Monday, May 26, 2008

This One's Not Completely About Music . . .





The first part is about my son. He left early this morning, 6:00 AM to be precise, to spend the summer working at a climbing ranch in Jackson, Wyoming. We left him at the airport after seeing that he got successfully through security. I went back home and went back to bed. At about 10:45, he called to tell me that he was safely in Atlanta and that he'd eaten lunch and was "playing on the moving sidewalks." Yes, he is almost 20. Anyway, late in the day I was awaiting a call from him to let me know that he had gotten into Jackson. I received a text; he was in safe and sound and a couple of minutes early. Great!! A little bit later, I got a phone call asking me to get the ranch's phone number off of the website since his manager was not at the airport to pick him up as he was supposed to be, nor was he answering his phone. Not great!!! Just what I'd been worrying about. Well, one of the many things, anyway. I gave him the number and asked him to call me and let me know what was going on. At 6:45, he texted me and said that he was in a cab on the way to the ranch. I told him to make sure the cabbie waited--how did I even know if the manager was there? I waited. And waited. No calls. No texts.

So, fast-forward a couple of hours and consider how many scenarios have played through my head. My son walking alone in the dark on a deserted road in the Grand Teton National Park. No food, no water, robbed of all his money by the corrupt cabbie . . . you name it, I thought of it.

Finally, about 9:30, I got the phone call. He was fine. The manager thought he was coming tomorrow; that's why he wasn't at the airport to pick him up. Good God. Anyway, Drew had eaten and everything was "cool." I said, ""Could you have called me a little earlier; I was completely freaking out!" Apparently, the cell phone reception in the Grand Tetons is spotty, at best. Maybe a landline? All I know is that I wouldn't have slept all night long if I didn't know that he was safe and sound at the Ranch.

Now about the music. Drew came home from school with all sorts of "new" music on his laptop--Steely Dan being the favorite! He was amazed (and a bit jealous) that I was going to see them later this summer. He made me a "Car Mix" that has a lot of Steely Dan on it as well as Pink Floyd and some other old stuff (Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Derek & the Dominos, as well as Cake, Derek Trucks and Piers Faccini). He also gave me several of the mixes that he made for the Rock Wall at school. I will have him with me, at least musically, all summer. He also gave me the Joe Jackson CD that I asked him for--it's got a DVD, too! I was very happy. What I've heard of it so far is as great as I expected it to be.

That's all for now.

yours in music,
Tracy

Friday, May 23, 2008

Another Shot of Testosterone, Thanks!

Iron Man! Wow, way more fun than I thought it would be and much more of a "guy flick" than I normally go to see. But, you know, Joe wanted to go. How could I refuse that face? It was actually quite enjoyable and, amazingly, another "action film" during which I did NOT fall asleep!

And Robert Downey, Jr. . . . need I say more? Love him!! And Gwyneth--another favorite, even if she does name her kid after a fruit. Jeff Bridges, evil and two-faced as all get out. And, wow, a little on the heavy side. The music score was perfect; and I love Jon Favreau who directed and played a small part in the film. Check it out.

That's all for now.

yours in music,
Tracy

Wednesday Night/Thursday Morning at the Theater

Saw the midnight show of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls the other night/morning. I haven't been to a midnight movie since the days of Rocky Horror and only a couple of times then. Since my kids were going with their dad and his wife and their kids, and I was invited, and Joe was very excited about the prospect, I decided to forget the fact that I was going to be exhausted the next day and go along. Besides, I figured, I could sleep on Joe's shoulder like I did during the Bourne Ultimatum.

But no! It was a very entertaining and action-packed movie with character interest. It was great fun! And yes, I am still exhausted!

It was my Joe's birthday yesterday. I joined his family for cake. It's hard to really celebrate a birthday in the middle of the work week--especially when you're tired from a midnight movie!! I'm planning on taking him to Peter Geyer's Steakhouse since we had such a great meal there the last time we went, but that's a place for a leisurely Saturday night.

