Saturday, October 28, 2006
My next gig is next Friday the 3rd of November,
at Half Tone, Tachikawa.
When I was in Los Angeles,
my friend Young Hee took me to a fabulous
discount fragrance store, in downtown L.A.
I am a fragrance lover,
but in Japan,
I can't always get the fragrances I like,
as they are either priced out of my reach,
or have been discontinued- (either in manufacturing, or delivering here...)
Imagine my glee when I asked for 3 of my favorite hard-to-find fragrances,
and this place had ALL of them,
at a discount!
First, from my favorite perfume house, Guerlain.
Jicky,
in eau de toilette form.
It is available mainly in eau de parfum form,
in tiny, expensive bottles, here...
Next, a perfume not easily found, anywhere-
But I scored in this shop:
Je Reviens; Worth, Paris.
The third is one of my "Winter" favorites,
I used to buy this at the Osaka Airport,
on my return trip home from my Christmas Shows:
Basile, from the House of Profumi, Italy...
It's a lovely cross between two of my other Winter favorites,
Opium, ( Yves Saint Laurent ) and Coco by Coco Chanel.
Big thanks to my friend Young Hee
for turning me on to this place!
I updated my iPOD with some Hollow-weeny stuff:
Return of the Living Dead - The Cramps
Ancient Tomes - Midnight Syndicate
Crypts of Eternity - Slayer
Tales From the Crypt Theme - (Who the Hell Knows Who Does This?)
I Put A Spell On You - Bette Midler (HOCUS POCUS)
Vampira - Jaco Pastorius
I Was A Teenage WereWolf - The Cramps
Fire - The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
Gothic Sanctum - Nox Arcana
Improperly Dressed - The Slits
Beetlejuice Theme - Danny Elfman
Pretty in Pink - The Psychedelic Furs
The Killing Jar - Souxsie & The Banshees
Look Mom, No Head! - Iggy Pop & The Cramps
Barbie's Dead - UK Subs
Friday, I'm in Love - The Cure
Last Waltz in Budapest - Boris Kovac & The Ladaaba Orchestra
It's almost Halloween!
Till next time...'Mela
1:52 AM
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
The tires touched down on Narita airport,
delivering me back to The Land of the Rising Sun, on Sunday.
After almost 90 degree sunshine in Los Angeles,
the cool, rainy night was a stark contrast.
Yep, I'm glad to be home again...
My time in Los Angeles was so lovely,
due in large part to my friend, Young Hee, and her family's warm hospitality...
"Mrs. Pamela" was welcomed as a family member, for 2 weeks.
Many thanks, to the Bain family...
Till next time...'Mela
1:52 AM
Monday, October 16, 2006
Greetings from Los Angeles...
I have been relatively busy since my arrival,
and posting is not so convenient...
'Skooozy...
My gig at Cavallino's went very well.
The guys were absolutely fab!
Billy "Mitch" Mitchell - piano
Tomas Gargano - bass
Kenny Elliot - drums
I met a nice guy from LA JAZZ; Glenn Mitchell
who took photos of us all, to include in his article for the LA JAZZ
monthly magazine.
Should be in the November issue...
I have been staying with Young Hee
and her family, and that has been lovely.
Young Hee is a very warm person,
and we have been having fun telling our stories to each other.
Also, she's a great cook,
and her mom makes the best kim-chee!
Last night was my turn to prepare
Mama Mela's Italian Extravaganza!
It was a hit!
Today, I will visit with some dear old friends
that I haven't seen since 1993.
Debby & David, & Peedy & Mike...
I will teach a vocal workshop with Billy "Mitch" Mitchell on piano,
at the Arai Network Music School
tomorrow...
Later in the week, I'm going to meet another old friend from my
80's L.A. days, Marilyn.
Marilyn will cruise up from San Diego to see me!
When I return to Tokyo I will put up pics
of my trip.
I am having a great, relaxed time.
A little glitch getting past the air quality allergies,
but Young Hee gave me some excellent Chinese herbal tea bouillon
and it is easing up...
Taking it a day at a time...
I know I will miss my new friends,
and remember all my good times, here...
And how about those Mets?
Till next time...'Mela
12:57 PM
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
I'm here in Los Angeles at last!
After a long flight, nothing beats a friendly smile, and some Vietnamese
noodles, to set you right!
My lovely girlfriend Young Hee, met me at LAX,
and whisked me off for a nice light snack...
Later on, back at her & her families' place...
I met YH's husband, Jeff,Sr. her son, Jeff Jr., & Little Audrey,
who is very sweet to let me use her room for a little while...
Tryin' to shakeoff the jet lag,
which has been kept minimal with all the wonderful activity that meeting new friends
and family can bring.
I met the whole family for the most excellent bar-be-que.
Lots of laughs, and my jetlagged furbrain was feeling right at home!
Sunday, we made a stop in Buster's,
a neighborhood coffee/art/music kinda hangout.
No sooner we sit down,
on the sunlit sidewalk bench outside,
than some kickin' jazz action was fired up.
Helloooo Pamela!
I gravitated in to see who was attached to these fine
sounding jams.
An excellent keyboardist, bassman, and drummer
were gettin' busy...
Then a young lady gets up to sing a tune.
A high shool student of The Arts;
she had a nice delivery, and I smiled,
remembering my own self starting out...
Next a tenorman joined the mix,
and then, yours truly,
Miz Mela Mac
gets up to bring a heapin' helpin' of her own brand of
musicality...
It was a serendipitous afternoon.
It brought me back to the days of the "old" Upper West Side, NYC-
The neigborhood joints.
Artists, musicians, actors, poets, and the like,
would congregate and share ideas, etc.,
and pass the hat at the end of the session...
These same places have now been converted to BIG BI'NESS INC.,
created for tourists...
But, I digress...
I met Young Hee's parents.
They both were very warm,
and it was a nice meeting.
Today I will get together with Billy "Mitch" Mitchell
and the Trio, for a little rehearsal
before our gig at
Cavallino's this Thursday, Oct. 12th...,
'Till next time...'Mela
12:06 PM
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Photo: Michio Yves Ueda
