December 27, 2011

I often write about influnces and lineage in music.  The last two concerts I saw a couple of weeks ago were marvelous examples.  Friday December 9 at Yoshi's Oakland was Mike Stern, with Richard Bono, Dave Weckl, and Bob Franceschini.  Mike of course played with Miles Davis, Weckl with Chick Corea, and Richard Bono with Joe Zawinul.  So the Miles influence looms beautiful and large.  The next night at Herbst in San Francisco, was Ahmad Jamal, who influenced Miles!  With him was Manolo Badrena, who played with Weather Report.  Like all great artists, Ahmad, who is 81, now incorporates musicians who were influenced by musicians he influenced!  Happy Holidays!

The Tremendous Contribution of the Gypsies

 I haven't posted in over a month, and have been very busy playing and attending concerts.  I realized that there was a coincidental theme to the shows I've seen this month:  the tremendous contribution of the Gypsies to world music.  Everyone from Beethoven to Chopin to Miles Davis has been influenced.  There were probably two great migrations from the east across Europe; around 700 AD and again around 1200.  Early last month I saw the SF Opera production of Bizet's Carmen, a wonderfully balanced cast with a fabulous performance by Kendall Gladen.  Then the Compania Flamenca of Jose Porcel, in a tribute titled Gypsy Fire.  Last night my beloved Caminos Flamencos played a 10th anniversary show titled Solo Flamenco with Juan Ogalla, Yaelisa, Fanny Ara, Melissa Cruz, and Jason McGuire AND Chusco on guitars.  Chusco was raised in the caves of Granada.  Jason is from Texas, and one of the dancers was Japanese.  All first rate performers of the music.  So it has become universal, even as the Gypsies struggle for freedom and basic human rights to this day.  This afternoon I saw the Takacs Quartet, playing Janacek and Ravel,  both highly influenced by Gypsy themes.  And one of the founders, Karoly Schranz, says his earliest musical experiences were listening to Gypsy bands in Budapest restaurants.