Andy Bey is in town this weekend for the Exodus to Jazz series; I'd love to see him at that rather than at the Jazz Fest. Evan Dobbins told me I'd like him, but I think tonight I am going to need to just chill and get to bed early. I hope a lot of people go. I'd like to hear about it.

yours in music,
Tracy

Monday, May 19, 2008

Allan Holdsworth at the German House

I bought the Allan Holdsworth tickets for Joe for Valentine's Day, and we saw him last night. I am glad to report that Joe loved the show. All the guitar players there, and there were a ton, were in awe.

For me, every tune sounded the same. If not for the applause, I wouldn't have known when one ended and the next started. There was no melody. Every once and a while I'd catch a little, tiny one but then it would be gone in an instant.

The musicians were extremely talented and passionate--that I could recognize and appreciate. That's pretty much all I have to say about that!

Oh, but there is one more thing. I have to say that standing up and clapping and whistling and hooting at an empty stage while the band decides whether or not to come back and grace us with an encore is getting to be very old and very annoying. Though we did it for Tommy Emmanuel, he was very quick to come back out. These guys took their time coming back for both one-song encores. It was just annoying.

There. There's my rant for the day!

yours in music,
Tracy

Saturday, May 17, 2008

TicketMaster Saga Parts II and III

Part II
Well, Thursday after having received no reply (other than "We received your email inquiry and will get back to you . . .") from TicketMaster, I called and got Sharonna on the phone. She was very nice and assured me that she could help with the situation. This she started to do, but we came to a standstill when I did not have the correct credit card with me. I was calling from work, and I try not to carry any credit cards with me so that I don't spend any money that I don't really have. So I was going to have to call back.

Part III
I called this afternoon and got Peter. After retelling my story, once again he assured me that he could help me. I was put on hold several times when he had to go consult with a supervisor because my "account was flagged" or this or that. Finally, he came back and said that he would email me the tickets and I could print them myself. Somehow in all of this, my account was supposedly credited for my VIP parking pass, so I had no pass. He could only reissue a regular parking pass. Why, you say? I don't know; he never did explain. He was nice enough to say that he would call me again in 30 minutes to see if I had received his email which should take no more than 20 minutes. He was good as his word, called back, but there was no email. Hmm. He didn't know why, and now there were even more "flags on the account." I was getting very tense and nervous. After putting me on hold and returning several times, he said that he had successfully emailed my tickets and (regular) parking pass. He promised to call me back again in 30 minutes to see if I'd received it.

In the meantime, I was on the phone with Joe, and I was telling him all about it and how nervous I was. I decided to peek at my email to see if the message with the tickets and pass had arrived. Imagine my surprise when I found that they had!!! I printed them successfully. Yay!! Peter, good to his word, called me back again, and I was happy to tell him that all was well. Next time I order tickets via TicketMaster, I think I will choose the "print-your-own" fast ticket option right from the get-go and not risk having them lost/stolen/damaged!

I have to say I am very grateful to TicketMaster Peter for getting this all straightened out.

All is well in music,
Tracy

Steve Greene Trio + Tina Albright = Beautiful Music



I was lucky enough to be at the Friday Jazz at Immanuel Series last night to hear The Steve Greene Trio and Tina Albright. The "trio" usually does include Tina (making it a quatro, I guess), but tonight it was billed differently.

No matter how they want to bill this group, it always adds up to the same thing: beautiful, enjoyable and interesting. Tonight I heard Tina do three songs that I've never heard her sing, two of which I've never even heard--When a Blossom Falls, which was utterly heartfelt and stirringly beautiful and Duke's Place (or Take Me to Duke's Place) which was kind of dark, seductive and a little sad. Tina tells a story with every song, and not everyone can do that. She is an exemplary vocalist.

