Spring is in the air!  Minnesota snowbanks are (gradually…) diminishing.  Healthcare reform is languishing.  Obama has my undying support and how I do feel for him.  Students are running around in t-shirts, it is 43 degrees, my kid is actually doing his homework (!), unemployment hovers at about 10%.

And me—oh, yeah.  Not much work this week, another nice East coast tour in the works for April—tangueando—and I’m trying to set up a little flamenco tour between here and Kansas City but we’re short one strong dancer.   Hmmm—anybody out there wanna go to KC?

So, next week we’re planning a house concert.  It’ll showcase Rachel la Mala’s wonderful cante.  Any readers near Minneapolis contact me and we’ll guide you to the spot.  It should be a fine concert and probably a wild juerga, as well.

I gotta say the sevillanas of Moraito’s is just too cool.  Feria del Caballo, it is.  Very Arabic, to my ears. I know its been out for years now but lately I’m lovin’ that sound and also lovin’ the Moron sound more than ever before—I’ve come full circle, maybe.  Son de Frontera is a favorite group of mine.  And Antonio Carrion.  I’m making a strong push for la Reunion en la Puebla de Cazalla this year.  Really want to go.  I just hate leaving Minnesota the one time of the year that it is so great here—you know, my grillin’/sangria/guitar-on-the-gazebo thing.

I’m planning on doing some recording next week—try to get some flamenco-dub mixes down.  I’ll put ’em up on the site here if they turn out.  I do have a couple of jazz tracks with sax and cello that turned out that I will put up.  It’s just that I’m such a Luddite that I need help uploading music….(at least I admit it).

And, hey, readers, please buy my Caravana Flamenca CD.  Also the Siete Tandas CD I did with Mandragora Tango.  It isn’t often that a musician is actually satisfied with his sound and his playing on a recording—so, when he is, he needs to speak up!  You need to go to mandragoratango.com for Siete Tandas.  Or CD Baby for either.  Or don’t.  No pressure!!

Here’s a summation of the up-coming tour.  We’d love it if blog-readers turn up at a venue—just walk up and introduce yourself; we’ll share a drink.

January 16th Saturday we’ll be at the Jewish Community Center in St Paul, MN.  There will be a power-point presentation on “Jews in Tango,” followed by a concert performance, free dance class and milonga (tango dance).  It all starts around 7PM.  More info (on all this) at mandragoratango.com.

January 17th Sunday we’ll do our usual milonga at the Loring Pasta Bar in Dinkytown, Minneapolis,MN starting at 6PM.

Monday morn we drive…..

January 19th Tuesday we’ll be in Princeton, NJ presenting a musicality class, followed by a full-blown milonga.  It will be at the Suzanne Patterson Center under the auspices of the Black Cat Tango Society (theblackcattango.com and princetontango.com) and gets underway at 8:25PM—sharp!  We’ll be doing a live recording that night, as well.

I think we’ll spend Wednesday (20th) in Manhattan, hanging out, going to Enye (in Soho) and Lafayette Grill (Tribecka)—whatever.  I’m game.

Thursday January 21 we’ll be at Symphony Hall in Allentown, PA.  A huge day, beginning with a master class for musicians from 4 to 5:30PM ($20 or $15 w/concert tix, $5 students—call 619-882-6989 to register).  Then, prominent local tanguera,  Sharon Hillman will talk on tango’s history and give a dance class at 7PM.  The milonga follows at 7:45PM, on the stage of Symphony Hall, cabaret style with food and drinks.  This sounds like a blast!  Phone 610-432-6715 or go online at allentownsymphony.org for tix.  They are $20 advance and $25@door.

Friday January 22 we’ll be in Philadelphia, City of Brotherly Love.  Rob Connaire and Temple Tango are presenting us in a big milonga at Conwell Hall at Temple University.  A beginner’s dance class starts at 8:30 and the dance begins at 9:30PM and will go very late!  Go to Temple Tango’s website or to Facebook for more info.  Rob is our Tango-Amigo-Numero-Uno-Sin-Duda!

Saturday January 23 we go to Raleigh NC for a big milonga hosted by Triangle Tango.  It will be at the Triangle Dance Studio, 2603 S Miami Blvd, Durham NC.  The festivities begin at 9PM and it will be great to be in North Carolina, kickin’ it with ambiente tango!

