Was planning to go see Andrew Hill at the Jazz Bakery tonight, but I just couldn’t get my act together to get all the way out there - maybe because there’s ten times too much to do just staying at home. It seems that it’s easier to set aside the time to travel across the country to see catch some shows than to travel across town (sometimes). Of course there’s still tomorrow night’s show - which I’m definitely planning to make, as I’ve never seen Hill live before, and I really, honestly do want to - dammit.

So I wandered around my own neighborhood instead of grabbing a bus out to Culver City. Ate a slice a pizza, got some coffee from a joint I’d never been to before, reading McTeague by Frank Norris, a turn of the century San Francisco novel to get me in the mood for heading up there in three weeks. Listening to Malachi Favors Maghostut & Tatsu Aoki’s bass duo album on Southport now, back home. Might watch Emir Kusturica’s Underground next. 7:38 PM >>> 0 comments

The ACME Festival website that I did the drawings for appears to finally be up. More importantly, check out that schedule! Can't wait for April. 9:26 AM >>> 0 comments

Been really rainy this weekend, so I’ve mostly been staying in - which is good. I’ve been working on drawings, listening to music - Berlioz Requiem & Symphonie Fantastique, Express Rising s/t, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo Wanted: Dead or Alive and Mike Vaino In the Land of the Blind One-Eyed is King, catching up on a couple of movies - the last of the first box of Chaplins - really loved Limelight a lot more than I remembered, hoping to watch Kurosawa‘s Ikiru again tonight, if there’s enough time to get into it, and been reading Poor George by Paula Fox. Could really use more than two days off. 6:57 PM >>> 0 comments

Finished reading Ashes by Kenzo Kitakata tonight, in a bit of a early Friday night panic (so much I want to do this weekend). Enjoyed the book a lot. Translation seemed good. A very solid, hard-boiled yakuza story. It would be great to have to a chance to read more of his books someday.

This line struck me, "I believed that if you lived an ordinary life, you lost the capacity for extraordinary things. I’d seen it happed to so many people."

I guess it’s something I feel like I’m always fighting, and a fight I feel like I’m losing (if I haven’t lost it already). Five years now I’ve been going to the same dumb job, living in the same crappy apartment, just kind of drifting along. Getting angrier / more frustrated. 6:47 PM >>> 0 comments

Listening to Duke Ellington’s newly re-issued Ellington Uptown tonight and I’m in heaven. Sometimes it seems impossible that such exciting perfection could possible exist. The album is a wonderful mix from the early-50’s, half Ellington standards, played with great energy (of course) and half a couple of lesser known, at least to me, longer suites (the Controversial and Liberian). Never less than exquisite, listening to Ellington and his fantastic orchestra (Juan Tizol, Clark Terry, Paul Gonsalves, Wendall Marshall, Louie Bellson and many more) always seems to move me into another world, a much better world.

Also re-issued in the same low priced batch are Festival Session and Masterpieces by Ellington, both of which I’m looking forward to hearing for the first in the next day or so. I believe there’s no such thing as too much Ellington. 10:30 PM >>> 0 comments

Was watching Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times late last night and laughing my ass off. I guess I’d never seen it before, except for clips. Once I fall into the flow of those old silent (or in this case, semi-silent) comedies, it seems there’s nothing funnier. I’ve got The Gold Rush to maybe watch tonight.

Been reading Stephen Dixon’s I. It’s the second book of his I read, the other being Frog and I’m still undecided if I like or hate his thing. Actually sometimes I do really like the way he writes his thoughts, but other times, he gets so tedious and over-thought out, and with all the re-thinking that I can’t stand him. Once I kill off the last eighty pages of this one I suspect I won’t pick up another Dixon book for a long time, if ever. Actually I’m getting the feeling that if you’ve read one, you’ve read them all.

I’ve been finally listening to the Improvised Music From Japan box set, which I was lucky enough to track down over the holidays, after not being able to afford it when it was first released and feeling bad that I’d missed it. So far I’ve liked the Haco stuff on disc two the most (surprisingly), especially the short, goofy High/Low. And Skist, who I don’t believe I’d ever heard before and now must track down. Eight discs still to go, which should get me through the week.

