Denys Baptiste's Identity by Subtraction

I was asked to write a review for the fabulous Denys Baptiste's new album by the wonderful people at Dune Music, whom I owe and love and miss dearly. It has taken me months, but late last night, Saturday that is, I sat down, erased everything I had and started over. I wrote what I love about the new album. I hope everyone enjoys it too.

I’ve been trying to write about Denys Baptiste’s latest album for a good two months now. I’ve listened to the album every day, sometimes multiple times, trying to find the words the poet would use to describe the sublimity of discovery and exciting novelty. The words never really came to me, but the notes played on and on. I enjoyed every note.

“Identity by Subtraction,” an identity formed completely from the removal of what you are not, eventually revealing what you are. It is so often that we describe ourselves as what we are not, rather than by what we are-- what we do not like as opposed to what we do. But peeling away those layers of what is false, what we are not, what we do not wish to be, even, reveals a truer character than deciding what you are, doesn’t it? Denys Baptiste describes the concept for his newest album “Identity by Subtraction” as ‘a process of shedding the superficial layers of expectation … to reveal the music’.

Then Denys, really, was the embodiment of that sublime poet; every song speaking differently. Jazz is the only kind of music that speaks to you specifically and individually. Tracks such as “Special Times,” a piano-saxophone duet written and dedicated to his family ease the soul and mind in a lullaby like composition. Unexpectedly the album turns to the marvelous calypso-inspired tune ‘Dance of the Marquiritari’ and suddenly you are dancing around the house folding laundry like a Calypso herself. Baptiste’s album highlights the two best aspects of jazz music, expression and collaboration. The album shares the speakers with his unspeakably talented quartet; Rod Youngs on drums, Andrew McCormack on piano and Gary Crosby on double bass. Evolution to Revolution is the riot song of the album, composed beautifully, hopeful and sad as any truly important opposition.

Baptiste’s albums all have different flavors, as if he finds new spices each time he picks up his saxophone. It wouldn’t surprise me. I can hum the melody to any song on ‘Identity by Subtraction’ by now and I still find myself swaying at the end of each tune. The album is one of those that you want with you non-stop for weeks, it’s a great album by an excellent composer and quartet. The album does what good jazz does, makes you move and listen and delight in the everyday.

When the Night feels my song, I'll be home.

We have been listening to the fabulous sounds of Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling and Noah and the Whale for days upon days now. It's wonderful painfully morose house tunes for the fortunes of her hopeful (yet melancholy) residents. Well Bedouin Soundclash (who I may have borrowed my post title from) is less dreary, but that's not the point right now.
We've all been healing. I'm adjusting to school, even letting go of the perfect life I was independently leading aboard, Larkin is moving home, we've all embarked on honors thesis-ing and final art show thesising. It's all slowly coming together.
It reminds me of a broken bowl that you've glued back together. You can see the cracks for a while in the bowl, but once it's all set and ready, with no leaks, the cracks go unnoticed, and make that bowl yours.
While I've been very bad a doing homework this evening, I have been thinking of all the wonderful music I've discovered or re-discovered in recent weeks. Kai Fish of the wonderful Mystery Jets gave a shout-out to the French Wives, one of my favourite up and comers- and even if they are my buddies, have a listen. The song Halloween speaks like angel bugles or something.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F470EuB-0PI
Dogfight is a great motivator.

Kai also gave a shout-out to the "surf esque" Sun-Birds, who are equally great, but very different from either Mystery Jets or French Wives. (By the way folks, how do you, pray tell, come up with these names?) Again, they are definitely a band to keep an eye on, I recommend the acoustic version of "River Run" or the original, but that is my favourite song of their 3 released.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0BXsSK-XjU

I have also been video surfing. I am absolutely fallen for Noah and the Whale's "Love of an Orchestra"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQDI5ra16Nw
And this delightful Justice Roberts look-a-like.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros "Home"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HNY0rx2fw4

Ezra Furman & the Harpoons "Take off your Sunglasses"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0HvpwTS1xc

All of these videos, plus songs from Marcus Mumford, his lady friend Miss Laura Marling, bits of Yann Tieran, Lady Gaga, Madonna, MJ and the occasional musical number (such as "The Music Man's" Shipoopi) you will all be glad to know we are making a striving comeback at the Sailboat House.
Also some killer bands are coming this way including SUFJAN STEVENS, The Thermals, Ratatat (who I've seen and are great fun), Calexico, The Black Keys, The Black Crowes and Frightened Rabbit. Not to mention BELLE & SEBASTIAN. Only the dream of my life to see Stuart Murdock on stage with his guitar.
There are also some killer jazz acts coming to the Portland Jazz Fest, and now that I am of legal age in this country, well I shall be going!
But for now, all I can say is, hey hey hey, a beautiful day. A beautiful day. One day I'll be home.

