Son of the Son of Nuchim

Max Roach on Rap

2012-02-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

Here is something thought provoking for you to check out.

I think he is so smart and correct about a lot of things. And by characterizing rap as spoken word form and less of a 'music' form per se makes sense to me.

But I don't totally agree. For one thing, a lot - most- jazz musicians of the golden age had training. They may have not gone to conservatories (Miles Davis spent at least some time at Julliard). But they studied and practiced their instruments. Mr. Roach might be chagrined at the comparison, but Paul McCartney is another example of a fine, brilliant musician with a lot of training in voice, piano and guitar among other things - but he never went to formal music school or learned to read music.

I don't think you would have music like jazz without societal factors compelling and also providing the conduit, as he says. But he's really mischaracterizing an element inherent in pretty much all the musicians he mentions. Coltrane studied. Charlie Parker studied. Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins - you get my point. And you would not have had a Motown Sound without highly educated,seasoned musicians who could write arrangements and songs quickly - not to mention play and record them quickly!

And in the digital age, sadly, the floodgates have been opened to allow anyone, of any color, to make recordings. So I would argue that the overarching direction in all music making has been a bit of a downward spiral. There's more recordings, and maybe many good ones. Disproportionately shit, I'd say.

Lastly, Mr. Roach says nothing with regard to the issues around sampling. Whether they are traditional musicians or not, Rap artists are making recordings that make money. We've become conditioned (it's our 'zeitgeist') to 'new' recordings that borrow, often very directly, from old recordings. Most of the people involved in the old records are not compensated - in fact I would guess that an effort is rarely made to go beyond what is most legally binding. I wonder what Mr. Roach would have made of the Rap industry that has made so much money and essentially exploited so many musicians and composers - a good number of whom are black.

Verification

2012-02-11T06:04:00.000-08:00

Genny Kapuler tells us the patterns our bodies take can be formed in utero. That collapsing or overworking of one side might be that deeply rooted. Yoga, a maligned entity around these parts nowadays, creates sensitivity to these patterns.
In reading a very brief summation of the history of western medicine, it was interesting to learn how a field that is so respected and revered like neurology, for instance, that has its roots in total insanity (picture Pearl Jam's Vitology). I mean this was not so long ago. Along those same lines, I think of my grandfather's stiff arthritic hands late in life, and the kind of advice that used to be given - if a joint is stiff, don't use it. Definitely not in fashion today. Sedentary lifestyles are being discouraged more and more, but health gurus like Jack LaLane were dismissed as charlatans early on.
So what of this thing called Yoga? Its seemingly esoteric philosophy, its 'contorted' physical postures, its increasingly heatedly debated efficacy? To me Iyengar Yoga as a school represents the idea that a form must evolve. I mean even superficially, just look at it. Early on, Mr. Iyengar's practice had none of the alignment, sustained timings or use of props that characterize it today. Of course to speak generally of what has changed misses the point, because details and teachings are constantly changing. All of my teachers draw heavily on their own experience, both as instructors and as practitioners.
So 'pulling the shoulders back' is speaking very broadly. 'Drawing the lower portion of the shoulder blades in' is a bit more specific. How does that feel in your body?
And I don't want to dismiss the importance or validity of studies, many of which support Yoga, in particular Iyengar Yoga's, success in helping with pain, reducing blood pressure and cortisol, and symptoms of many conditions such as M.S. But like we don't really need verification that penicillin cures syphilis, we really don't need to be told that quieting the body, quieting the senses can quiet the mind.
So I sort of get it when Genny Kapuler says she is still learning not to collapse her shoulders or let her knees bow when she washes the dishes. These may just be details to watch in all of ourselves for the moment we're around, anyway.

2012-01-30T07:05:00.001-08:00

The yoga community is up in arms about that article: How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body.
As a full on practitioner and sometime teacher, it doesnt affect me too much. But I am seeing an alarmed reaction from studio owners and full time teachers who feel threatened.
The article is based on anecdotal woes of some horrible sounding injuries. I think many are related to fast-paced classes with less attention to detail. One can only assume as the article doesn't specify. Sadly it does not present another side, which are the many healthy bodies coming to class for decades at places like the Iyenagar Institute. Many renowned teachers are in their 60s and 70s.
I think the precarious element of some of the poses is addressed well in alignment based styles. Some teachers eschew that type of instruction, favoring language like "there is no way to a avoid an injury, these are your samskaras etc.". However, while not all injuries can be avoided in any activity, detailed attention to technique can really help. I believe many common injuries can be avoided with good tutelage, while the severity of many others can be reduced.
For instance many practitioners from flowing styles of yoga like vinyasa injure their hamstrings. I often see how, when they inevitably come to try alignment based yoga for advice, the teacher corrects a basic error in rotation of the femur bone. The correct rotation often brings immediate relief.
The article spends a great deal of time on Glenn Black, a longtime practitioner and teacher with, apparently, severe spinal injuries (he underwent a five hour surgery to undo the effects of back bends, so he says). All due respect, there are many older, seasoned practitioners who haven't had said surgery. Perhaps mr. Black knows a lot, but has a faulty practice. The Times likes to be provocative about Yoga.
I hope that this article generates some productive discussion in the frankly anarchist world of Yoga. The author and Mr. Black's flippant and frankly manipulative presentation regarding the safety of such a wide-ranging and varied physical method shouldn't be the only, or the last word.

2011-12-31T05:55:00.000-08:00

It is around 50 degrees and it is the last day of 2011. The days are feeling lighter already, but the sun shines in the form of caffeine and backbends. I spent the beginning of the day in Genny Kapuler's class, in the glimmering Iyengar Institute. We did a restorative sequence. Among other things, I hung from ropes and was instructed to work from the skin, muscle and bones. Yoga is far from a quick fix for the body's problems, yet I usually feel better regardless of what is going on.
I then headed downtown to rehearse for my New Year's gig, which came up unexpectedly last week. We played for hours and then had a civilized dinner and a spring-like jaunt around the West Village, which was calm before tonight's inevitable deluge of lager louts.
I was so stimulated from sustained deep backbends that it was more difficult to fall asleep than usual. I never think about my lungs, heart if diaphragm more than when I am in Genny's class. It has to be good. It feels good.
Oh yeah and then I watched Portlandia. Some good gags, but the hosts are too much like that in real life. Pretentious fucks. I can't believe that show has endured. Namaste.

Rebirth

2011-12-17T11:15:00.001-08:00

That band which went on tour last spring is in the 'process' of regrouping - with new personnel, new hymns and maybe even a new musical vision.
As a point of departure, I am working on some demos. It will be interesting to see what the end result will be. We have a great new team for this record, which has familiar label support if you followed the last one. It is likely that there will be more acoustic instruments on this one. And as a point of departure, I have taken more liberties with the original chords and melodies. Pretty fun.

thanksgiving and iyengar yoga in new england

2011-11-26T20:02:00.000-08:00

I spent Thanksgiving in New England with my parents and their dogs. It was charming. Global warming has provided unusually warm weather in the Northeast for this time of year, so we took long walks in the sunshine. We eat lots of produce and some turkey, and all in all it was a very relaxed weekend.
On Friday night I ventured into Cambridge to celebrate B.K.S. Iyengar's birthday with Patricia Walden and a class of around 50. It was an unusual opportunity for me since her workshops are usually filled and I'm not able to make it up that way for her weekday classes. Sanskrit scholar Leslie Freyberg lead the group in some Patanjali chants, and some other ones that I didn't recognize. The focus for this class drew from certain key postures Mr. Iyengar often uses as 'teaching postures' - not only to instruct his pupils for their own practice, but to demonstrate the key points of teaching others. We did postures like trikonasana and parsvakonasana 3 or 4 times, and each time Patricia would add more directives. The last time, after bringing attention to all of the instructions, we were told to essentially let go and simply exist in the pose. It was eye-opening. Towards the end of class we worked with urdva danurasana - a good 10 times and even though my range is still so limited, I was able to sustain the pose much better than in the past. I took it as a positive sign for my own development. Take joy in the incremental changes.

Afterwards we ate cake and then sat in a circle discussing the impact of Iyengar Yoga on our own lives. It was a cute scene. Definitely a nice thing to do over Thanksgiving in New England.

I'm so inspired about practicing. But I already was. I can't wait to practice again.

... and I AM disappointed in Obama

2011-11-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

In an open letter Rand Paul, a young man questions the U.S. government's assassination of three citizens, ordered by President Obama without any apparent due process. I'm not sure you could call this administrations adherence to Bush-era policies with regard to civil rights a failure. That would indicate that the president and his staff had an intention to go in another direction.

Of course for now, white Americans who don't consume or embrace too many dangerous ideologies are probably safe, but the mechanisms are in place. Suspected Islamists won't be the only source of interest forever. Consider that the DoD now considers protests 'low-level terrorism'. I was chagrinned at the breezy renewal of the PATRIOT Act, an egregious Bush-era creation. Obama is a source of disappointment to me indeed.

37

2011-10-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

I'm 37 today.

I'm going to practice upavishta konasana, parivritta janu sirsasana and some marichyasana A and B.

2011-10-25T17:01:00.001-07:00

Tonight was a beautiful, crisp fall evening. I finished teaching lessons and sat in Madison Square Park eating salted, crunchy potatoes and a pile of pinkish beef at a place called Shake Shack. I didn't find it to be as expensive as I was told. Like a McDonald's, you order at a counter. Then a vibrating item tells you to go to another counter and you pick up your items. No tipping that I could discern.
I am in one of those New York holding patterns, where there is time between obligations, but not enough time to go home. Nearby the Starbucks where I am sipping mint tea, there is another, smaller Starbucks. But more to the point there is a jam session in 20 minutes nearby. It is one of the few I do where there is actually an upright bass so I don't have to bring mine.
In my yoga practice I am working with lengthening the armpits and adductor muscles, two particularly tight areas. In one sense adapting my practice towards these is discouraging, because it can be easy for me to avoid them. Particularly seated forward bends and Upavishta Konasana - a forward bend with the legs spread wide. But the many connections of the hips and shoulders factor in to pretty much every pose. It is very hard for me to avoid straighten my arms in back bends, for instance, which seems to be aided by lengthening the 'armpit chest'.
I am enjoying new music by Nada Surf and old stuff by Husker Du, Cheap Trick and others. Also have had a glimpse into the new Monocle record... sounds promising!

CMJ syndrome

2011-10-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

I can't believe anyone takes CMJ seriously.

However, I always have fun at this time of year. I get to play with good musicians and listen to others. Last night I joined Monocle for a very nice set at Vaudeville Park in Williamsburg. Or is it Bushwick. Or is that East Williamsburg, or eastern South Williamsburg, or would that be western North Bushwick? I think when it becomes Queens the prices drop. Except in Astoria, because I heard you can get really good Spanikopita there.

The fall is finally starting to happen. It's chilly in the morning. My hamstrings are stiff. How embarrassing.

apathy

2011-10-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

... as american as sampling "human nature", creating a limpdick song with the sample, and making money from said song.

progressives 2012

2011-10-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

if Obama loses, progressives will be reviled.

if Obama wins, progressives will be ignored.

Goldman Sachs

2011-10-18T20:28:00.001-07:00

We BOUGHT you motherfuckers a president. You're welcome.

bad racial vibe

2011-10-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

I've am not a fan of the Obama presidency. However a recent google search for thoughts on the recent photo with the donut box revealed all these morally repugnant sites where people are attacking him with disgusting racist imagery. I was shocked. The things people get away with saying, doing and thinking. He's attacked because he is black, because of his name, and attacked by the so-called conservatives because of his leftist policies (they don't really exist). Oy vey, the country is pretty fucked when a center-right black fella can be treated this way right out in the open.

you're welcome

2011-10-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the Obama photo someone is circulating where he is carrying a box of donuts?
I think he should be inside the box and then the photo would make more sense.

"We brought you m*&^kers a president. You're welcome".

2011-10-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

Last night I was the chilly convention center in Asbury Park working my stuff out with Beth Gibbons, one of the great pop personas if ever there was one. That would be Beth Gibbons of Portishead, a fantastic group that needs no introduction. Hearing them perform in a large space was reminiscent of Radiohead at Giants Stadium several years ago. Basically as a musician you wonder and then cast doubt about whether that kind of music - heavily dynamic music with lots of electronics and nuances and details and elements - could translate to the stage as it seems so designed in the studio. Yet heard at its most potent on nights like last night, the effect is remarkable. I was swept away by the sounds, the timbres, the grooves - but mostly I was swept away by this character. Beth Gibbons. Who is this mysterious woman whose face we don't ever quite see, who perches her arms at the straight stand most of the time. That's as many words as I can offer because more just won't do it justice. Go see Portishead.

Earlier in the evening I caught a fantastic set from Earth. It was probably the best live sound that I've heard from them. You could really hear the elements on their own and the sound was big and inviting. It was the set that, for the most part, I had heard so many times in the spring, so it carried with it a lot of nostalgia and emotion. It was great to see them all. They are wonderful and vibrant human beings. I also got to spend time with Michael from Sabbath Assembly and his girlfriend Devon (they have a band called Scrambler Seequill) which was great. All in all a fantastic night in Jersey.

Tonight I played a fun set with songwriter Joe Whyte. He is a really fun roots rocker who has a lot of catchy material. The Rockwood Music Hall is always a joy to play at.

I recently strung up the dog house with Garbos - a partly used set that was given to me. They have a true gut kind of feeling - even more so that the Compas Blues which I was using prior to this. I think they will be a blast for jazz, but maybe not quite as versatile.

I'm sticking with pranayama per instructions of Genny Kapuler. Her teaching has really inspired me to stick with it and really spend time with it. I think it's mellowing me out.

invert to moisten

2011-09-17T04:58:00.000-07:00

i am up in the wee hours, eight am on a saturday. these african coffees are a bit subtle and take more focus to brew. but they have a depth that you do not find in blends. and yes i am aware there is no capitals in this post. this is what the droid os allows me.still i thought it worth mentioning what a great class i had with genny this week. the verbose method of iyengar yoga is something else with her. i love the directive /make the lumbar spine parallell with the wall behind you/. she practices and teaches on such a subtle anatomical and poetic level. /standing poses are heating and drying, so we must practice inversions afterward to moisten/ i am paraphrasing... properly understood having a chiseled body is almost counter to what we do... or more to the point irrelevant. we are seeking a softer .and. stronger body. i am getting ready to do some serious acoustic bass today with a serious man. liam singer. incidentally my building is filled with freaks from all over the globe.

