We opened last Friday---nice opening weekend, going for two more weeks.  See my calendar for show dates and times.  It IS a very good show.  The cast members have really stepped up and brought the script to life! I hope we get some reviews---I'll post them as they come in.  So far, the local entertainment weekly, City Pages, gave a nice summation and plug. I'd like to be doing a little more music, but, that's just me....the music is good, and so is the flamenco dancing.  Dancer is Virginia, la Chispita with choreography by Kristina de Sacramento. Wednesday, April 17th is a "pay as you can" show, otherwise the regular ticket price is $18.  This is so reasonable due to a Legacy Fund grant from the state of Minnesota.  Well Worth Seeing!! BTW!  I'm now tweeting...find me as Scott Mateo.  Twitter is fun and---forces you to be brief in your rants!

I recently got cast to do the music for a production of "Lorca in a Green Dress,"  written by Nilo Cruz, directed by Alberto Justiniano, presented by Pangea World Theater and Teatro del Pueblo.  Show opens on April 12th, at the Ritz Theater (345 13th Avenue NE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  15 shows are scheduled, closing on April 28th. Its an exciting new project for me, something quite different from what I usually do, and I'm enthused about it.  At this point it is a little difficult to gauge how successful the run will be.  The script is interesting, somewhat difficult and dense with loads of quotations of Garcia Lorca's works.  It seems the greatest number of quotations are from "Poeta en Nueva York."  By the way, the play is in English, with simple Spanish injected throughout. I'll be writing more about this as the production unfolds.  For now, I invite reader's opinions about Federico Garcia Lorca's life and work.  Why is he so popular among English speakers, possibly less so among native Spanish speakers, for one thing?

Interesting book.  I just finished it a couple of weeks ago.  Author is an English journalist and flamenco guitarist:  Marcos.  Just Marcos.  The book is jumbled, uneven, hard to follow, not that well written.  But---well worth reading for all Camaronistas (those that know English, anyway).  He has been quite exhaustive in his research and the book is teeming with colorful anecdotes as well as quotes from just about everybody.  Having said that, I have to say that it is notable also for the information that is NOT included.  Marcos had his sources and he tracked them well.  Beyond that, he really didn't know many flamenco heavy-hitters who might have filled in a lot more information.  I'm thinking of Pansequito, la Susi, Paco Cepero, Capullo de Jerez, Moraito Chico, Manolo Sanlucar---the list goes on and on. Recommended?   Absolutely.  Camaron was, in my opinion, a brilliant star in flamenco's galaxy who left us way, way too soon.  I am hungry for anything that brings him back to us, even for a brief moment. I am in the process of re-doing my website; updating it completely, getting rid of useless sh**, adding much more music.  Thank you!  to all who do visit me here and I hope you like the new look!

December 2, Sunday In the middle of the 12 hour return flight from Beijing to Los Angeles.  Then on to a connecting flight to Chicago and to finish with the 7 hour drive to Minneapolis.  Earlier, we flew from Gangzhou, the metropolis near Dongguan, to Beijing.  So, it is quite a hike. Now some final random observations: 1.  So much to process about this country, the people, the culture.  I am overwhelmed, and this is my 2nd time here. 2.  Incredible, massive airports, super modern in design and layout. 3.  Beautiful, huge theaters---we played to well over 10,000 Chinese these past 10 days.  the theater 2 nights back had construction (almost...) completed 2 months ago.  Temps of 50 degrees in the corridors, the heat in our dressing room finally climbed to 66 after 3 hours. 4.  I watched a solitary worker outside my hotel room window.  He worked for 10 hours with a simple shovel and pick-axe.  Backbreaking labor that amounted to what a Bobcat could do in 15 minutes. 5.  Lots of dim lighting.  Bulbs that don't get hot to the touch.  Escalators that turn themselves off when no-one is on them.  Elevator doors that close after about 7 seconds.  The Chinese do not waste energy. 6.  Loads of ethnicity:  many very tall people, many very small, many very good looking men and women.  Super fashionably dressed. 7.  They're crazy for basketball.  Must be the Yao Ming factor.  I watched Stefon Marbury (former NBA star) lead his team to the CBA  championship.  I predict a large influx of Chinese players to the NBA within a few years. 8.  Its no secret the Chinese love ping-pong.  Public tables in the parks and the level of play is very high. 9.  Security was extremely tight leaving Beijing this evening and all the officials were extremely...earnest. 10.  Hot meals served on all or nearly all domestic flights.  Good food, too.  And drinks.  Flight crews very accommodating regarding musical instruments.  Take note:  US AIR! 11.  I was called upon, with 2 minutes notice, to give a speech during intermission last evening.  I spoke slowly, in English (duh!), and stuck in a few Chinese phrases I've picked up.  We were mobbed afterwards, signing autographs, posing for pictures, showered with flowers.  Magnificent way to end a tour!

