jazzy bossa

John Pizzarelli blew my pants off, ladies and gentlemen. he gave one helluva performance!! but before i go any further with that, i'll share about other artists i've been seeing.

sunday. there were also four free performances in the Market Square just like one day earlier, except that i skipped the first two shows by Jon Miller Quartet and Gnu Standards. (actually i catched a glimpse of Gnu's performance for a bit but i found them boring, so i hang around elsewhere until Sara showed up.) these last days have been unbelievably hot for canada; and since the venue is outdoor, through all the concerts i'm exposing myself for hours directly to the sun. the result? alerting sunburn. as in, very dark. reddish kinda dark. keling. but no matter, because these last days also have been the greatest moment i've spent in this city. so around 2.30 pm, Sara Marreiros Quartet was showing. accompanying Sara were one rhythm guitar, one bass and drums. being half-portuguese, Sara sings tunes from her country with a remarkable passion. she takes the lyrics seriously (which are in portuguese), while the mixed rhythm of brazilian tunes, portuguese melodic-pop, and jazz gives the chill out mood to the audience. very powerful vocal. her authentic way of performing is also a plus. no wonder she was also the opening act for Pizzarelli's concert last night, where she gave even a stronger and more passionate performance.

that chill out mood, however, was extended until the rest of the afternoon, thanks to what Perros Libre had performed (the band's name, which is in spanish, literally means 'free the dog'). four guitars—three acoustic, one rhythm—with two traditional drums and lotsa percussions guarantee their latin music as sophisticated as the mood they had created for the lazy afternoon. some of the songs are like the kind of instrumental music that you might have heard as a soundtrack for a movie—the soothing ones. it makes you just want to relax and stretch your leg a bit farther hoping someone might give you a free massage.

so there goes brazilian/portuguese tunes, latin, and here's another one: BossaYou, as the name says loud and clear, is a bossanova band. and undoubtedly, took my mind away. i catched them on stage yesterday; the singer's vocal is unique and his brother in the guitar is hypnotic. the other two members are in drums and bass. they opened their show with the sweet classic Aqua de Beber, which of course stole my attention right away. they seem to be heavily influenced by Bebel Gilberto's work, for they even performed the modified versions of two of her songs, August Day Song and Tanto Tempo without making them less appealing. the mix was luscious but still has a modern edge. catchy.

The loss for the last three days is a lot: Stacey Kent with her dazzling vocal, Montreal's sensational Bullfrog, Mexican Lhasa with her cabaret influence, Orchestra Natinale de Jazz big band from Paris, and Calexico's mix of jazz swagger, mexicali blues and electro-funk. and i'm gonna skip much more the next few days. but, again, no matter. because last night, i watched the concert of the greatest, baddest, illuminating jazz guitarist/vocalist on earth:



the mind-blowing John Pizzarelli!! (for you who don't know, he's the son of the legendary jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli.) well, of course, with his band, so let's make that John Pizzarelli Trio. but that's not entirely true. sure, ever since the last ten years John has been accompanied by the remarkable pianist Ray Kennedy and his brother Martin Pizzarelli playing the bass (and the trio is the foundation of most of his records), but apparently the drumless trio has no longer been drumless this year, for they've recruited one more member as the drummer—my bad, i forgot his name (but i do remember John mentioned something about the drummer dating his sister). so it's now supposed to be a quartet. the concert is a part of Victoria's JazzFest, but it is also a program for the tourforf his latest album, Bossa Nova, which features Daniel Jobim—Antonio Carlos Jobim's grandson—as vocal, and he's the special guest for last night, which makes five of them and therefore should be named John Pizzarelli Quintet.

