jazz, so it’ll always show the top Jazz Music from smooth jazz to bebop to big band. All the latest, top-selling Jazz will be featured.

. . . .

Between Nothingness and Eternity

Well, back to the main topic of this post…

The Mahavishnu Orchestra - Between Nothingness and Eternity

This is a “LIVE” performance recorded in Central Park NYC, way back in 1973 when the Jazz-Fusion movement was bursting onto the music scene. Guitar virtuoso and bandleader John McLaughlin was simply amazing with his double-neck guitar, and dressed all in white (he was a devotee of Indian guru Sri Chinmoy).

From Wikipedia.org:

John McLaughlin “is regarded by many as one of the most influential and technically gifted guitarists of all time, having mastered a remarkable range of styles and genres, including jazz, Indian classical music, and fusion. He has also incorporated aspects of Flamenco music in some of his acoustic periods.”

I would give this album 5 stars if it weren’t for some sonic issues with this live recording. But, recording limitations aside, the energy and virtuosity of the musicians surely makes up for that. I won’t go any further because I reviewed this album before on my old blog over here.

It was re-mixed and re-mastered so the recording is a better improvement over the original vinyl version as I remember… the miracle of modern technology.

The Mahavishnu Orchestra was one of my favorite jazz-fusion groups… probably the best, fastest, loudest, and most technically brilliant of all the jazz-fusion groups of 1970’s… and drummer Billy Cobham was simply amazing… the odd meters played in ultra-fast pace were mind-boggling… one odd meter time signature seemed to appear to be in 15/8…

…15 eight note beats per measure played at a mind-boggling tempo, with the musicians playing fast sixteenth and thirty-second note triplet and quadruplet “flourishes” over this time signature with uncanny accuracy…

I remember thinking the album was a disappointment at first because it just sounded like glorified noise… garbage… then one night I had the time to spend on listening to it and gave it another try… with headphones.

I then realized that they were highly sophisticated and astonishingly accomplished at what they were doing, once you got past the noise and volume!

Incredible music… and today I feel it is even more of a masterpiece than back when I first realized it was so, years ago.

If you are a Jazz fan, or have an appreciation for the history of the Jazz-Fusion movement of the 70’s, then this album is a must-have! Buy this CD now from Amazon.com!

This month, since my wife and I can’t fly to New York City to attend the Met’s production of Puccini’s La Boheme, we’re going to see (instead) the San Diego Opera’s production of Aida by Giuseppe Verdi.

We’ve seen Aida before and my wife loves this opera. And being that our anniversary is coming up this month, this will be a good anniversary gift. If you’re in the San Diego area check out this great San Diego Opera production, and support the arts!

Aida Has It All

AIDA has it all—treachery, love, power, jealousy, betrayal and death. A Verdi classic! She’s an Ethiopian slave and he’s an officer in the Egyptian army. Though their countries are at war, they secretly fall in love and he betrays his homeland. He’s captured, tried and condemned, but the passion they share can be extinguished only by death as the lovers are entombed alive, together for eternity.

Elton John and Tim Rice have also created Aida: The Musical. I’d love to see that one too, but for now it’s the classic opera by Verdi.

My Gig With Ian Campbell

Though I’m not an opera singer or working in the orchestra pit, I have gigged with San Diego Opera director Ian Campbell. Actually, he sat in to do a couple of numbers at this big charity gala event, and I remember he sang, I’ve Got You Under My Skin. He’s a cool guy, friendly and charismatic. I didn’t know he’d been director of the San Diego Opera for that long… wow.

Ian Campbell has been the General Director and Artistic Director of San Diego Opera since 1983. Campbell was born in Australia, and is a graduate of the University of Sydney. He also holds the two designations of Fellow, and Certified Professional Manager, from the Australian Institute of Management.

Nathan sent me this video, and this solo performance of “Caravan” is amazing!

Being mostly a Keith Jarrett fan, I often neglect other great jazz pianists. And I’ve known about Michel Petrucciani. I just never really got into his music until now. Great stuff. His solo piano performance of “Caravan” is full of virtuosity and power. For a little guy, he’s definitely getting a “big” sound out of the piano. His technique is right-on-the-money. And I love the part where he just uses his right hand to solo through the changes while resting his left arm on the piano. I really need to learn this song on the piano. Don’t know why I never learned it. It’s part of the standard jazz repertoire.

