ThinkSong

The Magnifying Mirror

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:05:00 +0000

I abhor advertisements that show women tugging at their faces while looking in the mirror, grimacing at all their perceived cosmetic defects. Of course, there's a whole industry around that concept, ready to sell you a cream or a surgical procedure that will fix the problem. Wouldn't it be better to declare, "Don't ever tug at your skin and point out your flaws! Love what you see! Throw out that magnifying mirror! Get rid of the scale!"

My goal in performance is to be alive, to be in the flow of feeling and composition, listening as the music and rhythm create an irrepressible response in my body and soul. But it hasn't always been that way -- when I was younger, I never listened to lyrics. All I cared about was the resonant qualities of the female voice. And I had a lot of fear -- terrible stage fright, in fact. During one performance with a chamber choir, I sang a solo while my entire body alternated between rigidity and spasmodic trembling. After the show, some of my choir mates praised me for my bravery -- they could see my hands clenched behind me as I tried to keep it all together and remain vertical.

As I've grown artistically and gained experience, I've come into my own uniqueness. That means that I have much less fear, though for whatever reason I have always been a person who appeared to radiate confidence even when it was the last thing I felt. The challenge of music is, the more you know, the more you know you don't know. As I continue to work with my own music and with other bands, the challenges grow too. After each gig, provided it didn't suck royally (generally meaning at a dive bar in front of morose transvestites who want you to sing show tunes, or with angry Nation of Islam guards staring down the white devil on stage, or with paunchy bikers who like their women big-busted and small-brained), I think about what needed improvement and make a list.

Last week, the morning after my San Jose Jazz Festival performance, I was feeling good, until I looked at some videos a friend took of the show. I know that videos and board mixes (recordings made straight off the inputs on the sound board, meaning no ambient blend of the instruments/voices and imbalances in volume) are dangerous things to listen to/view. However, they are quite valuable at times. Ideally, I'd say don't mess with your positive memory of a show until a few days have gone by. But on occasion I have listened to a board mix (OK, twice) immediately after a show and liked what I heard.

This was not to be the case last week. I felt like I did a great job as a performer and band leader. I was supremely organized coming into the gig, doing a number of things for my band mates that in the past I would have let fall through the cracks. Of course, there's always more that can be done, but in terms of rehearsals, set list and charts, I nailed it. The morning of the gig, as I left for San Jose, I told my husband how much I wished this day were already over. It's something I often say before a gig.

Once on stage, however, I was in heaven. Cracking jokes that people actually laughed at, running through the arrangements perfectly, and dancing as freely as I like to (I view myself as the Mick Jagger of latin jazz. The dancing may not be great, but it is enthusiastic!).

The point of all this is that the disconnect between my mental picture and the few clips the video captured was painful, once it was revealed. Granted, I did not have a board mix of the entire show, and that would probably have caught more of the best moments as well as the worst (by the way, I did not post the worst videos online! The two that I put up seemed passable, and I was especially proud of my pandeiro playing).

In a culture of recording, of constant digital capture, where everything is retouched to perfection, we suffer from the magnifying mirror effect. When we went to Cuba in 2003, some of our travel mates spent the entire time with video camera viewfinders pressed to their eyes. My husband and I wanted to experience Cuba, not film it.

I don't record myself much when I practice. As I wrote recently, perhaps I should. But I'm not a person who tends to go back and listen much to what I've recorded. By the same token, I have occasionally kept journals a la Artist's Way, for free writing exercises. These can be useful for songwriting, but I keep meaning to throw them away -- I subscribe to Mae West's dictum, "keep a diary and someday your diary will keep you!"

The other problem of recording is that it feeds that pernicious problem of comparison and external validation. I came across this blog recently by classical pianist Grace Nikae:

We are constantly looking at others, vicariously reading personal blogs and watching reality television, competing against others, somehow trying to find some validation externally rather than internally. There seems to be an inability to determine and understand for ourselves what it means to search for and pursue a deeper quality in one’s music and life, and a certain lack of self-responsibility and awareness. My advice to young musicians has always been the same - first, and foremost, you must always be looking within yourself. How can I improve? How do I keep searching, reaching, and developing as an artist? How do I keep asking questions that challenge me to keep growing? When I go back to play a piece from a year ago, do I take the easy way out and go on auto-pilot and play it the same way as I did then? Or do I dig deeper, and keep searching to discover new things in the music that I didn’t see before? How can I understand myself better? These are questions that only you can ask yourself. The death of any artist is the day they stop growing - the search should continue to the last day of your life, until the last breath you take. And of course, I don’t mean simply locking yourself up in a practice room and looking only at scores for the rest of your life - although there are many people who believe this is what is meant by growing and improving. One has to grow consistently as a human being, in all facets - emotionally, mentally, spiritually - because this is what will always color the lens through which one can perceive and understand humanity, and thereby deepen one’s relationship and understanding to the nature of music and art itself.