Balance

2011-09-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

I looked with some dread at an empty August, but it's proven interesting and beneficial. I am pleased to see September filling up with appointments and something I'd forgotten - earning money...

Since Genny's retreat I've had time to digest what we learned and it's motivated me to get back to something I'd drifted from: making a list to practice each day. On the one hand it does make the process seem a lot more regimented, but only in a skin-deep sort of way. It's easy for me to miss certain postures that are very uncomfortable (seated forward bends, upavistha konasana, parivritta janu sirsasana for example) unless I keep track of what I am getting to on a daily basis. And in this way, I'm feeling a more balanced approach to the physical end of things, giving a more even amount of attention to the poses I hate, which demand attention and a slower, methodical approach. To invoke Sanskrit, my tamasic nature pretty much hates every pose, while my rajasic side more or less embraces them. I'm hard working as a matter of habit. I'd much rather sit here and catch another episode of Mad Men.

I'm still moving the bass around to great effect. I wonder if this will still be the case in 10 years, assuming I can still stand and play the thing at all. The more I play the bass, the more standing seems to be the only thing that matters. I observed a change in Dave Holland's standing poise in Youtube videos over the years. he sets the bass higher and rounds his back a lot less as he gets older. He is a smart man, a virtuoso player. This change makes sense to me. Standing frees the hands - I was not capable of seeing this when I took a couple of lessons with him in the mid-90s. But teachers spoke frequently about arm weight. I would add to that it is not the arm, but the body's weight we are allowing to reach the instrument, and it's not just the right hand but the left as well. Soft hands and jaw allow the ideas to flow freely. It's true, trust me.

A weekend in the Country

2011-08-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

I spent a weekend at Heathen Hill with Iyengar Yoga teacher Genny Kapuler and a small group of students. It was a lovely weekend in Franklin, NY - a beautiful part of the state which I'd never visited before. Heathen Hill has an enormous garden and their own chickens, and we ate very well. The cool mountain air was intoxicating, as was the silence.

I understand why Genny's devotees are legion. The concept of teaching has been on my mind a lot lately. Genny is a great teacher for many reasons, of course, but it really struck me that she is sharing a lifestyle rather than handing out information. There is something ethical and effective about the latter, but with Genny, one is pulled through the looking glass.

She lead pranayama for the two mornings we were there, and the experience really encouraged me to commit to the practice. It is far more subtle than asana, but working these few days made me see its potency in technicolor. While we were lying on folded blankets, heads wrapped neatly in ACE bandages, Genny remarked that it took "10 or 15 years" to make sense of what was going on (I'm paraphrasing).

Genny teaches asana boldly. She was relentless with my personal habits, but I was encouraged and warmed to her approach quickly. The landscape, the language of her approach is really very beautiful - the verbose directives of Iyengar yoga channeled through her own insights and experience.

The retreat was both humbling and invigorating. I feel so inspired to work and demand the best of myself, and continue to develop freshness in what I do so I don't fall into habits. That's something I hope I take with me into music as well. Thanks, Genny. And thanks Susan "Lip" Orem for hosting such a great retreat.

the dan cave

2011-08-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

It is blazing sunlight outside but you wouldn't know it here in the womb-cave. The Dan Cave, where the morning stretch is longer and longer. The body had setbacks this summer, though relatively minor. But there was new pain and new learning and there you go. I learned something about forward bending. If I just tell you it won't sound like a very big deal. But those directives like 'buttock bones over the heels' are not just fancy language. I think I was missing it the whole time. The basics seem to be getting harder in yoga, not easier. I keep noticing (and being made to notice) things I was missing. It will be easy to revisit this feeling in 10 years, assuming I survive practicing that long.

My showing up-ness never waivers but something more fickle - my faith, does at times. But then I go to class with someone like Carrie and watch the mastery and detail and alive-ness in these asanas, a life's work in poise and I can't let go, I'm drawn in again. And then your legs straighten and the head comes closer to the floor and... Carrie offers the instruction 'crush the toes' with the thumbs in padangusthasana.

John Clayton has something up on his site with some technique basics. The side of the bass into the stomach is a good one. Hmm it frees up the hand so we'll give that a try. I noticed I was able to then play a passage for a forthcoming record by songwriter Liam Singer that wouldn't have been possible before. But then breakthroughs in this household are initially viewed with skepticism. So time will tell. But that notwithstanding I was able to do it pretty well at the rehearsal which followed.

I go on all these journeys to exotic lands like Belgium and West Virginia to play a range of different music - all related though. But what might get missed in these reports is that I have continued to play jazz all along, right here in New York with some damn fine musicians. Tonight I'm looking forward to my gig with saxophonist Gary Levy and drummer Taro Okamoto at Bar Henry on Houston St - at the old location of the Zinc Bar.

Musicans vs Politicians

2011-07-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

Musician: "We hired him for a gig, but he showed up late, was nasty to the bandleader and played like shit. Next time, we'll call someone else."

Politicians: "We elected him based on the fact that he expressed views we supported. Then when he took office he eschewed dramatic action, choosing to both ignore abuses of the previous administration and continue in the same dreaded direction. But we forgive him - I mean, could you do better? It's a hard job. Probably if he had taken significant action he'd have been assassinated. Anyway, give him another four years. Oh yeah, he needs paid time during the rest of his term to go around asking people for money, so he can continue to serve."

overdue

2011-06-16T04:53:00.000-07:00

I've been away from writing, which is a shame since life has been interesting. Since April, I've completed a 14+ country tour of Europe with Sabbath Assembly and returned to NYC for nice gigs with Mansions and Junipers, Richard Bennett, Dahlia and the Ducks, cabaret singers, and actually Sabbath Assembly for a rare NYC appearance supporting Ghost. I'm in preparation for a some July dates with Selena Garcia and a new Richard Bennett record which promises to be very good.

While I maintained practice on the road pretty much every day, I had to modify it to suit time constraints and lack of props. That meant a lot of modifications. It has been great to get back to class and a more fleshed-out practice. Perhaps my zeal to return to full-throttle or lifting lots of gear around town lead to a nagging pulled latissimus dorsi. A visit to my local chiropractor helped, with stim and muscle work and a slight adjustment (I saw a few sparks fly). But actually Lara crafted a sequence around it last night - how awesome is that. Really hard shoulder stuff - the kind of work that's easy to avoid. It was intense at the time but that area felt truly quiet for the first time in about 3 weeks! I'm happy, my teacher is really on to something.

Tonight I'm pleased to go see Earth here in NYC and say hi to my old friends. Don't miss them if you are able to catch them on the US leg of the tour. Stay tuned for Rebecca Pronsky's short full-band tour in July!

apr16

2011-04-17T07:33:00.001-07:00

We are closing in on the two week mark of our 5 week tour. The great cities of Europe are whizzing by, and the intensity of the show is growing.
While our time in the UK was marked by many highlights, the continent's charm has far exceeded it. After a show in London at Scala, we travled on to Paris for Nouveau Casino. This venue doesn't look all that spectacular, but it was just the right size for the bill. The audience was stellar, and it was a refreshing change to see some women in the audience. The club is connected to a delicious bistro next door which served us all a great dinner. We were met by local friends and had some time after the show to wander the electric streets of Paris. I understand the pride of the French, this is a spectacular, magical place.
Then we moved on to Amsterdam. This town is characterized by beautiful channels and a populace largely roaming through town on bicycles, carrying groceries and chatting on mobile phones with perfect postures. We played a set at the Sugar Factory and then of course had a blast hanging out until the wee hours with the members of Earth. We ended up in a bar playing metal and it was cute to see some of our friends get a little star treatment.
Nothing could prepare me for Tillburg's Roadburn, a metal-themed festival which is among Europe's finest, apparently. We played to a full room at the Midi Theater, and you could have heard a pin drop when the music got quiet. It was exciting to meet the people and play for such a great audience. Roadburn is an amazingly well-run event. While I was there I ran into a friend from college, Eric Eagle, who was playing drums with the great singer/songwriter Jesse Sychs. We reconnected after roughly 12 years, and caught some of Sunn's set. Sunn play music that I realized I hadn't heard properly, because the whole experience was about volume. So much low end that the building shook. Since a lot of metal is really pretty similar to other kinds of rock, in my opinion, it seems Sunn have taken to genre to a new place. This is truly the music that your mom would fear you listening to. And at the same time, it is kind of ambient.
I also heard sets by Circle and Voivod.
Today we are headed towards Hamburg, for a night off. Tomorrow we start the Scandinavian part of the tour. Skal!

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day 5

2011-04-08T11:02:00.001-07:00

Honestly, after the excitement of Glasgow, Belfast was a lackluster experience. While not for want of beauty, the town feels like a relative downer, especially considering how long it takes to get there. The venue was chock full of sour-looking metal dudes _seated_ which does not a rock show make. Regardless of how well we played, reception seemed tentative. But I did meet a few friendly folks who bought merchandise. The merch table is a good place to be to speak with local music fans.
Anyway I ended up, to my surprise, enjoying out band apartment. This morning me and Nuss worked on twisted asanas and the back and body in general are handling the long travel days well. All the sitting is hard on the hamstrings.

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eu day 2

2011-04-06T03:19:00.003-07:00

The necessary adjustments are being made soundwise. Last night was a relaxed evening in Newcastle. Sitting by the merch table after our set, I signed records for fans, a gaggle of lads with plugged ears and tattoos noting they were bound for Roadburn next week, where they would see us again.
The members of Earth were really fun to hang out with and the venue provided a lot of good food. So far UK has not disappointed. Standouts include coffee and various hard cheeses. A favorite is "mature cheddar".
Internet access had been somewhat of an issue. Free WiFi has not been prevelant, and the office at the venue (guaranteed in the tour rider) was a big fail last night. In am hoping for better as we approach the continent. Everthing is pricy in GBP but we are being fed very well so far.
Nuss and I did a sequence from Light on Yoga this morning. I feel sore as the rain pelts our Sprinter, here on the road to Glasgow.

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day 1

2011-04-06T03:19:00.001-07:00

I flew solo on the red eye from EWR. The plane was only half full. I ate an airplane version of chicken terryaki, and voraciously at that. I remember thinking they could have served me cardboard and I would have inhaled it.
Customs was a breeze at Heathrow, thanks to the CoS number they give out now. I had forgotten that Americans are still considered non-visa nationals in the UK. Now if you are a touring artist here for less than 3 weeks, you can buy these temporary permits as a band. I think they are still costly.
My bandmates arrived shortly afterward in a blue Sprinter van. We are en route to Newcastle on Tyne, which I hear is a great town. Notable were the plump Spanish blueberries at the rest stop and the shockingly good flat white, expertly prepared at some chain place. But at 3£ (6 bucks), I guess it had better be.

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2011-03-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

It's surprising to me how ignorant some jazz musicians are when it comes to rock music, it's traditions and the the things they might actually find respectable about it if they took a closer look. I hear all kinds of naysaying from my friends who play jazz exclusively about rock, but these are almost uniformly from those who have never actually been in a band, made a record, done a show, much less a tour.

So as Sabbath Assembly prepares for a 5 week tour supporting Earth, I found myself in an unpleasant position of having to explain a few things to a friend. I think some boomers who came up with the classic British Invasion and other great formative rock fancy themselves experts on the subject, but it's not entirely true. For instance, those of us who teach and play jazz have encountered many students with enormous record collections, who frequent clubs and festivals as patrons, yet cannot play All the Things You Are to save their life. Plenty of people went to Woodstock and saw Hendrix, Cream and Zeppelin in their heyday, but cannot play well, or don't play at all.

The depth of a groove is the same depth if you ask me, regardless of style. Taro Okamoto's beautifully honed tempos amaze and inspire in an ensemble with Ted Brown - but doesn't Creedence's groove similarly move you?

I say leave the ignorance to the career writers, critics and dilettantes. Musicians ought to restrain their vitriol and until they know it has a firm foundation.

Winter Wrap-Up

2011-03-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

The last two months have been a non-stop frenzy of rehearsals, gigs, untied loose ands and the inevitable illness.

Sabbath Assembly has been rehearsing for a 5 week European tour opening for Earth.

This is a band that has recorded and traveled a bit, but we are penetrating the surface of the music. There is a nice amount of improvisation and a shit-ton of dynamics, definitely an unusually high amount for a rock band. I purchased a Big Muff pedal for the distortion sections. I think people will enjoy the music. I am excited to see new places.

I had a trip to Philly with Rebecca Pronsky, and a fantastic release party for her new record "Viewfinder" at the Tribeca PAC. This is a great record and a lot of exciting things are coming this year for Ms. Pronsky so stay tuned. And buy the record when it is released officially in April!

I had gigs with the fantastic Ted Brown, and just last night a sweet trio set with Bob Arthurs and Charles Sibirsky. Like many amazing things in this day and age, jazz is a vital life force that seems to exist off the grid. A sort of godlike hermit that goes about its business regardless.

I'd like to expres public thanks to Dr. Din for helping with my clogged inner ear and sinus infection. I won't go into the details but it was really fucking uncomfortable for weeks.

Oh and lest I forget, it was great to be a part of Original Innocence, the musical by Dave Nuss and Eric Sanders. We had two sold-out shows at the Issue Project Room, and the dark heavy music/religious myth story came to life!

This week: shows with SA, vocalist Tara Bahna James and Mansions and Junipers at the Union Hall Apr 1. Come say bye or see me in May. Watch this space for tales of the Europe trip.