My fairy godmother wears man-jeggings...

Also commonly referred to as "meggings". It's a terrible truth of my life.
I realize I have been seriously negligent to this blog, but read on and you will surely agree I've had little time and perhaps more pressing things on my mind than blogging.
Speaking of, I'm needing some serious positive vibes guys. Please send some my way if you can spare it. I really need this to be a good year, but it's hard to see the sun through the storm right now.
I'm not sure where I left off, but Dune music, oh how I miss you. Dune is where I was working- it's an umbrella record label over an educational collective called Tomorrow's Warriors. Basically I got to pretend to be the production manager as the former left about 2 days before I got there. So my job entitled working with the wonderful Adam who knows everyone in the music business as he worked for Sony music for years and is a HUGE music fanatic. He is the communication and marketing fellow so I got to update the website- also the video is new- it's awesome. http://dune.posterous.com/who-we-are-and-what-we-do
Any posts from June-August 15th are written by yours truly.
http://dune.posterous.com/
I updated websites, met with people, contacted important people, updated info, send important papers to other important people. I also got to do the usual intern stuff, which included mainly making tea and hanging around the office with all the fabulous dune staff while the incredibly slow internet uploaded or downloaded or whatever needed to happen internet-wise.
I also got to work with venues such as the infamous Ronnie Scott's to set up gigs for our musicians.
The final gig (for me) was the Denys Baptiste Quartet (<3 have a listen, Denys is a bloody genius) at Ronnie's. It was perfect, everything was right, the sound quality was to die for, I had a friend come along- as it was my last night seeing my lovely employers at Dune it was nice to have someone else there with me- we all drank, listened, watched and were taken away. Denys's new album will be out in October and I highly recommend having a listen, it'll transport.
The day before the gig- Thursday and my last day in the office the Dune crew threw a small cake-and-champagne-party for my farewell. And boy was it difficult to say goodbye. No tears were shed, but I got a beautiful card and they all made speeches about, well basically how awesome I was at my job. It was hopeful and yet beyond bittersweet.
I don't know what else I can say. Transitions are weird, to quote my dear Sarah. I've done it enough times that I fooled myself into believing that I didn't need time to transition back to being in the US of A and into my "normal" routine.
This trip was also unlike anything or any moves I've done before.
I had my future in my hand. Then it evaporated in front of my eyes.
more to come. pictures as promised long long ago. But I can't try to explain everything now, or ever really. It was a perfect summer.
I'm keeping this blog thing up- might as well eh?
If you can spare some positive vibes, direct them toward the sailboat house, PDX. We could really use them.
much love.

Hare Krishna

Take trips get high
Laugh joke and good bye
Beat drum and old tin pot
I'm high on you know what