Further, she points out that the perfection of recordings today leads audiences to expect that same technical ease on stage. I'd add to that the sense that musicians like myself have, of trying to match the bar of our recordings, many of which were made line-by-line and even electronically pitch-corrected in spots, in live performance. Did Ella Fitzgerald sing this way? Of course not. I heard Nancy Wilson give a talk in which she said the advent of 24-track recording was "the day the music died."

Several fans and friends have written to me since San Jose, having read my self-critical blog. I am deeply indebted to them for their kind words, many of which I will treasure. What they gave me wasn't meaningless reassurances. No, they reflected back to me the picture of unique energy that I experienced on stage. As audiences do, they picked up on so much more than the precision of notes or the overall balance of sound. That gives me hope and renewed passion for practicing the things I want to improve. I want to make clear that I was not looking for pity. And I also want the performers out there to bear in mind that it's generally not a good idea to reveal your mistakes during or after the show. Audiences want the emotional connection with your music. If you can give that to them while achieving technical perfection, so be it, but if not, don't destroy their memory of an emotional high. That's what music is for.

Alexa Weber Morales - Agua de Beber Aguas de Marco medley

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:34:00 +0000

This is part of the medley arranged by Wayne Wallace, sung by Latin Jazz singer-songwriter Alexa Weber Morales at this year's San Jose Jazz Festival. Murray Low, piano; Michael Spiro, percussion; David Flores, drumset; Scott Thompson, bass; Daria and David Chaidez, background vocals; Bryan Dyer, background vocals and vocal trombone.

Alexa Weber Morales sings El Cantante at San Jose Jazz Fest

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:45:00 +0000

Here's some of the coro/pregon of El Cantante (written by Ruben Blades) and the new bridge written by Wayne Wallace, sung by Latin Jazz singer-songwriter Alexa Weber Morales at this year's festival. Murray Low, piano; Michael Spiro, percussion; David Flores, drumset; Scott Thompson, bass; Daria and David Chaidez, background vocals; Bryan Dyer, background vocals and vocal trombone.

San Jose Jazz Festival Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:14:00 +0000

Wayne Wallace on a Roll!

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:19:00 +0000

Both Wayne Wallace and John Santos were just honored by the DownBeat 2008 Critic's Poll. Wayne writes:

First of all, congratulations to John Santos for being selected in the DownBeat 56th Annual Critics Poll Rising Star Percussion category.
I had the honor of being selected for the Rising Star Producer and Trombone categories (I am really proud of the producer selection).

The really big news is that The Nature of The Beat holds #1 two weeks in a row on the Jazz Week World Top 50 Chart!!! and moves up from #16 to #14 on the Jazz Week Jazz Top 50 Chart!!!

Congratulations, Wayne, John and Patois Records!

I Love the Olympics!

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:42:00 +0000

Michael Phelps, man-fish with flipper feet! Have you seen him swim? It's like watching a submarine. His turns, like a dolphin. And how his joy and confidence grow with each meet -- coming into the first gold medal event, he was completely shut off from the world, music piping through his ear buds, making no eye contact, pressure on. It seems like now he knows he can do it and he's on a roll.

It's so interesting how the athletes focus, and how they deal with the mental setbacks and surges. I also love looking at all the different body types, and how they are specialized to their sport. The male gymnasts are so bulky in their shoulders, back and arms that it gives them a slightly hunched posture. What they do on pommel horse is just crazy.

Christiane (I think?) of Brazil, those goals against Nigeria! On one she chips the ball straight up in front of her, then bicycle kicks it in a perfect angled arch into the goal. Amazing!

Dara Torres was awesome in the last leg of the swim relay. She was truly the strongest swimmer the US team had, in addition to being the oldest at 41.

Beach volleyball! Woo hoo! And this from someone who hates volleyball.

I'm like a man, cheering at the TV.

Thank You Women's Radio News!

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:11:00 +0000

Just got word that Brian Ball at Women's Radio posted a great review of Vagabundeo here (along with more than you would ever want to know about me).

