Haiku #2 - Kokopelli Goes Into Tech

in early autumn

air is cool but trees are green

stillness before change

Haiku #1 - Flight Delay

airport terminal

eleventh circle of hell

where is the starbucks?

It's the End of an Era!

I'm going on tour, y'all!

In the Heights, for which I worked as a rehearsal pianist when it was on Broadway, is embarking on the 2011-2012 national tour in about a month.  I'm going as the 2nd keyboard/associate conductor.  Very excited to be playing this music again, and to play with the band.

Fans of the show will know I stole the title of this post from the character Sonny.  Why do I talk about endings when I'm about to start on a new adventure?  Because beginnings and endings go together, duh...

I went next door to Nat's the other night for a glass of wine.  I used our "secret" passageway across the rooftop from my building to hers.  When I say, "be there in a minute", I mean it literally.  We catsit for each other; I once picked up Nat's bike from the repair shop.  Well, Nat is probably going to be moving out of the neighborhood sometime in the next few months.  I relish our little impromptu visits all the more because they may not be feasible when I get back.  

And of course the gig-goodbyes: letting my fall gigs know I won't be back this year, playing my last lobby lunchtime, trying not to lose it when my awesome 12-year-old piano student got tearful at the news that I'm abandoning her for the troubadour lifestyle.  I don't know what is on the other side of the next few months.  In the meantime, I get to play an awesome show, meet a lot of new people, and see a lot of new places.  Which all sounds pretty badass to me.

(P.S. I'm gonna take a little hiatus the next few weeks - but stay tuned for info on the tour - come see it when we come to a theater near you!)

Hiding my Piano from Irene!

Kawai Leopard-Pillow-Garbage-Bag Monster

I dressed my piano up as a sofa so Irene hopefully won't find it in the event my living room window breaks.  I'm on the 5th floor, so it's unlikely flying debris will be a problem (I heard glass break somewhere below me last night... and are we still under tornado watch? Not sure...), but there is a tree right outside that I've always loved for its sort of Zen-window-view representation of the seasons.  It's looking a little worse for wear and still has the heaviest winds to go, but so far so good.  

Diesel holding down the fort.

Speaking of windows, I slept in my entryway last night, because everywhere else in my apartment is too close for comfort to windows and the trees right outside.  This is the only instance in which I will complain about being too close to trees in New York City.

Central Park-Conservatory Gardens

 I took a walk yesterday morning during the calm before the storm, and took some pictures in Central Park.  Lots of people were milling around.  There was a couple looking at the plants in the Conservatory Gardens - I overheard the one of the women tell her partner about a type of grass that bends every but doesn't break in a storm.  Lots of people were walking their dogs.  There was a wedding party getting photos taken.  

My facebook news feed is filled with complaints of the anticlimactic hurricane.  Better that than catastrophic, I say!  We still have a few hours to go... here's hoping it is actually anticlimactic!

Metronomes and Hurricanes

My friend Dr. Beat

Sometimes he's there to push me

Sometimes calm me down

Gahhhh my focus sucks tonight!  I got my mind on the approaching hurricane, and a bunch of music I have to and/or want to learn.  Right now the metronome's job is to slow me down.  Sometimes it's there to nudge me faster, bit by bit; sometimes it's the CSI unit to sniff out rhythmic or technical crime scenes; right now it's the old granny lady forcing me to calm the hell down and concentrate.  

(Well, right now I'm taking a break to post this, and am gonna go visit Nat next door.  Concentration may have to wait for another hour.)

I have water, extra batteries, and other important emergency supplies for me and Diesel (you know, like beer, and cookies).  I also have extra 9V batteries for my metronome.  Irene, I think I'm ready for you.  

Incidentally, if you haven't yet, I hope you'll check out my "Lullabye" video (below). 

Weekly Wish VIDEO - "Lullabye"

Here is the latest Weekly Wishes video, filmed on location at my friend Matt Dinsick the Drummer's apartment. Singing is my friend Adam Reich, and joining us off-screen is Adam's friend Danny Reisbick the Bass Player.

This is the video that got tabled for logistical reasons back in the spring - it's hard enough to get two busy people's schedules to line up; four was a little ridiculous. But now it's the end of summer (read: not very lucrative, but less hectic at least), and we were able to find a couple hours the other afternoon to get together Matt's apartment in a leafy part of Brooklyn near Prospect Park.

Now, I'm a pretty considerate musician-neighbor. Matt is even more so because he's a drummer (neighbors are a lot quicker to get annoyed about drum practicing than piano practicing). He wanted to be wrapped up by 5 p.m. We got a couple decent takes at the beginning, but I decided to use this, our last take, what I like to call a f***-it take. I don't know that it was any better or worse than any of the others (as always, there are a hundred things I'd like to do better), but it was fun. And the dog outside seemed to enjoy it, too.

I have been wanting to learn to play that piano solo for a long time. Yay!

Weekly Wish VIDEO - "Lullabye"

Here is the latest Weekly Wishes video, filmed on location at my friend Matt Dinsick the Drummer's apartment. Singing is my friend Adam Reich, and joining us off-screen is Adam's friend Danny Reisbeck the Bass Player.

This is the video that got tabled for logistical reasons back in the spring - it's hard enough to get two busy people's schedules to line up; four was a little ridiculous. But now it's the end of summer (read: not very lucrative, but less hectic at least), and we were able to find a couple hours the other afternoon to get together Matt's apartment in a leafy part of Brooklyn near Prospect Park.

Now, I'm a pretty considerate musician-neighbor. Matt is even more so because he's a drummer (neighbors are a lot quicker to get annoyed about drum practicing than piano practicing). He wanted to be wrapped up by 5 p.m. We got a couple decent takes at the beginning, but I decided to use this, our last take, what I like to call a f***-it take. I don't know that it was any better or worse than any of the others (as always, there are a hundred things I'd like to do better), but it was fun. And the dog outside seemed to enjoy it, too.

I have been wanting to learn to play that piano solo for a long time. Yay!