I’m not a big Mariah Carey fan, but have always considered her a great vocalist, and I thought one of her latest tunes and video was worthy of a mention. I watched her perform “Touch My Body” last night on Saturday Night Live.

It’s different. The tune is catchy. And is that really her home because the place is HUGE!

The song doesn’t really showcase her vocal skillz a whole lot, but you can tell she can still sing. And she looks like she lost some weight and looking lean and mean. Way to go, Mariah!

My son mentioned this song last night too, and got a kick out of this line:

Cuz if you run your mouth and brag about this secret rendezvous
I will hunt you down

O—kay….

I am proud to present to you the new CD release by Flamenco Nova… Rumba in Blue.

Buy Our CD: Flamenco Nova: Rumba in Blue

Flamenco Nova blends the sounds of Latin, Jazz, Rock and Blues (and other musical styles) within the context of the traditional Flamenco Guitar. The result is a fusion of classical Flamenco with a modern groove, amidst a cascade of improvised solos.

Infusing Traditional Flamenco With Everything Else

Matter of fact, early Flamenco Music was improvisational and loosely informal. Long sessions of Flamenco song and dance, in which the performers come and go, is typical of this cultural tradition. Its origins going back to Andalusia in Spain and of Gypsy culture.

Flamenco Nova attempts to mix the improvisational aspects of Jazz and Flamenco into a more modernized wall of sound, updating yet keeping the roots of Flamenco firmly ebedded with the music. Acoustic and electronic sounds are intertwined to further solidfy this intent to juxtapose the traditional with the modern.

[Left-to-Right] - Nathan Mills, Jeff Olsen, Carlos Rull and Jordano Stoyanoff

. . . .

Meet The Musicians of Flamenco Nova

• Jordano Stoyanoff - Flamenco and Digital Guitars

  Born somewhere in middle of Eastern Europe, Jordano is of Bulgarian extraction, and learned early on as a child to play Flamenco Guitar around the campfires of his Gypsy homelands. Moving to New York City and then to San Diego, Jordano studied with the legendary Classical and Flamenco guitarist, Celedonio Romero, of the famed Romero Family.

  As the leader of the group, he incites havoc with traditional acoustic Flamenco guitar, coupled with digital effects and guitar synthesizers, ranging from the sweet sounds of Andalusia to hard driving Metal-tinged forays.




• Nathan Mills - Trumpet and Flugelhorn

  Nathan comes from a Jazz, Big Band and Funk/R&B background, whose influences range from Arturo Sandoval to The Brecker Brothers. As a matter of fact, Nathan is a friend of Arturo Sandoval and introduced Arturo to the “Wild Thing”, a custom trumpet created by Jazz Trumpeter Flip Oakes.

  Nathan brings Bebop textures as well as Spanish-style trumpet playing into the mix… think, Mariachi meets Miles meets Maynard, and you’ve got a great fusion of improvisational dexterity, fueled by grace of technique and style.




• Jeff Olsen - Electric Bass Guitar

  Jeff is a bassist who originally hails from the windy city of Chicago. He comes from a background of performing in Latin-Rock and Blues bands. And though he maybe the quiet, reserved member of the group, he lays down a solid bass line that is the foundation of everything else.

  Incidentally, Jeff is the Postmaster for La Jolla, and a father of two teenagers. So, Jeff is a busy man.




• Carlos Rull - Drums and Percussion

  Well, as the time keeper of the group, I have thoroughly enjoyed the freedom of improvisation and expression with Flamenco Nova. And being able to mix musical genres and styles within a Flamenco context.

  Approaching the Flamenco style with a loose, Jazzy improvisational feel, is a challenge as well as a joy… and it’s all about creating music within the moment.

  There is a certain Zen quality that I like about it, which makes this project my most enjoyable yet challenging musical experience so far.

Our New CD Is Now Available Through CD Baby

Having said all this… I encourage you to check out our album at CD Baby, and listen to the samples, which you can either download to your iTunes player, or listen directly from the CD Baby site.

If you really like the music, please consider buying the CD. If anything, please buy the CD anyway and help support this special musical project. I will be most grateful. And it’ll make us feel better about continuing to play the music…

Flamenco Nova: Rumba in Blue

Actually, it’s called an iAno, for those of us pianists who are on the go and can’t get to a real piano, you can practice your scales and chord progressions on this iPiano app, made for the iPhone! This is frickin’ sweet!