Here's a quote that I really like:

An unsuspecting revelation is found on the Afro-funk fueled outing titled, “The Goddess of War,” where it seems that all of the musicians have formed an ‘audible assault’ with a commandingly bass-heavy and lyrically-rich arrangement that has an amazingly-BIG sound and boasts fabled lyrics such as, “I’d rather be grimy with all the world’s poor-- than shine with the grease of the Goddess of War!”

Full-Blown Mental Anguish

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:22:00 +0000

Lest I come off as horribly self-absorbed, I managed to get the family and the dog out the door on time for soccer camp this morning, which appears to be a great program for my activity-deprived older son. It's in a gorgeous setting among the redwoods and we were happy to see how quickly he jumped into the drills. Plus my two-year old woke up on the right side of the bed and had quite a positive morning.

When we came home I showed Emilio the videos and he of course didn't think they were as bad as I did, but he did have some suggestions, some of which are good and some of which are out of left field, but oh well, I can discard those. But anyway for the purpose of painting this artist's portrait, thought I'd document the fact that I am freaking suffering right now. Because the !@#$% truth hurts, dammit. By the way, as an artist, one should always be ruthlessly self-promotional, never calling attention to one's weaknesses (and no, I will not enumerate them here), so I'm violating that rule right now. So if you're a record exec or a booker, fear not, I am fabulous. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH.

I tried practicing piano but it doesn't help. I'm tired but I can't sleep.

Another thing that hurts is that the background vocalists, the cost of whom put me a couple hundred in the hole, can't really be heard on the video. I guess they looked good. One thing I noticed about Manhattan Transfer is how close they stood to each other, and also how they moved around depending on the song (sometimes two far away from the lead singer, sometimes all four close to each other, sometimes the girls on one side and guys on the other).

The logical side of me says OK write out a plan of action. Address your faults and fix them.

The emotional side says AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH when will I get better?

This all comes from watching the videos. My memory was fine. Self-analysis is for suckers.

Why Must I Be Like That?

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:44:00 +0000

Ack. Gah. Blech. A very kind girl, Jacqueline, sold my CDs and took some videos for me at the Jazz Fest yesterday. She wouldn't even take a tip for her efforts. I woke up early (couldn't sleep well, and have to take my son to soccer camp this week) and decided to risk looking at the videos. While I have seen worse of myself, and maybe there's one or two I could post, it's just so damn painful. I feel like salsa turns out more or less well, but the other singing is just so imprecise. Some of it could be nerves, and the noise. I don't know. The comments after the show were nice, people said I had great energy, one woman said I sounded like Basia, and I sold a lot of CDs, so that's an indicator the performance wasn't vile. But later in the day I saw Manhattan Transfer. They were amazing. What I want to know is, how do I sound like that in performance? I was checking out Janice Siegel this morning. What a voice, what control, what range, what an instrument! She's like Annie Ross.

I guess later today I'll show the videos to my husband and see what he thinks. He'll either say yeah you were too keyed up or aw it's not so bad. I doubt he'll say good God that's the greatest performance since Pavarotti sang N'Essun Dorma.

Bad Catcall

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:05:00 +0000

Last night as I was walking back to my car at the end of the San Jose Jazz Festival (which went great by the way), some guys honked at me, then whistled, then yelled "Hey, shorty!"
Bet they win over a lot of girls with that one.

Alexa Weber Morales Band at San Jose Jazz Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:40:00 +0000

Oakland singer/songwriter Alexa Weber Morales performs at the San Jose Jazz Festival with her fun-loving eight-piece band Sunday, August 10 at 1 PM for a 90-minute set at the Latin stage located at Post and Market streets in downtown San Jose, CA. The Alexa Weber Morales Band debuted earlier this year in a three-night run at Jazz at Pearl's in San Francisco, where the multilingual Weber Morales emphasized the Brazilian segment of her repertoire. These included selections from her Wayne Wallace-produced CD Vagabundeo; songs by Edu Lobo (“Ave Rara,”) and Guinga (“Orassamba”); new originals by Weber Morales; and songs by the great Brazilian composer Ivan Lins (“Sambadouro,” “Lua Soberana”).

In live performance, the Alexa Weber Morales Band expands on the new CD’s stunning vocal interplay with the able assistance of backup singers Bryan Dyer, Daria, and David Chaidez.

“Fans of my songs in French and Spanish won’t be disappointed,” she assured, noting that she will play her trademark spectrum of world music including salsa, Caribbean and funk.

