Thursday, October 30, 2003
© 2003 Pamela MacCarthy
Digital
"Helloween"
I want to thank all my family and friends for tuning in to the Mama Jazz Show .
It was a special thrill hearing us on the air:
Pamela MacCarthy - vocals
Akio Ueda - tenor sax
Shuichiro Ise - trumpet
Tod Carver - guitar
Keisaku Takahashi -piano
Karl Kaminski - bass
Jimmie Smith - drums
Special thanks to my sister Wendy for keeping me online company.
And of course, Phyllis Campbell, Mama Jazz...
Till next time... 'Mela
9:16 PM
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
I just got an email from Phyllis Campbell,
or Mama Jazz
at WMUB/FM.
She will be including me on her broadcast
Thursday evening, starting at 8pm EST,
or Friday morning, from 10am in Tokyo.
Click the picture to go to the online broadcast!
Thanks to Phyllis Campbell, of course, for playing my CD-
and my friend Johan,
for gettin' me hip to the MAMA...
I signed my painting today,
putting a finishing touch to a month and a half of work.
I will post an image of "LOTUS POND"
soon...
I'm so excited I can hardly type.
I need some chamomile tea,
or better yet- a bike ride along the river!
Till next time... 'Mela
11:01 PM
Monday, October 20, 2003
It was a good night last night.
My student and I went to Kei's place
for the Monday night jam session.
I met a few new people;
a young tenor man that could blow alittle...
Goddamn smoky, though.
It's a relatively small place, and I don't know what it is about live music,
but people just got to smoke.
I quit almost 2 years ago.
Now it seems that smoke bothers me more than ever.
Cough cough... where was I?
My student did well.
But there were a few hitches...
There were a bass player and drummer in the mix-
quite a different picture than the one I had imagined with piano only.
I love the bass and drums,
if it's with musicians I know and I like their style.
But bass players who go boompa boompa boompa,
just beatin' that dog with no singin' goin' on -
get the drummer in the mood to play too damn loud.
Such was the case last night.
The pianist was sensitive, but if the bass player is on oof,
well, what can you do?
If it was me up there,
people would have been notified.
But it was my student,
and I must resist the urge to fight her battles-
Not the best of stages for a beginning vocalist,
but my student was happy for the opportunity...
Next, on over to BFlat, to see Mike Price and his quintet-
He was backing up Joe Lee Wilson.
My student and I caught the end of the show,
but, as always, Joe was right on time...
The first time I met Joe was a few years back,
he came over from Paris to sing at the KEY NOTE in Harajuku with Archie Shepp,that absolutely divine tenorman-
Joining him was my very old and dear piano playin' friend, Richie Clements
whom I know from my piano bar days in NYC.
I originally came to see Richie,
but I was so thrilled to meet Joe, and later, Archie...
It was a good night to be out, last night.
There was music in the air, and that lovely October night feeling...
Almost forgot to mention,
I sent my press kit in today to
the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival 2004
music production crew...
Here's hoping...
Till next time... 'Mela
8:56 PM
Sunday, October 19, 2003
Today is my sister Wendy's birthday.
I have three beautiful sisters.
Wendy is #3 in line.
I am the oldest.
We were all born within five years...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENDY!.
Hope you have a great day!
XXX & OOO's
Till next time... Mela
9:35 AM
Thursday, October 16, 2003
This Monday, I am taking my vocal student to a "vocal jam session".
I know, I know.
The very idea of a "jam session"
brings back memories of
horror and dread.
But this "jam" session is limited to aspiring vocalists.
My friend Kei Ishida over at Bossa Nova/Jazz Club Kei
has this event most Mondays.
It is a good opportunity for my student to get accustomed
to using a microphone,
and performing in a live situation,
without the pressure of drawing in the customers.
When I did it, it was called "working in a piano bar"
But the times they are a changin'...
I perform at Club Kei on occasion-
My next time there will be Dec. 12th, Friday.
I'll post more info on that on my website next week...
In any event, my student has been preparing and rehearsing for this,
and I think she'll do well.
I offer her tips on proper breathing exercises for vocal power,
diction, phrasing and timing.
I've had to learn these things the hard way,
over time and experience-
but I'm not opposed to sharing a few tips...
When I was starting out,
they had a place called "UPSTAIRS on GREENE STREET"...
It used to feature showcases for up and comers.
I remember it well, the angst of performing for a true
listening crowd,
as opposed to the piano bar scene,
where clinking glasses and loud merry making
made it necessary for me to belt out a tune,
or not be heard.
The days of winging it...
You can't teach that.
But I can assist one who has the inclination...
And just let me say for the record that I am a fervent
YANKEE fan!
Kick some bean-town butt, OK?
Till next time... 'Mela
11:28 PM
Monday, October 13, 2003
December is whipping into shape...
I can breathe a sigh of relief.
My gig calendar has been looking
out like trout in a drout...
But being the seasoned professional I am,
I know that things ebb and flow,
and one shouldn't get too down about a lack of dates...
I got an email from a fellow transplanted-to-Tokyo musician,
asking me if I want some sheet music from "The Colony"
as he is in New York for a couple days.
How nice.
I used to go to that store all the time,
when I lived in the Apple.
They got sheet music, sheet music,
and if you are really in need, sheet music.
Also, a very cool staff, with some really knowledgeable guys who will find the music you want, or tell you where to go ... to find it.
Goddammit, I miss NEW YORK.
Wouldn't that be a great song?
And now for the fourth week -topping the Billboard Jazz Charts,
Pamela MacCarthy singing her self-penned tune:
"GODDAMMIT, I MISS NEW YORK"
Tell us, Miz Mac, what spurred you on to write such a perrenial favorite?
It's too dark to paint today,
I'm listening to "Danse Macabre" by Camille Saint-Saëns...
Till next time... 'Mela
8:02 PM
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
© 1996 Pamela MacCarthy
"The Persimmon Tree"
37 cm x 45 cm gouache
Persimmon are called "kaki" here in Japan....
The trees are everywhere; I painted this in October,
when the fruit just starts to become bright orange, and ripe...
It's in supermarkets now; it has a subtle flavor, not overpoweringly sweet or tangy.
To me they are a symbol of Autumn in Japan.
In November, the leaves get as orange as the fruit,
then drop off, while some fruit still clings to the branches...
A poignant site, with a dusting of the first snow...
Till next time... 'Mela
Labels: Acrylic Gouache, Artist Pamela MacCarthy, Japan, kaki, The Persimmon Tree
10:09 PM
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Photo: Michio Yves Ueda
