Trans-Atlantic in a nutshell

Sunday, May 13, 2007

What an amazing trip this has been! The Grand Crossing was so magnificently different from any kind of other travel; Scott and I have decided we liked it best. Luckily, there were no storms – perfect weather, in fact. There’s a calm in fewer choices of things to do. Of course, there were also more than double the number of musicians and various get-togethers during that time. The Regent Voyager is top of the line; so all the accoutrements were spectacular, service remarkable, with wonderful food!

Water slapping slides, sloshing in the center pool, extra hot whirlpools, and ice cream every afternoon. Big band every other night. They liked our shows, and the second performance night Mike Vax (whose big band is the one booked), announced that we’d become the darlings of the ship.

Funchal Island, of the Madeira archipelago, was first land after our crossing. A beautiful green vision rising out of (by that time!) all that profoundly vast sea. Neat, clean, birds, flowers, exotic, warm – everything you’d want in an island destination. We shutterbugs just walked.

Lanzrarote, Canary Islands was our second port. A lava desert, we needed to organize some music for the rest of our trip, so didn’t go into town. Seemed to be a more contemporary ship stop. If we’d paid for a tour, it would have included a couple hours ride to another town, camel ride, etc., but we decided not to.

Agadir, Morocco was a very interesting port. Another “new” place – leveled in 1960 by an earthquake. I wore a scarf in town. Good camouflage. Adventures with urchins “circling” our outside lunch table, watching the proprietor literally kick them in the butt down the street to drive them away. Found some really neat black stone imbedded with fossils made into plates and bowls and bought a few. It was from up the river in the area, in a town called, they pronounced, “Are Food”. Right, our food is gonna be in it…Yeah, I’m the only person you know who packs rocks in my luggage.

We went into port in Casablanca, Morocco and walked from the old town center to the new mosque on the seashore. Must have been 3-4 miles… This is the third largest mosque in the world. They say the sea can be seen underneath thru a glass floor, and it’s one of the only ones that foreigners are allowed inside. We didn’t go inside… The grounds outside were immense, white block rock and green trim. Gorgeous.

Malaga, Spain was totally different. Picturesque, church towers and a Moorish fortress and hill top battlements. Just the right size! After the economic neediness and accompanying squeamish feelings as a vulnerable visitor of Morocco, a blessed feeling of safety.

In Valencia – one more afternoon to explore a port – tomorrow we disembark in Barcelona. Sunday afternoon most tourist sights would probably be closed, and siesta on top of that. We took one bus about ¼ mile to a cruise ship embarkation center, but decided, however, after the disorganization of the bus departures there that we didn’t even want to go into town. Spending a lazy afternoon directly across from the reviewing stands at the America Cup festivities. Valencia definitely seems like the largest port we’ve docked in. Casablanca was the most mind boggling big city, stretching along the coast as far as the eye could see. Economic differences are light years apart.

Terrassa Big Band & Jamboree, Barcelona

“…whatever is truly wondrous and fearful in man, never yet was put into words or books.” Herman Melville

Those of you who love the muse Euterpe know Melville must have been talking about music!! Some of you know my favorite book is Moby Dick. Had a great occasion to re-read it early May while making a trans-Atlantic crossing on a Regent cruise with the Mike Vax Big Band of Stan Kenton band alums. We had a blast! The Madeira Island of Funchal rose like a sweet green goddess on the far African side, totally charming… We proceeded down to the Canaries, and back up to Morocco, including wild and exotic Agadir and Casablanca, and then thru Gibralter to Malaga, and now Barcelona.

Scott and I gigged at the Jamboree Club in Barcelona Wed. eve last. A wine cave with disco ball and arches of melting brick. Chock full of atmosphere and folks from everywhere. Hearing Scott sing “Let’s Get Lost” right where Chet Baker was a thrill! The Spanish trio was also too marvelous for words, so we had a great time, encore and everything – it was a participatory sport all around!

From Friday, 5/18/07

Tonight I sing with the Terrassa Big Band, just outside of Barcelona in a very jazz-hip town, with an octagonal high ceiling-ed Nova Jazz Cava space – cool spirit and a kickin’ band. Rehearsal in three languages was neato.

