A Great 2007 Grammy Show

Pop music is a pleasure I refuse to feel guilty about, and this year's Grammy show proved to me why there's a lot to love about popular American music. First off, I think musicians are a lot more adept at carrying off an award show without a lot of awkwardness, unlike movie actors (which is why I can only watch the Oscars while doing something else in another room). Imagine the pressure of performing under these circumstances, let alone really nailing it!

Second, there are live acoustic performances and unusual pairings that just come off great, such as this one with Corinne Bailey Rae, John Legend and John Mayer. I missed Beyonce, but caught her on YouTube--wow! There is a nice descending chromatic riff that she sings at the end of the song that shows off her vocal chops.

Shakira bellydance!!! I predict a huge bellydance craze as a result. She really can dance, unlike a woman we recently saw on Mexican TV with a lot of "pechonalidad," as Emilio put it, who wore the golden garb but couldn't swivel the hips with precision.

And the dancing! I was not aware of Chris Brown, but this is probably one of the best demonstrations of stepping during primetime ever seen. He has his own gravity! Justin Timberlake did a pretty good job too. And the montage that honored deceased musicians (including songwriter Soraya, at age 37 from breast cancer) finished with a powerful superimposition of a video of James Brown dancing and a tap dancer on stage duplicating and riffing on his moves. Oh, Christina Aguilera and Mary J. Blige also tore it up, although both were borderline oversinging. But even that is an education in how to command a performance, even when not everything comes out perfectly. That said, I didn't see any technical glitches, unlike past years.

I thought it was kind of funny that The Red Hot Chili Peppers exhorted young kids to go out and form rock bands. Ah, yet another American music crying out for preservation--Lincoln Center 2050, Winton Marsalis IV leads the rock and roll education and outreach program. I'm sorry, I guess it's the devil's advocate in me--but why don't people understand that music constantly evolves?

This Sunday at the Jazzschool in Berkeley

Don't miss the second Rhythm and Rhyme gig celebrating the release of The Reckless Search for Beauty! I'll be reprising my "Spanglish JazzeR&B" versions of Bill Withers' Use Me and Mongo Santamaria's Afro Blue, plus singing pregones on those two tunes and El Duende Africano. Also in the vocal lineup are Koriomale, Take the A Train, and Wayne Wallace originals (Nadie and Rhythm and Rhyme).

Shows are at 4:30 and 6:30 pm. $18.

By the way, The Reckless Search for Beauty is now at number 29 on the jazz charts and rising!!!! Congratulations, Wayne!

Singing with a Cold: Chicken Soup and Zicam

I have a gig coming up this weekend, and wouldn't you know I've just picked up the cold my baby had. So I went and bought some Zicam, which my mom swears by. Now, it's homeopathic, which is a concept I don't think has any scientific merit, so if it's pure placebo effect and I don't believe in it how can it help? Nevertheless, it seems to be working and I am hoping this will be a mild virus I can sing through easily.

Step two in the battle against the virus was to make a huge pot of chicken soup from scratch. It turned out really good--I added chayote, potatoes, turnips, carrots, shallots, lots of garlic and jalapenos. My husband looked at it with suspicion last night and asked why the broth was so yellow. I told him it was because of the chicken fat, which I think is key in the battle against a cold. He ate it gingerly. Sheesh, just because my specialty is burned vegetables with blanched rice doesn't mean I can't whip up a delicious pot of chicken soup every 10-15 years! Although we do still talk about the time I burned the chicken by leaving the pot on high for 12 hours until the house was leaking black smoke out the windows. Years ago, many many years ago that happened, and with therapy I've learned to forgive myself for it and stop the nightmares about that poor chicken's soul. Just kidding, folks!

Anyway, as often occurs with my cooking, I was the only one who ate it, last night and today (but they did all eat the Betty Crocker carrot cake I made). It really hit the spot!

Tips for Musical Moms, Episode 6

Tips for Musical Moms, Episode 5

Tips for Musical Moms, Episode 4

Tips for Musical Moms, Episode 3

Tips for Musical Moms, Episode 2

YouTube Debut: Alexa's Tips for Multitasking Musical Moms