2011-03-14T09:01:00.001-07:00

I am writing between musical appointments and feeling just slightly under the weather. The irritated throat is at least one symptom that I can't dismiss as imaginary. So much preparation, travel and playing- something gave in.
I am finding E Bryant's massive translation of the Sutras a bit dry. It appears to be a definitive resource in terms of raw data, and is very well-written. But it is hard to get through like, well, a book that one just sits and reads at a pass. It is loaded with comparisons from several leading Indic thinkers. Take a step back now and then, and it is just marvelous how a religious movement emerged so long ago that was based on understanding the nature of thought, the nature of the soul.
When I forego any practical considerations, it makes sense to undertake, or rather continue, this slow and methodical study of philosophy and posture. And yet on the practical side, certification could take me four or five years. I am engaged in all sorts of impractical, low-earning pursuits.
Will you be in Europe to see me with Sabbath Assembly? We are opening for Earth.
More immediately : will you be in NY this friday for Rebecca Pronsky's CD release??

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back home

2011-03-07T04:51:00.001-08:00

I decided it's not fair to speak too frankly about family stuff in a public forum. The dynamics are far too complex and easy to misunderstand. Instead, let's focus on the easy stuff... like the little Boston Terrier named Daisy. She's one of my best friends in Foxboro! She is partial to stretching, begging for bananas and cuddling. She also likes picking on Egypt, the greyhound.
I watched HDTV for the first time the other day. Kind of a mixed bag. Am I the only one who thinks some of the sheen resembles home videos from the 80s? Must be me.
Back to the myopic life of yoga, music, coffee and good old left wing politics. Whew.

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update

2011-03-05T06:38:00.001-08:00

Once again I am en route to Boston on the cheap bus. Many still don't know that getting to the Bean has never been easier or cheaper. This is the 9 am bus, and it is not terribly crowded. I can hear music from headphones, but less intimately than, for instance, other passengers in my subway car- or you know, if I were actually wearing them. Hearing maladies are bound to experience exponential growth as long as products like earbuds exist without limiters.
Still, the gentle hum of the bus carries my attention over the incessant garble.
Last night I was part of a quartet featuring the great saxophonist Ted Brown, who at the age of 86 is still playing beautifully. Surprisingly we had quite a full house and it was a pleasure to perform jazz in a concert setting.
Did I mention that Rebecca Pronsky's big cd release show is only 2 weeks away? Be sure and make it if you can. This is a very important gig for Rebecca, and it is definitely a record worthy of celebration. Furthermore, the band features Russ Meissner on drums, with whom I attended William Paterson College years ago (now it is a University). With the fine Rich Bennett on guitar, it is really an excellent band that has spent a lot of the recent months touring and recording.

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bramari

2011-02-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight after quite a long time in ardha halasana, I stood in the front of the large dance studio where Lara teaches. I was watching her lie on a mass of neatly folded blankets, a pink ACE bandage wrapped around her head so that her ears and eyes were totally covered. As I observed her alignment and poise, her exhalations were sounded with a humming that deliberately evoked a bumble bee.

Standing and observing, I was in a dazed state from the pervious inversion, a kind of esoteric high. And I couldn't help but chuckle, inwardly of course, at how odd it was that I should end up in a room full of people learning to make their collective exhalation sound like beehive.

Like all esoteric arts, yoga makes sense when you get to know it, lose yourself in it. Sometimes it makes life seem as though nothing really makes an sense ultimately. At this stage in practice, cultivating that sort of neutrality is useful in my life, both within yoga practice (easy, sensible) and life outside of it (harder).

rainy friday

2011-02-25T12:08:00.000-08:00

This morning I recorded a track with Rebecca Pronsky for certain donors to her record. It was a version of Mark Kozelek's "Glenn Tipton", and I like her rendition very much. Incidentally I really enjoy the "Ghosts of the Great Highway" and it's definitely one of my favorite records in recent years (the last 10 or so?).

The temperature was much warmer, so it was not so bad today even though it's very rainy. I stopped by Cafe Martin and got an informal foreign affairs update.

I am attending a workshop taught by Carrie that is for teachers of all yoga traditions. She is supposed to focus on the first 11 padas of the second Sutra, so at the suggestion of someone very knowledgeable on the subject, I finally bought Edwin Bryant's book on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. It's a thick volume which makes references to many of the more well-known translations throughout history. At this point my understanding of the text is pretty skin-deep, but the philosophy so directly informs the yoga I practice and teach, it seems essential to really allocate some time to it. In some ways the second Sutra (there are 4) seems the most relevant to students since it is the chapter on Sadhana, the study of Yoga. In his typically verbose forward to Mr. Bryant's book, BKS Iyengar mentions something to effect of how our understanding of the sutras is affected largely by where we are in our own sadhana. The 'terse aphorisms' as they are often called, remain largely mysterious to me, though some more than others.

But I do feel as my practice grows a little, what I draw from yoga is in fact changing slightly. The physical postures are more about yielding and patience than advancing, lately. I'm becoming more attuned to habit and finding a firmer foundation in what is apparently a world that rapidly changes.

In other news I'm into listen 10 or 15 through King of Limbs. This is a timely record that creeps up on me. At the risk of sounding arrogant, it is clear that music is a discipline in which, like yoga, one's perspectives are ever-changing depending on the state of one's personal practice. This is perhaps why I dislike most writing on the subject. Most, or really all of the writing I've seen on this mysterious record, for example, misses the point. There is esoteric beauty to be found within it, and for those who have made records and played for years, I think it would be quite audible.

Herein lies the rub... since I've seen firsthand what a good critical reception can do for a recording, I've got to button my lip. No personal attacks here. But sadly most critics don't really know what they are talking about.

radiohead's new grooves

2011-02-19T20:20:00.000-08:00

The rhythms are danceable and grooving, but always leading somewhere new on "King of Limbs". Quite a different mood of course, but the record evokes "Exile on Main Street" in that it's the feel of the record that draws me in, the landscape. It gets more compelling with each listen. Super inspiring.

2011-02-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

I finished reading a nice book by Neal Pollack called "Stretch", in which he describes the circumstances under which he was lead to yoga, and then how he developed an affinity for it. A lot of what Neal has to say about his experience resonated with my own. I had many 'LOL' moments as he described his early forays into the physical postures, and some of the hippy-dippy stuff he reacts somewhat negatively to.

I wonder, though, if some of his back injuries couldn't have been helped by a good Iyengar teacher? His rapport with Richard Freeman makes me interested in reading his book on yoga philosophy.

I played a wedding today. I am reading lots of negative press about "King of Limbs". I am playing a gig with Matt Filler's new band "Mansions and Junipers" on March 1st at the Rock Shop.

I'll be playing a house concert with Rebecca Pronsky next Saturday in Peace Dale, RI, then the World Cafe on Philadelphia on March 11th. I've got a set of gut strings here with my name on them.

radiohead does it again

2011-02-19T05:36:00.001-08:00

I paid 9 bucks for the first new music I've paid for in ages. "King of Limbs", the new Radiohead album, is loaded with compelling sounds. I'm currently into my 2nd spin. It's a real sonic landscape, full of unexpected twists and turns. Rhythmically very engaging, some fantastic bass and drum stuff.

dinner

2011-02-16T18:27:00.000-08:00

Bittman's Lentil/Mushroom Stir-Fry with Caramelized Onions, served with a basic slaw of red cabbage and fennel. The labbeneh is just the standard stuff that you find at local markets around here, but it made for a fun garnish. The stir-fry is a great dish, and easy to make. In my experience, mushrooms require a higher heat and longer cooking time than recipes indicate. The cost of using a wide variety of organic mushrooms made this kind of an expensive dish, but I'll probably get 2 more meals out of it.

Perform 4 Satan

2011-02-16T05:44:00.000-08:00

Musical theater people: want 2 perform 4 Satan?

I'm busy with the occult these days. Rehearsals are many, and the performances are coming this Spring. If you are interested in Sabbath Assembly, I heard from a reliable source there might be a low-profile, free show at a nondescript Brooklyn venue, several weeks from now.

If you are interested in alt country, you should consider this on March 18th. There is a single available for free download now, as well.

Tomorrow night I'll be playing with pianist Charles Sibirsky and vocalist Abigail Riccards here. There is no cover charge and we play 4 sets from 7-11.

grammys

2011-02-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

The Grammys made me sad.

Sadder still was that they were observed at a party in a beautiful townhouse in Upper Manhattan, at a beautiful party with interesting people. Acoustic instruments were set aside as was the conversation in this multicultural bunch of friends and new acquaintances.

We all have our guilty pleasures and proclivities, but I've always found celebrity gawking to be repugnant; this voyeuristic fascination with their personal lives. Anyway, it is interesting how their are some remnants of the old music industry that had a higher level of performer and professionalism. I could be wrong, but if I'm not mistaken, many of the technical and potentially interesting awards given to players, engineers and the like are done outside of the actual broadcast. The musical performances run the gamut of credibility but on the whole are pure spectacle. When the woman sitting next to me started griping about the size of Gwyneth Paltrow's heels, for fear that she might stumble, I knew it was time for me to split and head back to my cave.

Defining 'Try'

2011-02-13T07:14:00.001-08:00

What does it mean to 'give it a try'? There is no one answer. Recently I heard Bobby Clennell say that newbies to yoga are suggested 3 months of at least 2 or 3 times a week to determine whether it works for them. I was griping, venting to my friend about the lack of effort I'm seeing lately, particularly in young students. It's the rare young person (pre-teen, let's say) that is so self-motivated that they will practice independent of parental order. Giving music a try, I said, would involve at minimum, five half hour sessions of practice per week, to throw out an arbitrary figure. Sounds reasonable to me. The truth is that many of my students would be making progress at half that amount. In my opinion, the 'try' should last an academic year, leaving room of course for things really not working out in the first lesson or two.

As a teacher in the private schools, I've lead myself to an unfortunate place where I've let monied students dictate the terms by which they will be taught. I've worked to please the 'client' - which in all honesty is really the parent - by changing the tone, intensity and direction of the lessons to accomodate the fickle child's whim. Which is folly as kids are inherently fickle. The study of a discipline as vast as music is the polar opposite. It's extremely counter to the culture of today, the New York of the Now. But if the most privileged children in the world cannot afford the time to practice an instrument at the most infinitely acceptable level of intensity, it says something absolutely pitiful about our culture.

your child isn't special

2011-02-11T09:46:00.001-08:00

I credit hip-hop culture, shows like "American Idol" and numerous other components of the modern age zeitgeist as yielding some of the worst, least-focused students in music history. Additionally, contemporary parenting practices often coddle children. They are given the respect of adults with minimal expectations placed upon them, which translates into a sickeningly entitled subculture. In the super-rich community in which I give many lessons, most students do not realize it is polite to hold a door for someone. They are raised by a staff of servants who attend to their every whim.
And I'm not just talking about the nannies. The teachers in these schools have said to me in no uncertain terms that they have faced career-threatening repercussions for giving bad grades or reprimanding students.
Students in this segment of society here in America, I reckon, are not the norm elsewhere. I taught a 7 year-old boy about 10 years ago who had previously studied guitar in a British Prep School. He could read and had very good basic technique. This type of result involves a certain rigor - which isn't as bad as it might sound. Beginner students should be able to devote about 5 half-hour sessions per week to the material, which, sorry parents, is fucking minimal.

Recitals are looming at the school, and one student who actually dropped out of lessons has demanded to perform. I spent the better part of lessons this year reminding him not to yank the strings or squeeze them (altering the pitch) with his left hand fingers. The young boy is sweet and at one point was doing really well, until his mother decided to load him up with endless after-school activities, thus annihilating his focus completely. Said boy does, however, dream of being a rock star even though he really can't play at all anymore. He has a 'band', is 8 and heard of some douchebag Justin Beiber. And he can have whateverthefuckhewants.

This is a cat, I'm convinced of it, who is going to end up being a banker or some other useless fluff.
To be certain, not everyone will take to music as a discipline. But students today are more reluctant than ever to follow instructions from a teacher. Why should they? They've been ordering adults around since birth.

daikon/bok choy stir fry

2011-02-09T17:20:00.001-08:00

Tonight after a relatively quiet day of practice and teaching, I stopped by the Ditmas Park Food Co-op and bought the ingredients to make this.

In an effort to save money and eat well, I'm working to cook more and in larger quantities. I appear to be creating useful new habits, and going out to eat doesn't seem quite so alluring.

As I cook more, I'm taking home all sorts of plant species home from the store. With its long stems the daikon radish is a really imposing presence. And apparently those huge leaves are in fact eaten, so I just wasted another potential ingredient. The bok choy was also a fine specimen. To be honest, I could have browned the tofu slices more, but as they are easy to burn, to really crisp them in a pan, I've found it is essential to cook them at a very low heat, which increases preparation time tremendously. This recipe produced a satisfactory meal that had a lot of flavor and interesting texture, and like a lot of Bittman's stuff, it would be easy to modify and mold into other dishes. I hadn't made a simple stir-fry in quite some time. Of course in most home kitchens we can't really stir-fry in the Asian restaurant style, since they cook quickly on very high heat from industrial stoves.

tuesdees w carrie o

2011-02-09T05:08:00.001-08:00

My friend from teacher training loved Carrie O.'s class, so I had to give it a try last summer, when I realized I had to choose a teacher to see regularly instead of randomly popping in.
Carrie is one of the stars of IYNY. Bad weather or the occasional holiday notwithstanding, nearly every class is mobbed. I often feel overwhelmed to be reclining in supine leg stretches, lost in the pre-class madness. But then nearly always, like clockwork, Carrie comes in and changes everything. She does some things I always avoid- we chant verses from scripture, mostly the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and there is a sort of lecture to start things off. But I realized she always links the philosophy to intellectual perception, personal practice, or, very often, some idea she read about in Science Times. The theme is woven through class in an alluring manner. The difficult work creeps up on you as she offers so many new points of focus. Last nights directive to 'allow the peripheral vision to take over and spread the eyes' was noteworthy jargon. Anatomically, we focused on deep hip opening, with seemingly endless variations on baddha konasana and supta padangusthasana III. Though Carrie seems to favor certain thing lately: a rolled blanket under the perineum in baddha konasana, a bolster under the heel on the floor for supta padangusthasana, and a trademark sarvangasana with a bolster and 2 rolled blankets. I wonder if this was her creation or Mr. Iyengar's?
Progress, it seems, comes incrementally in my practice, and when I am lost in the endeavor of the moment as opposed to a long-term state of being off somewhere in the distance. But I did feel softer upon waking this morning. Tuesdays with Carrie... not bad...

