Skip to main content

Showing Off Los Angeles

Hey Soul Mates,
It's been a few days. I kept busy this week, did you? My Dad was in town from Atlanta. Which was very cool. It was the first time I had several days to visit with him without one of my brothers around since a trip to see my uncle Danny in Brooklyn in the 80's. So we had lots of quality time.

It was a chance to show off Los Angeles, which is something I love to do. Of course we went to see the Dodgers on Friday. Of course, Dodger Dogs were involved (See photo). And
Nomaaaaaaaaaaaah! The Bums did a number on the Pirates, bringing home 6 in the bottom of the third. When you bat around and the starting pitcher drives in two with his first double that's trouble for the Buccos. Dad listened to Vin Scully's Hall Of Fame play-by-play on his AM radio. Which is cool since he used to do that in NYC in the 50's. Speaking of the 50's LA was cold and damp for my Dad's visit. It got so frigid during the game that Dad said, "I'm waiting for someone to throw a touchdown!"


On Thursday night, we attended the theatre. The Huntington Library put on a wonderful event called the Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods For Jazz performed by the
Langston Hughes Project. Dad and I read through the poems this masterpiece was based on before going. The show was multimedia: spoken word, video montage of vintage images from Harlem to the Deep South from the late '50's/early 60's and a fantastic original jazz score. The link above will take you to the LHP site. Here's a link if want to see excerpts from Ask Your Mama. And here's us in front of the Huntington.


Dad and I also did a lap through the Jazz section of Amoeba Records on Sunset Blvd. A relatively new cultural hot spot here in LA. We went through the bins and Dad grabbed a number of out-of-print LPs by the
Mastersounds. All in all a great weekend with my Pop.

I've got another opportunity to brag about my town this week. RHS Soul Mates Andrew and Anne Smith are coming in from Sheffield, UK to visit. This their first trip to LA, so weather work with me!


Be well, everybody. The music is coming soon!
Love, Power, Peace

Comments

Unknown said…
COOL! When I saw him in Atlanta, your dad was so excited to be getting out to see you... I'm jealous of the Amoeba Records jaunt. I'm jealous of you getting to see Nomaaaahhhh. Maybe this'll be the year? They'll have to go thru the Sawx. Eagerly awaiting da boots. Peaceoverandout.

Popular posts from this blog

John Lennon 40 Years On

Remembering John Lennon today. Forty years have flashed by. I can still hear my clock radio turning on to the incongruent sound of the Beatles on Dec. 9, 1980 and wondering why? I think about John every day. I am fortunate to have been able to make pilgrimage to Mendips, Abbey Road and Strawberry Fields, NY; to play on stages like the Cavern, the Jacaranda and the Troubadour where he performed or made trouble, or both. Here’s a quick playlist for you and me. (Just Like) Starting Over I Should Have Known Better Bless You Nobody Told Me Strawberry Fields Forever Nowhere Man Enjoy the day. Fill it with peace. Fill it with music. #JohnLennon #Liverpool

Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air - Book Review

“The Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air” is a trippy new mystery novel from Phillip Mottaz. It captures the grit and gilt of the City of Angels with the flair of a contemporary Raymond Chandler. The brisk pace and wit are reminiscent of Douglas Adams’s entries in the detective game. Flourishes of  Fletch  and “Medium” also spring to mind. However, Mottaz has added a psychic/mutant/superhuman touch and his own comedic voice, structure and internal monologues to the proceedings that help the author announce his own style and the arrival of a literary heroine for a new generation. Hairstylist and budding private investigator, Danica Luman is the perfect character to convey the irony, angst and sarcasm needed to tell a 21st century L.A. crime story. Danica also represents anyone who thought it would be neat to get tangled up in a mystery and the darkly comic cautionary tale that follows. The genre is recognizable, but Mottaz offers a fresh take on the not-ready-for-prime-ti...

Being There [Grammy Recap]

Hey Soul Mates, Check out your boy. Yes, I did look that damn suave at the Grammys last night. Look, the tickets very clearly said "black tie." What could be less rock and roll than black tie? Not wearing "black tie." Frankly, the hipsters and the club girls just looked silly. Maybe I'm getting sartorially conservative, but you must be clean for the Grammys. We arrived early in the afternoon. A beautifully mild afternoon in downtown L.A. and not a sign of the predicted rain. I wanted to experience the whole nine, so we got there in time for the "Pre-telecast" ceremony. This is where 97 of the 108 gramophone statuettes are awarded. It was much more entertaining and endearing than the actual broadcast. The winners were genuinely moved, were not limited in their speech time and came in all stripes. Now, very few of the acts I voted for won. But the day did start off with a bang as OK Go won best short form video for the treadmill hopping video for Here...