as such, the album is inspired a lot by Antonio Carlos and features classic bossa songs by him such as The Girl From Ipanema, Waters of March and One Note Samba. needless to say, i almost fell from the chair when those songs were played. but no, really. never before had i seen such an exceptionally talented musician live. John's guitar isn't supposed to be questioned at all, you just can't help but feeling awestruck. he could do this obscure thing, but amazing nonetheless, of wording his guitar rhythm in the same time as he plays it for an extended period—simply breathtaking. how on earth did he do that? this is the only concert in part of JazzFest that i'm willing to spend for the quite-expensive ticket, but i should say i've made the right choice. John isn't just a talented guitarist (and vocalist), but he's a true performer. the jokes that he threw between the songs weren't dry, and the way he explained the background of each song was plain hilarious. he also has this facial—and body—expression while playing his guitar that's inevitably amusing. don't even ask about the music. Ray Kennedy was totally on fire last night, i wonder how he managed not to burn his fingers off after playing the piano that exciting. they played total in that two hours time (one hour before them was Sara Marreiros Trio) without giving the audience a chance to feel disssapointed at all. charming. simply put, they kick ass!!!

it's all well worth the ticket, the time, and the hassle. as you might have noticed, all of these artists are somewhat related to the brazilian bossa nova. the music of the year? maybe it's just me, but i think the euphoria isn't exagerated. you simply wouldn't get bored with the tunes. sophisticated, chill out, jazzy, groovy.

the festive spirit

summertime in victoria means festival time. warm sun, cool breeze, tourists-packed, groovin' (and the occasional annoying) music, lotsa cool (and the occasional dull) performances, funky (and the occasional bulky) crafts, and good (and the occasional ripoff) food. oh, and of course, good time. no exception for that one.

that being said, JazzFest is the foremost reason of it. even though the event isn't as big as other cities' own JazzFest across the country, it was the trendsetter and is among the raunchiests of all. and for a city the size of victoria, the event is BIG—with capital letters. enough local contributors, enough canadian artists, and enough across-the-globe musicians.

so i went to see the free performances at the Market Square. started at noon, i arrived around 1 o'clock so i missed the first performance by the highly-appraised Damiam Graham Trio. But came along the next show by the Flying Saucers—four old men playing guitar, bass, drums, clarinet and saxophone, delivering pre-50's blues rhythm and swing style tunes inspired by the big bands era. sounds boring? then you don't understand why they call it the good ol' days. hear them and you might find yourself humming—and dancing—along. the crowd wasn't just the grannies, and i'm thankful for that. of course, the seniors were there too, but they also attract lots of swing-driven jazz lovers from various age groups (and that includes me), and the parrots. that's right, parrots. as in the birds.

one kickin' hour and it's time for the group who stole the show, the Budapest-based Besh o droM. (maybe alaya knows them? =P) the place was suddenly packed, and full with groove. the band has 8 people playing 2 saxophones, a (rockin') trumpet, 2 drums, a bass, a guitar, percussions, and one obscure-looking instrument i don't even know what it's called. but this wasn't the real shocker—at least for me. for me, the shocker was their first song ('piece', as they call it), which, i swear to God, has the same rhythm with one of indonesia's most famous folk songs: *drumrolls* kopi dangdut! except that they were so good and talented that the music doesn't sound like dangdut at all, but instead it was kinda like a mixture of the 60's french electro-jazz music with the hand-clapping, feet-tapping and belly-shaking mediterranean cocktail tunes. for their next songs—uhm, pieces—the ethnic yet funky band kept their balkan-ish gypsy music fabulously jazzy. groovy.

curious, i finally put the courage to approach them and ask about their music influences. i talked to the lead-saxophonist (his performance was amazing, by the way), said that i really enjoy their music and that their first song is similar with a very popular song in indonesia. "our first song? you mean the first piece that we played? in where?" he asked. "indonesia," i repeated. "really?" "yeah. and so i thought maybe you were also influenced by asian music other than the middle easterns," i explained. he looked perplexed for a second and finally said, "but that music is originally from romania."

oh. kay.

i missed the first half of the next performer, the German Youth Orchestra or the Landes Jugend Jazz orchester Hessen because i had to wait for my friend who were coming from vancouver but turned out to be really late. but that's another story. anyway, i catched up for the latter half, finding about 20 people in a big band—from germany, as the name suggests— playing mainstream jazz music as what it should be (three quarter of wind section and the rest is rhythm section). very entertaining, i wish i watched them since the beginning. but they're not the biggest lost of the day, however. for that goes to the Jaga Jazzist who performed the night before and the sultry, Oslo-based Beady Belle (damn!) who performed later in the evening. while i know the former beforehand that they're gonna be really good, i hadn't heard about the latter until when the staff played their record in-between the shows. nu-jazz hip combined with funk and drum 'n bass. i was strucked. they're G.O.O.D. (lan, if you like Bebel Gilberto you'll love Beady Belle). if only they lower their ticket price...

