Monday, March 10, 2008
I sense hope lately....
Wow...what a gig! Last night was the most satisfying gig since my return to HK. The reason was simple: Bill Heid was part of it. I haven't played with Bill for a very, very long time. And it was almost Kafkaseque that he was in HK. Saw him outside my church Sunday afternoon and we went to this park and sat down and talked about old times....yes, the old times....
We talked about everything from the weird joints in DC we used to play in and midgets we used to play with. Bill has a photographic memory. He remembers all the midgets we played with at all these weird joints. We would play at weird places in NE DC, Maple Lawn MD, La Plata MD, and even at a BMW annual convention. Those days were good...almost too good to be true.
Musically, Bill was my mentor and he opened me up to all types of blues and introduced me to the post-war blues sounds of the 50's. I learned all my blues vocabulary and licks from endlessly watching Bill play and sitting in with him at "Tabliban" every Monday night and ended up working some "memorable" gigs with him at the Blues Alley and with the Bob Margolin Allstars. What a trip it was! And I got there. I'm sure Bill appreciated it too. We were a team. We even played piano/harmonica duo at the Post Office Pavillion on some Saturday afternoons. I know what Bill is going to play next before he plays it, and it is that anticipation that makes our gigs great experiences.
Last night, the magic worked again, after many months of "Heidless" performances, I went back to my peak musically. The band sounded good too: Joel, Ah Hong, and Ram played well together. It makes me realize how important it is to play with those who are better than you. In this case, do try to sit in with as many masters as possible, cuz there ain't many left these days.
The hope thing continues. I loved "Juno." Adored it. There was a smile on my face when I left the theatre. There is hope! It reminded me of my high school days when everything just seemed so carefree. And it was just brilliant. You can't beat youth, so enjoy it while you can. I live like a teenager every day and it makes me happy.
I'm now listening to the "Juno" soundtrack non-stop. It's the best folk soundtrack since "Rushmore." After I listened to this tune in the theatre, I had tears in my eyes:
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We talked about everything from the weird joints in DC we used to play in and midgets we used to play with. Bill has a photographic memory. He remembers all the midgets we played with at all these weird joints. We would play at weird places in NE DC, Maple Lawn MD, La Plata MD, and even at a BMW annual convention. Those days were good...almost too good to be true.
Musically, Bill was my mentor and he opened me up to all types of blues and introduced me to the post-war blues sounds of the 50's. I learned all my blues vocabulary and licks from endlessly watching Bill play and sitting in with him at "Tabliban" every Monday night and ended up working some "memorable" gigs with him at the Blues Alley and with the Bob Margolin Allstars. What a trip it was! And I got there. I'm sure Bill appreciated it too. We were a team. We even played piano/harmonica duo at the Post Office Pavillion on some Saturday afternoons. I know what Bill is going to play next before he plays it, and it is that anticipation that makes our gigs great experiences.
Last night, the magic worked again, after many months of "Heidless" performances, I went back to my peak musically. The band sounded good too: Joel, Ah Hong, and Ram played well together. It makes me realize how important it is to play with those who are better than you. In this case, do try to sit in with as many masters as possible, cuz there ain't many left these days.
The hope thing continues. I loved "Juno." Adored it. There was a smile on my face when I left the theatre. There is hope! It reminded me of my high school days when everything just seemed so carefree. And it was just brilliant. You can't beat youth, so enjoy it while you can. I live like a teenager every day and it makes me happy.
I'm now listening to the "Juno" soundtrack non-stop. It's the best folk soundtrack since "Rushmore." After I listened to this tune in the theatre, I had tears in my eyes:
Labels: Bill Heid, Juno, Moldy Peaches
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