Am back in LA to gig 5/21, please check my calendar at www.gingerberglund.com .
Scott Whitfield and I recorded with our band in April before we left on the tour. We’ll do a couple of tunes from that album at his gig at Charlie O’s on May 22.

Scott and I are presenting our “Art of the Duet” at Café 322 Sat. June 9th, 8 PM. Be sure and call the club for reservations. This will be a very exciting evening of unique music, so you won’t want to miss it!

I’ve got a gig with trumpeter Bobby Rodriguez in the Bisto in SF valley 6/10 for brunch next morning. As ever, the Tracy Wells Big Band has the 2nd Monday of the month at the Alpine Village, and now there are some summer concerts in the park (Marketplace in Long Beach, and Woodbridge Park in Irvine) coming up, so be sure to check out the calendar.

As ever, thanks for your support as musicians and listeners in this sport of the language of music we all enjoy!

Cheers and bona dia all!

Ginger

Phoenix KJZZ with Blaise Lantana

1/31 We spend a wonderful morning with Doug Tidaback, daughter Katie, and Rodney Burton. Pancakes and lush desert tour. As ever, once we begin driving...rain! The fog blowing off the desert mountains is gorgeous and rainbows abound. Lunch with Darby Christensen and Kip Sullivan of our Summit records label. Thanks guys! Met Blaise Lantana at KJZZ in Phoenix. Scott had met her, radio hostess par excellence and singer, in Prescott the summer before. She was engaging and inquisitive and made us feel at home in the studio. I was thrilled that she played Unit 7 from my "Haven't We Met"? album. We'll see Blaise again at the Prescott Jazz Summit this August.



It was a dark and windy night as we drove home in the rain...our constant companion. And...we're still speaking to each other. Must be in the right track. Thanks to you all for checking in to our blog and coming out to hear us!!! Hope to be in your neighborhood soon. Please keep your eye on my calendar.

1/30 Tuesday. Up early again. Breakfast at the University hotel where we’re staying is accompanied by yet more snow. The dusting is deep enough to dissuade me from going back to the downtown area to wander and shop. Instead, I accompany Scott while he teaches a master class to Northern Arizona University low brass students, on the history of jazz trombone stylings. He describes the eras and styles of jazz and players and illustrates this by playing in many different trombone voices, while sharing the development of both the instrument itself and the innovations and musical choices of players. It’s a history lesson in a nutshell that we hope encourages students to start listening to players they might not have been aware of before.

By 12:30, we are racing out of Flagstaff, accompanied by the snowfall (as usual!) We have a gig in Tucson at 7:30. However, to add a little drama, Scott has also found that the Arizona Jazz Academy has also booked him to lead a trombone clinic with some of their students at the club venue just prior to the gig.

Phoenix traffic is a terror at 3 pm, and we arrive with no time for dinner. Doug Tidaback’s Dixieland band kicks off the first set at China Rose, and I sing “All Of Me” with them. Ray Templin played piano, brothers Marco and Dante Rosano played clarinet and trumpet respectively. Evan Dain played banjo, Sly Slipetsky played tuba, and young Arthur Vint played drums. The place is packed, which adds to a lot of confusion for the restaurant staff about where to seat people.

Sly Slipetsky, who played an excellent tuba in the Dixieland jazz band played piano for our duet sets. Evan Dain played bass this time, and Arthur on drums rounded out our neat little trio.





Taking the stage, we can see folks standing in the back because there are no more seats. We kick it off with Scott’s “Come To Me” little bossa invitation to come spend a little time… We sang Maceo Pinkard’s 1928 “Sugar” next, since this seemed to be a Dixieland crowd. Wolf and Landesmann’s “You Inspire Me” was especially fun because there seemed to be a lot of folks in the audience who knew Jackie and Roy. Scott has been evolving a scat section of our “fight song” , Irving Berlin’s “The Best Thing For You”, so this tune has been especially challenging for me to “keep up with” in terms of finding space to “reply” within the conversational form. We had the most fun ever with it tonight… Many thanks to Doug Tidaback and family, Rodney Burton, and the Arizona Jazz Academy for all of their efforts in putting this program together!

