Christmas post!

Well, this post isn't really about Christmas...sorry if I got your hopes up. It just so happens that I'm writing it on Christmas. Why? Because I finally have some free time to myself and I noticed that my last blog post was in August. That's a long time...I think in the world of the blogosphere it equates to four years. Think of all the things that can happen in four years. Think of all the things that can happen in four seconds.

So where do I even start? I feel like there's so much and not all of it is appropriate to just post up here on the ol' interwebs for all to see. I mean, a blog isn't really a diary, is it? I feel like the things I have to type are either intensely personal or just boring. I mean, it's Christmas and I'm on my computer. So far today I've watched The Wire (amazing!) and downloaded about thirty records. Now I'm drinking green tea, eating mom's delicious thumbprint cookies, and watching the comedy genius of Mel Brooks. It's not usually what I do on Christmas, but I've found the past few Christmases way too unusual to do the usual stuff.

Since September, I've been studying Chinese medicine at the Pacific College Of Oriental Medicine.
I have two problems with the school's name: Pacific, and Oriental.
Despite that, I am really enjoying being in school for maybe the first time in my life. I feel like I am in a place that's so perfect for me, I am actually willing to get up at 7 AM to make it to class.
I've never sat in a classroom in the middle of the morning with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude before. I just wrote a paper on Buddhism's influence on Chinese medicine in the Tang dynasty. The only thing that could be more right up my alley is if they made me somehow incorporate drums and percussion into the paper. It's too bad that when those Indian Buddhist monks brought new herbs to China, they didn't also bring tablas and kanjiras!

In school, when we have to talk about things like "heart fire," "qi vacuity," "damp heat," or "earth failing to nourish metal," it doesn't sound weird to me. It makes sense. Really, I am at the end of one trimester and I have no clue what I'm talking about, but I feel deep down that I'm going to be a very good acupuncturist. Next term, I will be working in the acupuncture clinic. What???? I would have never predicted I'd be doing anything like this in a million years. I won't be sticking people with needles (yet!) but I will be learning a lot while taking pulses and looking at tongues. There's somebody very special that I think would be proud of me, and that makes me happy.

History and Cultual

things you can find on the street in Brooklyn

recording w Ansambl Mastika

tourist lane

I had been joking about this (silently, to myself) for years....and those wacky folks at ImprovEverywhere finally did it. Unfortunately, they used some kind of temporary spray paint, and it's gone now.

In-N-Out

even Deerdog loves it.

i want to be back here...right now...

The Hall Of Mildness

Drums wrap-up

Yeah, so I'm back in the big city, far away from the owls, snakes, chipmunks, and bats.
The last couple days I had in Drums, PA were really nice, so I took the kayak out...

There was an island in the middle of the lake, very Tom Sawyer-esque. As I approached, the geese made it clear that it was their island and that they're firmly in command.
I didn't know geese were so territorial. Anyway, it was a lovely afternoon but then it was time to get back to the drums...
Day 10 was tiring...but it felt really good to do one thing in such a focused way. I don't think I've ever done anything so focused before. Even when I was at music school, so much of the day was taken up by classes, homework, ensemble playing, not to mention the normal NY day-to-day stuff. All I did in this house was play drums and take breaks to make food (and get hissed at by the odd goose). I feel a lot happier about the drums, about music in general. I feel happier with my skills. I feel happier with my place in the world of music, especially in NYC.

And, of course, for every question of mine that was answered (like "do I really ever need to play the doumbek again?" the answer is NO, by the way) there were five more questions that popped up. The kind of questions that pop up when you're sitting in a rocking chair and looking at the sun through the trees.

I think it would be great to be able to do a little retreat like this once per year, just to check in with myself and really get a chance to reflect on where I'm at with music, or where music is at with me. It's so amazing to have the time and space to explore an aspect of rhythm that you find intriguing and really become intimate with it. So, here's to more drumming, more rhythms, more music.

This is Emiliano and I saying, "Hasta luego, compadres..."

Drums Part IV

A quick lunch update!

What can I say, really? I've been playing the drums in total isolation for a week now. Complete bliss or a self-imposed nightmare? A little bit of both.

It got really warm and humid here in Drums. This weather makes me lazy. Luckily, the basement room where I have my drums set up is about the temperature of your standard walk-in meat locker. Deerdog, an ever-faithful travel companion, showed up one day.


I've been taking some time in the evening to head down to the lake.
Usually I take the kanjira drum with me because it's a completely relaxing place to practice, somehow I feel a stronger connection with the drum, and there's a really cool echo that makes the drum sound massive.

Looking forward to another afternoon figuring out 3-2 afro-clave polyrhythms and South Indian tala cycles.

Drums Pt III

So, day three is just as good as any to have a meltown, right?

I spent most of the day practicing, and sweet baby Jesus, it felt great.

Emiliano and I, ready to take on the day...

By 6pm or so, I was getting tired and I thought, hey! I will take a shower, get nice and relaxed, make a cuppa, and chill out before I make dinner.

Next thing I know, I'm literally naked on the bathroom floor crying and yelling. This goes on for about 2 hours.

Something about the isolation, the quiet, and the free time allowed for some introspection and suddenly I got hit with a sadness and loneliness like I'd never felt before. And there was nothing to do, nowhere to go. Just be there in the middle of it. I miss Sandra so so so much.

Afterward I felt exhausted and sick, and luckily I didn't puke but I sure had a couple moments. I spent the next day (Friday) in bed ALL day, sleeping. I didn't eat anything at all.
By about 10pm I mustered up the energy to practice until about midnight. And here I am, recounting the tales. Here's to another day tomorrow. Goodnight!

Drums Pt. II

So, part of the rustic charm of my new house is the fact that I have to chop firewood for heat.
This is me about to chop some firewood:

There is also a lake nearby, so I went down to check out the lake. I brought my kanjira (small Indian drum) with the intent that I'd practice while down at the lake, but it was too cold and windy, and my hands wouldn't work.

Drums, PA

So, a little idea I've had for awhile now has come to fruition, and I find myself in Drums, PA on a retreat. It's just me, a bunch of drums, and lots of time. The idea behind the retreat is to focus on some areas of percussion and music that intrigue me, and figure out all the other stuff that I can do without. Simple, right?

So when I pulled up to my new remote digs, this guy was here to greet me:





Greg (the homeowner) was there to greet me too, of course. We took a little tour of the property...




After showing me around, he took off and I suddenly realized just how alone I was and that freaked me out. Luckily, I had a bunch of drums and rhythmic things to work on, so I thought I'd get cracking.

this is a

banana slug that I met in Muir Woods. Hi!

Deerdog goes to Boston with Raya Brass Band...

here come the drums

stereotypes

i'm not one to try to perpetuate them, but come on...two asian guys on the subway with a 100 pound bag of rice???