Vicariously NOLA

Today is the beginning of the second weekend of the greatest music festival held anywhere, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the Fairgrounds Racetrack in New Orleans. It's been looking a little cloudy and even a little rainy on the webcams, but for most of the day tht will probably meant that the weather is just a little cooler and the dust is just a little more tamped down.

As for me, I am sitting (as I have done too many times in recent years) back in California listening to every minute as it plays out on WWOZ and thinking about my plans for next year. At the same time, I'm actually working on a project that gives me the opportunity and excuse to listen to Fest and imagine myself there. It's a small comfort, but it IS a comfort and I enjoy it.

On Monday night I took the evening, made myself a wonderful dinner, opened up a bottle of wine, and pulled up a chair next to the computer where I rocked out all evening long listening to WWOZ's Piano Night celebration from the House of Blues.

The event was a celebration of the life of Eddie Bo, who died recently. The last time I got to be at Piano Night, Eddie Bo was the honored guest and it is one of my great memories of my life to see Eddie on one piano directly across from Marcia Ball on another piano with Joe Krown on another piano at the back of the stage, John Cleary on Hammond B, and Dr. John on guitar (they had run out of pianos!!!)

Piano Night (always the Monday after the first weekend of Jazz Fest) and the whole reality of Jazz Fest is a celebration that manifests the amazing heart of New Orleans, that in fact is the heart of America.

What a Wonderful World!

I know what it means...

Hardly a week goes by, and at some times a day doesn't even go by, without me finding one reason or another to pine for The Crescent City.

The next 10 days raise this longing to a level beyond compare, for it's Jazz Fest Time!

From this morning through Sunday and then again next Thursday through Sunday, The Big Easy will be easy with music and music will be absolutely EVERYWHERE!

Despite the fact that I can't make it this year (though at this point I'm still holding out the long shot hope that something will come through that takes me east in time for next weekend) I'll be swooning at each bit of music that comes down from the fairgrounds and lands on my iTunes courtesy of WWOZ.org and when I can't listen to it live, I'll be listening to the innumerable recordings I've made of everything from piano night to my friends James Singleton and Clive Wilson. I'll probably watch the short video I recorded of Donald Harrison and Galactic about a dozen times and listen tot he my jazz fest recordings of Ani DeFranco, and John Fohl, Sonny Landreth, and Anders Osborne, and more... more... more.

Yeah... it's the best week of the year right now in NOLA and one of these days I'll get back there.

Next year in Jerusalem!

Good Night and Good Luck... Mom

Keith's mom died Saturday and this is truly a beautiful, and funny, tribute.

Happy Anniversary!

Yesterday was the anniversary of the big event of last year. Jen and Andy's wedding.

Despite all of the other events, excitements, and catastrophic cataclysms of the previous 365 days, it is not hard at all for me to pick out that Saturday at Fort Mason as the central moment of the year (of many years actually) for me.

One year on, I still look back on it as an experience of tremendous joy and extreme pride. Not a week goes by that I don't feel some moment of joy that pops into the mundane reality of the day and reminds me of the best of what living is. To experience a day where my child was so completely herself, with her partner in life beside her and surrounded by friends and family with laughter, and tears, words, and music, and food and celebration.

THIS is why we go through all the trials and tribulations. This is why we get up every day and struggle through work, and no work, bills, doctors, tears and fears.

This is why we are alive!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame... Again!

It's not yet opening day, but for me it is. KLL and I are heading into San Francisco for the Bay Bridge Series between the A's and the Giants.

This will be the first time I've ever gone to "Pac Bell Park" as something other than a Giants fan. I once saw the Giants play the Mets at Candlestick, and on that occassion I was definitely rooting for the Mets, but this will be the first time I've ever changed colors in such a radical way.

I'm stoked... It's Springtime and I'm ready for Baseball!