Sunday morning, half the band flies out to Minneapolis and Bob (the Big Bad Bando Dude) and I start driving for Chicago.  Hopefully, we’ll pick up a little duo gig there; if or if not, we’ll head for Devon Avenue and the BEST Indian/Pakistani food.   Gotta love Chicago…..

By Sunday, January 31st, we’ll be back on stage at the Loring Pasta Bar in Minneapolis with stories to tell.  Yeah!

2010 is well upon us.  I’m thinking this is going to be an exciting, adventure-filled year!

Thank you to all those folks who have become regular readers of my blog.  Your comments are wonderful and so much appreciated.

I am going on tour next week with Mandragora Tango band—we’ll be on the East coast of the US.  As I’ve said before:  I LOVE touring—even the driving.  I’ve been doing musical tours for 40 years and I never tire of it.

I’m grateful for my charmed life.  Playing music is all I’ve really ever wanted to do.

Minneapolis, Minnesota,USA:  I woke up to a liberal (?) dusting of snow today.  Temperature has dropped, too.  Damn!  Could it be the end of a marcha (as in “mucha marcha,” andaluz for a “really good time”)?  Since Thanksgiving, Thursday last, it’s been pretty much non-stop.

It has been a while since my last blog-post.  I have nothing to say.  This is not a bad thing.

I will say this:  I love playing Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints” por bulerias, in A minor with cejilla on the 3rd fret.  Really works well and interfaces beautifully with any funky A minor bulerias stuff.

“Equinox”por taranto.  “So What?” with dropped D, kinda danza mora-like.

I love playing what I call “flamenco-infused jazz” and lately I’ve been doing some gigs with a trio of young, up-and-coming jazzers, the “Nick Haas Trio.”  Very nice players, they have a fresh and crisp sound, they are tasteful and all over the compas’ of the flamenco palos (in a very good way).  We’re doing some late-night things at the Dakota Bar and Grill in downtown Minneapolis.  Looking for a few opportunities….

I’ll be going out on the road with Mandragora Tango in mid January.  I’m excited about it.

Oh yes.  And Christmas, too.  The Nutcracker.  The Solstice.  New Years.  and life.

Summer has departed—alas, always too soon.

I do love the Major League Baseball playoffs and the “World” Series (still looking to see Afghanistan win it all….)

I’ll be in Chicago this Friday evening, along with Mandragora Tango, as we release our new CD—Siete Tandas—at the American Tango Institute on 325 N Hoyne just out of the loop.  I always love playing in Chicago—love the city, the people, the food, the Cubs/Wrigley—and I’m already savoring the flavors of the Indian cuisine up on Devon Avenue.  Oh yes, and I love their Tango scene, too.

Then it’ll be a hurry back to play solo at the Seward Art Fair in South Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon.  I’ll be at the Birchwood Cafe which is a favorite haunt.

Mercedes Sosa died….what an incredible, elemental force and presence and voice and such a part of my listening for 3 decades.  Todo Cambia….

Quickie CD Reviews:  Nina Pastori “Esperando Verte”—REGULAR mas flamenco que antes pero no me mata.   Tampoco “Nina de Fuego” by Buika.  “Suenos de Mimbre” by Rocio Ruiz—por favor dejame en paz.  “Jondura” by Parilla de Jerez—me duele.  El Pele’s latest “Ocho Guitarras y un Piano”—troubling because I adore Pele but this CD flat-out sucks.  The only one I truly like is Vicente Amigo’s “Paseo de Gracia” and that because of 3 or 4 tracks that are amazing amazing (like “Autoretrato”).  Forgive me omitting the “enye” but my computer won’t cooperate today.

Cruising Youtube—how awesome sounds Pedro Bacan playing for Funi and the Gastor brothers and Son de Frontera—-000000000leeeeeeeee!!

Uh-oh.  I started playing the oud again: got all inspired by Charbel Rouhana and Naser Musa—fun fun fun.  Plus I spread all my guitars out all over the house so I’m playing them all everyday—even borrowed a Gibson SG for added excitement.  Since I’m not working quite so much this is an excellent time to play guitar and play guitar and play guitar.  What a LUXURY!!

