Sacramentune

No means no

2008-07-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

...in this case, "No, I don't want any more Brazilian barbecue."

Artists aren't very organized

2008-07-18T23:52:00.001-07:00

This guy printed up business cards but forgot to include his phone number so he handwrote it on each one.

Old and bitter

2008-07-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was talking with Shelley Denny about a Sacramento pianist who died a couple of years ago. "Too bad he became so bitter in his old age." It turned out that he resented the fact that he never became a national jazz artist. (Instead, he raised a family, became one of the most respected musicians in town, and had legions of adoring students — including me.)
I had no idea.

Unsolved mystery

2008-07-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

I was leaving the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium early this morning when I noticed papers all over the street and sidewalk. I picked one up — it had the texture of car tires on it — and noticed it was from the Piano/Conductor book for Hairspray. I picked up more pages. Some young women noticed I was picking up pages. They picked up more pages and handed them to me.
Strangely, no one at Music Circus seems to be missing this book. Is someone else also doing the show? How did the pages get there?

Please don't ever do this

2008-07-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

This is the underside of the lid of a Baldwin L grand. Somebody used duct tape to attach a microphone and now the finish is ruined. Duct tape should only be used to tie up a hostage.

The real thing.

2008-07-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

Setting up for Catherine's 60th birthday party. Scott's singing and guitar work on the Santana medley "Black Magic Woman"/"Gypsy Queen"/"Oye Como Va" was mesmerizing.
Tonight Rachel is out at her friend's house playing the video game "Guitar Hero," but Scott is a real guitar hero.

My fifteen seconds

2008-07-12T17:50:00.001-07:00

I finally got a decent check from ASCAP... which included fifteen seconds of music sold to Dancing with the Stars! Amazing.

Accident waiting to happen

2008-07-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

I was tuning a piano when suddenly I heard the sound of screeching tires. I braced myself for a crash that never came. It turned out that it was a squeaky door, which you can see and hear above.

By the famous for the famous

2008-07-11T23:14:00.000-07:00

This is a painting by my old school chum Nina Weiss. It's in the home of a celebrity in Chicago who will remain nameless. (I've learned my lesson.)

And fruit flies like a banana

2008-07-10T22:11:00.001-07:00

This reminds me of an old joke:
—Do you smoke after sex?
—I don't know. I never looked.

The right kind of mind for the job

2008-07-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

I went into Metro Electronics and said to the salesman: "Remember me? I bought an adaptor this morning, and I want another."
"No, I don't remember you." He glanced at the adaptor, which I had in my hand. "But I do remember the RFA-8892."
This is an esoteric piece that they probably sell a few a year.
Responding to my astonishment, he went on: "I also remember the number for the first phone I had in the seventies. And my first VISA card.
"But I can't remember what happened yesterday."

My tuning teacher, Antonio

2008-07-08T06:33:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday's Bee had a front-page story about how local people are dealing with tough economic times. The first segment featured Antonio Bombal, who taught me to tune pianos 24 years ago. Read the whole article

Fairy-tale utility

2008-07-07T21:33:00.001-07:00

According to the sign, this is Well 109 of the City of Sacramento.

At the garage

2008-07-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

Why Johnny can't ignite

2008-07-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, young boys routinely blew off their fingers with cherry bombs. The American youth of today can't even light a pile of sawdust with a blowtorch. (As I used to say to my little brother: "You couldn't light a pile of sawdust with a blowtorch.") No wonder China is kicking our butts.

Feminist plum

2008-07-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

I present this plum in homage to Frida Kahlo, Eva Hesse, Judy Chicago, Miriam Shapiro, and all the other great feminist artists.

What would Frida eat?

2008-07-03T23:41:00.000-07:00

We went to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, mostly to see the Frida Kahlo show. In the cafe they had a Mexican stew in honor of her. It was a good show but on the way home we ran into horrific traffic — it took us three hours to get back to Sacramento. I was a wreck by the time we got home.
The whole trip took 6½ hours. Here's how it broke down:
Driving there: 1½ hours
Looking at Frida Kahlo show: 1 hour
Lunch in museum cafe: ½ hour
Looking at permanent collection: ½ hour
Driving home: 3 hours
Not to mention a 3 hour nap recovering from the drive home.

Response to a birthday card I sent

2008-07-03T06:31:00.001-07:00

Thanks for the birthday greeting! Mighty thoughtful. Can you believe I'm
51?! I used to be 16, Mark!

JB's Lounge

2008-07-02T22:59:00.000-07:00

The Ron Davis Big Band played for the first time in the remodeled lounge at the Red Lion, renamed JB's Lounge (formerly Savannah's Lounge). It looks swank, and the sound is much better. The cocktail waitresses are wearing bondage outfits that push up their boobs. I think I need a spanking.
Jack Stanfill, the drummer, brought a married couple from LA that he's known for a long time. He is a pianist, and she sings. They sat in and kicked ass. The band sounded amazing.

Funk Shui

2008-07-02T22:44:00.000-07:00

Rehearsing with my old friend Scott Berenson and his band Funk Shui. We're playing a sixtieth birthday — covers of rock classics.

Once in a lifetime chance

2008-07-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

At the book sorting they had a complete set of the Chicago Great Books for nine dollars. I sort of wanted them, but where would I put them? We have so many books already.

Don't ever wash it

2008-07-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

This piano was signed by William R. Steinway.

The Master of the Angry Cat

2008-06-29T22:01:00.000-07:00

The back of a chair at Espresso Metro

My 2000th post

2008-06-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

This is the label for a painting at the new Weatherstone's coffeehouse which is now owned by the Old Soul bakery. Cool photo!

Музыкальный кот

2008-06-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

I found this pencil drawing of a cat among a great pile of sheet music while tuning in a Russian church.