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the wee hrs

2011-02-08T05:01:00.001-08:00

I am sore. Lara demands much of us. Just when I thought it couldn't get harder...
I am drinking a cup of Brazilian pour over that I made myself... it is lovely. What will I teach this morning? In the studio, the class is often tiny, but the levels can be very mixed and inevitably there is someone with chronic pain or injuries. I am still learning to adjust what to demand of people. Too little intensity is dull and unsatisfying, but I want to play to the room.
I am tired. Today is the first of many rehearsals for a big tour this spring. Then I teach many music lessons and go get beat up by Ms. Owerko. Just kidding. She is another gem, a picture of great human potential, and many like me are happy to be around her once a week. Namaste.

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Subbing. Directives for Hyper-Extension??

2011-02-06T08:48:00.000-08:00

I am teaching the next several Tuesday morning classes at Namaste in Kensington. I am subbing, so hopefully I can help those battered flow students with their knees (the most common malady I hear these days). I understand tight leg musculature much more than hyper-mobile. Anyone care to weigh in on directives for knees and elbows that hyper-extend?

My tendency in life has been to pursue, consciously or otherwise, a path of pronounced iconoclasm. But as I work towards accepting Iyengar's yoga, I don't have to actually defend the positions I agree with - for example, no music in class, limited flow.

Work to Exhaustion

2011-01-25T10:21:00.000-08:00

Surya Namaskar exists in Iyengar Yoga, though not so much as a point of focus in some other methods. During a recent workshop, my teacher Lara Brunn spoke about how 'jumpings' can be used to meet an agitated frame of mind. In my home practice as of late, I find they are helpful from a physical standpoint, and they have a rather neutralizing effect on frontal lobe activity. They also seem to help in teaching, a mental quieting that makes people more receptive to the static work that Iyengar Yoga emphasizes. Though there is so much movement in stillness, I don't really enjoy the term 'static'.

Carrie Owerko taught wonderful Surya Namaskar variations in last week's class, with 'releve' style modifications that addressed the feet in a beautiful way.

Interestingly enough, Jack LaLanne's routine was to work his muscles to exhaustion, which gave me some inspiration in my home practice. Surya Namaskars to exhaustion (or close to it), handstands and pincha mayurasana at the wall - it doesn't take long until there is a certain fatigue. But I don't find it's a fatigue that makes me want to stop, it's like a surface resistance that needs to be worn out. I'll look forward to exploring this more in the coming days. I see certain parallells between LaLanne and Iyengar. They both started as sickly children and become forerunners in the world of health, and a lot of their early efforts were dismissed. Doctors dismissed LaLanne as a charlatan!

Sometimes I feel extra worn out after a day of carrying gear and playing a gig. Any musician yoga practitioners want to weigh in on this subject? I'd be eager to hear from you.

Puppets 27Jan

2011-01-25T10:08:00.000-08:00

I'll be playing with pianist Charles Sibirsky and drummer Dorota Piotrowska, this Thursday the 27th at Puppets. Sets from 7-11. No cover charge, full bar and vegetarian menu.

Joe Whyte @ Rockwood Jan 24

2011-01-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

I'll be joining Joe Whyte at the Rockwood Music Hall (Room 1) tomorrow at 8pm. I'm going to stick around for some of the other acts. Martha Wainwright will be playing at 9pm, and I will not miss a chance to see Jason Lindner's Now Vs Now at Room 2, a few doors down at 10pm. This is a remarkable band, I was pretty mystified a few months back when I first saw them. I guess there are some new places for jazz to go. How's that for a cliche?

Joe's sets are always fun at Rockwood and his band also features some excellent local players - Rich Hinman on guitar and Rob Heath on drums.

Dolmacicles

2011-01-22T16:04:00.000-08:00

Park Slope is full of mediocre, overpriced eateries. One disappointing venue failed in spite of its cheerful and accommodating staff today. I refuse to name it. When I've been critical of restaurants in this forum in the past, they've found their way to me. And I felt it.

Today I was treated to Dolmacicles. Dolma, if I remember correctly, is a turkish word that refers to any of a number of stuffed vegetables, but here in the states it almost always means stuffed grape leaves. The filling is almost always some variation of spiced rice and legumes. It sounds simple, but they are frequently, for instance, too briny, or the oil is stale. Today they were much too cold. The sliced red pepper garnish had a similar icy malaise.

Viewfinder CD Release Date

2011-01-20T09:32:00.000-08:00

Hey,

Rebecca Pronsky has a fantastic new album finished. We toured over the summer down south, and recorded it up north in Maine this past August. It is a major step forward musically!

Anyway, sometimes people ask about shows that are open to all ages and the New York release show, on March 18th at the TriBeCa Performing Arts Center, is such a show.

This promises to be a great night of music, and a chance to catch a band that's been working for a few years. With Rich Bennett on guitar, Russ Meissner on drums and myself on string bass.

practice is enlightenment

2011-01-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

So is the words of Shunryu Suzuki. Process is the goal. Sound advice.

My own pitfalls as a practitioner pertain to losing sight of this idea. Practice on the surface is preparation for some more important moment. A gig, or the straight leg forward bend that is going to happen, one of these days (it hasn't - well, not exactly, but there are degrees of everything).

I've never practiced Zen, but reading on the technique of teaching reminds me of the endless practice and renunciation in Iyengar yoga - the restraints that, on the surface create a sense of rigor. Interestingly enough all the admonitions and directives, to paraphrase Suzuki, are guides towards experiencing something beyond the intellectual mind. The intellectual component of practice is important, actually vital, to the path, but not the 'goal' or meaning.

In music we generally work with forms that are more rigid than they seem. As a bass player I use the forms as a means of creation. Most of the materials we work with are simple - triads, passing notes... They may be difficult to work with but intellectually they are not so hard to understand. Perhaps that is why I'm not so interested in 'pure free' jazz which doesn't really seem so free to me. Like zen practitioners sitting in the same cross-legged position together, our treatment of the same forms reveals our individual nature. And so it is that each practitioners Downward Dog posture reveals infinite detail about the practitioner. The hands lack attention and the shoulders collapse. The pelvis doesn't lift and the lumbar spine is compressed. The knees don't open completely as a result of the quads not engaging. Esoteric as it may sound, any seasoned practitioner understands these are fundamentals. We haven't even begun to discuss directives of shoulder/femur rotation, drawing the thoracic spine in, front of the thigh to the back of the thigh.... etc.

Since even the most seasoned practitioner of yoga, zen, or music will lose 'enlightenment' without maintaining, it ultimately begs the question of what mastery is. The work is never finished like a sandwich. So is a true master someone with a seasoned practice? How do you really quantify it, and where is the line?

Who cares, really?

happy turkey

2010-11-25T07:15:00.001-08:00

Ralph Nader: Obamabush
I'm getting old and care less and less about being on the prevailing side of history. I like Ralph Nader and want him to be president. The whole idea of voting for him in 2000 was not that he would win or even come close, but that by earning 5% of the vote, he'd be eligible for federal matching funds in subsequent elections.
With the current one party corporatocracy so firmly entrenched, the grey lady is likely to keep spittin' headlines like this one:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/business/economy/24econ.html

Follow the money and the source of the country, in fact, the world's woes is astonishingly clear. No conspiracy theory is needed. To be sure, however, maintaining a team sports-like environment works so beautifully for the current political establishment, the idea of taking money out of politics seems naive.
In the absence of the ideal we are perpetuating the least worst or " lesser evilism" - a term employed liberally during the 2000 election by Michael Moore, at the time a vocal Nader supporter.
Least worst. We got him. Don't those words inspire confidence?

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On the Road Again

2010-11-15T09:20:00.001-08:00

I'm heading back from the Bean on a Bolt Bus. This weekend DLE had a short (emphasis added) set at Deep Heaven Now, a psychedelia-focused music festival based in Somerville, MA. The band's already short set had to be shortened purely because the soundman showed up late. Whatever the reason, local sound engineers ought to be more sensitive to the bands traveling for hours to do a set. I realize there was probably no malice intended, and it seems like a nice event regardless.
Boston's rock scene, at least on the surface, is more diverse in terms of attendees. Venues like P.A.'s lounge evoke dives like Hank's on Atlantic or the infamous Freddy's, neither of which are the best venues in Brooklyn, but we would be worse off without them.
A short visit with the family included healthy food and some punditry on the radio. The Boston Globe is vastly inferior to the NYT. Suburban MA is dark and quiet on cold fall evenings. Human beings are endless in their complexity; easily hurt and often vindictive, but resilient and often forgiving.
Reading on Zen practice. No moment is really preparation for another. Bear that in mind.

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The Q train sucks

2010-10-13T12:54:00.001-07:00

Nuchim's Suckjob Train of the Week award goes this lovely autumn week to the Q train, which might come as a bit of a shock to readers.
After all, the line, which is purported to be an express one, covers a neat slice of Brooklyn, then proceeds over the Manhattan Bridge where one can interface with many other lines in a few express stops.
However, the Q originates as a plodding local train deep within Brooklyn. Herein lay the origins of some of the Q train's most egregious transit maladies. Poor design is at the top of the list, with curious anomalies such as stops at Church, Beverley and Cortelyou Road, which are each barely 2 avenue blocks apart. Q train ridership itself is to a large extent composed of bumbling families of all ilks, which means loud noise, strollers, and standing all the way to Union Square.
And that's assuming you get on the train in the first place. Many Q stations within Brooklyn have inadequate entrance points, as well as insanely narrow platforms which compromise ease and safety.
Once you have boarded this ClusterfuQ of a train, observe the frequent delays between Atlantic Ave and Delalb Ave, the last stop in Brooklyn before Canal St. What in theory looks like a transit dream degrades rapidly (sic) into a nightmare as the Q sits in a line with other trains (D,N,B) to cross the Manhattan bridge - slowly.
You are better off with other, more commonly maligned trains such as the F, if it is available to you. Otherwise it is all the more reason to tell the MTA to fuQ themselves.
Tune in next week as we roast more in honor of our least favorite bureaucratic whores.
"MTA... Suckin' More than Ever"

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The Flood

2010-10-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

The whole day felt heavy with the humid clouds, and the rain that was threatening didn't come until the middle of the night. But come it did. I'm looking at pictures of 9th street on the NY Times.

This quiet apartment I inhabit faces the air shaft and is shut out from the world. The only measurable indication of change in the weather is the cool air finally streaming in after days and days of mugginess. The city is apparently grinding to a halt because the inclement weather, which is saddening since the MTA service has been nosediving prior to this.

There are more beggars, more thieves selling stolen goods for short money, more angry and desperate people everywhere you look. The official story is that the economy improves as the accepted 'unofficial' employment rate in the country is thought to be higher than 20%.

The money has to come from somewhere, and signs of the downturn are the amount of people looking for work, the casual chats you hear everywhere about "99ers" - those who have been on unemployment benefits so long that they no longer qualify, those with advanced degrees taking jobs at Whole Foods and Starbucks (we are talking entry level here, not managerial), and the increase in crime which may not be officially acknowledged but my fellow New Yorkers know this is the case.

Oh, me? I'm fine. Yeah I went into one of those unreliable fields like music, which is why for the last two or three years I can't seem to stop working. Lots of people want to study guitar and bass, and I continue to work with a great roster of fantastic musicians. All kidding aside, I know I am very, very fortunate. Last night I worked with Joe Whye, with the fantastic Rich Hinman on guitar and Rob Heath on drums. New York has so much of everything good, and in this case the good is roots rock/country players. The level is often so high and consistent it becomes easy to take it for granted. I will be working several shows this month with Dead Leaf Echo, including this Sunday, October 2nd at the Bell House opening for Chapter House, who are doing a one-time only reunion tour.

I'll also be accompanying my great friend Charles Sibirsky at Puppets on Thursday, October 7th at 9.

For the yoga practitioners out there, I'm really enjoying bound Baradvajasana I and supta virasana as part of my practice this week. I'm loving class with Carrie Owerko and Lara Brunn...

time flies and flies

2010-09-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe September is almost over. The pace of the fall snowballs; already, weeks of teaching have gone by, weeks of gigs, harried subway excursions with the bass in tow. This week sees a slight relief in a sense, since I'll be playing electric bass with the fine songwriter Joe Whye at the Rockwood Hall this Thursday at 8pm. It's a great room to hear live music, if you didn't already know, and there is no cover charge. But toting a Fender around town is a lot more free and easy by comparison. In fact the fall has plenty of local and regional dates with shoegaze band Dead Leaf Echo, a reading for drummer Dave Nuss' opera, and Michael Jackson. Yes, Michael Jackson.

There is nary a minute to fuck around. So much to learn and practice and disseminate to moderately willing pupils today.

adjusting

2010-09-24T07:47:00.000-07:00

Just look at it. The psoas is a deep core muscle that, based on the attachments that you can see pictured here, is involved pretty directly in almost anything you could do with your body... be it walking, sitting, breathing. During Carrie's class on Tuesday night I felt strong sensation in the lower region, on both sides pretty evenly. Now, I've practiced my share of backbends and am pretty familiar with the feeling in the body... or so I thought. I decided I had to ask. Carrie said that it is a positive sign that backbends be felt in this area. She went on to say that because we walk up stairs and such so much, we tend to have strong, tight psoas muscles and underdeveloped abdominal strength, and yoga seeks to balance that by strengthening the core and lengthening the psoas, and there may indeed be a period of restructuring that needs to happen in the body.

Here over morning coffee, milling over the state of mind at the present, and the state of the body, the psoas is present, but more quiet. Those that work with the body say the psoas holds many deep emotions - unresolved fear in particular. And clearly any seasoned yoga practitioner becomes familiar with this region of the body as it is such a huge area of focus in the practice.