Saturday, December 1st We're back on the plane, it is very early, we're off to Dongguan.  It is a city of 8 million, in the south, near Hong Kong. Last night's show went well, despite technical glitches from the local sound crew.   A bit more about the shows:  the first half has been mostly classical and regional Spanish dance done to recorded music.  The 2nd half has been all flamenco.  Solea' por Bulerias, Zapateado, Farruca, Romeras, sometimes Peterneras or Solea'; also Guajiras, Sevillanas and fin de fiesta por Bulerias.  We've done additional musical numbers,too.  Paco Fonta's singing has been stellar throughout.  The guitars have meshed extremely well,  Zpran's violin has added a wonderful Eastern-European flavor, Mick's percussion has been strong and consistent.  I have thoroughly enjoyed playing each and every show.

November 30, Friday We are winding down the tour.  We've been 3 days in Hebi, a town of 1 1/2 million about 330 miles south of Beijing.  Had an excursion to Yixang, to see some of the earliest relics of Chinese civilization.  Another adventure, the least of which was seeing the decayed bones, many of people and animals buried alive so as to accompany the lonely Emperor on his journey to the next world. Now about the food:  incredibly varied cuisine with tons of fresh fruits and vegetables,  Lots of steamed dumplings filled with spinach, pork, whatever.  Rice.  Noodles.  Hot.  Bland.  Lovely sesame cakes, delectable pastries.  They eat practically everything of the pig and the chicken, so:  watch out!  Fish, calamari, luscious mushrooms, tofu.  Rice gruel and rotis, just like South India.  Green tea, black tea, sometimes coffee, too. All in all, there is a spartan quality to the life here, which, at this point in my life, I admit I find very appealing.  They just don't waste:  resources, food, electricity, water.  The theaters and buildings are often unheated.  Nor do people seem to complain about these things, rather almost to thrive on them.  Does this make any sense?  Is there a lesson here? Today is my birthday.  I'm keeping this fact to myself and just enjoying a little time alone.  Practicing, reading, reflecting (ayyy, how pretentious I must seem!).  I am very happy with all the birthday greetings I'm receiving through Facebook, even though I can not access them.  I am so eager to enjoy these last few days in this remarkable country.

Tuesday 27th November On a plane to Hebi, in the Henan Province.  Concerts are going very well; we only have 3 more scheduled.  Today is a day off.  Temps have dropped dramatically.  Most days are sunny and in the 40s now. The musicians have bonded really well and the music is cohesive, tight, and we're feeling the freedom to step out and jam within the forms.  Our Chinese is hysterical.  Bad, that is.  A handful of phrases, plus ridiculous pantomimes, must serve to get us through all types of situations.  People here are nice; they must find us quirky and exotic, even oddly attractive. Yesterday, we were in Shaoxing, a city of 6 million and the center of the textile industry of China.  We cabbed to the silk market and shopped.  I had an absolute blast bargaining and buying exquisite shawls of fine quality silk and pashmina. Unbelievable prices.  And, we even found a Starbucks Coffee:  my Grande Latte was a drop of water to a man dying of thirst.  Paco broke his (generic) reading glasses and...we found a Walmart----Culture Shock!  No fat people!!  No reading glasses,either.  I suggested we enter an upscale boutique and, for $8 American, he was fitted out wonderfully, with eye exam and great service, besides.  Americans have a great deal to learn from the Chinese people.