[ link via The Keith Jarrett Discussion Group ]

Of course, you need an iPhone…

Silence is the potential from which music can arise.—Keith Jarrett

Concerto For 2 Pianos & Orchestra In E-Flat Major, K. 365 (K. 316a): III. Rondeaux: Allegro

This is an excellent video featuring reknowned jazz pianists Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett performing this rare Mozart concerto for two pianos. I think there is a certain energy that transfers over from Jazz to Classical that makes this performance especially interesting and exciting.

This is actually an excerpt from Keith Jarrett: The Art of Improvisation which is an excellent DVD. I highly recommend it, because it covers much of Keith Jarrett’s career in both classical and jazz genre’s, and covers much of what the essence of improvised music is all about.

A Few Highlights From the DVD

1. Of course, the double piano concerto above.

2. Keith Jarrett playing soprano sax (amazingly) with Charlie Haden and Paul Motian.

3. Excerpts of the Keith Jarrett Trio on tour.

4. I especially like the part where Keith tries out a couple of different concert grands, choosing one after sampling each in relation to the music hall, then deciding on the other piano after it had been taken off stage.

5. And quick snippets of Jarrett’s home in the forests of New Jersey and the barn that was converted into a recording and practice studio, with two concert grands and a drumset. Cool!

American Idol… Season 7… hmmm…. I don’t know quite what to make of this season, do you?.

I really got into it last season because there were some great Divas last year… Jordin Sparks, Lakisha Jones, MELINDA DOOLITTLE singing My Funny Valentine. *hehe* Even Gina Glocksen was great… the women in general dominated last year.

Okay, this week’s performances are now history, and two girls and two guys are going home tonight. Here is my take on who were the best male and female performances this week:

David Archuleta (17) from Murray, Utah: Did a great rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” that showed us a musical maturity and experience beyond his years. I think this is a difficult song to sing because it would seem the song itself isn’t a great one to showcase one’s vocal abilities. But I think that David showed passion and emotion, was very strong vocally and added just the right vocal stylings to make it a moving performance.

Carly Smithson (24) from San Diego, CA: Belted out a worthy rendition of Heart’s “Crazy On You”. This is a very difficult song for anyone to sing. The original singer of Heart, Ann Wilson, had that amazing voice… powerful, edgy yet clear and cuts through. Carly gave a respectable and passionate performance of this song.

So, I don’t really have any predictions as to who’s going to leave tonight. But I’m positive these two singers are staying.

If you want a more complete recap of this week’s performances, check out Manny’s blog. And if you want a play-by-play, recap as the show goes on, check out Rickey.org.

I was really happy with my piano practice yesterday. I covered a lot of ground, so to speak.

Okay, what did I practice that made my piano rehearsal so great?

Well, my attitude and approach was good. I was happy with that. I did go over some of my so-called standard pieces to warm up with:

Actually, I had two separate piano rehearsals. One in the morning and one in the evening.

After practicing my standard tunes, I went into some long improvisations. Fell into my rendition of Chick Corea’s “Spain”, then went into a long improvised montuno passage. And went through this whole improvisation working on both fast ostinato rhythms on left hand and fast soloing in the right hand.

Earlier I played “The Windmills Of Your Mind”. Along with some pseudo classical and modern style improvisations.

Improvisation is my main focus, and it is a part of living in the moment. Creating within the moment. To me this is Zen.

Just in case you missed this a while back, my home studio recordings are available to download for the same price of an iTunes song.

You can listen to a short sample of each track before you buy. Please help support my musical journey by buying my music. I will be most grateful.

One of the coolest, hippest compositions in all of Jazz… So What, performed by Miles Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (tenor sax), Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums):

This kid is awesome. To have that much groove and drumming potential at 4, 5 or 6 years of age is truly amazing!

Attention: Keith Jarrett fans!

Just received some information from the Keith Jarrett mailing list at Yahoo Groups!

I am definitely going to try and make one of the West Coast dates, either at Royce Hall in Los Angeles or the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco. This is a must-see for Jazz Afficionados, as this is arguably the greatest jazz trio ever.

Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette

2008 Mar 05 Los Angeles, CA Royce Hall USA
2008 Mar 08 San Francisco, CA SF Jazz - Masonic Auditorium USA
2008 Sep 13 Chicago, IL Symphony Center USA****
2008 Sep 19 Philadelphia, PA Kimmel Center USA
2008 Oct 18 New York, NY Carnegie Hall USA
2008 Oct 26 Boston, MA Boston Symphony Hall USA ****

****=newly added

No New Solo ones added yet just the ones in Japan so far.

