Sunday, August 13, 2006
Unexpected
What a weekend! A great show with Linwood and Clarence at Chick Hall's. Two of the great bluesmen finally playing at a big hall at last. Nice reunion with Jeff Conlin. Glad to know he's doing well. It's a nice thing for people to come to support that show and there were a lot of people there who wouldn't normally come out.
Then on Saturday, went back to Chick Hall's to witness the legendary bluesman Joe Louis Walker & the Bosstalkers. I started listening to JLW when I was about 16 on B.B. King's "Blues Summit" record. Then I picked up his "JLW" and "Silvertone Blues," and I was astonished. How could someone so versatile (he has a great range of material) be so soulful and real? He said I'm going to play the blues Joe Louis Walker style, slow and hard." In addition, he also played a bit of rock n'roll, delta and many different genres you can think of.
Then Linwood introduced me to Joe. He did not even doubt my playing and asked me to play on stage with him. "Would you mind?" I asked politely. Joe replied nicely, "If I mind, I wouldn't invite you up." What an honor! Thanks to Linwood, I got to sit in with the talented multiple WC Handy award winner (Contemporary blues artist and Blues Band of the Year). What I thought was a mediocre solo turned out to be a crowd-pleaser. Many people came up to me afterwards and said many nice things. I could not determine how I played b/c I could not hear myself in the monitor at all. Apparently, Joe liked it and had a smile on his face. That means a lot to me, since Joe plays the harp himself and is very good at it.
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Then on Saturday, went back to Chick Hall's to witness the legendary bluesman Joe Louis Walker & the Bosstalkers. I started listening to JLW when I was about 16 on B.B. King's "Blues Summit" record. Then I picked up his "JLW" and "Silvertone Blues," and I was astonished. How could someone so versatile (he has a great range of material) be so soulful and real? He said I'm going to play the blues Joe Louis Walker style, slow and hard." In addition, he also played a bit of rock n'roll, delta and many different genres you can think of.
Then Linwood introduced me to Joe. He did not even doubt my playing and asked me to play on stage with him. "Would you mind?" I asked politely. Joe replied nicely, "If I mind, I wouldn't invite you up." What an honor! Thanks to Linwood, I got to sit in with the talented multiple WC Handy award winner (Contemporary blues artist and Blues Band of the Year). What I thought was a mediocre solo turned out to be a crowd-pleaser. Many people came up to me afterwards and said many nice things. I could not determine how I played b/c I could not hear myself in the monitor at all. Apparently, Joe liked it and had a smile on his face. That means a lot to me, since Joe plays the harp himself and is very good at it.
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Thursday, August 10, 2006
Celebrities who are also musicians
Check out this list!
Notables: Alan Greenspan as professional jazz saxophonist and Condolezza Rice as concert level pianist.
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Notables: Alan Greenspan as professional jazz saxophonist and Condolezza Rice as concert level pianist.
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Sunday, August 06, 2006
Being human
Growing up is part of being human. You make mistakes growing up. You make lots of mistakes. But the blessing is that even though you can't re-live your life, you are fortunate not to re-live it. Rather than regretting yesterday's mistakes, you should live for tomorrow. Call it a paradox if you will, but it is the PRESENT that counts. Enjoy the moment, whether you're working or playing or simply meditating. Ostensibly, time is of essence; ultimately, time is just a measurement of intangible bits and pieces.
To become happy is an art. There's no set method to achieve happiness. Depressives may even argue happiness is not the ultimate pursuit. I do think being happy is part of life's most essential things. There are too many heartbreaks and teardrops in one's lifetime. The truly happy moments are extremely rare. But these moments come when one is least expected or just little things. The airport is one of the places where happiness just pours out.
The human connection is a strange phenomenon. People connect differently. It's hard to let somebody into your life, and vice versa, and when that happens, the connection begins and it's a precious thing.
The human connection is a portal to happiness, which is part of growing up. Hopefully, you get better at it as you grow up.
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To become happy is an art. There's no set method to achieve happiness. Depressives may even argue happiness is not the ultimate pursuit. I do think being happy is part of life's most essential things. There are too many heartbreaks and teardrops in one's lifetime. The truly happy moments are extremely rare. But these moments come when one is least expected or just little things. The airport is one of the places where happiness just pours out.
The human connection is a strange phenomenon. People connect differently. It's hard to let somebody into your life, and vice versa, and when that happens, the connection begins and it's a precious thing.
The human connection is a portal to happiness, which is part of growing up. Hopefully, you get better at it as you grow up.
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Tuesday, August 01, 2006
I'm OK
