I left off the last blog with the notion of going to see the percussionist Rachael Bouch’s band Locura. I saw them last night and was absolutely blown away. They are influenced by Lila Downs and the trip hop flamenco jam band Ojos de Brujo. Just wonderful high energy music with a great rhythm section, and great tunes and vocals in Spanish. They’ve been together 5 years, and have their own tour bus. Which brings me to the subject of this blog: mentoring is a two-way street. The American Masters series on Joan Baez has a wonderful conversation with Dar Williams. Joan mentions that mentoring has to work both ways; you should learn from the person you are mentoring. This last week I worked with Rachael and the young alto player David Bullers. I don’t know if they learned anything from me (the art of non-rehearsal) but I certainly learned from them. I learn from the young violinist Emily Palen. And now that many, if not most, of the musicians I’ll be playing with are younger, I’ll have a lot of learning to do!
“Ah but I was so much older then, I’m younger then that now”
- Dylan, My Back Pages
Gregory James
Showing posts with label flamenco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flamenco. Show all posts
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Number 19 October 24, 2009
Discovering the New
The greatest joy to me in music is discovering the new, and discovering new artists. Friends took me to see Rob Rhodes the drummer this week, and playing with him was the brilliant young guitarist Terrence Brewer, who I had been meaning to check out for some time. After their sets a reggae funk band set up in the other room, named NIAYH. It stands for “Now is all you have”. They were fabulous, and I bought cds for myself and my friends. Completely different music than the jazz trio, but wonderful. In my last blog I mentioned the violinist Emily Palen. She plays in the band Dolorata, in a duo called The Royals, in a country blues band The Goldenhearts. She also improvises as a solo violinist. As she comes from a classical, and then blues and rock background, it sounds very fresh to me. I believe she may bring something very special to the music world, and I admire and learn from her fearlessness.
Last night I played a gig with my dear friend Alex Popovics on bass, whom I’ve played with for 30 years. The alto player, David Bullers, I discovered jamming in a club near my house, and the percussionist, Rachael B, I heard recently with my friends Caminos Flamencos. Only Alex and I had played together before. No rehearsal (why rehearse when you can gig, I like to say). I knew it would sound good, as the players are all excellent and listen, but I didn’t know how good it would be. By the second set it felt to me as if we had been a band for years. Tonight I’m going to hear Rachael B’s band Locura.
Gregory James
The greatest joy to me in music is discovering the new, and discovering new artists. Friends took me to see Rob Rhodes the drummer this week, and playing with him was the brilliant young guitarist Terrence Brewer, who I had been meaning to check out for some time. After their sets a reggae funk band set up in the other room, named NIAYH. It stands for “Now is all you have”. They were fabulous, and I bought cds for myself and my friends. Completely different music than the jazz trio, but wonderful. In my last blog I mentioned the violinist Emily Palen. She plays in the band Dolorata, in a duo called The Royals, in a country blues band The Goldenhearts. She also improvises as a solo violinist. As she comes from a classical, and then blues and rock background, it sounds very fresh to me. I believe she may bring something very special to the music world, and I admire and learn from her fearlessness.
Last night I played a gig with my dear friend Alex Popovics on bass, whom I’ve played with for 30 years. The alto player, David Bullers, I discovered jamming in a club near my house, and the percussionist, Rachael B, I heard recently with my friends Caminos Flamencos. Only Alex and I had played together before. No rehearsal (why rehearse when you can gig, I like to say). I knew it would sound good, as the players are all excellent and listen, but I didn’t know how good it would be. By the second set it felt to me as if we had been a band for years. Tonight I’m going to hear Rachael B’s band Locura.
Gregory James
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Number 14 October 4, 2009
Growing up in San Francisco, I was exposed to different cultures at a very early age. In addition to Anglo, Hispanic, and Black friends, I also had Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Philippine friends, and was very aware of their different cultures. The Persians I’ve known in the US are all uniformly intelligent, sophisticated, well educated, and polite – most of them having fled the revolution. Ahmadinejad is not the kind of guy I’m familiar with. I’m reading “The Ayatollah Begs to Differ” by Hooman Majd. He was born in Tehran, but raised and educated in the US. He has acted as a volunteer translator for Ahmadinejad, and has great insights into Persian culture and current politics. He goes to great lengths to explain ta’arouf: a Persian concept of manners that requires self-deprecation, and can become very competitive. That combined with the concept of haq, or unalienable rights, goes a ways toward explaining Ahmadinejad’s disconcerting lurches from being obsequies to arrogant.