2008 May 14 Yokohama Kanagawa Kenmin Hall Japan
2008 May 17 Tokyo Orchard Hall Japan
2008 May 20 Osaka Festival Hall Japan
2008 May 23 Tokyo Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space Japan

~John A

In about half an hour, I’m going to have to head out the door and go to this photo shoot for the band, Flamenco Nova!

The CD was just “pressed” recently so I think (hopefully) I’ll get my copy tonight at the photo shoot.

I’ve been with the Flamenco group close to a year now. And, suddenly in 2007 I found that most of my gigs have been with this group. The whole idea of combining traditional Flamenco music with jazz, rock, latin and other styles is something not entirely new. I’m sure everyone would think of the Gypsy Kings, but Flamenco Nova has a more organic style. Jazz and Flamenco music are somewhat similar in that there are traditional concepts or structures that one uses musicially. Yet, there is a LOT of improvisation in both traditional Jazz and Flamenco music.

Anyway, the chemistry of the musicians in the group is always what makes the music. The combination of technical skills and how the musicians interact is what gives a group its identity, it’s musical sound.

Hopefully, we will come up with a unique sound that appeals to the general public. I know we seem to be doing well locally performing at various venues. And there always seems to be a need for traditional Flamenco music. Now that the CD has officially been pressed, forgive me when I really promote this CD on my site until I get blue-in-the-face. Hopefully, some of you will buy it… as I begin to spread the word about the music.

I’ve been practicing everyday on piano, mostly lengthy improvisations that go from half an hour to a full hour. Just one piece.

I find it very challenging, but at the same time very fun and rewarding. Of course, I’m very much inspired by the solo piano concerts of Keith Jarrett. But, it’s very hard not to copy him. So the real challenge is to try and create your own style and try to put one’s own personality into the music.

When I practice improvisation I tend to treat the whole thing as an Indian Raga… starting slow, letting my musical thoughts and ideas develop and build. And from there I’ll go into what I call “hills and valleys” of musical expression.

My goal for 2008 is to be able to easily record my piano improvisations on my Yamaha C2 Grand Piano and publish them on my site. I think that would be cool to try and publish an improvisation everyday, just like I would a blog entry. It would be a musical expression of how I’m feeling on that day. And it would be challenging to try and come up with new ideas every time and not get repetitive. Though I think Keith Jarrett himself admitted that it’s a big challenge to not repeat yourself… we are creatures of habit and we tend to play things we like to hear, and we tend to develop a certain form or structure with each improvisation.

But, we’ll see how this all pans out. It’s just really nice to have a great sounding grand piano at home, so it’s essential to find a way to record on it.

Okay, I hope the title of this post got your attention.

I mentioned in a previous post, Cold and Flu Season, that I’ve noticed people around me getting hit by the flu bug.

Recently a fellow musician and gifted trumpeter, Nathan Mills, was hit pretty hard with the flu bug. He’s the one who had to leave a recent gig at Le Papagayo after the 1st set because he had gotten sick.

In a recent email he related how he had a high fever at the gig and just had to go home and rest because he was too weak. That night he woke up around 2am, went to the bathroom, became disoriented… and the next thing he remembers was hearing a loud BANG and waking up sprawled in the bath tub with his legs hanging out. Apparently he had hit his head against the wall and passed out, delirious! Fortunately, the shower curtain broke his fall… somewhat. And when he came to he was soaked in sweat!

Needless to say, Nathan said this was the weirdest flu bug that’s ever hit him.

Take care, Nate, and get plenty of rest!

Anyway, this flu bug is definitely making its rounds. I’m just trying to be careful and stay healthy because I don’t wanna get sick. *knocks on wood*

I was originally tagged by Pat on an older post titled Music Meme.

This is a new variation on the old Music Meme I participated-in a while back. Are you up for this, folks?

Here are the rules if you wish to participate:

And that’s it.

. . . .

Here’s my Song Meme:

5. List down five songs you’ve been playing on your car stereo or iPod recently.

4. Name four songs you like to listen to while you’re surfing the Web.

3. All-time favorite songs? Name three of them.

2. Name two songs that have lifted your spirits when you were down.

1. What is your current all-time favorite song right now?

Okay, and I’m done! It’s your turn…

I’m gigging in the rain
just gigging in the rain
what a glorious feeling
I’m happy again…… NOT!!!