I have been listening to Steve Greene for over a decade, and he has a sound that is completely his own; I would know it anywhere. Though I can always recognize it, his sound is indescribable for me (which is a rare thing), but totally delightful. He puts a twist on every tune. His version of Fly Me to the Moon was sort of Latin and very different and totally Steve.

Two words for Dave Arenius' bass playing: excellent and eclectic. I always think of the bassist as a support person, kind of holding things together. Dave holds it together well, and can improv with the best of them. He did a solo tune that was totally cool that everyone seemed to love. Whether using his fingers, the bow or the tip of the bow, Dave gets a cool sound out of that bass.

I decided to use the above photo even though it is not Bill Blind with Tina, Steve and Dave. I don't know who that man is though I have seen him play with the Trio at the Little. Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to "photoshop" Bill in. So sorry, Bill. Bill Blind's drumming is understated, yet it's an integral part of every tune, and it's perfect. I also heard him playing the piano while Steve was getting set up. It was the theme from the Flintstones, but it was very well done! Another support position, the drums often get ignored unless the drummer is not good or is too loud. Bill Blind is just right.

When you put these four wonderful musicians together, the beautiful music is guaranteed. They do play out at the Little Theatre and other venues--look for them. You will love them.

yours in music
Tracy

Monday, May 12, 2008

My Friends Need a Drummer . . .

The Beat Beggars http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=332146583 (their MySpace) need a drummer. If anyone out there who reads this is a drummer, or knows a drummer, hit them up on their MySpace. Check 'em out.

No time to call TicketMaster today because work was fiercely busy, and I had to leave a little early because my TV was, potentially, on fire, about to blow up, or just smoking and dying. Anyway, my daughter was freaked out. And now the house stinks of that "electric fire" kind of smell. Lovely.

I stopped at Tasteology tonight for dinner because my daughter and I were at the eye doctor's office in that plaza. Chef Russell whipped up some sweet potato bisque. We got to sample it. I wish it had been after the dinner because it was almost dessert. It was luscious. Dinner was great, too, with my Shrimp Romesco and Caroline's veggie burger--much better than your average veggie burger. The Little Big Band was there, being awesome. Talk it up, folks, talk it up.

That's all for now.

yours in music,
Tracy

Thus Begins My Ticketmaster Saga . . .

This past Saturday, I realized that the tickets I ordered on April 26 for the July 11 Steely Dan show at CMAC have not yet arrived. I did get an email on the 28th that my tickets had "printed." But it didn't say anything about having been mailed. It did occur to me on Saturday that I was pretty sure I had elected 3-day post, so where were they?

I searched through my mounds of mail (mostly junk) to no avail. I went back to the email and somehow figured out that my tickets had been sent UPS instead of USPS. I have always received my tickets via regular mail, so this was my first surprise. My second surprise was that in clicking on the tracking links, I found out that my "package" had been delivered to the "side door" on the 30th! Of April! Well, both my daughter and I have been in and out of both of the doors to my house and neither one of us ever saw any kind of "package." Not in between the doors, not under the mat, nothing.

So, I clicked on the email link to report "lost, stolen or damaged" tickets and read a general blurb that said something like "It will be at the discretion of Ticketmaster whether or not to reissue your tickets." Well, I'm freaking, right, because that's over $200 worth of tickets (two), but the worst part is that they were for Joe's birthday. I will be crushed if they won't reissue them.

So I was thinking more and more about this. If they were on my porch, under my mat or something, and they blew away, then there's some kind of an envelope out there with my name and address on it, and no one has returned it to me. That's very troublesome. Someone out there has my tickets for my seats and my "VIP" parking permit. So, now what? I'll be on the phone with Ticketmaster today. I hope they will make this right. I'll keep you posted in the next installment of the "Ticketmaster Saga."

yours in music,
Tracy

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Guitarist, Bassist, Percussionist, Vocalist, Comedian - Tommy Emmanuel

What a show! Tommy Emmanuel is gifted in so many ways--his musicianship is incomparable, but he also has incredible heart and personality - in addition to a great sense of humor. He was two solid hours of top-notch entertainment. The smile never left my face.