Her instrumental accompanists will be Murray Low, piano; Michael Spiro, percussion; Scott Thompson, bass; and David Flores, drums. Both Murray and Michael are veteran studio musicians who made major contributions to Alexa's two solo recordings.

The complete 19th Annual Comcast San Jose Jazz Festival schedule, along with hotel deals and travel information, is available at www.sanjosejazz.org (or phone 408-288-7557).

Purchase your tickets to the San Jose Jazz Festival online or at tickets booths at the festival. A $10 wristband will get you into all venues that day! Or, buy a three-day festival pass for $25.

THE ALEXA WEBER MORALES BAND

Since 2004, Alexa Weber Morales has made five studio recordings, including her two solo albums, Jazzmérica and Vagabundeo. The latter, named “one of the greatest Bay Area recordings in recent times" by Latin Beat magazine, made top-20 airplay nationwide and received acclaim from around the world. Rio de Janeiro–based producer Arnaldo DeSouteiro (João Gilberto, Luiz Bonfá) calls her original compositions “rhythmically captivating and entrancing.” A June 2008 DownBeat review of Vagabundeo enthuses that "Her large-scale skill and talent encourages her all-inclusive dreams" and praises her "gorgeous articulation, flowing time sense and warm tone" (Ken Micallef).

Murray Low is a 30-year veteran pianist on the Bay Area jazz scene. Though he is a tireless performer, recording artist, and arranger, he is best known for his work with Pete Escovedo (since 1994); Grammy-nominated John Santos and the Machete Ensemble (since 2000); and Andy Narell, the pioneering steel pan player. His multifaceted career has also included international performances with Tito Puente, Bob Mintzer, Sheila E, Benny Golson, John Patitucci, George Duke, and many others.

Michael Spiro is an internationally recognized percussionist, recording artist, and educator, known for his work in Latin music. He has performed on thousands of records, co-produced and played on several instructional videos for Warner Bros. Publications (including Talking Drums, Changuito, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Ignacio Berroa), and produced seminal recordings in the Latin music genre, including Orquesta Batachanga, Grupo Bata-Ketu, Mark Levine and the Latin Tinge, and Grupo Ilu-Aña. Michael's recording and performing credits include David Byrne, Cachao, The Caribbean Jazz Project, Dori Caymmi, Changuito, Richard Egues, Frank Emilio Flynn, Ella Fitzgerald, David Garibaldi, Gilberto Gil, Giovanni Hidalgo, Ray Holman, Toninho Horta, to name just a few.

Bassist Scott Thompson has been teaching, performing, and recording since he was only 15 years old, showing a gift for heartfelt American funk as well as the rhythms of Brazil. Now 22, he has already shared the stage with such world-class musicians as Chico Pinheiro, Marcos Silva, Omar Sosa, Flora Purim and Airto Moreira, Jovino Santos Neto, John Mayer, Anthony Coleman (Ludacris, Mary J. Blige, Lauryn Hill), and Steve Wyreman (Keyshia Cole, Goapele, Missy Elliott, Lyrics Born, Keak da Sneak).

Although Bay Area native David Flores is a drumset player at heart, he is also a skilled hand-percussionist. As a performer he’s worked with such artists as Lauryn Hill (2007 world tour), Orestes Vilató, Donna Summer, Francisco Aguabella, Pete Escovedo, John Santos, Michael Spiro, Steve Turre, Peter Erskine, Bobi Céspedes, Mark Levine, Ray Vega, John Calloway, John Benitez, Rebecca Mauleon-Santana, Mickey Hart, Melvin Seals, and Mary Wilson of the Supremes.

Acclaimed jazz vocalist DARIA fuses Jazz, Latin, Brazilian Rhythms and originals. She is a sultry, powerful and soulful singer, whose trademarks include perfect intonation, fresh interpretations and pure musicality. "World Class ... new experiences and insights beyond the ordinary." - Jesse "Chuy" Varela - Latin Beat Magazine. The release of her 2005 CD, Feel The Rhythm, co-produced by Frank Martin and Wayne Wallace, garnered critical acclaim and airplay worldwide. "Daria is the real deal." - All About Jazz
"Five Big Shining Stars!" - The Jazz Review. Daria is also currently a member of Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks and tours worldwide.

Vocalist and keyboardist David Chaidez, a San Jose native, has been working in the Bay Area as a professional musician for several years. He has also performed as a featured soloist at prestigious venues such as the 2000 Nice Jazz Festival in France and the 2002 Monterey Jazz Festival. In 2002, he formed the Brazilian trio Agua Na Boca which performed around the South Bay regularly for three years. David is currently working with his new group, the David Chaidez Quintet.

Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Bryan Dyer is a professional musician with almost 20 years of experience who has performed many styles of music from classical and avant-garde to rock, jazz, and blues. Music has taken Bryan around the world to countries including Japan, Switzerland, and Jamaica, alongside such artists as Al Green, Michael McDonald, and Bonnie Raitt. He currently performs with SoVoSo, Slammin All-Body Band, and Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir.

http://www.alexawebermorales.com

Media Contact:
Terri Hinte
510-234-8781
hudba@sbcglobal.net

The Financial Importance of Performance Patter

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:01:00 +0000

While you don't want to talk too much or between each song on stage, last night's gig illustrated that you never know when a brief explanation or plug of your CD will result in a sale. The one song that turned into a trainwreck (though nicely resolved by all parties -- after the solos, half the band took one route through the chart, the other half took the other, leaving me no choice but to start singing the outro vamp) ended up being the reason one fan came up to me and said "I want to buy the CD that has that original song you said that DownBeat reviewer liked." Surprised but delighted, I sold him the CD and filed away a mental note: You just never know what will catch someone's interest, but it's helpful to give them guideposts to your music along the way.

A Fleeting Feeling: Musical Satisfaction

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:43:00 +0000

There are moments when it seems that the random, disorganized path of my lifelong musical learning is in fact progressing and that my cumulative knowledge is increasingly at my fingertips and on my lips in performance. Last night's gig was a case in point: I felt as comfortable as if I was in my living room, albeit with a spotlight on me. One song in particular, to which I have been recently practicing the piano accompaniment, scrolled by in my mind's eye as if I was reading the chart while I sang it. I really felt that rhythmic matrix my piano teacher has talked about, a sense of where everything -- chords, the guiro half note pattern, my voice -- fell in the metric system. Another example: Just now I was stumbling through Chopin's Minute Waltz and realized that the opening riff is Lydian. I have known the modes intellectually for probably 20 years, but perhaps I am beginning, for the first time, to hear them. Amazing. Here's hoping I didn't just jinx that progress by writing this.

Perfecting Pitch for Singers

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:17:00 +0000

When I was recording the lead vocal for Use Me on Wayne Wallace's previous record, after a particularly grueling passage, he asked if I owned a tuner. As most of our conversations do, this one followed the classic question-and-question format:

"Do you own a tuner?"
"Why?" I asked back.
"Do you own a tuner?" he repeated.
"Why would I own a tuner?"
"Do you own a tuner?"
"No, why?"
"Because you were sharp on all the high notes just now."
"Oh," I said, crestfallen.
"Have you tried practicing with a tuner?" he asked.
"No."
"You should."

As is often the case, I was offended. My intonation has always been a point of pride, and not something I had to think too much about. However, as the demands of studio singing with expressive dynamics, over complex arrangements and in competition with noisy horns increase, I have found that my recorded pitch is anything but perfect. Further, listening to live recordings of myself is often quite painful as I hear deviations that I was unaware of in the moment. Some of it has to do with a far more refined ear and an increasingly critical superego. But the rest is technique.

Thus far, the most I've found when reading about pitch for singers is suggestions to maintain breath support. And through personal experience, I've learned that practicing tricky intervals or passages definitely imparts a sort of muscle memory. It's crucial to hear the note in context, too, especially if it's against a difficult chord or harmony.

But in reading instrumentalists' blogs, I'm finding that Wayne's suggestion may have merit for singers. A recent discussion on saxophonist David Valdez's blog, Casa Valdez, discusses charting one's pitch to a tuner:

After you've completed your intonation graph you'll be able to make better decisions about what you need to change to play in tune. You may find that you need to be more aware of certain notes and lip them down or vent keys to bring them up. You may decide that more drastic measures are needed, like changing the key height regulation or building up the insides of tone holes. Once you see how bad your intonation is you may even decide to trade in your horn for something that plays in tune better, or trade it in for an auto-harp or an ocarina if it looks too hopeless.

Seriously though, you can't spend too much time dialing in your intonation, plotting it out like this can help to clarify what's going on. This information may not be all that pleasant to learn, but it's better to face the hard facts -- YOU SUCK! Just kidding, though that's how I felt after I bought my virtual strobe tuner.