Overall, the gig went well. But it was raining last night and my drums were getting wet. My cymbals were getting wet. My clothes. My hair….. *argghhhhh*

I have a confession to make. I dislike going to gigs in the rain. Ugh. It really puts a damper on things in general and people don’t like to got out when it rains, for the most part. But fortunately, we had a lot of people at the show last night.

So, Jordano helped me out by wiping the rain water from my hi-hat cymbals before we started. Though Nathan came in and right away he looked pretty sick, man. Poor guy was not a happy camper.

During the first break Nathan took off. He was just too sick to perform. I commend him for making the effort to come in, but he really looked sick. I just called him this morning and his wife said she was home today and she had an “infirmary” going because their daughter was sick too. Well I hope they get better soon. The flu bug is definitely making its rounds right now.

Last night it looked like members of the Latin band Luna Llena dropped by. I did recognize Romeo there. The last time I did a gig with him was at the New Hope Church in Vista. Anyway…

A big shout out to my friends in Luna Llena! *Hey guys!*

This was the first time Flamenco Nova did the Thursday Cuban Nights at Le Papagayo, and it was a success. Despite the rains, the place was packed on the inside. Of course, the outer dining areas remained closed due to the rain. I was able to do a couple of drum solos that I could say I was pretty happy with. Funny thing is, after the gig when we were packing up, I suddenly had this big surge of energy. As if I could play for another 3 hours! Strange.

Anyway, Flamenco Nova will be back again at Le Papagayo on Thursday night, February 7 at 7pm. And we’ll be back there again on Thursday night as well for Valentine’s Day, February 14.

Here we go — more Flamenco Nova pics, as promised. I posted the first set of photos at: Flamenco Nova Photos From Last Night.

Flamenco Nova’s CD will be coming soon, maybe in the next few weeks. So we’re excited about that.

I should have some MP3 samples posted soon as well.

. . . .

My ultimate jazz drumset. And I love those wooden hoops on the 16″x16″ Sonor bass drum (converted from a floor tom). The toms are Yamaha. The snare is a Pearl Piccolo. And the cymbals are all Zildjian K Constantinoples except for the 10″ splash, an old Zildjian A Splash.

. . . .

Here’s Nathan Mills and Jeff Owens, kicking back after the gig. I experimented with a washed out effect here.

. . . .

Jordano and Nathan pose for the camera after the gig… awaiting our take-home dinners from Francois.

. . . .

The transaction is made, and the band gets paid, as Francois passes the money over to Jordano!

Last night was a really good night, performing with Flamenco Nova @ Le Papagayo. Lots of people were there and it was simply an active, lively evening! I was able to bring my Nikon digital camera and Francois (the owner) took photos of the band, and I took a few myself.

Here’s Francois behind the drums, checking out my drum kit:

There were lots of photos taken, but here are some of my favorites so far:

More to come… so stay tuned!

Lately I’ve been a little reluctant to review or promote any new music that I’m into, mainly because I feel I don’t wish to continually push my tastes in music onto others. But, there are times when one has to because one gets so moved and inspired by the music… that one has to share the wealth, so to speak.

James Taylor is a singer-songwriter I’ve admired for many years. I never got into his music when I was in high school or in college, because I’d been mostly into classical, jazz and ethnic music, but I’ve always been aware of his music and have admired him from afar.

My wife and I did see him once in concert and it was a very, very moving experience. Many of us were brought to tears… I remember one fan behind me yelling out, “James, make me cry!”. That pretty much summed up the overall experience!

James Taylor’s latest offering, One Man Band, (to me) is a bargain. You get an audio CD AND a DVD of his concert performance at the legendary The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Massachussetts. The album package is awesome and folds out like a book, and inside there is a booklet with liner notes by James Taylor himself.

The secret of love is in opening up your heart
Its okay to feel afraid
But dont let that stand in your way
cause anyone knows that love is the only road
And since were only here for a while
Might as well show some style
Give us a smile
~James Taylor

One Man Band seems like a special gift to his longtime fans, and the concert feels very intimate and is basically in James Taylor’s hometown with his neighbors attending. It definitely feels like a special, intimate event. And James Taylor has multimedia slide shows and video clips that reflect his music and his life. The full concert on DVD features James giving us his stories and introductions prior to each song, some much longer than the songs themselves, but his storytelling is humorous and interesting.

