Report From The Front...and the Back too.....

Good morning, Mr. And Mrs. America, and all the Ships at Sea. That would be all of you out there in Del Castillo land who didn't get to attend last night's final concert for DC....wherever you are. It was a normal DC gig, cept they pulled a few oldies out of the hat, like Castles and Perdoname (thank you, my brothers. That one lives in my heart forever.) I , and I suspect quite a few like me, spent much of the time trying to absorb for future memory all the details this brain could hold, so I can pull it back up again later. About half way thru I got distracted with a problem that worried quite a few of us thru the rest of the gig- Rick had pulled his back out the day before and it was causing him amazing pain. He played every last note though, to the credit of a consummate professional. I am hoping and praying he and Faith got home last night alright, and that he heals quickly. I have only had about 4 hours sleep, so am not getting the clarity of thought I want. I will do some stuff to clear the head, and try to give you better reporting in a bit. ~J

written at work, 25 June 2014 Oh good. The one day I really feel the need to relate to people I know on FB and the connectivity at work is down. Can’t check weather. Can’t check news. Can’t commiserate with fellow Del Castillo fans that we will no longer have places to get together and celebrate with the band….. Yeah, you read that right. DC announced late last night that they had decided after 14 years to call it quits….or to word it their way- an indefinite hiatus. There are a bunch of gigs between now and cutoff date October 5th that I will do my dangedest to be at, but the mere idea that there won’t be any more tours, any more time to go catch them in Europe, maybe not even any more CDs. Aye. My world has gotten duller already. I want to celebrate the amazingness that they have been- and are- in my heart and this world. I hope I can be a good positive fan until the end. I mean, I very much believe in a person’s right to choose a respectable, dignified exit from this world. Why not a band’s? The idea of “better to burn out,rather than fade away”

Patrick Moraz ...Etudes, Sonatas, Preludes

http://www.patrickmoraz.com/sound-1.htm

Please go to the above link and learn why I gush over this man to any who will listen to me.

I was absolutely mortified at myself to realize that hadn't written anything about this man or this album when it came out. Patrick's career goes back to the early 70s, and includes working with people like Chick Corea, Yes, The Moody Blues, Syrinx, Bill Bruford.....His virtuosity and extraordinary talent get lost to the backdrop of "pop" or more properly termed popular music, but I tell you this man is a modern Mozart.
All the others will fall to the wayside overtime, but I know what this man has composed, especially on the above album will live on for generations.

I am something of a classical music buff, though only something of. My ears know what works and what doesn't and the best of the classical world is usually a musical challenge to the player. Patrick composes and plays his own work, as he has for most of his 60-odd years. I can tell you something about the man by describing how I know he recorded this album.He doesn't even have to verify this- I know it is how he works. If the entire piece didn't work, felt wrong or didn't sound right on a playback, he recorded it again, as you hear it, verbatim. There is no manipulating in the studio.

Why? Because that is how he is.

Back in the mid 1990s, he did a small show tour of the US, playing for audiences often less than 100 at a seating. I was with him in Dallas for the show there, and witnessed something most of us will never experience again.
Patrick came out into the audience before the show, shook hands with and talked to everyone in the room, including bartenders, staff, me....I'd been with him much of the day at that point. The whole show was Patrick and a baby Grand piano, nothing else- not even any amplification. After going back to the stage he said "Thank you all for coming. I would like to now give back some of what you have just given me."

The man sat down and began a completely improvised piece of music, encompassing every emotion in the spectrum, drawing all those in the room into his world, his music, and making us all part of each other in the process.

One and a half HOURS later......he started the concert. We were all drained, put thru an emotional wringer, and still, he caught us up even further and took us on a journey even further into his world. My level of elation and exhaustion was unmeasurable. All of the people I went with were unable to speak about the experience for hours afterwards. There were no words. It was one of those moments that elude even the best poet. To this day I have not experienced a more intense, moving and utterly engulfing concert. I am not sure I could survive another.

But then again...what an astounding way to leave this mortal coil, if that be the case.

I haven't felt like writing much in the last year or so, for reasons I would have trouble explaining. This movie is probably going to bring out in me a whole lot of new thoughts. At the very least, every one who can, needs to see this film- Music truly IS Everything.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/us-news-blog/2012/apr/12/alive-inside-documentary-healing-music

San Antonio ain't totally lame.

http://morrisorchids.bandcamp.com/

Ok, this city isn't always as exciting as I would like, but maybe that's a good thing? It might be better for those who do strive to be heard to have the ability to be heard over the din in,say,Austin. Here, one might actually be able to find someone new who doesn't have to leave town to get a break. I saw these fellows, or part of the band anyway under a different name, and am now sorry I didn't buy a tee-shirt or something to support their efforts. This is by far the best thing to come out of the city in a long time- new that is. My regs are still there, and I remain a fan, but it is always nice to hear something new be given space.

I've been mostly busy being a photographer, not the writer, but will endeavour to bring some more of what's being going on around here to the light. namaste!