Even more valuable to me is this essay by flautist Alexa Still, "Playing in Tune and Perfect Pitch." She writes, "One of the things that really bugs me when I listen back to myself playing is the pitch problems that I can perceive. So, why didn't I hear it at the time? The only light I can shed on this is that one gets better at it, and more discriminating with time and effort. I think I hear better and better. Too bad I didn't work on it more thoroughly and sooner!" How reassuring!

Like Wayne and David, Alexa recommends working with a tuner. Here's her precise advice:

Personally, I rely on taping myself, using a tuner to watch for the needle moving on a note when I change the dynamic, and listening as critically as possible to pitch when I'm playing, ALL THE TIME, no matter what it is. I also play notes against a piano, holding the sustaining pedal and listening for the intervals or even just resonance from the piano's strings. I set my tuner to sound through a passage I play, to hear the intervals. I often play around the passage, adding arpeggios and octaves in an attempt to gain perspective and avoid my intervals getting too small. Arnold Jacobs suggested listening back to the tape and watching a tuner while listening, to really absorb where the problems lie. This is also a good way to check if I am compromising on the music to avoid pitch hassles. Sometimes we have to, but I want to be aware!

She goes on to discuss changes in embouchure and air flow to correct flat or sharp tendencies. I will have to give some thought to what I do to raise a note. In general I've always felt that my being sharp meant I could not hear myself well enough, whereas being flat was a question of lack of support. I often smile more and open my mouth wider in order to brighten the sound if I'm fighting a tendency to be flat in a particular passage. Another challenge in the studio is to attack the first note of a passage at the center of its pitch, rather than swooping up or down to it. To me, that's another muscle memory exercise, similar to interval work.

I don't yet own a tuner and I rarely record myself. I guess it's time to change that.

Short Lived

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:56:00 +0000

I went back to the mirror but my movements no longer seemed so brilliant and expressive. I turned off the music and my writing was flat.

I guess it was all Suzanne Vega. Damn her.

Entrancer's High

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:24:00 +0000

Have the house to myself. Practiced piano for hours today, then did some research on Bill Evan's/A-B voicings and discovered they are one and the same. Read up on Bill Evans, things I never knew about him. The man lived every day like a poet, but died at 51, how young. Did some more research on modes of the melodic minor. Who knew the Internet held this bounty? Bought a copy of Eliane Elias Nightimer on iTunes to practice for a studio session I've been hired for. Phoned my mom, duty done, then Daddy called to talk journalism, such fun. Perusing my iTunes came across Pornographer's Dream, a recent song by Suzanne Vega. "Why do I love it?" I asked myself when I bought it after reading her blog on songwriting. Because unlike some of her folky tunes it mixes Brazilian syncopation and complex melody lines with a classic American hook, and very Vega lyrics. Started dancing in front of the mirror to her effortless fluted voice and began imagining that perhaps someday like Ray Bolger I'd be known for my own outsider style of dancing. And perhaps everything that I have ever wanted, to be a good pianist and to be a dancer, was in my reach, despite the misspent decades. I could touch the dream, or at least dance around it, so I thought I'd capture the moment. Here it is.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 04:20:00 +0000

My 7-year-old this morning: "Mommy, why don't we save up our money and hire a butler?"

We're Off to Quincy!

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 04:19:00 +0000

The boys are going stark raving mad this summer so I am glad we have an "activity" (as my son always asks for) planned: We're off to Quincy, California, in the Sierra foothills above Truckee, where I'll be guest artist in residence for the week at Oakland Feather River Camp.

Travel is always a great deadline for home improvements, so my husband got busy making the most awesome, albeit expensive, fence for our driveway. It's pretty impressive, with a welded, suspended iron frame that rolls to one side. The fence itself is redwood with tongue and groove boards and lattice details. Emilio looked hilarious building the fence in sandals, shorts, a tank top, welding mask and knee pads. "You look like you're going to the beach, but with knee pads," I told him. "I don't think OSHA would approve those shoes."

We have been meaning to fix the fence because of the constant assaults on our cars. Now we're down to just one car and the other day someone broke the window apropos of nothing. So now we can park it off the street at night. That said, I want to reiterate how much I adore my house and yard and neighborhood.