The term One Man Band sort of refers to James Taylor’s backup band, Larry Goldings on keyboards… and performing on a beautiful Yamaha midi-concert grand piano, accordian (or music box), and organ. But other than that, it’s mainly James Taylor singing solo with his acoustic guitar, and he pretty much covers all his classic hit songs.

Another added touch to the concert is the use of a 16 member choir, all members of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and pre-recorded but shown on the multimedia screen and somehow James Taylor and Larry Goldings’ performance is synced with the choir! And the choir sounds exceptional and well blended harmoniously with the overall musical sound. The songs, “Shower The People” and “My Traveling Star”, are especially wonderful with the choir.

Shower the people you love with love
Show them the way that you feel
Things are gonna be much better if you only will
~James Taylor

An added surprise is a drum machine! Not an electronic one, but a big wooden contraption that reminds me of a player piano that uses a big cylinder with wooden arms that have drumsticks attached that smack the snare drum, hit the cymbals and big wooden shoes that stomp a big bass drum sound. Very ingenious… an organic, analog drum machine!

Anyway, you’ll probably notice that I’ll be listening to this album a LOT for the next several days. I’m not a super big fan of James Taylor’s music, but his songs are so heartfelt and memorable and his melodies really stay with you, that it’s just one of those albums that deserves repeated listenings….

I picked up this album from Starbucks for $19.99, which is a great price for such a well put together package and considering the quality of the music. It was a Christmas Gift for my wife…

Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rockabye sweet baby james
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Wont you let me go down in my dreams
And rockabye sweet baby james
~James Taylor

Here’s a timeless classic… a scene from Breakfast at Tiffany’s when Audrey Hepburn sings “Moon River” on the fire escape. One of my favorite songs of all time. And favorite movies.

And here’s the same song used in an Audrey Hepburn tribute:

After almost 50 years of living on this Earth, I’ve come to believe that there is some sort of higher power or supreme being that created everything. That there is a God, and I have complete Faith that this God is everywhere and in all things. Just looking around me at the beauty of nature, and gazing into the sky at night. I look up in Awe.

Music, to me, is humankind’s effort at uplifting oneself to this God. No other creature on Earth performs on musical instruments other than humans, unless I’ve missed something somewhere…

But Music, in its purest musical forms, is uplifting and inspirational… giving hint to a higher consciousness and more divine world. At least, that’s how I’ve always conceptualized Music in my mind. And that is what I’ve personally strived for in creating and performing Music.

Some of my best personal performances in a Musical situation have been pretty uplifting to me. Not necessarily in a Gospel situation (though I have performed Gospel music throughout my life where it was truly inspirational) but rather in various random musical events in my life when I felt truly inspired and seemingly touched by the hand of God. There have been times when I’ve done drum solos and I didn’t know where certain moments came from and knowing that I probably couldn’t duplicate those moments again, yet knowing that I could drum up another moment again sometime.

Anyway, today’s title stems from my current mode of thinking with regards to Music. That one has to have faith that one can achieve something with the instrument one is playing, one must persevere and place oneself in a virtuous mode in dedicating oneself to the instrument of choice… and one has to take action by applying dedicated practice and rehearsals in order to become one with the instrument.

In my case, I’m feeling I’m becoming attached to the piano. I practice everyday, having goals but not really having expectations. The journey lies ahead and one doesn’t know what is going to actually happen. So that is the Faith part of it. Showing sincere dedication and fervor toward the instrument is definitely needed in order to apply the time and practice required to become more at one with the instrument.

Perhaps I’ve forgotten another word…. Love.

To me music has always been about Love. And Love has always been a motivating factor behind virtually all Music… Love for someone special, Love lost, Love for God, etc….

My Love for Music guides me in my daily practice. It’s like a Meditation on Love… on God… but either way, it is always uplifting and aspiring toward a higher cause… Music in its purest forms are the cosmic vibrations going through the ether… and sometimes I feel it is God, and we are just all trying to tap into those wondrous sounds that already exist throughout the universe and embedded in eternity….

(When Nobody Needs Me)… I love this song, and have been practicing this one today in E flat Major. Ironic that the song kind of spells out my piano career right now. I need a good piano gig so I can feel appreciated, anyone in need of a solo pianist for a few hours?

Anyway, the chord changes in this song are really nice. I’m exploring the possibilities embellishing with various extensions, augmented and dimished chords.