That’s it.

Right now, I’m in the midst of a really exciting project.  I am playing guitar with the Georges Lammam Ensemble, accompanying the Jawaahir Dance Company in a series of concerts.  This is the second and final week of shows:  they are at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis, MN (southerntheater.

The show is very good and the band is great!  There are 10 musicians and they are world-class (bueno—I’m bustin’ my *** to keep up with them…).  Georges Lammam is an amazing violinist (from Beirut) and the music director.  His brother, Elias, is a virtuoso accordionist.  Palestinian oud player Naser Musa and Nicolai Ruskin on nay (wooden flute),  Miles Jay (bass), Salah Fattah and Laura Harada (violins) are joined by percussionists Susu Pampinenand Tim O’Keefe.

The music is not easy and contains some very unusual and modern material.  Several pieces are by Charbel Rouhana, contemporary Lebanese oud master.  I am just so turned on by this guy’s expressive, creative, dynamic style.  It is inspiring to be a part of all this.

We have shows this Wednesday and Thursday (August 19 and 20, 7:30PM), Friday and Saturday (Aug 21 and 22 at 8PM), and Sunday (Aug 23 at 7PM). Box office number is 612-340-1725.

I’m writing now from Minneapolis where summer is in its full all-out-no-holds-barred-best time of the year-grillin’-sangria-fresh oysters-outdoor shows-wild raspberries-bicycling-guitar on the gazebo-new cd out-everyone’s in love-well, you get the picture, yes?

My final night in Madrid I caught Miguel Poveda at the Teatro Haagen-Dazs (formerly the Calderon).  I always “liked” Poveda but never with the ardor that so many share.  This show was really great!  It was a steamingly hot night.  Stage was filled with the likes of Chicuelo,  Luis ‘el Zambo’,  Moraito,  dancer Andres Peña, and various palmeros.  Chicuelo’s brilliant flashiness was elegantly offset by Moraito’s brilliant funkiness.  Poveda’s “voz raja” was elegantly offset by Zambo’s “voz afilla’.  The dancing was electrifying.  And something about all of us jamming in an early-summer sauna added an extra dimension….the first caña upon leaving never tasted so good.

Mandragora Tango’s new CD is finally out!  It is called “Siete Tandas” and features 21 songs arranged in 7 tandas of 3 tunes each—perfect for dancing.  The sound is very good and there are some excellent performances, particularly by the violinist, Laura Harada.  Please cruise on over to mandragoratango.com for sound samples and all the rest.

We (Mandragora, that is) just completed a mini-tour that was something of a blast.  We started in Minneapolis, playing as part of the Walker Art Center’s First Thursday series.  Next stop: Mt Horeb, Wisconsin, playing at their outdoor music series.  We moved on to Madison,Wi and played a milonga at a beautiful Nepalese restaurant whose name I can not remember (oops!).  Last Friday we played in Chicago at the American Tango Institute (I love that place….) and then on to Milwaukee for a milonga sponsored by their tango society.  Back to Minneapolis for our long-standing Sunday milonga at the Loring Pasta Bar.  We concluded with a noon show on the steps of Northrup Auditorium (University of MN) on Monday last.  Whew!  ALMOST TOO MUCH OF A PARTY—BUT—we survived.  We’ll do it all again when we decide to officially release the CD in September or October.

I’m looking forward to two weeks of shows in August with Casandra’s Middle-Eastern Dance ensemble.  I’ll be playing in the orchestra with George and Elias Lammam, Naser Musa, and a host of other fine musicians.  Lots of new music to learn…. It’ll all take place at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis, August 13th through the 23rd.

That’s it!  Thank you to all who read this blog and to the many supportive folks who send along their comments.  Go to the “calendar” page for specific information, please.

On May 29th I caught the cercania (train) to beautiful, scenic San Lorenzo de el Escorial to hear the much anticipated, eagerly awaited concert collaboration between Grammy award winners Diego “el Cigala” and guitarist Tomatito.  The auditorium was completely sold out.  I somehow managed to score a ticket and it was 9th row center—great!