and so i went to the FolkFest afterward, but i'll share the story later on. i just realized i've written one freakin' long post, eh?

fahrenheit spree

and after the buzz that has been going on for quite a while, this controversy is finally released today yesterday in theatres across north america. i went to watch it for the 7:15pm show and really was lucky to get the ticket because it was almost sold out. in the theatre groups of people had to scatter around because the theatre was so packed, it's almost impossible to find empty seats. by the time we finished the movie, i found out that the 9.30pm show was also sold out and people were lining up in a 2-block queue. two blocks! i couldn't believe it. and keep in mind that this is in a small city somewhere on the west coast of canada. not surprisingly, the response is even more euphoric in the home country. call it the timing (election is coming soon), call it the grief-effect, or whatever you like. but moore has done a great job with his documentary in turning theatres into political arenas (as what the media reports).

which makes me wonder.. what would happen if some indonesian filmmakers doing a documentary about indonesian elites? you know, the kind that would dishing the dirts off our bureaucracies, policies and whatnot. highly unlikely, for sure, and prolly it'll do nothing but to create more troubles. but i just can't help to imagine how the reaction would goes...

the bedroom

am lately into details. call it the nothing-better-to-do syndrome. .

let's see, first of all, obviously the bed. the blanket covers only half of it, and the pillows are on the carpet floor. i barely use the blanket lately, though. the nights are getting hotter. no, we don't use fans, let alone air conditioners. then, the bedside table, bought it at a garage sale for a pretty good deal. what's on it? a severely-damaged alarm clock due to excessive banging (i don't do mornings), a glass of water, my discman being charged, a box of tissue and my current read (michael chabon's the amazing adventure of kavalier and clay). in the right side is the hall tree, with a raincoat, 3 jackets, 2 hats, and a belt hanging. next to it is the bookshelf. on top are another tissue box, coins, a mug-to-go, and my passport wallet (what is it doing over there?). in it, needless to say are my books and my CD collections, along with empty cases, blank CDs and my old agenda. then, on the left side next to it, my desk.

this desk. my palace for most of the time. piles of papers, inside and out of thin and painstakingly thick folders. a table lamp. two small drawers full of batteries, stapless, keys and whatnot. packs of small paper notes and push pins. post-it notes with different sizes and loads of office supplies (puncher, scissors, cutter, stapler and the like). numerous pens, pencils, markers and hiliters, working or not. more of my CD collections. two pocket dictionaries. calculators. photos. notes all over the desk. my CD case to-go. on top are table clock, uncountable pennies and dimes, a ruler kit, more CD cases, a pack of kopikos (hey, they sell it at the supermarket!), textbooks and coursepacks. back below, two other mugs (one is filled with recipes), a bottle of mineral water, a bottle of nestea, more pens, more coins, more papers, phonecards, a jazzfest brochure, an empty plate (i just had my dinner) and of course, my lifesaver, my second girlfriend, my notebook. on the wall of my desk is a noteboard which, of course, is full of notes and pin-ups and postcards. while below are my notebook's suitcase, 2 modems, a trash bin and 4 big folders full of files and more papers. and the desk chair.

opposite of the desk is the closet (it's part of the wall) which of course contains nothing but a whole mess of plastic bags, boxes, bags, my clothes and other things that you might or you might not want to know. heck, i even put my medicines inside. next to it is the comfy, daily-used sofa. single sitted, i also got it from a garage sale with a very low price (but hey, it's a really nice sofa!!). then a folding tray table, where a bottle of vitamins, next term's calendar, a style manual, my wallet, even more coins, the house keys, some book markers and my student ID lay. near the door is my laundry bucket, full of clothes fresh out of the washing machine waiting to be folded. i hate that one. and finally, the shoe-rack. wait, the wall. four posters, one incubus, one john mayer, one ministry of sound and one trainspotting. one 4-month wall planner. and a mirror. there.

phew! listing all of these was a hard work. i'm sweating! i definitely have nothing better to do. [update: i just realized after re-reading it that i use the words of course a lot. i'm not sure what makes me think you'd known what my bedroom looks like.]

trivia of the day

type the words miserable failure as a search query at google. it will lead you to this particular site.

but hold your laugh. the second and the third results, respectively, lead you to the biography pages of jimmy carter and michael moore.

seems like the googlebombing war has begun. for more information, click at the fourth and the sixth results.

ost - my life [part 6]

i thought i'd do this thing again. it's been awhile. for previous parts: part one, two, three, four, and five.