Saturday, November 24th As to the concerts themselves:  our opening show was in Tianjin, a port city of 10 million near Beijing.  The hall was a little cold and funky, the tech set-up minimal, an audience of perhaps 600.  They were polite and restrained pretty much till the end, when they opened up in loud cheering and effusive applause.  Ensemble Español is a very good looking group that really knows how to perform.  They just seem to overcome the less-than-ideal conditions and pull off great shows, night after night.  Its definitely a case where the sum is greater than the parts. Then it was on to Hainan Island, a 5 hour plane flight.  China Air fed us well (as they did on every domestic flight over the next 10 days).  Twice.  We are in a gorgeous, totally state-of-the-art theater even if the local sound techs seem...well, a little challenged.  They walk around with cordless mics and shout through the PA whenever an opportunity arises.  We completed 2 shows:  each had a house of around 1100;  enthusiastic, mostly young, many seeing flamenco for the first time. A curious side note is:  they often have a really upbeat, bouncy, pert young girl in the wings (with a powerful cordless mic, of course), who shouts joyously at the audience between numbers.  I glanced over and saw her dancing wildly during our actual performance.  Talks a mile-a-minute, I have no idea what she's saying. Tonight's scheduled concert was completely usurped by the newly elected (appointed?) Communist regime in China.  They apparently decided, last minute, to have some sort of meeting in the concert hall.  We were informed minutes before last evening's concert. So, we have a day off.  And, it is cool and rainy. Paco Fonta (guitarist, singer), Zoran (violinist), and I rehearsed the music, set some new stuff then joined Mick (percussionist) and set off in search of fresh adventures.  We eventually found ourselves at an upscale coffee house with a charming outdoor terrace.  After great difficulty in communicating, I finally got a fancy espresso drink for a lot of money.  I went to pay with a large bill.  Two minutes later, the waitress came to our table and gave me back my 100 yuan note.  Curious!  Then the owners appeared, a smartly dressed couple, and proceeded to hook us up in really royal fashion:  a large brass pot contraption, with a sterno-burner heating the pot which was filled with water...pot had a spigot...connected through elaborate (and archaic?) brass tubing to a glass retort (think chemistry class) full of lovely, finely powdered coffee.  As the water heated, the vapor passed through the tubing and condensed in the retort, eventually filling it with coffee.  The additional weight caused the retort to tilt and the coffee flowed back to the brass pot.  They then opened the spigot and filled our fancy demi-tasses with delicious coffee, a cross between espresso and turkish.  This was accompanied by an immense tray of fresh fruits, all pealed and sliced into charming geometric shapes. Cameras appeared, photos were taken.  We realized that they thought we were some type of famous celebrities.  We finally left, after effusive hand shaking, bowing, and exchange of website info and emails.  An absolutely delightful afternoon!

November 23 Friday Did I mention that the electric scooters very often have a tiny child or two clinging to the driver?  I've figured out a few rules of the road here.  With a 3 lane thoroughfare, one hovers on the broken line that separates lanes.  Then you're free to sidle over either left or right in order to cut someone off or to pass.  Since everyone else is pushing for an advantage, the three lanes quickly expand into five. Hainan Island is small but has 9 million inhabitants, 3 million live in Haikou city.  It is incredibly lovely here.  The people look Thai or Malaysian.  They are, for the most part, quite mellow and gentle.  Just as I wrote this, a huge shouting match between our booking agent/promoter and the bus driver erupted.  Both men had to be physically restrained.  So much for stereotypes.

I'm sitting in my office, jet lagged as can be, publishing the blog entries I scrawled in a notebook (NOT the computer called the" notebook") two weeks ago...Looking to wrap my mind around the Enigma which is China 2012. November 22, 2012 I'm on tour in China.  With the Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater of Chicago, Illinois.  We are a group of 12 dancers (6 men and 6 women), 2 guitarists/singer, violinist, and percussionist.  Also 2 techs. Some Observations: China is amazing.  A parallel universe.  Attractive people, many many ethnic groups, no one hassles you on the street.  Virtually no obesity.  I notice that the breakfasts have plenty of carbs:  breads, pastries, rice, noodles, potatoes.  Lunch and dinner are practically carb-free, with lots of protein:  fish, chicken, pork, seafood, dark green vegetables, mushrooms. Today we're in concert in Haikou city, on the tropical island of Hainan, sandwiched between the Bay of Tonkin and the South China Sea.  Near Vietnam;  a tropical paradise, rain forest, 90 degrees and humid.  I had a nice long walk through a huge park; saw plants, trees, and birds I haven't seen since my 2 years in Kerala (South India) so many long years ago.  The air is thick, moist, fragrant---I poured sweat but it felt so clean and good!  Thousands of electric motor scooters, thousands and thousands, not making a sound. NOTE! DIGRESSION: a recent rant of mine, the past few months, has been about "Minnesota-Nice" drivers.  They freely stop anywhere, waving pedestrians and other vehicles through, even as they clearly have the right-of-way.  I complain that they're reinventing the rules of the road, thereby putting everyone at risk.  And all with this passive-aggressive Minnesota-Nice attitude.  I  drive everyone crazy with this daily rant. Well, here, it is Every Man for Himself!  And Try Not to get Hit!  Or run over.  And pay attention to those silent motorized bicycles....