Number 36 March 29,2010

Another wonderful week of art events.  Last Thursday we went to a performance piece by Krisztina Lazar at the Swell Gallery, an extension site of the Art Institute  , the REAL art school in town.  Krisztina, as you may know, did the cover painting for The Valence Project.  She was body painting and throwing herself against the canvas tacked to the wall.  Very edgey, and beautiful.  Saturday was The Merce Cunnham Dance Company at Zellerbach.  The piece was Cunningham's last, "Nearly 90" with music by John Paul Jones  and
Takehisa Kosugi.  One is reminded of the quote that "Talent does what it can, genius does what it must."
And then last night a benefit performance in a private home at the top of Belvedere for the Marin Symphony by my dear friends Caminos Flamencos.   Yaelisa, Jason, Felix and Fanny were brilliant, and stunning set against the bay and San Francisco skyline.  My only regret was missing Ralph Towner Saturday, but I guess even I can't be two places at once.

Number 35 March 20, 2010

Last night we saw Keith Jarrett at Davies Hall in a rare solo performance. I first saw Keith Jarrett in the 60's with the Charles Lloyd Quartet at the Avalon Ballroom opening for Albert King, the headliner being B.B. King. Forest Flower was a very important recording for me as a young musician, and much of my chord voicings on guitar, with widely spaced major 9/13s for example, come from Jarrett. Of course his marvelous work with Miles, and then the many ECM recordings, have been inspirational. But especially during his solo concerts the last few years, he will berate the audience for coughing, eliciting boos and jeers. His sarcastic timing is better than most professional stand-up comics (he did a diatribe in 2000 at a concert on hanging chads and the rigged election that was worthy of Lenny Bruce) but it is very disconcerting to me. At one point I thought he was about to leave the stage. Then, by way of winning the audience back, he asked for requests, and played a lovely "What Is This Thing Called Love". At the end he played five or six encores to standing ovations, an audience member shouting out that "the riff raff are gone". People do cough; at Keith Jarrett concerts and Rubenstein concerts and Horrowitz concerts. Equally as distracting are Jarrett's vocalese and foot tapping, and body contortions. I can get past those easily enough; he's done them to a lesser degree all through his career. But the insulting the audience routine has become schtick; John McEnroe screaming at the umpire, a parody of a parody, and for me it has finally come to cheapen the experience.

Number 34 March 14, 2010

Last Thursday SF Jazz hosted an event at Amnesia they call Hot Plate. It features local musicians performing tribute concerts to jazz greats. This night Peter Horvath and friends performed the 70's funk music of Herbie Hancock. Ray Obiedo, an old friend, was on guitar. Ray played in Herbie's band in the late 70's. It was a great night of music by players who have all known and played with each other for many years. I realized that many of them have recorded with me: Marc Van Wageningen (with his brother Paul on Ananda) Karl Perazzo (on Come to Me) and Peter Horvath (on Reincarnation). I suddenly realized how blessed I am to know so many wonderful musicians.