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SATURDAY August 15, 1998 Looking For Breakfast I ended up sleeping early this morning around 2:30am and woke up at 8:30am. 6 hours sleep! Not bad. I usually get less when I'm near the computer. I made some instant coffee with Jamie and checked out the back of the lodge through the window. It was a nice, sunny morning and the temperature was slightly on the cool side. Very nice for a morning in the mountains. After getting ready, Nate and I headed out in the rental car, looking for some breakfast. We cruised the main strip and couldn't find anything open this early except for a Denny's in which it seemed the whole town had gone to eat. Not much of a selection, but we were desperate. The food there was typical; not bad but not gourmet either. It's great food when you're really hungry. Back To The Swing Camp When Nate and I got back to the lodge, we got ready and changed for the 12 noon gig back at the California Swing Camp. There would be a CBS film crew to film some footage of the swing dancers and the band, us. We got there at 11am. And I spent most of that hour warming up on the practice pad. It was good. I actually ended up practicing officially on the pad and had gone over several drum routines, or exercises. I saw the CBS film crew already filming dancers as they concentrated on their lindy hop lesson. At 12noon we began to play some music and after about half an hour and half a dozen songs, it was over. 'Quickly and efficiently', I said to myself. I noticed an attractive blond approach the stage, to talk to Warren of course. Being the leader and vocalist of the band, he did the interview with the blonde and a camera man to film the whole thing. Earlier, the camera man filmed the band during our short set, and got us at various angles. I was wondering if he even got a shot of me, being that I'm always a problem to photograph, since I'm always in the back, covered by nine other band members. I noticed Jessica made her way up to the stage to take a picture of me especially. I thought that was sweet. Although I wondered whether she noticed my predicament and was trying in her own attempts to make things a little bit better in a way. I don't know. But that's always been a major obstacle for me to be seen in these television shoots. Everyone stands in front and the drummer is simply hidden. I guess I don't mind being hidden, as long as I'm not hidden musically and sonically. The Road Home Is All Downhill After grabbing a bite to eat from a local fast food joint, we quickly descended the mountain towards home. Nate and I can really get into some rapturous, listening sessions when it comes to playing our favorite CDs. And on the way home it was no exception. We listened to Arturo Sandoval's "I Remember Clifford". Each track is a revelation to us every time we hear it. We get into all the solos, and mention to each other that a particular phrasing Arturo plays is just total artistry, or that the pianist is playing this awesome rhythmic pattern against something Arturo is doing on trumpet. That's the one thing good about Nate and I and the way we listen to music, it's like a revelation. We both appreciate all the "licks" and "chops" each jazz musician has and we really appreciate the artistry and technical skill behind it all. It's just too much of an inspiration to us. ( I'll be honest, that all alone by myself, I'm driven to tears just listening to some of these great artists performing on their instruments. It's just too much for me.) We made a pit stop at a local Starbucks in Riverside. Boy was in need of some coffee! I was waiting for Nathan to get his coffee and I noticed that the people there seemed a bit odd. There was a dwarf that seemed peculiar as I watched him get his coffee, and there was a man in a wheelchair getting coffee too. There was this older looking couple in their 60's? Anyway, they were looking at me in a peculiar way. I guess I must've been watching too many X-Files shows to be wondering about the lives of a small group of people in a little coffee shop. When we got to Nate's house we just left all our instruments in the rental car. I went home in my minivan. When I finally got home my wife greets me and wonders if we could see a movie, being that the kids are with their aunt. We went to see "Return To Paradise" from around 7pm to 9pm. It was a pretty depressing movie about three American friends on vacation in Malaysia. Two of them decide to go back to New York while the third guy stays behind. Two years later, the two that went back find out the third guy in Malaysia is going to be hanged in a week for possession of hashish found in his home, which was really property of the two who went back. The big question is, the two must decide whether to go back to Malaysia and get their friend off the hook, or let him hang. It was a great movie, but was nerve racking, knowing that this friend was going to hang, and the other two friends are trying to decided what to do.
Another Gig At The Catamaran Nate picked me up in the rental car and we drove down to The Catamaran Hotel for our second gig of the day! A group called 47 Combo played before us, so we had to just show up at 10:30pm, play from 11:30pm to 1:30am... two sets. When Nate and I arrived, 47 Combo had finished their opening show. One of the guys in 47 Combo mentioned that it was a tough crowd tonight, not too many dancers and they tried to play some swing but it didn't go off too well with the crowd. Well, there was A LOT of people at the club tonight; I got the impression they were waiting for us to start. And once we started playing, the dance floor filled up! Hallelujah! I thought this was going to be a tough crowd.
Arturo Sandoval - I Remember Clifford Poncho Sanchez - Salsa Hits! Keith Jarrett - The Trio - Live In Norway
There's Something About Mary Return To Paradise
The Catamaran Hotel |
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