Albuquerque, Scalo Grill, Northern AZ Univ.

1/26 Friday. Denton to Tucumcari. Scott spent grad school in Denton, so we toured around town a bit. Kept looking for the Texas Pickup, a one-time local chili house (sure…why not for breakfast?) We finally learned it was no longer there. Stopped in Vernon, TX at the Red River Valley Museum in hopes of seeing memorabilia about the great jazz trombonist Jack Teagarden. There’s not much left on display except his horn with its altered spit valve. Jack sheared it off and customized the instrument so that it would be self-draining. There are a few more Vernon musicians mentioned, but we didn’t stay long because we still had a Texas-sized journey ahead in which the landscape appeared to be moving right along with us… I took these pictures along a one-lane country detour, just east of Quanah, TX where there appeared to be a hazardous spill that everyone was being directed around. Large trucks had a particularly difficult time navigating the narrow lanes and deep side-ditches, and we got to see some countryside and town life close up.

1/27 Tucumcari to Albuquerque was a sunny, beautiful drive. Enough snow to pleasantly cover the scene. We arrive at Sandra Goulart’s charming and peaceful adobe back house, and settle in for a nap. Scott’s got a cold, and Sandra’s library could not be more enticing for me. We meet Stu MacAskie, pianist, who leads the house trio at Scalo. Bassist Michael Glynn (left) played solidly and drummer Arnaldo Acosta (3rd from left) provided creative spark.



Stu (2nd from left) is good…very good. He has a gracious style on the mic. His very sensitive comping and melodic soloing made the evening a lot of fun, in spite of the fact that Scott was challenged by his cold. I sang more solo tunes than I normally would, and Ellington’s “Prelude To A Kiss” was a real treat for me, as well as for the audience to hear.



The Scalo audience was very warm and encouraging, and there is talk about our returning. Owner Elaine Blanco was especially sweet and said “You should be in the Oak Room at the Algonquin…” Well…ok, Elaine, but we’re looking forward to coming back to Scalo’s too…






1/28 Morning came very early today….up in time for breakfast, warm-up, and rehearsal before the first service at the Albuquerque Center for Spiritual Living. We sang a duet pairing of two songs with Stu, Rodney, and John Bartlett. One was an ancient Welsh carol called “Awake Were They Only”, with Thad Jones’ “A Child Is Born”. They gave us a standing ovation. I sang “Beautiful Love” for their offertory. We did this for two services and really enjoyed our morning with this beautiful gathering of vibrant people. We shared Chinese lunch at Chopstix with Sandra and the band. Albuquerque to Gallup wasn’t a terribly long drive, but it shortened the next driving day.

1/29 Third “lazy morning” of our entire tour out. We spend it trading off getting online. Next time we take two laptops on the road! Gallup to Flagstaff was a beautiful and short drive. That evening Scott lead a trombone sectional for David Vining, a professor of trombone studies at Northern Arizona University. Between times, we explored old town Flagstaff. The Weatherford Hotel’s Charlie’s Café serves a dynamite green chile posole, and it was especially charming to dine and watch the first light fall of fat snowflakes.

KETR, Commerce Texas

1/25 Thursday, Memphis to radio interview on KETR in Commerce, TX at Texas A & M University with Bruce Tater and Mark Chapman. What a kick! We met Bruce at the local gas station. He brought us home for time to freshen up and take a peek at his incredible library of jazz sounds in all forms and from all eras. Amazing! He even gave us a duplicate album of one of our favorite LA cohorts, sax player Roger Neumann. Gee, he looks so young in the pictures… The great Blue Mitchell was even in the band. Tom Rainer had dark hair, and Alan Kaplin had a moustasche.

Bruce treated us to a fantastic Italian dinner, where we met Mark Chapman, who was already midway thru his station break.