My bro pissed me off earlier today by saying that "Life's too short to live in Oakland" (actually he was quoting someone he'd met, but he agreed with the sentiment). He's unlikely to read this so I will rant away. It's somewhat my fault, because I have complained a lot about the increase in property crime in the last two years. But I would not trade the great weather, cultural diversity, and nearby woods and ocean for a temporarily pristine suburbia. That sentence is terribly inadequate to describe the jewels of Oakland -- it's just home to me. The gritty areas down around the tracks, and the far-off whistle of trains at night. The airport. The zoo. The lake. The libraries. The Blues. The Port. Old Oakland. Sometimes, at night buying tacos at a stand on International Boulevard, it feels like Mexico City: dangerous yet delicious, and always friendly. In the very same city you can ride your bike along Mountain Boulevard and marvel at multi-million-dollar Normandy cottages with magazine-perfect landscaping. If I had enough money, I could live a much less crime-inflected existence here in the same city, but I'm doing pretty well as it is, despite my complaining.

Anyway, I remember my bro bitching about how his neighborhood association took him to "trial" for his barking dogs. One advantage that comes with our neighborhood is we can pretty much do as we like with our property. Paint the house lime green with pink stripes, no one would complain. There are no front lawn nazis here. Someone down the street has been slowly building a beautiful stucco tower on his tiny house over the course of years. At first I thought it was strange, but it's so gorgeous, I find myself wanting to copy the architecture.

It's an Oakland thing, bro. You wouldn't understand.

Wayne Wallace at Yoshi's in SF Tonight!

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:54:00 +0000

Wayne Wallace will be celebrating his new release, The Nature of the Beat (Patois Records), at Yoshi's San Francisco club tonight, with shows at 8 and 10 pm. In just its second week of airplay, the album has been a sky-rocketing charting success:

Jazz Week WORLD Top 50 Chart... Week 1 debut at #48 -- Week 2 awesome leap to #6
Jazz Week JAZZ Top 50 Chart... Week 2 debut at #48 with top adds & increased spins

Congratulations to Wayne and crew for another success!

SLC 2002 CC - Dinosaurs, Dianne Reeves and Kurt Browning

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:51:00 +0000

The Maria Schneider Orchestra piece reminded me of this Dianne Reeves album, The Calling, a tribute to Sarah Vaughan. It was recorded with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Here's a rather weird performance of one of the songs off that album. Not entirely the song I was looking for, but it'll do.

Boleria, Solea y Rumba -- Maria Schneider Orchestra

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:45:00 +0000

The sound on this video is not great, but...

As a singer, one of the things I noticed was the wonderful balance between Luciana Souza's voice and the orchestra. I have done things like that (doubling an instrument), and while I adore learning horn lines like that, most of the time in live performance I can't hear well enough to tell if I am in balance -- and I suspect the audience can't hear a thing out of my mouth.

Branford Marsalis' Take on Students Today

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:40:00 +0000

Does he include himself in the generation before his students?

I agree with his concept of a massive state of delusion in our country, though perhaps for different reasons. Anyway, an interesting opinion. I believe that I have matured to the point where I do not *need* to hear how good I am or how talented I am from my teachers. Frequently hearing the opposite would cause me to quickly cancel lessons, however.

Many great sports coaches have said that expressing a negative attitude toward their proteges, or yelling at them, doesn't usually equal success among those proteges. It takes a gift to encourage someone both to work hard and to release their full potential.

Life Gets Busy and Busy is Good

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:26:00 +0000

Emotions are so fleeting. Yesterday morning I was bursting with pride and languidly planning to write a long essay about my success hand-writing a third trombone chart for my upcoming performance of El Cantante with Edgardo Cambon's band Candela. I still had that warm feeling of having accomplished something that I'd avoided for weeks, despite the fact that my husband was banging away, demolishing a closet in my son's room. He's been suffering along with all the carpenters we know -- no work. Instead, he's turning his energies into our house, as he has so often in the past. By the end of the day, plaster dust, screaming boys, a trip to Home Depot and a door-to-door home alarm salesman from Utah had sapped the last of my creative reserves.

Today, a failed bid for an extension on an article deadline means I'm scribbling as fast as I can to get it done by tonight. This morning, two requests for articles from former clients came in, plus details for another piece due this week. My songwriting partner Vince calls me to ask when we're going to finish this song we want to debut at a fundraising concert he will host next month. And the band leader I work with for the San Jose funk band messages me to ask if I'll be at rehearsal tonight -- in San Jose. I've skipped too many of those so I say yes.

It's good to be busy, because busy means money. Can I keep all these plates in the air?

My New Hero

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:47:00 +0000

Chrissie Wellington, International Triathlete, Ironman World Champion!