Picked up Tom Recchion’s Chaotica over the weekend, after enjoying his CEAIT set more than most of the others, and the CD is great. Supposedly it was recorded in the mid-80’s, but it really does sound like today. It’s all tape loops, records, cassettes, analog and digital effects and keyboards and Esquival - I highly recommend it. 7:43 PM >>> 0 comments

Caught a mesmerizing set from McCoy Tyner’s trio + Bobby Hutcherson at the new Catalina’s last night. They played a crowd pleasing selection of Tyner originals, blues, ballads and a few a little more out there romps. Hutcherson was on fire, playing with such a great band. He really seemed to be having fun up there and sounded great, much better than last time I saw him - though the blur of sticks and beautiful sounds of the vibes is always a treat. I was also digging the drummer, some very solid / not showy work coming from his corner. I had a nice table right up in the front, but I was a little disappointed that the new Catalina’s, is pretty much the same as the old one - just a little bigger. Same crappy decor, same pink table cloths even, etcetera. I would have thought that since they went through all the effort of moving, they would have tried to make the place a little more friendly too, jazzed it up a bit, so to speak. Anyhow, any chance to get to hear McCoy Tyner give the keys a workout is a chance that should not be missed. I did find my mind wandering off, forgetting about the somewhat annoying Hollywood audience (some talking during the quiet parts & cell phones going off), and mostly just getting lost in the music. 10:33 AM >>> 0 comments

I was disappointed to find out today that all of next weekend’s local Anthony Braxton shows have been cancelled. No reason given, but I sure hope it’s not bad health. I’m disappointed because I’ve never had the chance to hear Braxton live and I was REALLY looking forward to it - especially the trio show with Wadada Leo Smith and Adam Rudolph that was supposed to be at the Electric Lodge.

On the good news front I thankfully came across a couple of things today, for a little balance. First that Richard Buckner has signed to Merge Records and should have a new album out in the fall - actually great news, as I’ve just about played Impasse to death. And second, that one of my favorite writers is editing a new anthology called Black Clock that’s got a great looking contributor list (first issue is out next month), and also that he has a new book of his own forthcoming (no date given) called Our Ecstatic Days. And finally, Kobe is supposed to be back on the court with the Lakers tonight (tip in two minutes)! 5:58 PM >>> 0 comments

Last year I went out to hear live music much less than I have in a long time. After May, I guess I was pretty burnt out, and probably saw less than a handful of shows, anyway, far far less than I have at least since moving to Los Angeles. But this year looks to be moving in the opposite direction. I’m suddenly really charged up to go out to shows again, to go hear music being made live. It feels good to keep things switched around and fluid. The schedule over the next few months at least should have lots of exciting listening packed in there.

Last night was my second time heading down to LineSpaceLine, this time for two sets centered around Vinny Golia. First up was his latest music for like instruments thing, basically a flute quartet playing his compositions. A pretty nice set. But the meat of the night was definitely set two - a completely improvised duo between Golia (mostly playing a variety of saxes) and Nels Cline (on acoustic and electric guitars). The duo was so much more expressive, and played with so much more energy and excitement, that the contrast between sets couldn’t have been much greater. Golia outdid himself, letting forth great whales of sound, some of the most powerful sax work I’ve ever heard live. But even better was Nels Cline’s guitar work, especially once he switched over to electric and just let go. I realized, there’s no living guitarist that I know of who I’d rather hear more. Running his guitar through various effects pedals and electronic gizmos, he was able to create great washes of guitar noise, looping around the room, looping in and out of Golia’s brilliant sax work. The fire off the music was overpowering the small venue. Really and awesome set. Amazingly, before the show, Cline mentioned that they’ve been playing together as a duo since 1976! My ears are still ringing, but it was definitely worth it. It's wonderful to be overwhelmed. 8:47 AM >>> 0 comments

Tattooed Life directed by Seijun Suziki is less wild then his great films, Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter, but is overall a pretty solid yakuza film, and definitely a fun watch. The story follows two brothers on the run, one a yakuza hitman and the other a slightly mad art student. Their plans to escape to Manchuria are somewhat thwarted when they become involved , and try to hide out with a group of construction workers. As you well know, you can’t escape your past (especially in cinema) and the exciting last twenty or so minutes of the movie make up for the mostly more traditional, almost Hollywood approach taken over the first sixty. There’s some interesting cutting and transitions throughout the movie, but it’s towards the end when Seijun Suziki’s extreme stylistic extravagances take over, and take the movie into a much higher realm.

