Well that was nice. Been a while, sure, but I just had a wowy week in Tokyo. Played 3 shows:
One, at Ogikuba Goodman (tiny) with Yagihashi Tsukasa, Sato Yukie, and Onoue [iforgot, but he's the creative force behind the ever-popular Kaoss Pad] which was rough going. Yagihashi played alto, Onoue played instruments of his own design, and Sato played electric guitar and toys, as usual.
Next was a show at the amazing and super-good-vibey Muryoku Muzennji, a small joint decorated with mucho Hello Kitty, but rather nasty like a Portland basement. Onoue was replaced by __________, an electric bassist (who made use of, among other things, the ubiquitous Kaoss Pad). First set trios: me, Yagihashi, bassist, then me, Sato, bassist. Second set quartet. Yagihashi was much more interesting at this show, and the music (well, large portions of it, at least) was successful to my ears.
Third and final show at Ekoda Buddy, a big fancy jazz club. First set duos: every possible combination of me, Alfred 23 Harth, Ami Yoshida, and Uchihashi Kazuhisa. Yoshida is ridiculous. She makes uncanny and teeth-gritting sounds solely by inhaling. Close-mic'd she's untouchable. My duo with her was short, not enough time to develop anything, but I think our "vocabularies" overlap as I'd expected. This I will do again. Second set was trio: me, A23H, Kazu, then the full quartet, which was by far the best section of the programme. Yoshida really thrilled me, at least. Kazu playes electric guitar and the indescribable daxophone.
Another highlight was seeing eShip Sum, the Harth disc, prominently displayed in the Shinjuku Tower Records, with a long handwritten (in Japanese, duh) recommendation (I think). I also chilled and had a few with the proprietor of Disk Union.
I spent the entire week enjoying the hospitality of old friend Daisuke Yamada and his wife, who I'd never met. I hadn't seen Dai, in fact, in over 8 years! Cool.
Day after tomorrow I'm going back to Portland for a few weeks so look out. Recordings will be made by the Hundred Flowers Ensemble, peevish, Don Brown & Dan Reynolds, and, hopefoolly, Tim Bradley (featuring Kelvin Pittman!). Also some shows at 411 with the trio, peevish, and the Don and Dan big (small) band, whatever the fuck that means.
Okay, so I recently read The Quiet American, by Graham Greene. Great. I also read The Sexual Life of Catherine M., not great, and endless stuff about politics. I'm way interested in politics these days, much to my chagrin and discomfort.
Uh, recent listening includes the outstanding Bryan Eubanks solo saxophone discs (the soprano disc is the goods. rilly.), the Tom DjllArtship 3", Iannis Xenakis' Persepolis.
Here's the not me:
Kenneth Rexroth's Guide to Camping:
The ideal camp is a miniature anarchist community, straight out of Kropotkin. Each goes about his appointed task quietly and efficiently, the functions of the group are shared with spontaneous equality, problems are settled by consultation rather than controversy, and whatever leadership exists is based solely on experience and ability. . . . Each group that hikes or rides along the trail by day contented and alert, and makes camp at night 'decently and in order' is a sort of test tube or kindergarten of the good life. So don't forget, when it's your turn to wash the dishes, the centuries are watching you.
In the city the geometrical lines of streets and buildings are only interrupted with the stale surprises of advertising posters, and the faces one encounters reveal biographies less eventful than most rocks. The mountain landscape is infinitely varied and constantly changing. Movement is free, easy, relaxed; the streams are full of fish, the trees are full of birds, flowers grow by the trail, deer jump from their coverts, even the air is intoxicating. It is the fact that we are on our way that is important, where we are going is a minor detail.
SmallFry, a Domenic Maltempi MP3 ("as recorded in my bathroom")
John Titor, from the future:
I watch every day what you are doing as a society. While you sit by and watch your Constitution being torn away from you, you willfully eat poisoned food, buy manufactured products no one needs and turn an uncaring eye away from millions of people suffering and dying all around you. Is this the "Universal Law" you subscribe to?
Perhaps I should let you all in on a little secret. No one likes you in the future.
Angle-Grinder Man. Forgot who sent this to me, but it's great. What a guy! Every city needs an Angle-Grinder Man:
This is the Web-Site of Angle-Grinder Man, the world’s first wheel-clamp and speed camera vigilante cum subversive superhero philanthropist entertainer type personage. A big welcome to all good, decent, law-unabiding citizens. Godspeed to you and your four-wheeled, petrol-driven chariots.
The purpose of my site is two-fold:
Firstly it serves to publicise and promote my free wheel-clamp removal service.
Secondly, it is intended as a forum to consolidate and galvanise public opinion and give voice to the frustrated and disenfranchised silent majority on the issues of wheel-clamping, congestion charging, speed cameras, etc.