After several sessions and a gig in the last few days, I am noting how the adjusting the standing position of my bass has yielded a healthier feeling in the body afterwards, and a profound release of energy during playing... I work less, and I get more. Seriously. How you stand with the thing makes such a difference. In Iyengar 101 they often talk about feeling the weight in the heels. If you play bass, try this... play the open strings feeling the weight in the heels. I like to lean the instrument at a serious diagonal (I'm 5'8" and put my 3/4 size bass on 4 peg divisions). Lean the side of the bass into the abdomen. Keep the right hand soft, and then add the left hand... try some simple shifts keeping the hand very soft and see how much of the weight of the body and bass can be borne in the heels. I find that when I get this right it's a big release for the hands, particularly in the way they become freer to shift. In the past, shifting has felt very difficult. Anyways, the real test is in the field, under the stress of performance. The body clenches, the mind wanders. If you happen across this blog and try this idea, let me know what you think... even if you don't like it. It took me 20 years of trying and I finally feel confident about this one.

Anyway I'm thinking about trying a new pickup. What to do? The Gage Realist has been good for the last... I dunno 14+ years maybe? But a lot of people are switching to the Full Circle. I need something that sounds good very loud, and I've heard the Full Circle has more mids and high end, while retaining the low end character in the Realist. Any opinions? I love those.

new semester

2010-09-23T05:57:00.000-07:00

I got away from writing down thoughts in the hurried environment of the academic year's arrival. It's the same but different, with a few new faces and many old ones. I'm trying to demand more of my students and not lose the edge.

We are living in times that look maybe the same, but they feel different on the streets here in New York, and in the trains. It's tangible. People used to step aside and make room for me and the string bass, now they pass me quickly on the right to get to the train door first and leave me no room. They push into the vulnerable front of the instrument without anything more than the trademark New York "scuse me" delivered at a whisper pitch. This is the face of the current, the now. It's the newer New York which is still massive but filled with resignation and too much mediocrity. Too much make-up, breast implants and anorexia. Too much fuss about an Islamic center and too little about the egregious Freedom Tower, which will cost taxpayers countless dollars at a time when transit, in particular, really needs money. Of course we are also living in times where no one seems to have time to remember the hundreds of millions that the MTA got caught stealing.

I'm fearful that we are all becoming too resigned. We are seeing a rebirth of radical right-wing ideology, or at least an invigoration. But as a response to what? Barack Obama's centrist, courage-free first half of his first term?

Travel between New York City and Newark, NJ is a colossal feat, an unenviable endeavor. All for a few sets of jazz and a decent meal. And yet, this is what we do. It's just a blip, a drop in the bucket while I'm the midst of cathartic changes in the body with Carrie Owerko and Lara Brunn. I feel as though I'm in some sort of yoga college. Iyengar yoga is characterized by so much language and yet it seems a disservice to the work that is going on in there to try to relegate it to a few sentences. This is asana on fire; I come home buzzing and wake up to write the sequence down, with the directives and details I'm able to remember. One thing that strikes me is how few postures we work on, and yet the work is so deep, so particular. I use to dismiss the fact that the Iyengar studio in Manhattan is called an Institute. Perhaps I've had too much Kool Aid, but it occurs to me now that Carrie must have more than 30 years of continuous, engaged study in the field. It's way more intense than my college experience.

Summer's End

2010-08-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm nearing the end of a summer that has brought me to many states - literal, figurative, gross and of course subtle. I've made new friends and fostered old ones, traveled in close quarters and slept in some very nice hotels and guest houses. I ate tasty food in southern cities, and decent lobster rolls in an obscure town in Maine whose name I cannot recall.

The highlights are many and the dull moments few, and perhaps the downtime in between the travel necessary anyway. Traveling with Rebecca Pronsky and band was one of the finest tours in memory, easily tops for organization and comfort. The many shows and radio spots we did paved the way for what is turning out to be a fine record. The rough mixes I've heard actually made me a little weepy. I suspect this is the record she has been waiting to make for a long time; the songs are very consistent and the band sounds like, well, a band! I'm really enjoying listening to "The Wheel". Aren't you glad you kept that one in rotation, Pronsky?

Repetition is a theme that has crept in to the rhythm of the summer. Playing the same material night after night with the same people brings nuance and insight. Similarly, the fantastic intensive I had the honor of attending with Iyengar teacher Joseph Satlak at his great studio in Belmont, MA, focused heavily on repeated postures. The endless stream of variations in poses such as vajrasana and supta padangusthasana were illuminating and felt deeply releasing. Mr. Satlak is a first-rate yoga educator who carefully limits the size of his classes, and everyone gets lots of attention. He is truly a teacher to follow, so if you are in the Boston area do not miss him. I know I've got lots of inspiration to work with... until next year's intensive.

What now? Fall is upon us. School is around the corner... I'm hoping to be in class regularly with Lara Brunn and Carrie Owerko, practicing the doghouse and writing some new songs. I have gigs coming up with Joe Whyte, Michael "Living" Jackson and some exciting prospects with the Sabbath Assembly. Stay tuned...

2010-08-05T05:44:00.000-07:00

Back from the road and back in my living room, I'm recovering from last night's epic journey out to Newark, which was roughly 2 hours each way because of cumulative public transit debacles. I'm slogging through "Manufacturing Depression", which, it turns out, is partly a history of modern medicine and psychiatry as a science. As a layman I can't really understand the value of psychiatry leading into the early part of the 20th century. And I never knew that Freud was a neurologist. Seems allopathic medicine has its roots in faith-based ideology just like all the others it so often dismisses. Basically it would have really sucked to go insane in the olden days.

My body aches and I'm not sure if it is from the marathon schlep with the doghouse on the wheel, or from the sequence Carrie O gave at the Iyengar Institute the other night, which I worked on again the following morning. Carrying the bass around at rush hour is cause for cortisol build-up.

I'm enjoying Cafe Grumpy beans (I think I like stumptown better) and french press made properly, not the sub-par stuff we had to settle for down south - even though the trip was great.

Things to look forward to: Rebecca's record, and shows she has booked into 2011. In a few weeks I'm doing a workshop with Joseph Satlak.

Day 8

2010-07-30T11:51:00.001-07:00

Knoxville is appealing as a city, but our show was essentially a buzzkill after having such nice audiences and accomodations in NC and OH.
The venue was big and empty, which felt familiar to all of us but in a not-nice way. Our trip was long earlier that day, and we did a fun radio spot.
An unexpected call from my building super back in Brooklyn lead to frantic, and ultimately unwarranted, calls to friends back home.
It was a rajasic day, to invoke Sanskrit terminology. Today feels comparatively tamasic as we ride towards Winston Salem.
The south is charming and complex, but they still need work on their coffee.

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Day 6

2010-07-28T12:01:00.001-07:00

Columbus OH turned out to be cooler than I thought. A bustling college scene with enough good food and vintage shopping to satisfy traveling New Yorkers, the town defies stereotypes of the corn-fed midwest. We did a promotional radio spot and a gig that evening.
Friendly folks abounded and the milder weather was a relief.
I finished Guruji and moved on to Gary Greenberg's 'Manufacturing Depression', which turns out to be not entirely unrelated. Basically we have codified the suffering of life as a category of treatable diseases. How is it working? I'll get back to you, but it's compelling reading so far...

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Tour Day 4

2010-07-26T17:34:00.001-07:00

This is a day of devotion. I mean it is a day that began first with an early wake-up, and a slow but not unsteady practice. But more to the point it is in fact a day devoted to immense distance traveled, as we have been shuttling for hours between Aberdeen, NC and Columbus, OH. Incidentally, my T-Mobile coverage was none too good.
The Bluegrass Kitchen in Charleston, WV provided fresh fare for lunch and a welcome respite from the preceding few days' flesh fiesta - the inevitable meat meltdown of the southern sojourn. We did have a blast playing the Rooster's Wife in Aberdeen.
Having completed so many impassioned testimonials on SKP Jois, I am all that more comitted to my personal practice, pretty sure I'm not going back to ashtanga any time soon and kind of on the fence about a lot of his students. Maybe impressive, maybe a tad too zealous? Never having worked with him, I will have to give them the benefit of the doubt. Really loved the book for the most part.

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Tour Day 3

2010-07-25T10:23:00.001-07:00

The heat index must be over one hundred. Durham, I've learned, is an intellectual, progressive and in particular medically-focused part of the south. The band played two sets last night at the Boot, a lively venue. We met two brothers from England, both successful filmmakers. They were appreciative of the music and shared that their sister was here undergoing very severe brain surgery. Apparently this is one of the only places in the world that offers this type of work.
Yesterday we took advantage of the pool at our motel and tasted local barbeque. This morning I had a decent iced coffee at Starbucks (you CAN do worse) and practiced standing postures, and seated twists. I'm feeling extra enthusiasm with regard to practice having read this book about SKP Jois, although Iyengar is essentially my 'guruji'...

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Southern Tour Day 2

2010-07-24T10:32:00.001-07:00

Touring with the Rebecca Pronsky band is turning out to be a departure from tours of the past. No drug use, members drink moderately (if at all), coffee equipment has been brought from New York, and mornings have plenty of time for vigorous asana practice. I remarked to Russ, my tour roommate, that the room is like a little Mysore room, with us each doing some practice on our own.
Last night we played in Norfolk and today we are heading to Durham. This tour will take me to several cities I've never visited prior, including Columbus, Knoxville and Cinncinnati (sp?).
I'm reading about Patthabi Jois and his students, and the apparent impact of a life involved in yoga. What is so fascinating, among other things, is how some students faced repeated injuries while studying, yet they persisted. It clarifies, in some way, just what it is we cultivate through repeated, daily practice over years.
We persist after repeated failures, breaks, tears, heartbreaks and we persist and break again. We tour and play even when there is no audience, and we love even when it isn't reciprocal... because that is what we do...

Namaste.

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summer reading

2010-07-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

With new biographies published this summer on major yoga icons, inspiration abounds for the 'aspirant'.

I picked up the just-publised Guruji, a wonderful collection of anecdotes shared by former students of Sri K. Patthabi Jois. Any serious yoga student could relate to the ideas shared; the spiritual and indescribable qualities of a daily practice, for instance. In particular I was fascinated by how each person has a different view, a different reason for them why the practice works. For some it is the ease over time, how one learns the series with some difficulty (I would reckon for most, a lot of difficulty), then they become like moving meditations. For some it is overcoming fear, letting go. Still others speak of the intense pain (not a popular one in the west) acting as a force for liberation of the mind.

I don't practice ashtanga, but I agree that pain is a component of practice. Of course there are many pains, and some pains are not good pains.

Mr. Donahaye has done beautiful work here to preserve the memory and feeling of an astonishing human being.

I played in a dingy basement in Ridgewood last night, but to my surprise the sound was pretty good. The trip home was the real journey. The G train was moving on a single track in shifts. 20 minutes until I got one from Metropolitan to Bedford Nostrand. Then another one scuffled along to Church - slowly. Upon exiting at church I saw a soft saggy ass bared in all its glory. Said person was doing some hygeine stuff, I tried not to look. Then I waited another 20 minutes stupidly for an F to take me to Ditmas, to save me 2 avenue blocks. I had gear, what can I say? I went fruit shopping on the way home and picked up some beautiful Michigan blueberries and donut peaches (most of which I consumed en route to my house).

I went to bed at 3.

2010-07-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

The wee hours before practice this summer are not so wee; in fact, mostly it seems they are well into the double-digits before I've had my coffee and a glance at the news. Practice has continued nonetheless and I've taken fantastic classes that have inspired me, and left deep impressions.

The other evening I took a Level 1 Class with the Iyengar Institute's director, James Murphy, who lead the enormous group like a great conductor. Mr. Murphy teaches in a way that, for me, is a little more fiery than some teachers I go to often, not to disparage them at all. It's just a different approach. After all, practice itself is often more methodical than fiery. But nonetheless, this teaching style worked to draw me into the work in a more focused manner. I'm so impressed at the beauty of sequencing in these classes. It's teaching at its finest, and I was sore the next day. Level 1, whatever.

After that I heard a decent set at the Rockwood Hall. While waiting for my friend, a crowd gathered outside the club to shake hands and share a few words with Jay Z, who was standing outside the Rockwood's new larger room, apparently to see a band. According to one young woman, Mr. Z has hands "as soft as a baby's ass".

Later in the evening I had a hot dog at Crif Dog and got my leg humped by my friend's dog. We who practice yoga apparently see patterns and are drawn in.

I'm living in a distant part of the borough now. Subway service is suffering. I like being here very much, but getting here always seems to take longer than it should. Summer is one late social event after another. So many visitors and adventures to be had.

A couple of nights earlier I was onstage with Rebecca Pronsky, who had a well-attended fundraiser for the record we are working on this summer. I was fortunate to open the night with an acoustic set of my own music. I was pleased with how well it went, having been away from these songs for a while. I'm feeling like it might be time to finally finish that second record, or start from scratch...

Is there a unifying theme to this post? I don't know. Maybe only that I am thinking life is more about the doing than any subsequent evalution...

Great Northern Bean

2010-06-21T12:12:00.001-07:00

Now that, thanks entirely to internet-based social networking, I have an old friend in Boston that I go back and visit with increasing regularity, I am for the first time in my adult life spending any time hanging out there.
I enjoyed fine vegetarian fare at Watertown's "Red Lentil" and my friend's spacious and breezy apartment nearby. It was a delight to take a brilliant class with Iyengar instructor Joseph Satlak, who gave everyone lots of personal attention. Don't miss he and his wife Candace's fine Belmont Yoga Studio in Cushing Square.
A short visit to my old high school was fun, and the dinner party that evening in Innman Sqare even more so.
I then saw my family for Father's Day. With typically great fare at Providence's "Garden Grille" one cannot go wrong. I guess I am largely vegetarian after all.

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the dolt bus

2010-06-18T13:20:00.001-07:00

This weekend I decided to go to Boston. Among other things on the bill are is a dinner party with a plethora of people I've never met and of course the requisite Father's Day activities.
From my seat on the Dolt Bus to South Station, I observe the woman next to me follow the World Cup on multiple media platforms contemporaneously. Intermittently someone makes a phone call. But for the most part, we sit in silence. How can one be thrilled when after all this brou-ha-ha we will exit the Dolt to South Station?
Maybe the clean air and sweet Boston Terrier kisses will provide needed distraction.
There is no Stumtptown in Boston.
There is no 9th St Espresso, Cafe Grumpy or a Bobby Clennell class.
!