He played the guitar, but the way HE played it, the instrument was also bass and drum as well. He sang, cracked jokes (some better than others), and told stories of his life that were very touching and made him all the more real to us.

I can't even begin to figure out just how many tunes he did, I loved all of them but one. There was a Beatles' medley that was great, and he also played his very first recorded arrangement of Michelle. The songs that were covers, were very original in his arrangement. His own songs were exquisite as well. It was very telling that at least half, if not more than half, of the audience was musicians--mostly guitar players. Good ones. Like my Joe, Kinloch Nelson, Bob Pickert and many others who Joe knew or knew of as musicians.

Tommy's from Australia, and he wrote this one song, Initiation, about an aboriginal youth's "walkabout" (like a vision quest, I believe) and the music was very, well, aboriginal and primitive. It was beautiful in its own right, but it was long and the effects were extremely loud. So loud, in fact, that the guy in front of me had his hands over his ears. Even though I didn't like that one tune, I could still appreciate the talent. Every sound--whether it was the ocean, an animal's keening, drums, a didgeridoo or wind was being made by him on that guitar. It was pretty spectacular.

The only downside was that the guy in front of me had the biggest head (he was a really big guy to begin with) that I have ever seen. I could see the stage on the left of his head, but that meant I couldn't lean right, toward Joe, and I had Mr. Personal Space Invader on my left. We were thigh-to-thigh, shoulder-to-shoulder for most of the show. Joe and I are going to see Allan Holdsworth at the German House next weekend, and I will keep that experience in mind when choosing seats and try to get an aisle.

I'll be wanting to see Tommy Emmanuel the next time he comes to town again, that's for sure. You should, too.

yours in music,
Tracy

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Tommy Emmanuel Tonight at the German House

I am looking forward to seeing/hearing one of Joe's favorites. Maybe I'll see you there!

yours in music (and very short posts)
Tracy

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Words instead of music

So, I'm writing about words, today, instead of music. This is because I haven't been out to hear any music this weekend, but I did hear some words on Thursday night. I was at the U of R for the Salman Rushdie/Umberto Eco reading and book talk. It was quite interesting since I knew nothing about Eco and almost nothing about Rushdie. All I knew about Rushdie was what everyone knows--there was a fatwa issued by Ayatollha Ruholla Khomeini for his death after the Satanic Verses was released. I had no idea that he was a novelist--for some reason, I thought he wrote non-fiction.

Anyway, the reading and talk was part of the Open Letter press (a part of the U of R) and the PEN Voices series. I happen to know the director of the Open Letter press (a publisher of books in translation), Chad Post, who is married to my friend Christy Post of the Arts & Cultural Council. Thus, I had VIP tickets. Very nice.

Anyway, when we got there Thursday night, there were all sorts of men in suits with those things in their ears that attach via a coiled wire to something somewhere else. Secret Service or whatever. Actually, Christy told me Friday, there were men from Homeland Security there. They were protecting Chad. Apparently, it's usually the editor or publisher who is targeted for violence when Rushdie is in town. Chad appeared very calm for someone in that situation when he welcomed and introduced his guests. Joanna Scott was the moderator of the program. Rushdie and Eco read from their works. I am ready to go out and buy Rushdie's latest - The Enchantress of Florence - and Drew wants Foucault's Pendulum by Eco. I really thought Eco was "cute" and brilliant and witty even though I had a hard time understanding him through his heavy Italian accent. At one point, when Rushdie was talking about the ease of editing in this computer age, Rushdie mentioned that he used a Mac; Eco jumped in with "I'm a PC." But then he qualified, "I refuse VISTA!" It was pretty funny.

So, no music for me this weekend, just intellectual stuff. Makes me realize how very much I have to learn in this world.

That's all for now.

yours in music and words,
Tracy