101. the scene of me longing for a lazy afternoon: death cab for cutie - title track

102. the scene when i wish i'm somewhere in brazil: helena - morrer nos seus bracos (remix by de-phazz)

103. the most important scene: gaelle - falling

104. the scene when tomorrow is blur: erlend oye with mr. velcro fastner - symptom of disease

105. the scene when i'm strolling at the harbour after sunset: metropolitan jazz affair - yunowhathislifeez (jazz mix)

106. the scene where i'm in a 70's style lounge: stateless - fall into you

107. the scene when i will never lose my melody: zuco 103 - treasure

108. the scene when the grass is in its greenest state: bebel gilberto - all around

109. the scene when i'm dealing with those snobby kids: ben folds - there's always someone cooler than you

110. the scene when she doesn't love me, not like i want her to: ivy - lucy doesn't love you

111. the scene of me experiencing a not-so-pleasant entoptic phenomenon: lamb - sugar 5

112. the round scene: eddie brickel - circle

113. the scene when i don't know what i've done: blur - beetlebum

114. the scene when i can see things clearly in between the fog: astrud gilberto - here's that rainy day (koop remix)

115. the scene of me stargazing: soulstice - andromeda

116. the scene of me trying to put on shapes and colors to a blank canvas: jack tripper - evening star

117. the scene when i don't want to go out from my room: central living - inside

118. the scene when i'm in a cheap mood (and i mean cheap): moving units - between us and them

119. the scene when everybody's whistling: frankie knuckles - the whistle song (sound factor)

120. the scene when i don't give a damn of what people would think of me: leon ware - what's your name

shrieking affliction

on the verge of my patience. my sanity. my rationality. my productivity. my prudence.

time, more often than not, contradicts the reality. not too long ago i realized one thing: time flies. i'll be home in no time. after what seems like forever, it sure was an enlightenment. a relief. a consolation. except that it prolly was a wishful thinking, more or less. i forgot how time, especially near the end, move slower than a snail. sometimes it goes so slow that i thought it's moving backward.

am listening to old records. it doesn't help a single bit, i just figured. one thing, it only makes you want to scream until your throat sore. i wish i could—if it isn't 3am i definitely would. i almost feel that i'm having a nervous breakdown. am in the mood of smashing and throwing things. maybe banging my head would be nice. mess up the whole house. oh yes, sir. destructive? impulsive? doesn't sound like me? well, you're wrong. i just found out that i actually am a minute ago.

instead, though, i did the exact opposite. i cleaned everything up. rearranged my CDs and books. filing past lecture notes. folding my piled-up laundry. took the vacuum cleaner to my room and sucked all the dust on every corner. i practically did everything except the dishes. i blame it on my jitters. the depression has come to my nerves, i suppose.

crap. i totally need a change. my life is simply too boring. too ordinary, indifferent, freakin' predictable. unworthy might be the right word.

god, have mercy on me.

concerning details

the wall at the back of my refrigerator has yellow stains.
there's a splinter at the front-left leg of one of the breakfast chairs.
the tile pattern of the kitchen floor has five different colors.
i have a six-month-old chicken sausage in the corner of my fridge.
scott doesn't have a proper pel (what's that word in english?) cloth.
scott only has one small water bucket (i.e. ember).
the framed affirmation that scott hang on the kitchen wall, 'a clean house is a sign of a misspent life!', is askew.
we keep too many plastic bags under the kitchen sink.
there are four kitty toys scattered around the house.
scott's girlfriend's homemade strawberry-topped cheesecake tastes good.

all of these i've just noticed yesterday—despite the fact that i've lived here for almost 10 months—when i had to turn my fridge off for a day to melt the freezer's troublesome ice.