By the way, the DVD transfer is excellent. Tattooed Life was released as part of Home Vision Entertainment’s great January 2004 slate, which also included Blackmail is My Life, If You Were Young: Rage, Cure, and two other earlier films from Suziki, Underworld Beauty, which I saw last year in the theater and felt it was interesting, but only so-so, and Kanto Wandered, which I have on my too be watched shelf. Sadly HVE’s schedule for the following months (now posted up till April) doesn’t seem to include any more classic Japanese films. I was hoping this mini-flood wasn’t just a one month deal, and we’d get the chance to see a lot more classic yakuza films in Region 1 w/ subs.

February remains a fantastic, almost overwhelming so, month for DVD releases, even though the 5 film Igmar Bergman collection from MGM has been screwed up and is now pushed back at least until May. Already released as of this writing was Lost In Translation, Diary of a Coutry Priest and Maitresse. On 2/10 the Herzog/Kinski boxset is being re-released. 2/17 has Antonioni’s Blow Up (finally on DVD!) and Pick Up on South Street. And 2/24 features a three pack of early Mike Leigh film’s (his best), Abigail's Party, Grown-Ups and Hard Labour. 9:48 AM >>> 0 comments

Getting pretty excited about the approach of the 2004 baseball season, even though my team seems to be moving in the wrong direction (if that’s even still possible when you haven’t won a post-season game since 1988). I’m trying to plan some short trips to see some weekend games down in San Diego and up in San Francisco and Oakland too. Apparently San Diego’s new downtown ballpark has been stuck with the moniker of PETCO Park - which I think is at least slightly embarrassing - it’s a shame these teams still have to scrounge to try to make every penny, and feel they have to sell everything that can be sold. I well remember how stupid it was to be down in Houston in the middle of the Enron scandal as the team desperately tried to transform the ballpark’s name from Enron Field to Minute Maid Park. God bless good ol’ Dodger Stadium. I’ll be out of town on opening day, or actually flying back to town, but I’ll definitely try to start the season off as close to right by making it out to game two or three, when April comes around.

Keeping it on a baseball tip, I just finished reading Christy Mathewson’s book Pitching in a Pinch. It was originally published in 1912, but so many of his insights about the game still apply today - I mean, it’s basically the same game, only the names and salaries have changed. A fun book, written in the thick of his career, in a simple, straightforward language, he avoids the nostalgic mood of so many baseball tales by actually writing about the game of his day - which of course WAS the good old days. It says something that his book is still in print 92 years later.

Speaking of in print, somebody has finally gotten around to reissuing Ornette Coleman’s 1962 Atlantic album Ornette on CD this week, very much worth picking up if you don‘t have it already. Scott LaFaro, who was tragically killed in a car wreck at the age of 25 only months after this album was recorded (and before it was even released), fills in on bass - taking over for the equally great Charlie Haden. Ed Blackwell shines, especially on the almost solo T & T. The interplay between Coleman and Don Cherry is as wonderful as anything you could hear - it’s really impossible to want anything more out of a record. 6:40 PM >>> 0 comments

Some good reading lately - David Halberstam’s Summer of ‘49 chronicles that year’s classic pennant race between the Yankees and Red Sox and is chock full of stories of the little events that make up a season, plus plenty of history of the great players on those teams. Halberstam’s clear prose run through by the light breeze of nostalgia was extremely readable. On the fiction front, I’m about halfway through Georges Simenon’s short Three Bedrooms in Manhattan and am really enjoying it. Originally published in 1946, it so far appears to be the story of the beginning of a relationship, but I’ve no idea where else it’s going (if anywhere). It’s got a really unique feel, a strange touch, that really hits. Seems like it was written yesterday too. 7:12 PM >>> 0 comments