Anyway if you haven't seen Hair on stage I recommend you should. It's incredible. Especially for those of you who have grown up with a Vietnam Vet in the family- because you will cry through the second act and have a very personal attachment with it. I did.
I'm going to have to lay out my week day by day. So much has gone on, fabulous things but it's all so clustered in my skull at the moment I'm trying to expel it gracefully.
Monday was my day off- so I roamed around the city for a day- prowled around Brick Lane, the street with the most Indian Restaurants per capita in the City and probably in the whole of western Europe, delicious saffron coffee and cakes to be found for only a pound. Lovely vintage stores and market stalls to be found and it's a really young area. The people who live there tend to be a lot like the Portland crowds, which makes me oddly homesick. Not homesick, but I'm okay coming back home because well, I miss it when I see people reminiscent of Portland.
Tuesday, the big day of full time job, started with a lot of research. I was asked by my boss Adam to basically have a look at the website and come up with improvements. The website- dunemusic.com is a blog format that we post updates and news to. It's a nice website but looks a little unprofessional to my eye. I have been searching for web designs that could add a sales component to our website and to add a music player so when people visit the site, they can also hear music.
Which leads me to work on Wednesday which was mianly uploading hours and hours of jazz onto the website- updating the website. In fact if you want to see my work you can check out dunemusic.com and all the posts on that first page were written by ME!
Wednesday night was HAIR! Oh my godness. I'm sure all you... my gorey chums have heard me sing Hair in my little champagne coloured car one or twice or many many many times.
The story of the show is through song- it's all very fluid. It's 1969, Vietnam, the hippies of central park and their stories are all told, most have been kicked out by their parents, free love, drugs and all that jazz. I cried through most of the second act, they were dancing through the audience and it felt like they were all totally passionate about the message of the musical... which is still quite applicable today, but in different ways. If was slightly disheartening to come out of such a moving performance, rejecting capitalism and all the consumerist ideals etc etc. and then walking into the lobby to find overpriced shirts and programs.
It was beyond wonderful. I do love musicals- but Hair is by far and away my favourite, because it's not a musical (like Oklahoma) with all its kitchy-ness.
Thursday and Friday were crazy busy at work with meetings with what may have been everyone important in the jazz world. I've met so many event planners, the venue director at Ronnie Scott's (World Famous jazz/funk/soul club) and set up a meeting with some Scottish video company to do a Dune Music company video!
All that is happening this coming week.
Since it's been a bit since I wrote I need to fill you in on the weekend events. If you have not heard of Scott Macpherson (Sophie Cargill's lovely other)'s band The French Wives- Myspace them... NOW. I'll wait.......
....Good yeah? Great. Saw another band too called Sunbirds who were also wonderful. I've been hanging out with those lads (by the way the Sunbirds guitarist Dean lives with Kai Fish- bassist of Mystery Jets!!!!!) Again if you have not heard of Mystery Jets or Sunbirds go myspace, youtube, or google them. Shoo.
Incredibly talented young folks who make me feel a bit like I haven't done much with my life for being 21.
Pictures still to come, as well as more posts this week- there are 2 gigs I'm organizing for Dune Music coming up this week. Exciting stuff.
Also, have a date with Dean on Monday. We shall see.

We Scots have a bit of a cry when we hear the pipes

It's true, for those of you who watched Braveheart with me last year, you know all it takes is a couple of green mountains claiming to be highlands and some distant sad pipes to make me a sobbing mess. Miss Sophie reminded me that really all Scots have that same appeal. I went to Scotland this past weekend to visit Sophie and Richard, our lovely study abroad students from Glasgow Uni. Richard unfortunately had to go flat hunting in York- which is an awesome place and I'm quite excited for him to finish school there. But anyway-I'll be back at the end of August and hopefully Richard and Teresa will come visit here.
Anyway, the trip was lovely, just Sophie and I hanging out in the West End- both the best part of Glasgow and where she lives, conveniently. It really was a fabulously low key weekend- something I think we both needed. It was also lovely, in reflection, to get to know Sophie as I realized we sort of never really hung out just the two of us back in the states. So all in all- it was a great weekend away. I am quite sad that Richard and Scott couldn't be around, but Sophie's flatmates are wonderfully witty, sarcastic, sweet bohemians, which was wonderful to meet them.
Sorry this post is quite short, but I'm trying to do about 15 other things in order to prepare for my first day of adulthood- first full day of work that is. Not training. Which starts tomorrow-- aggghhh. I will be writing about work so don't fret. Also photos from my trip to wales will be up soon. Promise.

The sun it rises slowly as you walk away from all the fears and all the faults you've left behind

Have you heard of the Sublime? It's a philosophy term, mostly used in aesthetics to describe the elevated sense of being, the loss of all reason and constraint in the face of magnificence. Particularly it is the greatness with which nothing else can be compared and which is beyond all possibility of calculation, measurement or imitation.
That is how this weekend felt at Hop Farm in Kent. 2 days of music and people and camping. I ended up not camping with my flatmates, but with our neighbors who needed a loan to buy 2 new tents after their large tent broke, so instead of cramming 3 of us into a 2 person tent, our neighbors slept in one and I got the other for the weekend with one of the girls who was camping with them. It was fantastic.
I love festivals like that, there is nothing like them. Particularly, the magnitude of people there- 6 stages and 4 acres of camping and food and drinks and people.
I don't think I can convey the vastness of this festival but here are some pictures of the groups of campers and of the people around the stage.





There were so many people. I had the odd realization that I saw more strangers at Hop Farm than my grandparents probably ever saw in their entire lives.