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The Hardest Working Band in Sacreligious Hymn Revival

2010-06-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

The Sabbath Assembly just completed 3 radio performances and 2 gigs, the first NYC shows I did with them. I had joined the group a few shows prior to making "Restored To One", which comes out officially on Tuesday, June 22nd. Shows were some of the most rehearsed in recent memory, and the work paid off. The structure of the music allows for freer rock playing than usual, and the spirit of Jex Thoth lead us all deeper into the music. A special voice, that one.

I enjoyed in particular hanging with Georgia, Rich, Dave and Jex. I think from a purely social perspective it would be a really fun band to tour with. Let's hope the Gods are smiling upon our recent work and some of the promising possibilities come to fruition. We had a nice show at Glasslands Gallery on Tuesday, and the response was interesting. I guess I see myself as an entertainer to some degree within the context of this band, but it seems to evoke a spiritual reaction in many listeners. We had a very quiet, attentive audience. At the same time there is certainly creative satisfaction in a musical situation that sort of 'taps' my intuitive approach to psychedelic bass playing so well.

Gigs were surround by visits and chatting and decent meals. Lil Frankie's, Mimi's Hummus and Spring St Natural stand out. 9th Street Espresso, long walks and a great class with master teacher Bobby Clennell do as well. Bobby, who I'm told is 67, teaches with the clarity of an enlightened being. In teaching it is so often what is not said as well was what is. It would seem there is almost what could be described as a neutrality in how information is disseminated. This takes a lot of potential attachments away from the tutelage. She rarely, and in the class I think never, singles out a student (she did single me out in hamstring discussions when she taught Pregnancy and Menstruation Yoga during my Teacher Training). I love being around her energy and vitality, and charming British linguistic flair. I'll look forward to taking as many classes with her as I can this summer.

Well it's off to another rehearsal this morning, then to Boston. Oy vey.

New York is Busy

2010-06-14T20:22:00.001-07:00

I'm older, but I'm still not really an adult. I mean, visibly I'm aging, but, for instance, I still spend endless hours on things that earn very little money. I am somehow able to sustain myself which I guess in its own way is incredible.

Last night Sabbath Assembly performed on the Just Music show on East Village Radio to promote the release of Restored to One, the album which was recorded last fall in Seattle by Randall Dunn. Drummer Dave Nuss handed me a copy of the vinyl release, the first thing I've done ever put on vinyl, and as a big plus it's on gold vinyl. I'll have to go over Rich Bennett's house to listen since I don't own a record player. We have done many rehearsals to prepare for radio spots like this one as well as Tuesday's album release at Glasslands in Williamsburg.

After some hanging and a big veggie pizza at Lil Frankie's , I headed home on the ever-failing F train. I woke up early for backbends... I'm loving practice lately. Backbends are so deep in the shoulder girdle and I'm finally 'finding' some shoulders in headstand. After a 3 hour rehearsal with Sabbath and two lessons, I stopped at Union Square Farmer's market and decided to try some lamb's quarters. Sauteed in olive oil with shallots, they tasted better than I remembered when I had gone foraging several years back with Wildman Steve Brill. Apart from the sizeable slug I found on one of the leaves, they were easy to prepare and stood up to substantial cooking time, unlike their cousin, spinach. I paired it with some tempeh, soy and lime juice and served it over red quinoa... Overall it was a satisfying foray into home cooking, something that I'm getting back into after not really having a kitchen for four years.

I'm hoping that the practice of backbends will help keep my spirits up during the week. They do create incredible energy.

Coming up... after another radio spot for Sabbath on Thursday, I remove my psychedelic folk hat and don my shoegaze... gaze for some shows with Williamsburg's Dead Leaf Echo in July, and then a full-band tour with Brooklyn songwriter Rebecca Pronsky. We are making her new album in August!

The Customer is Always Wrong

2010-06-12T11:24:00.001-07:00

When I practiced vinyasa yoga, I was one of many in a community that practiced daily. I had buddies in class (I went almost every day) and we would sit together as the teacher began class with a 'dharma talk' - a spiritual teaching. Then the music eventually came on and we would sweat out the asana.

When I moved and shortly thereafter began practicing Ashtanga vinyasa yoga, my group of buddies dwindled. I was attracted to what I perceived as the more demanding, more precarious and undeniably more traditional version, even though much was the same. But there was no dharma talk to be found in traditional Mysore-style Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. There was almost no talking whatsoever, since the classes were not lead in the traditional sense. There was no music, no air conditioning, no compromise. I still believe in these latter elements. One can, it seems, make a living teaching yoga in New York, but if you want to teach in the studios, then you must generally offer a style of teaching akin to the one described in the first paragraph. "Customers prefer music." "Customers prefer flow."

But the customer is not always right. In fact the customer in this case usually knows very little about joints, yoga, breathing, or anything else a yoga teacher should be able to speak to. As a longtime teacher of music, I know one essentially neutralizes his or her efficacy by placating a student. I have let this happen to abysmal results. Look no further than the low level of player we see coming from most schools at a a time when more information than ever is available. I think it's only helped to create an environment where most people see themselves as experts.

I fell into this pitfall myself while beginning to learn Ashtanga. And yet the one point of this practice or any true yoga it would seem is to humble you. Just because you can read about Patthabi Jois doesn't really bring you much closer to the experience of those who went to India and practiced with him for years. Customers prefer music, but music is purely cosmetic in the practice of asana where we must cope with reality - even if it's a jackhammer on Church Avenue. Customers prefer flow, but most of them don't know what do in one posture with their arms, legs, head, gluteal muscles - you get the picture.

Somehow yoga has grown into a money-making industry, but I'd prefer my early forays into teaching to be what they have been for the most part: teaching small groups of friends what I know and really believe in. I have no incentive to compromise.

going ur way

2010-06-06T06:48:00.000-07:00

Intended Trip:

Cortelyou Road Q Train to 96th Street 2/3 Train

Time of Departure: 7:30 P.M.

Intended Route:

Q Train to Atlantic Avenue

2/3 to 96th

Actual Route

Q Train to Atlantic Avenue

2/3 Train to... Union Square, because it magically transformed into a 5 train

Union Square transfer to an N, which was running local

N train to 42nd st Times Square

transfer to the 1

*miniscule signs in station saying that there are no express trains since all trains are running local. spotted dozens waiting for express trains to arrive. MTA police and staff seen on platform allowing people to wait without telling them to get on local side

1 train to 96th

Arrival: 8:36 pm

Pedagogy in Focus

2010-06-04T06:57:00.000-07:00

It's on the cusp of 10 am and I'm finishing this morning's coffee, thinking about which asana to pracice. I often read blogs to get ideas, but the truth is that I know enough about sequencing and what I want to improve upon that I don't really need a scripted set of postures. Practice is bringing consistent satisfaction, and classes at the Iyengar Institute are consistently good. I'm enjoying Marcela, Lara Brunn (on maternity leave), Adam Vitolo, Brooke Meyers, Anna Golfinopoulos and looking forward to trying others. I've gone sectarian!

To me one of the great facets of Iyengar yoga is the rich tradition of pedagogy as a focus. The dynamics of teaching, the teacher-student rapport, and most importantly how to work on something. We who practice music understand how there are infinite approaches to digesting and appropriating new material. For instance you learn a Bach piece in perhaps four bar fragments, and when I studied classical guitar I was told a serious practitioner doesn't perform a piece that hasn't been practiced for at least a year. I'm sure that's not always followed to the letter, but as a broad principle it makes so much sense.

Likewise with physical yoga, we examine the detailed actions of the postures - I'd hate to use the word minutiae, but alas... I practiced various forms of vinyasa yoga and never did my body understand Trikonasana. We spend a great deal of time focusing on the actions of the hip girdle, the adductors, the inner arches in Triangle Posture, and soon enough the pose has a feeling, a sense of clarity. So in this sense the practice becomes a process of both physical and mental attention. I'm reinventing the wheel here, as so much has been eloquently written about this style of yoga.

I had a difficult time teaching guitar to so many young students this year. I became disillusioned with the lack of palpable results. On the whole I don't find parents here in town as interested in fostering the home practice, which of course is death when you are talking about young kids. Still, the recital the other night was less of a debacle than I'd expected. Inspired by a recent visit to California where I checked out what a friend had been studying, I chose to focus nearly exclusively on playing songs with children. Mostly good ones written by Lennon and McCartney.

What does that mean for the young student who barely picks up the guitar? That he or she can actually play a C chord for the rest of his or her life. They can count four beats in a row. They can get through a song. Which, since in this case they are often mutually exclusive, might serve them better than knowing where open E is on the staff.

In recital, I lead my students through a song (I sang more publicly on this recital than I have in years, pretty weird) and didn't stop no matter how messed up they got (they got messed up). No more taking it from the top! This is a gig. Boy am I learning.

Ok it's time for uttita Trik.

have a nice day

Dan

light and sleep deprivation

2010-04-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

I lay supine in supta baddha konasana this evening to catch up on some needed rest. It was a week that began softly enough with preparation for pounding rock that tested and perhaps bested the limits of my 25db earplug filters. It also involved the return to my frankly brutal teaching schedule, and the first 80 degree days of the month (it's in the 60s again). The central piece of the week was a friend's unfortunate emergency appendectomy and hospital visit (both before and after). It also involved the first rehearsal for a singer's new music and summer tour (well there are some spring dates, but this is all in preparation of what is clearly a promising new record to be made in late summer), a new orchid for my new apartment and a short but sweet visit to the accountant (I got a nice refund).

So much action outside this dim apartment lately, and I'm beginning to appreciate this parlor-like feel. The warmth of the lamps, the quiet of the building at Shabbas time.

Well off to my next gig. Hear Hear to dimly lit quiet times to offset the insanity.

4 sides

2009-12-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

I'm beginning to understand and maybe even empathize with my mother a little. I know it must be disappointing to see your offspring toil away in a city like this one sharing a dilapidated house with a bunch of weirdos. Those of us who live here of course might see it differently, but if you've tried to make a go of it here without some help, you've likely had a taste of this life.

Mine is still going on as we speak. It tastes nasty. But it's familiar, and I'm pretty accepting of this series of failures that is my life. It wouldn't make sense with an appealing living situation.

One guy, who has been living in the attic room for about a year, is a bit of a dichotomy. He's into yoga and even teaches a little, but he loves to watch sports on TV. He chants in Sanskrit, but rarely cleans up after himself. He acts effeminate and caring, but doesn't give a fuck.

My past experience with sharing places (sadly, quite vast) has shown me that it's fruitless at best to expect deep-rooted habits to change. But that said I'm looking forward to his departure from the premises, announced today and forecasted for the end of this month.

We have old friends in common, so while we don't talk much, when we do he likes to give me his (skewed and questionable) side of the story. One woman who lives in the house received an angry email from him after she cleaned his dishes.

Another housemate drinks so much that she vomited on the landlord's floor, and behaved in other inappropriate and psychotic manners that I cannot discuss here. Suffice it to say one of the outbursts involved brandishing a big knife.

So much alcohol and soft drug-related madness is brewing around me.

In the three years or so since I moved in, I think this is like the 10th time the house personnel has had a shake-up. The big man announced that the drunkard has been asked to leave, but of course that can take months even if the evictor is proactive, and I mean really on top of it (he isn't).

Over the years tenants have complained to me about the big man's big big temper, but I think he's a sweet guy. I get a slightly different tale from each person about the same situation. The drunkard says he's been mean and shunned her for no reason. She calls me in tears and tells me how insulted she feels. Then I hear from the big man that she has stopped paying rent for months (we all pay separately negotiated rents directly to him) and has been generally acting insane (I can vouch for the validity of that statement). Previous insane tenants have accused the big man of being a misogynist and a radical Muslim... two things I have yet to see be true.

The upstairs guy, a fragile trust fund buffoon, left a long-winded message for me today about how horribly he was treated by the big man when he gave notice. The story was in synch with a lot of the things disgruntled tenants have said in the past, and yet I've never experienced it myself. If I had bigger nuts, the upstairs guy would have caught more from me, but instead I've bottled it up inside.

I'm confused. Who do I believe??

The Difference Between Cult and Religion

2009-10-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

Might be at least partly related to how much of said 'trip' is believed by the followers and, more importantly, how many followers you have. I'm preparing to do an interesting gig with interesting musicians playing the music of the Process Church of the Final Judgement, a cult formed during the 1960's in Britain. They composed their own hymns, which sound a lot like Christian hymns except they worship Jehovah, Christ, Satan and Lucifer. In reading the book that these events are promoting, written by a former member, it's hard not to draw comparisons to John Krakauer's excellent "Under the Banner of Heaven", if only to note the similarities in Joseph Smith's story, which was at least equally as ridiculous and hard-to-believe. So it certainly must take just the right combination of what Krakauer calls "religious genius" and um, 'receptive' individuals to get the combination just right.

I'm feeling just enough challenge and comfort in this situation, learning lots of simple tunes where I'm called upon to play a free-ish version of acid rock, plus do lots of chorale-style singing. I'm especially looking forward to Halloween in Seattle, seeing friends in Portland and of course doing a record with some great musicians, especially my old friend Anders Nilsson, a monster guitarist.

The end of pet-sitting

2009-09-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

I only took it because I suspected (wrongly) that there'd be very scant income in August. Of course it's all relative I realize because all my income really is scant in the grand scheme of things. But taking care of the barely 1.5 year old Golden Retriever for about a week seemed innocuous enough. The owner was moving her family and herself to California and needed someone to help with the transition. This bitch had a team, I'm not fucking with ya.