The second night of the CEAIT Festival was as much a mixed bag as the first. They did an especially good job of showcasing a variety of approaches to creating music, but unfortunately variety doesn’t necessarily lead to interesting. Things started off pretty good with an entertaining performance by Nick Fox-Gieg and Sean Clute. I don’t know exactly how they did it, but they seemed to create their soundscape by the way one of them was shining and moving a light over drawings the other made, while images of the drawing were projected onto the theater’s large screen - at least it was visually interesting. One of the best and most entertaining performances of the night came from Kanta Horio. He had a weird set up - he projected a little set up space of his table onto the screen, through his computer which could manipulate the images displayed and the sound created in time. The music was generated by magnetized amplified contact mikes and little pieces of metal bouncing against them, vibrating in different ways as the current was changed or when Horio moved the pieces of metal by hand. The board was also covered with various sheets of paper, which were crumpled and manipulated by hand to create different sounds. It’s sounds a little stupid, but actually was fun - especially visually - the weird contrast of little things moving, clicking and clacking very loudly. Richard Chartier worked exclusively on laptop, dealt with very minimal sounds that required extreme listening. High pitched sinewave-esque sounds slowly cascading against very low, deep waves - barely audible but so deep the walls actually shook. The hall was a good place to listen to Chartier’s music - as on headphones it would have been unpleasant and if I played it on my stereo at home I wouldn’t have been able to hear it over the sound of cars roaring down the nearby street. The audience was thankfully filled with very quiet, attentive listeners. Richard Lerman created his music by applying the flame from a small butane torch to hanging sheets of metal and piezo elements and extremely amplifying the results. Weirdly, he seemed to be working from a score, although the results didn’t seem to warrant one. The sound created was completely uninteresting and so was the piece. Next was CD playback of a piece by Maggie Payne - also very blah/generic - supposedly computer manipulation of the sound of boiled water. Chris Mann read some kind of text while a computer and maybe his hand movements somehow manipulated the sound coming out of his mouth, cutting it up and change pitch and volume to make only snatches of the text understandable - it was a pretty weird piece, but ultimately not too interesting especially as it dragged on. The night’s momentum was fortunately recovered by Brian Crabtree. He’d built a whole little set-up with fun samples programmed into a lighted box, triggering the samples (and lights) by pressing the switches. The music had the same feel as some of the Childisc artists I’ve heard - the stutter-step beats and sense of humor was a very welcome relief after too much seriousness, too much pretension from some of the earlier artists. I wish his set had been longer, because unfortunately the last two acts headed right back (even further) into that too academic and just plain uninteresting territory that the festival often hovered around. Trevor Wishart used samples of two wine glasses being clinked together to explore the extremes of 16-channel stereo. Great cascades of sound were created by varying the pitch, speed and timing of the original sample, and at first the piece was interesting, like the THX demo before a bigtime movie. However, I now know, as neat as those THX trailers can be - you really don’t want them to drag on for twenty or thirty minutes. The final act, Laetitia Sonami created sheets of static and thrumbs of clicky sound through a wired up glove she wore which was connected to her laptop and some program or other. The sounds were triggered by her movements - and yes the piece was as stupid, pretentious and uninteresting as it sounds. Like the night before, the last act was definitely the lowlight of the festival.

As I walked back to the subway at midnight I passed a new, fancy restaurant whose speakers played onto their outdoor patio. The beauty of a saxophone solo by John Coltrane floated out across the night towards my ears. Ah - I thought - emotion. That’s what I missed in so much of the music I’d been listening to over the last couple of nights. Why is so much of the new electronic music so afraid of emotion? Nothing beats Coltrane. 11:01 AM >>> 0 comments

Very sad to get home tonight and read the news of the passing of the great bassist, Malachi Favors. I feel very blessed that I had the chance to just hear him with the Art Ensemble of Chicago last November in Oakland, and especially for the 2002 show in Seattle - which was one of the best shows I’ve ever been lucky enough to be at. Damn. 1:25 AM >>> 0 comments