The Next Best Thing

Thanks for asking.

I’ve been laying low while bringing various projects to fruition. And now some of them are ready, so here I am to tell you about them.

Let’s go in chronological order.

• Tonight at 9pm I’ll break out the old upright bass to accompany singer Katie Dixon and the Broken Arrowz at Red Hook Bait & Tackle for a set of her original songs, which are surprising and satisfying in all the right ways. As she puts it, “It will be country and it will be fun.” (Oh, and check out her poster, which she had made at Hatch Show Prints in Nashville. They’ve been in business since 1879 and have made the posters for the Grand Ole Opry since its earliest days.)

• Next up is Heartbreak: A Competition. Maria Finn, author of the new book Tango Me Home has issued an open invitation to write about your tale of heartbreak in one to two hundred words. She’s also accepting videotapes one to two minutes in length. The winning entry will be made into a tango song by Marian Berry. Why am I telling you all of this? Because I am one of the judges.
• One more thing. There’s been a project percolating for several years now and it is ready to be poured. I’ve been writing my own arrangements of classic ragtime, unpacking all of the musical styles that ragtime became in the 20th century: swing, bebop, rock, funk. This is the music Scott Joplin might have written, had he lived (to the age of 143). Still haven’t decided 100% on a name for the band. Cakewalk seems promising; what do you think of that? What I can tell you is that our debut gig has been booked for March 18 at 8pm, at Barbès, which is the jewel in the crown of the Brooklyn music scene. Stay tuned for updates (and feel free to nominate ideas for a band name).

The chance to post from 30,000 feet reminds me how much I like this song < http://bit.ly/HFoKS > by the M Shanghai String Band. (Thanks, in-flight Wifi!)

The really exciting part happens at 1:28. But if you go straight to that moment without listening to everything that comes before, the effect will be lost.

What comes after the exciting moment is slightly problematic. The violin solo here could have been played more in tune. You never hear this kind of thing anymore, because technology makes it so easy to fix.

Too easy, I’d say.

Nowadays it’s commonplace for classical recordings to contain an average of one edit per second, to cleanse any imperfections. That this recording was allowed into the world at all is almost an act of civil disobedience.

I haven’t yet checked to see how many tabloid writers allowed themselves to indulge in the expected headline – about knowing how it’s over because the fat lady has sung, about the final curtain falling.

The Amato Opera has ended its spectacular run on the Bowery, and I was among the many reporters who told Tony Amato’s story over the years. To this day, I often find myself, in a meditative moment, remembering these words of his, which seem especially apt at this moment.

Click here.

Back when European countries had their own currencies, I would take home any notes with composers on them. As mementos goes, these were a lot more expensive than postcards, but infinitely more valuable. The mere appearance of Debussy and Bartok on paper money was evidence enough that France and Hungary must be outstanding nations. Today comes news that suggests maybe we’re in their league.

An accordionist (me) is invited to play music for a wine tasting. The store is called Blue Angel. The party is happening the day before Valentine’s Day ($12 admission, music starts around 8:30). Based on just the information above, what will the encore be? Prize for winning answer: the satisfaction of knowing you and I are on the same wavelength.