The first day, Friday I saw Van Morrison, Blondie and the Afro Celt Soundsystem. Afro Celt were the best by far, Van Morrison was cool- not really a big deal for me. The first night I camped out with some kids I met at the show for the evening drinking beer and singing songs.
The second day was incredible, there were so many vendors and so many more people, and at noon I went to watch the music beginning with Pete Molinari. I saw through most of the bands who played next- eating some pie pasty's (meat pies) and surviving the insane English heat (which is very rare indeed). At 3:30 Pete Dougherty began playing, and I am by no means a fan of Mr. Dougherty but it was sort of the start of of the big names who I wanted to see. So when he finished and Seasick Steve took the stage I began slowly working through the crowd. I found myself with a backpacker from Portland (!!) and a group of Uni students from Oxford in the hipster fashion, some of who I met at the Glastonbury after party. They were great gents and we all pushed forward after Seasick steve to see Mumford & Sons- who if you haven't picked up on are quickly becoming my favourite bands. They are stellar, with Midlake and the new frightened rabbit album which is glorious.
Anyway so after Mumford & Sons Ray Davies played- as in from the Kinks, and who wrote Lola. He stole the show- he was incredible with so much energy and spirit and rock and roll 'tude. He told the roadies to fuck off when they asked him to stop playing early. He also made a couple of jabs at Bob Dylan, for living in a gated community and being sort of a prick.
Which is fairly true, Dylan doesn't interact with his audience, and I really had to address the fact that I was listening to Dylan 2010- not Dylan 1969, which was difficult but for a 71 (?) year old that man can play! He was funky fresh, and grooved which was nice to see, and it was great to listen to the crowd singing because he sand is older stuff (Just like a Woman, Forever Young and Like a Rolling Stone!!!) but he sang it so quickly as he does now, but everyone else sang the older versions. It was a bit like surround sound stereo.
My flatmates did not follow me, as they didn't want to see Mumford & Sons (their loss) and neither one thought it would be wise to wear sunscreen so they were very burned and unhappy around that time yesterday. And they didn't hydrate much, so they went to bed quite early. And I think maybe I preferred to be alone at the festival.
There was such a healing energy at the festival this weekend, something I needed. I felt, about myself finally. Moving around a lot takes its toll on fully integrating to a place, but I met really cool people by myself and had a wonderful time with them. That's the stage I always want to get to, but I am never patient with it. Furthermore, I am feeling much better about coming back to the states. There were a few days where I had been scouting for jobs that would keep my resume for a year, and I was very close to telling them to interview me and I'd take a gap year. But I realized at the festival that even being comfortable and even confident in the middle of groups of friends, I still need my friends, but this experience is on my own. I am excited to go back to Portland, but I can appreciate my time here, instead of wishing it could go on forever.
The guys I camped with were 26-27 and it made me realize that life doesn't end young. Not that they were old by any means, but I know there is time to come back here and live my life later, when I can. There is not such a rush to get everything done now. It's revealing and relieving.

The healing energy of the festival is something I don't think could ever be replicated. It was beautiful, magnificent and freeing. It was sublime to stand in the grass and sweat smelling crowd, smelling of grass dirt and sweat myself I'm sure, and loosing yourself to the music and flowing with the crowd and Dylan and Davies and defying any sort of reason or practicality your life has, because concerts are present, the music happens as you see it and feel it, you move it and you loose reason, the majesty of that freedom is sometimes small, or sometimes grand but it's magnificent, it is sublime.
The rest of the photos are of Ray Davies and Bob Dylan. I couldn't get any good ones of Mumford & Sons unfortunately.

Lend me your eyes and I can change what you see

This has been a very eventful weekend and I'm going to try to write it down in all it's glory. But it's going to be hard. One of the best by far if I say so myself. Besides the performances by the USA and England footballers Saturday and Sunday *sigh*. But it's amazing what some beer, good friends, Balmers and cadbury digestive biscuits can do to pep up oneself after crushing defeats of both your national teams.
I hope you all have been studiously listening to Mumford & Sons, they have captured my heart. the title of this post is from a song titled "Awake my Soul." Well this weekend was extraordinarily eventful and like I said, I'm not sure if I can do it justice, but I'm going to try.
On Thursday we went to the Tate Modern past the Millennium bridge, and I sat in front of Monet's "Water Lilies" for near an hour with some great people in my class. We got some wine after a very rough class. And when I say rough I mean the people in this class- mainly one little blond kumquat of a person- who just have no respect or desire to learn. If you are going to fight the man (who is my brilliant professor in this scenario) it would be best not to do it in Ambercromie jeans, princess. Anyway, Mark, our professor had asked us to move in closer in order for him to speak in a lower tone and not disrupt the other museum goers. This girl, who never does what she is asked without attitude, said to our professor, I can hear fine, it's your accent. Well this poor bloke was so shocked at this statement he when pale. Kumquat repeated this 3 times. I have never seen such rude Americans in my life! And I lived in Wyoming, you recall. Mark was completely embarrassed and angry, rightfully so I should say. Well, after another few run-in during class with Mark and this child-girl, we call could use a drink.
So my friends Marcia from Protugal, Kyle of Michigan, Lydia of London and I headed to the pub to witness a beautiful cloudy day over the Thames looking across to St. Paul's cathedral. We got some tarts (my favourite treat in the whole world for those of you who didn't know already) and walked back to the train station together having a lovely time. Lydia, a photography student at AIU London permanently is interning with David Montgomery- the photographer of Mick Jagger and the stones, among thousands of other rock icons, but this is on of his most famous photographs:

Anyway, so then I headed back to the flat to wait for CRYSTAL LEIS who came to see me for the weekend. It was quite the wait as poor Crystal who got delayed 5 hours because of the strikes in Paris, damn French. So at 11:30pm Crystal and I finally met up to big hugs and lots of tired talking. On Friday we had the most delicious breakfast porridge, which we then walked around Camden market for hours, got Crystal a hat, I bought some vintage shoes, and we ate *good* English Mexican food and went to Brick Lane which is a great dance cub/pub on brick lane that happens to be free.
We found some shoes that remind us of our dear friend Kim Toy...


Brick lane is an amazing little venue in a hidden burrow with all kinds of people. Lots of dreds and piercings to make crys and I feel more at home.
Saturday we strolled and wandered about in South Ken and saw Westminster, parliament and then went to see the Darwin centre in the Natural History Museum, got Ben's Cookies and laid in Hyde Park with my friend Lydia.

We met up with her boyfriend and his friend and went to a nearby pub to watch the game. Well we were obviously the only Americans actually in the pub, but there was a good mix of rooting for USA and Ghana, we yelled and jumped around when US scored, and Ghana came back and there was lots of trash talking from Lydia to Crystal and from Crystal to Lydia about the upcoming England and Germany game, which was great to be in the middle of.
Our night continued with a trip back to brick lane, then to Camden Proud around 3am. We got there when they were closing up shop and decided to share a hookah. At that point a group of friends asked to sit with us, mainly this girl, as she was the only girl in her group. We shared 3 hookahs between about 9 of us and had a great time until the hookah bar closed, and then we followed them to one of their flats (one block from mine! Yay potential friends!)and hung out listened to music (they also know YACHT!) and at 4:45 we made it back to my flat. Also, we are pretty sure we got mistaken for hookers (not that we were dressed like it AT ALL, I mean it's me and crystal, really) on the walk home. We got Crystals things, got some tea and walked to the bus stop. We said our goodbyes at Victoria Station around 6:30 and I got into my bed at 7:15.





These pictures are from the Carpenter and the Walrus pub and restaurant Crystal and I got fish and chips and Balmers. We were excited about the name- and Crystal can recite the whole poem. That was one of the creepy poems I learned as a child and I can't remember it, only that it scared me half to death when the Walrus ate the oyster babies.




these are pictures of the protesters outside of Parliment. No session is going on right now- but they live there or are there everyday representing all kinds of causes.
So this brings us to Sunday, when I got a call from the fabulous Ro Haan at 13.30 when he woke me up from my stupor/slumber and we got lunch.
We then went to the ever fantastic MArylebone and watched a horribly disappointing game, which I'm sure you all know- England lost. But it was lovely to see Ro, who bought me a cow tongue sandwich for lunch (yum yum yum yum) and I bought the beer.

Overall this weekend was not only wonderful for getting to see all these cool cats- but it was such a positive and cleansing weekend. All the bad vibes from the people on this trip and all my poor feelings towards them, even my bias judgments of their intelligence flooded away today because I felt so loved and so positive from seeing Crystal all weekend and being surprised by Ro. I feel rejuvenated, just in time for Bob Dylan and Mumford & Sons, and my work life here without school. I'm making friends outside of the AIU program and I'm starting work full time in the next two weeks, and I am so excited.
I miss you though, I talked with my lovely Kaleigh Eaton earlier and heard that Prom went well, and cannot wait to see pictures of that madness. I wish you all the best, positive energy and I send my love out into the universe in hopes it will reach you.
Goodnight