I don't want to live in a world without Music...ever, ever, ever! I have to have it, and I love it more than anything I can think of when it comes to pasttime activities. Aside from me going to concerts on the regular here in Long Beach at the Vault, I have to always have some music around me, playing at work, at home, etc.
I'm so psyched right now because of a new CD I heard last night. Boney James, the great saxophonist released his last CD called "Shine" in Sept. 2006 and I am just hearing it for the first time. Man-oh-man....talk about good music.
I must have listened to it a half a dozen times last night. I got the CD from a good friend who sent me a collection of awesome tunes, and even though I downloaded the CD to my computer at work, I really hadn't listened to it at full volume (gotta keep the volume down low unless I'm listening to my headphones during lunch). Anyway, I was feeling pretty funcky last night after getting off work. I usually go home, eat dinner and watch tv unless I'm doing projects. Well, I decided to listen to some music and it was the best thing I could have done.
Boney has featured artists on this Shine CD and they are the best vocals I've heard in a long, long time on a Jazz CD. The title song is by a Canadian singer named Esthero. Faith Evans, Philip Bailey, and Ann Nesby of Sounds of Blackness sing songs that are just tailored for their voices. My faves are Philips' "Love Song" and Nesby's "Soft". Wow! Then there's a remake/cover of The Dramatics song "In the Rain" sung by Dwele. I'm not familiar with this brother, but he can blow too! So, if you are a fan of great music, great Jazz music...this is a must buy CD for your collection. I'm surprised no one else told me about it...good lookin' out John!
I know my love of music was instilled in me very early on. My mother has a very impressive album collection (to this day), and I loved everything she played. Not to mention listening to the popular songs on the radio or going to concerts back in the day at Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium. James Brown was the big headliner when I was an adolescent, and I rarely missed him performing there. My other first time concert were Earth, Wind and Fire, as well as Frankie Beverly and Maze. When I heard Maze for the first time...they sang just like their album and I loved that. In later years, the concerts were moved to the Convention Center. But today, more and more, the Memorial Auditorium is bringing back the concerts and plays.
This past Friday a group of us went to the Vault to see Mint Condition. I love live music and I was very excited to see this great group perform. They started out pretty good, but somewhere toward the middle they did some alternative music and I wasn't feeling it. That's just my opinion because the place was packed. I enjoyed the outing with the girls.
ART.....
I don't want to live in a world without Art...ever, ever, ever! I have to have it, and I love it more than anything else when it comes to pasttime activities...(wait a minute...I thought you loved music more than anything else?) Well I love them both more than anything...okaaay?!
Anywho, before we went to the Mint Condition concert, we met at a local restaurant called Allegria. I have never been in Allegria, but have passed it many times going down Pine Avenue. Inside the restaurant the decor is a beautiful Spanish Villa style. On one wall they have a huge mural of Salvador Dali's "Volto di Mae West."
Then in the bathroom, there are these beautiful "Trompe L'Oeil" paintings on the wall. I just had to take pictures because I love this kind of stuff. The green dresser very cleverly disguises the fuse box, and I just loved the look of the shelf too. I will have to remember that sometimes my camera flash bounces off certain surfaces...as it did in these pictures, but you get the idea. Love it!I remember the first time I heard of and saw Salvador Dali. I was in Sacramento shopping downtown back in the late 1970's, and came upon a great boutique and the shop owner and I got into a conversation about art. He brought out a book and just schooled me about Dali. I had never been introduced to painters and artists of this magnitude, so I never forgot him.
Then one day I happened to be watching "The Mike Douglas Show" (I know I'm dating myself - so! :0p) and there was Salvador Dali with his crazy mustache. Mike Douglas talked about some "feat" that he had heard of and ask Mr. Dali to demonstrate. I kid you not I saw him do this on national TV.
They brought out an easel with a flipchart, and Dali stood there and frantically drew on the easel for about 10-15 seconds I think...and when they showed it to the audience, he had written his name in perfect symmetry on that paper in large letters. I was floored! Again, I never forgot this man.
I would go to the library and read about him and just look at all his wonderful paintings. Then when the internet came about, I began to do searches for his artwork to get a wider spectrum of what he did, and I found the artwork for the Mae West mural.
I had never heard of the great designer Erte' until I saw a feature on him on cable back in the 1990's. As a Theatre major I was drawn to the fantastical costumes he designed. I also began to see his work in my every day comings and goings - jewelry, sculptures, etc. I am in awe of his talent.
Another great artist I like is Al Hirschfeld. I happened to be watching some show on Bravo and they were doing a bio on him. Again, I had never heard of him, but realized I knew his work.
I collect playbills, and was blessed to come upon some discarded books filled with rare playbills from the 1930's, 40's and 50's. And there was a picture of an Al Hirschfeld drawing depicting the play "The Music Man". I copied it, blew it up, and my unfinished project is to hand paint, color the piece to be used as a T-shirt transfer one day.
I always say that the minute I read or find something on the internet, the next thing you know I will find it everywhere I look. This happened again recently. I was surfing the net like I always do and found a link with names of various artists. I saw this one picture that struck a cord with me, so I began to view that site for more work. Some of the other work I didn't like so much, but a few of them I really liked. But when I looked at the cost of the paintings I was flabbergasted. They were going for $450-$900 bucks! Now this is art that is called "Primitive" art...stuff that looks like your 6 year old kid drew....well ok your untalented 16 year old kid. Like I said, I like "some" of it, but I would never guess they would go for those prices. So I just say..."whatever, I hope she's making some money with it." Then I read all the galleries she's exhibited in, and art festivals etc. and again I'm amazed. Her bio says she started out as this house wife who had some menial job, and then she attended art school, blah, blah, blah....and now she's a sensation.
A day or two later, I'm looking through this book with Advertising samples in it that I got somewhere. I collect artwork whenever and however I find it. And guess what I see in another art gallery ad...this artist. I knew it was her because it featured one of the paintings I saw that I said..."hmm that's OK, I wouldn't pay that kind of money for it." I've had this book for a few years, and I happened to be browsing through it because of the artwork it had on the cover that showed depictions of "fashion victims". The work was of a woman being stabbed by scissors, or a needle in the neck etc. and it was embroidered on fabric...so it caught my eye.
Yep, we live in a very small world indeed, and this proves it. I love it when I'm out and about and can identify an artist or musician that may be unknown to others. I have always wanted to be like those "educated" folk who would spout off about art and wine, history and the like....and now I'm finding that without even knowing it..I too have become one of those educated folks.
I am always reading, and clipping stuff from weekly newspapers and now I've begun to keep a binder of Fashion Designs that I like that will help inspire me to do what I am doing. I order books, movies, and watch all kinds of shows dealing with art, fashion and music because these things are such a big part of who I am, who I have become. I would never have thought that it would mean so much to me but is really does.
So, in my search for all things artsy...I will not criticize, not laugh at, or pass judgement on the work because one day someone may be looking at my works, as the newest sensation on the scene and say...."oh god, that looks like something my 6 year kid would make." The question is...would I really care?
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