funny, isn't it, how we cease to notice the details of daily things around us until something bad happens and you need to clean all the mess up.

you don't want fries with that

remember the last time i rant about fast food? well, i finally had the chance to watch the documentary that i've mentioned, super size me, yesterday. and if it has any effect on me, it does nothing but justifying my belief on fast food. i.e. it will only make your body crumple and fall apart. watching spurlock (the director/producer/guinea pig of the movie) eat and drink nothing but anything in mcdonald's menu three times a day for 30 days is like watching a movie about a person commiting suicide. really. he only held to 3 simple rules:

1. no options, he could only eat and drink what was available over the counter (water included)
2. no supersizing unless offered (he was offered 8 times, 5 of them were when he's in texas; he puked more than once, too)
3. no excuses, he had to eat every item on the menu at least once

and at the end of the movie he'd gained more than 25 lbs (it took me 8 months to lose as much weight) and doubled the chance to get almost every cholesterol-related disease. he had short breathe, got tired easily, sex life went down, you name it. extreme? yes. but that's what you'll get if you continue to eat fast food for years. once you get diabetes, it will cut 17-27 years of your potential life. sounds unpromising to me.

all i can say is, i'm just glad we indonesian don't eat fast food that much. home meal is definitely much better and yummier!!

random clicks

1. feeling politically uproared lately? stressed out and need some game for refreshment? have at least an hour to spare during your lazy afternoon? check out the anti-Bush online adventure. despite of becoming a john kerry campaign at the end of the game (d-uh), the game reveals some facts behind bush's tax cut, as you might have known already, to say the least. you've never seen a flash game quite like this, which can only be experienced, not described. (warning: not suitable for minors and bigots)

2. curious on your blog's rank according to google? have some calculus with the calculator.

3. remember that simple-yet-stylish Vans slip-ons from the 60's? well, now you can have your own customly-made pairs with 20 colors and patterns to choose and applied to 8 different parts of the shoes, for just $50, at Vans Customs. on a slightly-more-expensive note, you too can have a design-your-own sneakers and bags at Nike ID.

temperature rising

well hello, summer!

last week was full of rainy days and chilly wind, and guess what's the peak temperature for the last three days? almost 105° F! ain't it great? victoria has never been this hot.. at least for me. but that's only half true, however. mornings and nights here can still be considered as cool, for sometimes it still reaches below 50°. but during the day, it'd be such a waste to spend it inside—i always find myself looking for the sun lately, tanning my already too-tan skin tone (i.e., item). instead of taking the bus, for example, i prefer walking to my campus, despite that i actually can ride my bike. (and that, too, is only half true. the bike belong to my landlord, but he let me use it anyway.) with the helmet requirement and everything, riding a bike can be so cumbersome i just don't consider it as 'fun' anymore. and instead of prowling myself inside the library or student lounge to study, i prefer the green grass on the campus's center field as my desk. or, for some lazy afternoons, at the backyard of the house. with the occasional frisbee playing, excitement of upcoming events (jazzfest, 24 hrs run rally, parade, gulf island trip, jakarta) and the not-too-heavy workload, all in all life is good.

except for the awfully itchy and reddish rash that keeps bloating all over my skin, that is. it's awful—i don't know how on earth can i get that. i might blame the sun, but how come i've never had this kind of rash before? it isn't that bad, actually, eventually it'll dissapear by itself after about 2 or 3 hours. still, you might find it disturbing—and embarassing—to scratch your skin every 5 minutes for 3 freakin' hours, especially when you're in a crowd!

and as i've said, because it's still cold during morning and night, i always need to be jacket-ready everywhere i go. which can be agitating sometimes, for obvious reason. but hey, who am i to rant? this is far better than during winter—even spring—and surely i am obligated to cherish the season with that big grin of mine attached on my face. life is good.

you have to excuse my ramblings. i'm in the summer mood, so you can't blame me too much. it's been a while since the last time i post something here, eh? to be honest i kinda miss it. i've been busy enjoying summer, i guess. *grin* but of course, now all the heavy readings and exams for my summer course have passed (i only have one class left), i have more than enough time to start filling up this blog with, uhm, more of my rants. :) have a groovin' weekend, folks!