The following songs I’ve really been focusing on today, exploring those possibilities as far as voicings go:

1. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) - Eb Major

2. I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face - C Major

3. But Not For Me - C Major

4. It Might As Well Be Spring - F Major

5. I Wish You Love - Eb minor

6. Someday My Prince Will Come - F Major and Bb Major

I don’t know…

There is a big, big difference between someone who loves to play piano and plays for his/herself at home… and a pianist who is out there performing a lot. Realistically, my goal is to seriously “woodshed” for 6 months and by the end of 6 months time I hope to be playing regularly at a few places.

We’ll see how it goes… but, I always enjoy playing for myself and just getting lost in my musical journeys.

Carlos’ Piano Repertoire

Songs From Movies

I love to play songs from movies… including musicals that became movies. And also songs from Animated Movies.

Here are a list of some of my favorites: If I Loved You (Carousel), Love Theme (Sophie’s Choice), Cavatina (The Deer Hunter), A Part Of Your World (The Little Mermaid), Love Theme (Beauty and the Beast), A Whole New World (Alladiin), Edelweiss (The Sound of Music), Theme from Ragtime, The Entertainer (The Sting).

. . . .

Standards, Etc…

Now that I have a wonderful sounding grand piano to practice on… one that has been tuned twice since I got it… I absolutely have no excuse…

I need to practice, practice, practice!

And I’ve seriously been looking at my current repertoire of songs I know. Here is the current list that I completely forgot I had here on my site…

Piano Repertoire

1. I need to play these songs in the proper keys they were written in.

2. I need to practice my scales and chord progressions.

3. I need to practice in all 12 keys

4. I need to practice in major and minor keys, including modes (dorian, lydian, mixolydian, phrygian, etc.)

5. I need to practice on some classical stuff, including ragtime.

And I need to update my current list. There are more songs that I know, and my goal is to have a working repertoire of 200 plus songs.

Did I say I needed to practice? One always needs to… there’ll be more time to improvise long pieces later. I really need to practice on Standards and Classical, mainly.

Some Related Piano Links

Now that I have the piano to practice on whenever I feel the inclination (which is daily), my goal for 2008 is to learn as many of the songs from the Great American Songbook as possible, and in the proper keys they were intended to be played in.

Great American Songbook is a term referring to the interrelated music of Broadway musical theater, the Hollywood musical, and Tin Pan Alley, in a period that begins roughly in the 1920s and tapers off around 1960 with the coming of rock and roll. Aside from the enduring popularity of this music in its original context, it also became (and remains) the central repertoire of jazz musicians. (In jazz, such tunes are simply referred to as “standards”.) For its devotees, the GAS (as it is sometimes abbreviated) represents a level of musical and lyrical sophistication that has yet to be equalled. (This is sometimes – as in the writings of Gene Lees – a way of casting aspersions on rock music and everything that followed in its wake.)

I would consider the following to be my current Top 10 standards (that I enjoy playing on piano) from the Great American Songbook:

1. Over The Rainbow

2. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)

3. I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face

4. The Second Time Around

5. But Not For Me

6. My Romance

7. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing

8. It Might As Well Be Spring

9. You Are Too Beautiful

10. I’ll Be Seeing You

. . . .

Of course this list is subject to change. And here are a few more favorites (some from musicals):

1. Not While I’m Around - from Sweeney Tood

2. All The Things You Are

3. I’m Old Fashioned

4. Bye Bye Blackbird

5. When You Wish Upon A Star

. . . .

And a few more:

1. The Way We Were

2. Black Orpheus

3. Charade

4. I Wish You Love

5. Moon River

. . . .

A more complete list can be found here.

I have a confession to make. I’m going to be 50 years old this coming January 26. But also, my wife surprised me by giving me the best birthday gift that a musician and pianist could ever receive… a brand new grand piano!

It’s a Yamaha C2 5′8″ Conservatory Grand in polished ebony finish, and it was the one I tested at a piano warehouse last month. Actually, I got it last month just before Christmas because my wife wanted me to play Christmas songs on it. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it, but I might as well let everyone know that I got it and I’m so happy. I’ve been practicing every day on it, hours at a time.

Maybe she felt sorry for me because I was a pianist without a keyboard for so long, but I do know that I am deeply grateful and forever indebted to her for buying me the grand piano. And now I can spend the rest of my days playing piano every day….

And here are some photos:

More Related Piano Links