She balks at my price (around 37 bucks a day, shit, a fucking bargain). She agrees to it though when I explain how fucked up pets get when their masters disappear. No talky for weeks leading up to the date of arrival (and her departure). Okay so I get in there and she's talking it down. Big Park Slope place but at this point it's almost barren of furniture. [Details overlooked on visit: fridge overflowing with lots of old food. Cupboards full of snacks, most of which at least somewhat stale.] Doggie must have people around. Doggie have bad infection which requires antibiotics, plus hotspots for which there is a spray, and doggie is wearing a cone because she is licking and agitating hot spots. Oh yeah and Polish super will bust in at any point to feed cats, forgot to fucking mention a big crew is coming to paint starting on the second day. Didn't really think ahead that the fridge repair crew would call to confirm, but that the ground line was unplugged and so appointment was cancelled. People will drop by to visit the dog, make a fucking mess and leave it for you. Oh and I didn't have time to change the sheets or even think to leave clean ones on the nasty futon which you'll be sleeping on. I also will skip town in a hurry when all is said and done and 'forget' to pay you your balance. Them's the breaks

"My son is 16 and might come by with his friends and drink beer, if this happens you must call the police".

Kozkusco the super might decide on a whim to give Goldie a bath.

[the cats have a door to the outside of the duplex apartment through which they can enter and leave the building. at one point, the cats dragged in a (still living) bird resulting in bedlam]

hot tub you can use if you can figure it out, but the water is nasty and the whole back yard is fucking neglected and fuBar.

cable tv but only useable until day 2 when the painting work renders the living room useless.

--- on top of that i'm still waiting for the second half of the dough.

i'm sorry

2009-09-10T16:11:00.001-07:00

Dear ____,

I'm sorry that I have not heard back from you since going out last week. Perhaps I got a little too excited since you are 1) a redhead and 2) a whopping 9 years younger than me. I've since expunged your number and put myself in hot pursuit of other chicks.

Maybe if we'd had some kind of follow-up evaluation afterwards you could have pointed me in some positive directions, besides your short-shorts, the most obvious place in my opinion. Seems I'm surrounded by an incredible amount of young females lately and could have learned from my mistakes.

In any event, I wish you luck in achieving your acting MFA and hope to see you on a taco commercial in the not-too-distant future. I think that you realized early enough in life that it wasn't such a good idea to forsake your acting career to working in a knish shop in Midwood, just to stay married to Shlomo or whatever the fuck his name is.

Mazel Tov,

Daniel

P.S. Does the carpet match the drapes?

just blow

2009-09-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

My neighbor is an artist that works with glass blowing. Outside of the stuff you see at the county fair, I haven't seen artistic glass work in the making. Apparently she's really good and does performance style, where the molten glass is dripped over a steel umbrella and molded by the artists underneath. I'll have to check it out.

So last night she had a post-Labor Day party and I was invited. I often cringe at the idea of going to parties where I basically know no one, at least if I have to go by myself. But the sweet potato quesadilla was good, and so was the brined roasted pork loin with cherry stock. Most of the company had some connection to glass blowing, which just seems like the most esoteric of all things esoteric. I never really did like hanging with big groups of visual artists. And how is it possible that so many people still smoke cigarettes? One of the last things I remember hearing, in a crowd of 30-somethings, was "don't pass that joint by me, I'm not a loser!!"

Other mishaps included being ensnared into a heated debate on the merits, or lack thereof, of Guns 'n Roses. What was so wrong with me that I couldn't understand how Slash was the most awesome of guitarists, and how his soloing was like somebody singing?

This is where we are today: I find myself among people obsessed with reality television, and keen on celebrity culture, expensive restaurants, and how awesome it is to go to Amsterdam and smoke grass. I've spent the better part of my adult life being embarrassed that I had similar values in college. Funny thing about NYC; you can meet such a diverse range of people and yet parties often feel very balkanized. It's off-putting. I don't like the idea that you have to 'do time' with a gang to break in. It's a by-product of youth, and of this I'm certain because I've been a guest at parties of the older generation as long as I've lived in town and the atmosphere is completely different. They used to exist as a way to meet new people, but now they mainly celebrate a group of friend's inside experiences and exclusivity.

Anyway next time I'll bring my wing man.

TAPAS for dinner is so late 90's

2009-08-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

Sushi too.

Met some friends for a special dinner at some expensive TAPAS restaurant in Chelsea. The small plates were priced anywhere from 5-30 dollars. The median line was somewhere between 11 and 15 though. 2-3 plates per person was the suggested ration. I should have been clued in to the impending doom of the bill by the staff's impeccable knowledge of every dish. It seemed like every dish I ordered was ridiculously small or, as in the case of the pork ribs, which were served in small pieces, bone in, there was a lot of inedible stuff around the tasty morsels on the plate which rendered it small in efficacy with regards to hunger. I think it is so 90's to go out to eat for 'nuance' and extravagance above basics like satiation. The big clunker of the night was an order of lamb chops, served in traditional Basque style with the fat on ("you must cut it away yourself and some customers aren't used to that). The huge chops arrived 95% gristle with just a few nubs of munch-worthy flesh.

The 165 dollar tab for four people included only 1 glass of wine (and many glasses of seltzer). I left still sort of hungry. This is a restaurant for a decadent earner, a better economy, a casual pitstop for a hedge-fund manager.

Frankie Vali vs The Beatles

2009-08-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

My mom claims to hate the Beatles. She can't really articulate why, but she prefers Frankie Vali's music because of it's melodic content. When I counter that the Beatles were never for wont of melodic content she acknowledges this fact but she attributes it to taste, what she's familiar with, etc. The truth is I have very little invested in convincing her or anyone else to like what I like or hold my views at all.

But it was interesting to note, in the show "Jersey Boys", which is really good as Broadway shows go, that there is a sort of division created against British Invasion rock. Tommy DeVito, who narrates much of the story of the Four Seasons' rise to fame from Jersey obscurity, explains how they were the sound of the working class while the Beatles was the music of choice for people looking to "levitate the Pentagon".

It brings to mind the current political climate. The right-wing somehow connects with 'working' Americans while the erudite left is represented by the Democrats. Neither seems very accurate to me as both parties are in fact supported by similar if not the same sources of money. The powers-that-be must love watching situations play out like this past week, where Barney Frank of Massachusetts held court with some wacky lady who flashed an image of Barack Obama altered to look like Hitler, calling health care reform a Nazi policy.

The Beatles and the Four Seasons, meanwhile, made millions of dollars, got plenty of pussy and smoked lots of weed. The suburban kids outside of Newark thought Mr. Vali was singing about them. The stoners in Washington Square Park thought John Lennon was singing about them (maybe he was). Up to you to decide whether "Rag Doll" is more working class than "In My Life".

Up to you to decide whether an eviscerated version of the health care initiative, sans any public option, is really worthwhile or even the slightest bit productive. Most experts I trust don't believe it is. In todays Times, Krugman explores the idea of Obama being a 'fake progressive' and it's hard not to disagree. (Full disclosure: I already thought he was a fake progressive for a number of reasons). Of course most so-called conservatives aren't really conservatives in their embrace of right-wing religious agendas, egregious spending on prisons and military and many invasions of privacy borne of the previous administration.

So in a sense it's what team you most identify with. Was your dad a Republican. Are you a Yankee fan? Do you fancy a shag haircut or something a little more 'conservative'?

2009-08-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

Having failed at most other jobs to one degree or another, I've been thinking about what works for me about teaching. I think in teaching, or more to the point in learning, the student wants to feel respected. It's not some super deep psychological ploy, just basic respect. Kids feel disrespected by their teachers, which may be an unavoidable consequence of academic environments. I rarely encounter discipline issues except for lack of home practice. On the other hand, adults want to be treated respectfully and feel they have space to learn and grow, since the work environment can often have a wilting effect on the psyche and body.

Each session is an interesting study for me in what works, and what doesn't work. Just as in the study of music, the the study of yoga reveals holding patterns. In my own practice and when I teach, the edge is what a student must learn to feel. We learn to play a passage at a tempo that is not so slow, for instance, that it is boring, but not so fast that it is impossible, or more precisely unsatisfying. These various shapes and directions we move the body in during asana practice shed light fairly quickly on weakness, tightness and our working habits. Do we grip and tighten more in the presence of pressure and adversity? Do we overwork one area while another collapses?

Just as the philosophical underpinnings of yoga speak to connecting with the purusa, or soul, the vulnerable piece of us which becomes exposed in practice can be a force of unification. Few things appear more universal than suffering in its many forms. Perhaps nurturing that basic approach is one of the more satisfying elements of teaching. Before you know it, some of your pupils have matured into true practitioners. All this means is exactly what it sounds like: they practice regularly. They have a repertoire of songs they play and improve upon. They write, sing and play their own music. Teaching and learning are clearly inseparable, and perhaps one of the cornerstones of civilization, however undervalued they may be.

I don't feel undervalued though.

yoga classes for september

2009-07-25T21:12:00.001-07:00

I'm enjoying teaching what I know to a diverse group of people here in the neighborhood.

In addition to teaching small groups and private lessons here in the nabe, I was considering having a public class or two as there are several spaces available. One possibility is a musician's class depending who is interested. Please let me know and I'll keep you in the loop.

teacher training

2009-07-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

It's officially the end of week 3 of Yoga Union's Summer Teacher Training. It's been a major experience for all of us involved. I'm so glad I made the decision to go through with it despite my reservations. I'm not the kind of guy who wants to say he's an authority on anything important. Especially not Yoga.
But the studies have been illuminating. Anatomy, kinesiology, philosophy, asanas and their implications for body, spirit and mind - it's all made me examine my relationship with them very closely. It's interesting to go back to school as an adult. A chance to examine the character you've become based on the millions of little decisions you've made. I've enjoyed my classmates and they've made the program easier for me. I even had a major mishap when a handstand assist went awry and a student's foot fractured the top of my nose. Hard to believe, but the course still seems overwhelmingly beneficial.
Seeds have been planted that are changing the way I view my own practice. Directions of the body are becoming clearer. Sequencing is taking on a sense of depth and detail I didn't see before. Somehow understanding the anatomical and energetic implications, for instance, when one follows Parsvottanasana with Virabadrasana I, it means something really significant.
I've also enjoyed my students and the interesting theater work I've had to sustain me while all this is going on.
Alison West, man that is one serious teacher. Sometimes it's tough love, but you gotta admit you're really being taught something. It's inspiring to be around someone so smart, fiercely ethical and comitted to her students. I hope to retain that lesson.

some upcoming gigs

2009-06-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Carmen Borgia's SOUTH

June 12,13,19,20,26 and 27

7:30 pm

Tosh Sheridan, guitar duo

@ Claret in Sunnyside, Queens

June 10, 8-11

Charles Sibirsky, piano duo

@ Sofia's

near times square

July 18th, 7-11:30

Daniel Marcus

Banjo Jim's

July 23rd, 30th

8pm

buttock knot, anatomy drawing, annoying park slope moms

2009-06-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

The price of admission at any cafe you wish to sit and read, write, hang etc is to BUY something. The weird homeless junkie who comes and nods in the outdoor seating is to be expected, but how about monied Park Slope moms who feel so entitled as to sit and chat with their wretched offspring and not buy so much as a coffee? So was this glorious afternoon, which finds me lesson-less, rehearsal-less and tight-buttocked, and with much homework to finish before Wednesday.
I'm tracing anatomy illustrations from Netter's "Atlas of Human Anatomy". The paintings are marvelous, but tracing is a pain in the ass and I cannot believe how long each one is taking. I'm happy to report I am halfway through. With lessons largely over for the academic year, today I hope to get at least one more done.
It's a little easier to sit since I got a massage last night by a wonderful practitioner here in Park Slope, Edith Silver. I highly recommend her. The work was deep but not painful, and I felt incredibly rested afterwards. The source of frustration which pushed me to schedule said appointment was a nagging knot in the right buttock. It does respond to massage, and today I tried to recreate some of the same releases achieved last night. It is getting better. Edith also artfully released the right trapezius, which is chronically tight, and in turn the jaw was able to relax significantly.
I find that relaxing is a huge component of my practice and an increasing area of interest. I know Mr. Iyengar frowns on massage, but let's face it, sometimes we just need help relaxing. Furthermore, like his passive yoga asanas, massage therapy allows one to be passive while the muscle is lengthen, stretched and released. It's really not possible to work this way actively. The concept of Yin and Yang yoga initially struck me as yet another decontextualized eastern concept to lure faux-deep western customers. But it actually makes perfect sense - not to mention the fact that, based on what I've seen on his site, Mr. Grilley really means business and knows his shit big time - this idea of the active, physical asanas being important for our sedentary lifestyles, but the balance of the passive poses, the long durations, the emphasis on quieting the mind are so important. From this quiet practice perhaps more than any other we experience some small version of what is actually discussed in Patanjali's sutras. Although the yang part of the practice seems to relate to tapas. Fierce discipline thus far has not been an issue for me, I think... it's harder for me to relax. I'm more than happy to work on it.
Looking ahead to this week, I cannot believe how busy things are for the next while. Carmen Borgia's "South" opens this Friday, and is in rehearsal. Gigs at churches and wine bars.

nj, the sikh and the heart

2009-06-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

I spent a good deal of the weekend in Caldwell, NJ staring at jumbled scores. There was nary a legiable bass part to be found. I did enjoy hanging with Tony and Kevin, the conductor and pianist respectively. Tony generously offered a little extra money to cover a cab home last night (this morning) from the PATH station. This turned out to be a surprising chopre at 1 am on a Saturday night. The first guy drove me 4 blocks, then asked me to get out because he was freaked about the bass hanging out his window. Then many car services stopped offering prices between 45 and 65 to go from Varick and Houston to Park Slope.
Then a young sikh in an SUV cab appeared and we had a nice chat about God, rebirth and other ideas very familiar to me these days (I've been studying Patanjali's yoga sutras). He showed me a large dagger. "Don't be nervous".
My ass is sore but better than yesterday. I am getting a massage after this rehearsal. Life is busy and cool...

the winds of may

2009-05-17T18:56:00.000-07:00

56 degrees in Mid-May? Yessir. We've had a bunch of springs like this one.
My joints kind of feel it. I swear those hamstring poses were getting softer in the heat, now it's back to the stiffness. Buried in various translations of the Sutras, I'm reminded time and again of the central facet of practice - the disciplined drive maintained in the face of repeated failures. Not that stiff hamstrings represent a failure exactly, but the potential doors opened by lengthening the hamstrings are alluring. Poses like Kurmasana. Unsupported Forward bends. Leg behind the head (true photo-ops).
It's going to be Back Bending week. I'm thinking of giving Witold's sequence a try. I'm hoping to foster a high degree of discipline in home practice leading up to Training in June. Not that practice has been lacking at all this year, really, but I want to be prepared for the intense rigor that Alison will surely deliver.
Been rocking out to In N Out by Joe Henderson. Killing 60s blue note that even Richard Davis can't ruin. Sacrilege I realize, but he is just so sub-par to other icons of the 60s - give me Ron or Bob Cranshaw instead and you've got the same raw energy, just played better.