We continued to free-wheel thru our excited jazz conversations (Bruce is a treasure-trove of jazz stories and detail), and Mark adds a whole ‘nother generation of jazz observation. We continued with our laugh-a-minute zingy exchanges between spinning tunes from our albums and favorites that Bruce had brought along. Three hours buzzed by so quickly…and we honestly had a hard time deciding whether to go on for another hour, or throw on the previously scheduled syndicated show.

Scott’s beautiful trombone solo version of Nat Adderley’s “Roses For Your Pillow” was Bruce’s favorite ballad. I got a chance to introduce both Bruce and Mark to my version of Ellington’s “Prelude To A Kiss”.

Profuse thanks again to Bruce and Mark, who kept us clicking! The banter was so easy, so much fun, and totally informative besides. We hope the listeners enjoyed it as much as we did!

Memphis Music Making

1/23 This life as a traveling musician sucks sometimes. Had to be up by 5 AM to hit the road from Baton Rouge to make a noon lunch in Memphis and a 1 PM band clinic at the U. of Memphis. Of course, lunchtime at Central BBQ on Central Ave. was a major motivating factor, and in the end, worth every bit of effort! Jack Cooper directs the jazz ensemble and let us sit in with the band while they rehearsed. They were going through of Jack’s original tunes “Her Moon Rises In The East” and discussing strategies for the design of a slow crescendo during an extended passage. It just had not hit me till now about what an athletic endeavor playing in a band requires. They had some nice players with big sound – some switching instruments to fill out the band – impressive.

1/24 Scott got up early this morning to do an arranging clinic at the U. for Gary Topper’s class while I enjoyed the room at the Artisan Hotel. Gig at the Memphis Club, Zanzabar. We had a wonderful evening at Keesha’s classy art gallery/club in old town Memphis, right on Main Street’s trolley line. She’s offering a wonderful menu too. Neat part of town, and a fantastically appreciative audience. Scott and trumpeter Dave Spencer met each other at Florida State. Sax man Gary Topper was one of the first musicians that Scott met while working in New York. One could tell that the three horn players were delighted to be playing together again. They played some of Dave and Gary’s original songs – Dave’s “Monday Morning” Pianist Chris Parker was sparking, and drummer Kim Trammel and bass player Sam Shoup filled out the rhythm section. Dave’s “Monday Morning” bossa tune was melodiously reflective, and Gary Topper’s closing tune, “Interplay” was a lighthearted entwining of horn lines. Students from the U. of Memphis jazz band ensemble were there and it was fun talking with them outside of the band clinic. Thanks Memphis, for a wonderful evening - we’ll be looking forward to returning as soon as possible!

Let’s talk about Dave Spencer for a minute… one of Scott’s closest friends during his Florida State days, Dave is a great trumpeter. Scott had always referred to Dave as the “Godfather of Seoul” Of course, I always heard that as “soul”, and didn’t understand until just now… Dave was principal trumpet with the Seoul philharmonic, and gained a reputation for R & B style arrangements which were new to the Korean culture….so they called him the godfather of Seoul… Dave’s a magnificent cook too, and hosted us in his elegant loft digs in Memphis Heights. What a view!

1/25 This life as a traveling musician is brilliant sometimes, in details that would matter to no one but us. Set the scene.... Water everywhere on I-40 westward just over the Mississippi. No wonder they call this delta land. Birdwatching heaven. A lot of over-filled trucks and trailers. Looks like they’re moving west. A bleary-eyed stop at a Waffle House for quick breakfast. As the grits are waking us up, patrons are comfortably jokin' & joshin' employees in ways we've not heard at other food stops (feels like home...) we listen to RB songs we've heard forever. On "My Baby's Back In My Arms Again", I hear something new. Bass clarinet??!! Is this a new mix on this tune? I keep it to myself for a minute, and then ask Scott if he had ever heard that bass clarinet in that place in that arrangement too? You heard that too?!! We figure someone in this Waffle House has tweaked the bass, but laugh about the musician in the session - his little bit finally came through. Audiophile bliss. There are few I could travel with that this would have any meaning to at all. We're on the right track.