A remarkable concert it was in many respects.  I made careful note of the pieces presented and their sequence and I’d like to lay that out here:

1.  TARANTAS began with a long, jazzy falseta that really set the tone for what was to follow.  Cigala hacked, coughed and sneezed his way through the “temple” but, once his distinctive, unusual vocal stylings kicked in, the atmosphere became pure honey.

2.  SOLEA’ was straightforward, purely and beautifully executed.  It was highly reminiscent of the live recordings Camaron did with Tomatito in the late 80s—in the very best way.

3.  SEVILLANAS—an odd choice.  Unusual letras and not entirely satisfying.

4.  ALEGRIAS brought in 5 (yes, 5!) palmeros and really created some aire.  COOL!

5.  Cigala left the stage and Tomatito, joined by 2 percussionists, super- kicked-ass on a dynamic RUMBA that got huge applause.  Tomate then left the stage, Cigala returned:

6.  MARTINETE was sung very very well.  The 2 percussionists entered in the middle, then Joselito Romero (now goes by Maya, I guess) danced powerfully and with emotion.

7.  Tomatito rejoined the crew and they did a SON from Lagrimas Negras along with an excellent (Cuban, I think) standup bassist.  Nice.

8.  El Dia Que Me Quieras, a Gardel tango, was done more like a Bolero but…it was nothing short of heart-stoppingly lovely.

9.  Another SON, this one in 6/8 time, good not great.  Tomatito does not have the feel for this music that his nephew,  Niño Josele has, who usually accompanies Cigala.

10. Tomatito goes completely berserk por BULERIAS, with 5 palmeros, a three-person chorus and the 2 percussionists.  Out of this world, extremely powerful, and got everyone off big-time.

11. Cigala sang VIDALITA, ending in VERDIALES, not even trying to match the effect of the preceeding number.  Smart choice and effective.

12. A great JALEO with everyone on stage and full-out.

13. Strong TANGOS ending in BULERIAS that featured numerous Cigala letras, great coros and a BIG ending.  Deafening applause.

14. Encore of just Cigala and Tomatito doing 3 letras of FANDANGOS.  Moving.

This was the 4th time I’ve heard Diego “el Cigala” and the 3rd time I’ve heard Tomatito.  The quality of this production—the sound, the lights, the pacing—was absolutely first-rate.  The quality of the artists is top-tier, contemporary flamenco at its best.  A treat.

May 29,2009

I am riding the superfast train, the Ave, back to Madrid after spending a few tranquil days in Jerez de la Frontera and Algeciras.

Barcelona won the (European) Champion´s Cup a couple of nights ago.  We witnessed a hugely ecstastic celebration in the streets of Algeciras.  Dozens of revelers jumped, fully clothed, into a freezingly cold fountain in the square.  !Ole!

I had the very good fortune to jam a bit last evening with Alfredo Lagos at Bar Arriate in Jerez.  He´s a wonderful guitarist and really getting into jazz as a means to open up his flamenco a little more.  Really fun.

Note:  I´ve not been using ¨we¨ in the Royal sense.  My close friend Alberto Blanco came to Spain at the same time as me and we´ve shared a few adventures since arriving. 

Alberto is an unabashed ¨foodie¨ forever in search of great comida y bebida.  So often, in past trips to Spain, I´ve been broke or nearly broke.  ¨Economicos¨ and funky eateries are very well known to me, especially in Madrid.  This time I am noshing like a king.

A few observations:  a lot of Spanish food is way over-cooked, deep fat-fried, or drowning in mayonaise.  Grocery stores and super-mercados are jam packed with a beautiful selection of fruits, vegetables and dairy.  Great bakeries.  Many wonderful cheeses, and the pork—jamon Iberico, especially ¨la pata negra¨ but also caña de lomo, morcilla, chorizo—is of very high quality.  Fish markets are impressive.  The market in Jerez is mind-blowing.

There seems to be a traditional mind-set to food here.  The haute cuisine, fusiony, celebraty chef, fancy presentation thing that—I admit it—I have come to love, one does not easily find in Spain.  Perhaps in Barcelona…. I´ve long maintained that one comes to Spain for the flamenco or the bulls or the nightlife or whatever—but NOT for the food.  This is no less true today.

re:  Sara Baras at the Teatro Lope de Vega

Her new production “Carmen”

Oh My Gawd!

Unbelievable………………..