(I used to encounter a form of ta’arouf from gypsy flamencos when I would ask them for lessons: “Oh Gregory, I couldn’t teach you anything. You are a MARVELOUS guitarist. By the way, show me The Shadow of your Smile…”
It is encouraging that in Obama we now have a president who believes in the concept of dialogue and negotiation. I read in the New York Times today that we are even approaching the Burmese regime.
I did finally find a flamenco teacher, the incredible Jason McGuire, who performs with Caminos Flamencos. Along with my friend Chuscales he is one of the best accompanists for dance and cante in the world, and is a great teacher. As Jason says, they never show you all the little rest strokes and ghost notes, that keep the playing in time. Respect the compas, as they say.
Gregory James
(I used to encounter a form of ta’arouf from gypsy flamencos when I would ask them for lessons: “Oh Gregory, I couldn’t teach you anything. You are a MARVELOUS guitarist. By the way, show me The Shadow of your Smile…”
It is encouraging that in Obama we now have a president who believes in the concept of dialogue and negotiation. I read in the New York Times today that we are even approaching the Burmese regime.
I did finally find a flamenco teacher, the incredible Jason McGuire, who performs with Caminos Flamencos. Along with my friend Chuscales he is one of the best accompanists for dance and cante in the world, and is a great teacher. As Jason says, they never show you all the little rest strokes and ghost notes, that keep the playing in time. Respect the compas, as they say.
Gregory James
Friday, September 4, 2009
Number 5 September 4, 2009
Studying flamenco under Jason McGuire, who also is a recording engineer and produces everything from flamenco to metal, the gear head in me was further encouraged. I played a Lester de Voe negra of Jason’s, and was blown away. Lester was perhaps the first American builder to be played by Paco. Lester is a lovely, gentle, humorous soul, and one of the most important luthiers of our time. I ordered a negra from him, and it is played on my recordings Come to Me and Reincarnation. By this time I was feeling pretty well stocked with flamenco guitars, when Lester mentioned he had a few pieces of the finest Spanish cypress he’s ever seen. So, I commissioned a blanca (blancas are my extra favorites) and it is featured on Samsara. Jason was fond of vintage Ramirez guitars for a while, and he found me a mint 1969 Ramirez 1A flamenco blanca. It had basically never been played, and it’s been opening up beautifully the last few years. (That is a guitar of my youth. I used to borrow a 60’s Ramirez from one of my high school Jesuit teachers for special gigs; he was always so nervous about it I stopped asking).
By this time I was determined to stop buying more guitars (I’ll mention the electrics and amps next time). Jason introduced me to Glenn Canin, who I started studying Alexander Technique with. (Guitar players have notoriously poor posture. McLaughlin, perhaps because of yoga, being a notable exception). Glenn is also perhaps the most gifted young guitar builder today. I’ve just taken delivery of a Brazilian rosewood negra with a cedar top. It is so loud, and has so much tone, it’s amazing. There is a youtube video of Jason playing Glenn’s guitars that has gone viral, for good reason. Then a few months ago, Glenn stopped a gardener hauling a cypress stump to the wood chipper. He pleaded with the guy, who finally let him haul it away. So, as a fourth generation San Franciscan, I figured I had to have a San Francisco blanca. It should be finished in a few months, and I’m sure it will have many songs to sing.
Gregory James
By this time I was determined to stop buying more guitars (I’ll mention the electrics and amps next time). Jason introduced me to Glenn Canin, who I started studying Alexander Technique with. (Guitar players have notoriously poor posture. McLaughlin, perhaps because of yoga, being a notable exception). Glenn is also perhaps the most gifted young guitar builder today. I’ve just taken delivery of a Brazilian rosewood negra with a cedar top. It is so loud, and has so much tone, it’s amazing. There is a youtube video of Jason playing Glenn’s guitars that has gone viral, for good reason. Then a few months ago, Glenn stopped a gardener hauling a cypress stump to the wood chipper. He pleaded with the guy, who finally let him haul it away. So, as a fourth generation San Franciscan, I figured I had to have a San Francisco blanca. It should be finished in a few months, and I’m sure it will have many songs to sing.
Gregory James
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