She hired a coach and turned pro last year, blowing everyone away when she won her first Ironman from "out of nowhere". Her coach doesn't let her run more than two hours. I guess her training is all about intensity, not overuse. Typical triathlete story: A car accident derailed her marathon training, so she went back to her childhood sport of swimming, then borrowed a bike and an ill-fitting wetsuit and went to town. Her coach isn't into heart monitors, aero helmets and fancy technology -- but three of his athletes were on the podium at Kona. Of course, the most important factor he was looking for when she hired him was whether she had the will. Looks like she does.

Cool blog, too!

Summer Sailstice Festival Next Saturday!

noreply@blogger.com (Alexa Weber Morales) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:21:00 +0000

Here's where I'll be performing next weekend:

You are Invited to San Francisco Bay's Top Sailing Festival June 21!

The longest day of the year... the launch of summer... the summer solstice. Power your holiday with sun and wind to support a healthy lifestyle, a healthy Bay, a healthy planet!

Air travel, automobile and recreational vehicle use, and cruise ships produce anywhere from 0.4 to 2.2 tons of carbon dioxide per family, and consume large amounts of fuel. Whether you're a sailor or non-sailor, cruiser or racer, windsurfer or kiteboarder, strike back at $4 gas and qualify for over 300 prizes with the Bay's best on-the-water party: the 8th annual Summer Sailstice SF Festival at Treasure Island, June 21, 2008.

FREE ADMISSION! Summer Sailstice brings together everyone who loves wind, water and sail! Sail in, motor in, or just come down for a full weekend of sailing, cruising, racing, windsurfing and onshore entertainment.

If you don't have a boat, don't worry--you can get FREE sailboat rides, watch sailboat racing and enjoy live music at the festival village. Or see if you can hook up with a ride on the Latitude 38 crew list.

For boaters--on top of all the other fun--there is a free anchorage with complimentary water taxi and dinghy dock availability to enjoy one of the most idyllic spots on the Bay. Racers unable to anchor or stay overnight can raft up stern-to at the Treasure Isle Marina guest dock as space permits.

Click these links for more information:

A Festival overview
Detailed schedule of events
Directions to the Festival
Background on the musicians
Background on Summer Sailstice
Sailing/treasure hunt/pirate pictures from past years at: FlikrSailstice

Musical Line-up:

Blind Willies (www.blindwillies.net) - Alexei Wajchman and Annie Staninec are an acoustic duo that has just released their second album, "Everybody's Looking for a Meal." Both are San Francisco natives and graduates of the SF School of the Arts. Annie's fiddle playing is amazing and she has played with many bluegrass bands across the States and is also a remarkable gypsy violinist. Alexei is a great songwriter, pulling from what really drives his spirit, and he received strong praise after the release of their first album.

Skip Henderson and The Starboard Watch (http://www.myspace.com/skiphendersonandstarboardwatch) good friends and great musicians. They celebrate maritime life and history, and live it at the same time. Sea chanteys that you are bound to join in on because they become part of you after you've heard them a few times, and you just want to go and find a line to heave. Great vocals and a wide variety of instruments that pull you in to sing along with them.

Pixie Kitchen - A three-piece group led by Todd Tholke, an accomplished banjo, guitar, and mandolin player. Their specialty is early Americana , folk and sea chanteys. This acoustic group plays regularly at clubs around the Bay area, as well as local street fairs and music festivals. They recently produced two CDs. They’re a good-time playing foot stompin’ and hand-clappin’ songs, with a combination of Bluegrass, and Irish jigs.

Carne Cruda (www.carnecruda.com) with Alexa Weber Morales (www.alexawebermorales.com) - We pulled some strings here. When you hear a unique collaboration between musicians, you are thrilled with their love of music and exploration - so we asked these two great musical sounds if they would perform together. Not to miss. Alexa is a local treasure who brings us a beautiful voice and energy, and draws her inspiration from music around the globe with a focus on Latin jazz. Carne Cruda brings us a big band Latin groove with slices of funk, surf, salsa, and knock-out horns, melding their unique sound that you won’t forget.

Kalbass (www.kalbasskreyol.com) - Ah, as the day winds down, what do you want to do? Dance, dance, dance. This Haitian band is going to pull out all the stops and infect you with the spirit of les Caraïbes. A kalbass is a gourd used to carry water from the source to home, and Kalbass acts as a similar vessel bringing the spirit of Haiti to share with the Bay area. You will experience a magical blend of many rhythms including Kompa, rara, salsa, soca, zouk and meringue. The rhythm and the dancers will have you moving and enjoying the longest day of the year as if it will never end.