English – Spanish – French – Portuguese

I'm an Oakland jazz salsa singer-songwriter, fluent in a few languages thanks to my itinerant childhood. Since 2004 I've done more than a dozen studio recordings for my own & other bands. In 2010, I sang on the Grammy-nominated Bien! Bien! In 2011, I made a fan-funded CD, and in 2012 my singing/songwriting was on Pacific Mambo Orchestra's debut CD. In 2013, we won a Grammy!

Author Archive
Danny Boy

Danny Boy

Here’s my arrangement of Danny Boy just in time for St. Patrick’s Day!
I transcribed Charlie Parker's solo on Crazeology

I transcribed Charlie Parker’s solo on Crazeology

This was my first complete transcription in SoundSlice (here is the link), which takes some practice to use but is a super cool platform. I had wasted a lot of time trying to transcribe with SoundSlice on mobile, which I found to be buggy. Once I went to the desktop it was a million times...
My Halloween make up tutorial tradition lives on… Or does it?

My Halloween make up tutorial tradition lives on… Or does it?

I used my Mehron water-based face paints for this fun look. I wish it was this easy to paint on my daily makeup! Enjoy! Usé mis pinturas a prueba de agua para la cara de la marca Mehron. Lástima que no me puedo pintar así todos los días! Disfrutalo! #Halloween #makeup
Que Reste-t-il de Nos Amours on Yamaha Genos

Que Reste-t-il de Nos Amours on Yamaha Genos

Here’s a classic French tune someone requested on my live stream! I added a harmonica solo.
Are you allowed to be tired?

Are you allowed to be tired?

Of course you are. But you are also allowed to push yourself. One of my favorite concepts is from Coach John Wooden, something along the lines that some kids need more whip cream, some need more discipline. The same thing applies to yourself. For example, tonight I would like to livestream, but I feel tired...
Run toward opportunity

Run toward opportunity

A couple sayings that I’ve bookmarked recently: “You can lie down for people to walk on you and they will still complain that you’re not flat enough.” Oof! “Don’t run away from problems, run toward opportunities.” This was in the context of working on your career. If you feel like you’re being ignored, before you...
The Raspberry Pi Zero webcam works!

The Raspberry Pi Zero webcam works!

Here’s my final working cam! The only improvement I’d make is to add a longer cable. And possibly buy the 8 MP camera (this is 5 megapixel one). It’s an incredibly easy project, thanks to the Linux firmware you can get from https://github.com/showmewebcam/showmewebcam. Processed with MOLDIV Next up: Automating LED strips!
The difference between streaming and live performance

The difference between streaming and live performance

The first time I finally had my sound interface properly connected to OBS (One Broadcasting System, open source software for live streaming to any platform) and played a show, there was a moment in the middle of it where I felt a surge, a flash, that delicious sense of improvisatory daring that you get when...
A few points to remember about CPR

A few points to remember about CPR

I recertified for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) this week with ICE Safety Solutions in Fremont and the two hour, virtual reality-and-Zoom class flew by. The night before, a box containing all sorts of props for us to practice with came to my doorstep. Pamela Isom, the president and founder, participated in the training. She told us...
America's first Native Secretary of Interior

America’s first Native Secretary of Interior

I have been following Rep. Deb Haaland since she won her spot in 2018 as one of the two Native American women elected to Congress (the first two in history). Now she is in confirmation hearings to become the Secretary of the Interior. It’s incredibly moving to think that an indigenous person would hold this...
Landing on Mars

Landing on Mars

My 14-year-old and I had a great time watching the live coverage of the Mars Perseverance Landing. Since my sister-in-law and brother work as NASA engineers, there was a lot of fun texting going on during the event (obviously, they weren’t involved in the landing or I assume they wouldn’t have been texting us)! Sometimes...
My Raspberry Pi webcam prototype

My Raspberry Pi webcam prototype

I am building a second camera for livestreaming. Here’s my prototype using a Raspberry Pi 3 and camera. Pretty funny, no? I got it to work as a streaming camera with OBS pulling in the video via a browser link to the Raspi IP address. However, it’s not that great quality and it’s fairly latent....