Preparing for TT

2009-05-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

I'm enrolled in the Teacher Training Program. I will have the authority to give adjustments. Not that one must be certified to teach yoga in NY. Not yet anyway. Still, the it's the details of Alison's training that mean more to me than the Yoga Alliance Certificate. It's going to be very difficult.
The training officially begins in June. But I've been taking class regularly with Alison since September and have a pretty good idea of how she works and thinks. Additionally there is a good deal of reading to finish before then. Texts include a new book by Judith Lasater called Yogabody which is basically experiential anatomy directed at yoga practitioners, and Iyengar's translation of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. I find Iyengar's commentary to be easy to relate to, even though it's not possible for me to read a lot of it at once. It's very dense and loaded with sanskrit terminology. The sutras are interesting because they aren't a typical religious scripture as I am accustomed to. There is certainly ample reference to divinity and God, yet the focus is on disciplined practice, and the succinct aphorisms leave a lot of room for interpretation.
Anyway, I've found myself a student again after all these years. I mean I've been taking classes and lessons all along, but now I'm using highlighters, writing papers, meeting deadlines... It's kind of fun at this point. Ask me again in July.

This weekend: played gigs with Lena Bloch and Daniel Marcus. Both went well. Help Lena move, ate Indian food, saw this movie about a Pentecostal pastor who tries unsuccessfully to make a feature film, finished season 5 of the Wire (boo hoo). Ate ice cream, took long walks, enjoyed the sun and did a great headstand. Among other things.

divine

2009-04-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

That's what this weekend has been. Whatever that means to an agnostic. Spirtual agnostic.
Yeah, I toasted in the 80 degrees+ all weekend and have a lobster-hued face and forehead to prove it. It was fun and games on Saturday; long walks, frisbee, prospect park... Sunday was still fun but there was some work and a kickass class with Deborah. I'm finally beginning to kick up into handstand with my weaker side after a year of trying. Core strength is a huge factor with getting in and out of inversions, probably with balancing in them too. When I energize my leg and core muscles in poses like headstand, it makes the pose feel lighter, but at the same time more energetic. It's harder work, but it feels more 'right'. Without that energy, it feels more collapsed and unsteady.
Finally finished season 3 of the Wire and it was not a disappointment in the slightest. What a great show. I cannot believe I've missed this until now. It's a definitely worthwhile.
It's Sunday night, trash night in the neighborhood and everything is rotting on the street in a summer-like way. I strolled about and got a huge amount of ice cream. I gazed at the flashing police lights. I strolled slowly like I prefer to do, because the weather is amazing. It really does make a difference. Glad to have the steam back for a a while...

Sheep's Milk (pecorino)

2009-04-24T12:56:00.000-07:00

It's like the nicest day so far this year and I'm inside buried under all this crap. Not figurative crap; that's not terribly bad today thanks to my practice this morning which I took from Wiltold. I'd actually been thinking about similar ideas; the occiput being heavy and resting into the support in Supta Badha Konasana for example to allow the traps to loosen. Glad to see I'm onto something. No it's just important to spend some time throwing things out, cleaning and organizing or else your little room is just wall-to-wall clutter.
So I finished folding Wednesday's laundry and then sat here on the bed, eating these tasty gluten-free crackers and hummus. Then I pondered whether to move onto the Sheep's Milk yogurt and Ezekiel cereal. In the background I'm checking out Wynton Kelly's "Kelly at Midnight" which was supposedly Philly Joe's favorite side of his career. It's just a straight up trio thing with Wynton, Philly Joe and Paul Chambers (though this information is specific enough that if you like those guys you are likely to know it already).
The sun shines in. Alison says she still sort of views the yoga year in terms of an academic calendar and so this time through June is sort of a time to evaluate the year. So I notice what kind of shape practice has taken in the last year and have to say I'm very pleased with my efforts and the choices I've made, and the instructors I've picked. I've gotten great details from everyone in the last year, especially Kristen Davis, Deborah Wolk and of course Alison West. Classes have been great and information-saturated to an almost dizzying degree, but home practice has really blossomed and I really feel like I'm discovering nuances of the body that are very new to me. Weak points is that I'm still amazed how tight my hamstrings are still after all this time, but perhaps next year will bring a bona fide forward bend. Until then, practice, practice, practice.
Anyway I'm also enjoying the choice I made to go back to a more gut-style string and boy did I miss them. They would not suit all types of playing but they really work well for me. The low tension is killin'.

Cheers
D

Upon Request

2009-04-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

Well at the urging of one reader I've decided to begin some posting again. I'd written it off as too esoteric or just generally uninteresting for the general public, but maybe I was wrong.

I mean, most yoga blogs are pretty poorly written I'd say, although I can make some notable exceptions. Witold's is totally incredible. And of course my blog also deals with other subjects - a squalid, meager-yet-satisfying existence as a working musician of sorts and general other NYC related topics. So I must go for now but look for more regular posting soon as much has been going on that is of interest in these specific areas.

kisses

d

bassists: tips of your fingers are your best friends

2009-03-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

Anyone out there have this issue? When you are switching a lot between the electric and upright for gigs, do you ever notice a 'backing off' of the tips of the left hand fingers (to the flats) that sort of 'softens' your stuff on upright?

My hand was going crazy and I was trying to figure it out for weeks when I realized that my left hand pinky had started flattening out habitually. Intentionally curling and position said finger so that the bone of the tip made contact eliminated the stress on the flexor very quickly. Amazing how such small details make a difference.

Hand position never made any sense to me somehow. I can't find a lot on the net about what people do really. I cringe when I see the stiff, hyperextended stuff that most people are taught and employ. Only a matter of time IMHO before those poor players are seeking help for their upper bodies. Maybe we all need to get a little banged up to figure it out for ourselves.

Additionally - tips sound much more pointed and clear overall and it's much easier to play in tune. So your left hand won't resemble Charlie Haden, but you might be able to play longer, clearer and with less pain thank the lord...

the death grip

2009-02-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking - and periperhal neuropathy is a good motivator to think about this - that my left hand may be gripping a bit too tightly when I play bass. The last few days have surprised me as I find myself tuning into the natural curl of my fingers when they are at rest, and using that dead weight gives me maximum advantage.
My hands often feel looser after practice than when it starts thinking this way, which goes into that category of 'if it feels right, it must be right' or something like that.
Anyway, another jive-ass week in national politics as an apparently emasculated final version of the stimulating package prepares to take over. Weak-minded, ideal-less centrist Democrats join forces with the insane Republicans, and when you look at it that way I guess it's impressive that they can get anything with that many words onto the president's desk. Krugman is the only one at the times who is man enough to lambaste the Obama administration's lack of efficacy at this crucial time, while the rest of the country kind of sort of pretends to keep on keepin' on. Or something like that.
In the meantime I'm back reading fiction. Really digging "Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz, whose "Drown" was a fave of mine when I first moved to town and worked in a cubicle of Pfucking Pfzier Pfarma or whatever-the-fuck. Suffice it to say I would live on sawdust before ever going back to work in a situation like that ever again. Anyway I think I realized a little too late in life that reading really stimulates the brain nicely. I guess it has not atrophied completely. There might still be hope for me.
Anyway back the hands, try this exercise if you haven't. Play a few bars of a tune you are comfortable with, then drop the left hand and let it go, dead weight... then using the minimum effort bring it back to the fingerboard and continue. Repeat several times. Observe your hand's natural shape and bone structure and find the minimum effort you need to add to get a sound. I find this surprising, it's as if I've spent the better part of 20 years clenching the mutherfucker...

the ranger came with burning eyse

2009-02-11T19:55:00.001-08:00

the chambermaid awoke surprised

today i taught with energy and in my own practice explored more and more ergonomic approaches to bass playing. someone i know here in town was talking about raising the height of his endpin way high. it takes some getting used to, but basically the bass (!) should balance without the use of your hands to take the maximum pressure off of them. I think your hand and fingers in particular get heavily taxed by 'gripping' so I'm exploring what happens when the bass leans on the body at an angle and the fingers do less and less.

i had probably too much coffee. i thought about unrequited love however briefly, and practiced some music for upcoming gigs prior to scooping the flesh out of an avocado, shirking my chores (tidy up for visitors this weekend).

i'm still thinking about unrequited love, a fantasy, it is out there but not reciprocal and even if it was, i'm pretty sure the reality version of it would be lesser than my daydream version.

still, there is that .01% chance that it would be great, right?

bc. 500000 is at least one too few zeros

2009-02-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

So say you have 5000 per month rent and private school cost 30000 per year and you have to have at least two (2) children. You have to have at least one nanny at 49000/ per year, plus dinner at nobu at least weekly (500 for the family (?))

With this basic overhead plus clothes and a mistress, 500000 per year pre tax is pretty fucking draconian. What's a hard-working executive to do to raise his/her kids properly?

watching the mind, the body, the bass, the watchmen

2009-02-07T16:32:00.000-08:00

I got sucked into the Watchmen craze. There you have it, I'm a typical dork.

But I was reading comics regularly when the Watchmen came out, though I was not interested in that book. I started out with the Teen Titans, then it was stuff like Dark Knight, Bill Sinkiewicz graphic novels, black and white books like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (when they ruled) and most of all Cerebus the Aardvark.
The Watchmen was released in monthly installments but has since been packaged as a Graphic Novel. At the time I would not have had the capacity to appreciate it very much, with its references to the political climate of the times (in the throes of the Cold War) or perhaps it's dour, reflective mood. But I do appreciate it very much now, and at the very least it's a fun diversion. The body has been complaining as of late, and there is so much to do.
So in the process of learning about radial nerve compression and widening the collar bones (and triceps), I'm reading about the birth of supernatural beings, spooning avocado flesh directly from the shell to my mouth, eating raw milk cheddar, golden raspberries and of course the seasonal fave, Blood Oranges which have shown up at C-Town and Whole Foods. It's cold as mutherfucking shit so that is at least one silver lining.
This week I taught with some level of fierceness, did five minute headstands aplenty and played a real, if not very large, jazz club. I'm enjoying pranayama and meditation and I think I even beat a cold with a Neti Pot.
Tonight I am going to catch a set of some piano trio and decide whether to avoid a party (I want to).

spazm and release

2009-01-27T10:45:00.000-08:00

my thoracic spine had been feeling, well, compromised since thursday morning, when i got up sore and stuff from my monster wednesday of hauling the bass around town. You see, in order to make the Newark hit that I do once or twice a month, it has generally involved going directly from teaching, which means that I have to take the acoustic bass on its wheel everywhere I go prior to the path, which is a serious schlep in and of itself. If you've never been to the WTC PATH station, it's down pretty far underground and it's a lot of stairs to climb.

Now I'm not a particularly big man, but I'm not 'underdeveloped' in my upper body. So why am I finding issues with carting around an instrument that is probably in its case around 35 lbs.? I think this is because of its height and the way it lays on my body while standing. There is no really balanced way to do it, so one side gets compromised and the other gets overworked. So I woke up with a nagging knot around the latissimus dorsi that kept getting nasty. It was actually becoming painful to inhale as middle back pulls sometimes promote. After practice Iyengar's Mid-Back sequence I was still not 100%, so yesterday I moved on to Advil, which seemed to counteract the spasm. I woke up feeling a lot better. Today's class with K was just what I needed; she focused on the top vertebrae of the spine that is behind the cheek bones, and how lengthening in this often-compromised area opens the thoracic region of the spine, the rhomboid wall, etc. This sounds so esoteric and yet it really did open up the tight area so well. K was pleased to hear that it really worked.

Anyway I think it's important for me to take as many gigs as I can these days, so I'll have to find ways to not overtax my body just for a 50 dollar dinner gig. I learned the hard way, but in the process I learned that yoga can actually relieve pain, not just make my hamstrings sore as fuck.

Of course this chill doesn't really help with stiff muscles. I think I'm becoming softer though.

Roots and Fifths and Urdva Danurasana

2009-01-25T17:37:00.001-08:00

What do those things have in common? Nothing comes to mind really, except that to do any of these three things well is quite difficult.
I learned how hard roots and fifths can be over the last year playing some routine country shows at venues like Banjo Jim's and the National Underground. Listening to people like Buck Owens and Johnny Cash gave me an appreciation for the idiom, which is a lot more vast and interesting than the turds dropping out of Nashville nowadays. These bands have a deep groove, and playing all night in keys like B in particular was and remains a formidable challenge.
Fast forward to Friday when i went in to record an EP with songwriter Rebecca Pronsky in WoodHAVEN, Queens. The work of the last year appeared to pay off as the playbacks had a sound and vibe that rather pleased me. It's a subtle thing like any groove that often boils down to the length of the the notes - specifically the contrast of short and long notes. Usually if it is a 2 beat feel I play the first note short. Of course some tempos and feels require both be long or both be short and perhaps one creates interesting, or moreover, necessary contrast by doing many variations within the same tune.
At any rate the grooves sounded very focused to me and Rebecca's new EP might be out as early as March. Look for it.

Urdva Danurasana, upward facing bow, sometimes called wheel, sometimes called something else I suppose. A fundamental but fairly advanced backbend that requires deep flexion of the lower back as well as the chest and shoulders. Probably lots of other stuff. In Iyengar classes my teacher has been breaking the pose down and I'm finally finding an opening that wasn't there before. Today we did a version with the feet on two blocks each and i was able to lengthen with straight arms. It was tight. I mean loose.

So really besides being hard things that require practice I guess comping country and pushing up into urdva D have fuck-all in common. But what the hell else is there to write about??