Old Town School – On The Road
Dispatches from the road from our wayfaring travelers.
flying to rio
of course i had the middle seat on the 10 hour flight from atlanta.
but we switched around. but still, 10 hours on a plane is a long time.
and that was after the 2 hour flight and before the mad dash to the
one hour flight. but now, like magic, i am in belo horizonte, brazil.
i am in brazil. the country.
everything went so smoothly until we reached rio. we had 90 minutes to
change planes. a big cushion. you might think.
as we slowly, a little too slowly, got off the plane, into the odd 70s groovy
design terminal, the first thing noticed was a cluster of lovely young women
on the jetway. all wearing complex facemasks and breathing apparatus, eyeing
suspiciously our emerging from the plane. exiting the plane, more people
in uniforms and masks watched our passage and handed us forms in only
portugese. ahhhh! H1N1. we were to fill out a form that said we hadn’t
sniffled or sneezed in at least two days. so careful they are! but all you had to do
was say no and they stapled it to your immigration form and sent you away.
in the meantime, the plane was full of sneezers, hackers and mucus coated
coughing, but no one was admitting it, because they all sailed through.
at this time, through the first checkpoint most officials wearing masks, i noticed that
the airport was filthy, falling apart and dingy. as we waited the 15-20 minutes for
our luggage to arrive from the plane that was parked about 100 feet away, i went
to the filthy bathroom with the dripping and broken fixtures and discovered no
soap to wash all the H1N1 off of my hands that i got from handling all the forms,
doors and counters that the masked and gloved officials didn’t have to.
(our host here tells me that the display of flu concern is just for show, for the
rest of the world to see and that they have far worse mosquito carried diseases
that are incurable, have no vaccination and kill people often here that the
government doesn´t care about)
the delta lady in chicago told us our bags were checked “all the way through”.
which actually meant to the second to last stop. as we discovered as our bags
were nearly last. fine, there they were. so, after going through another checkpoint
where no one actually told us what they wanted from us, then into a long line,
which was strategically winding around two entrances of the duty free shop
that we had been handed swine flu laden brochures about earlier. the line snaked
around corners and down corridors, no end in sight. to add to our latened distress,
we heard tepid saxophone music and wondered if it was live. i suggested maybe
it was from the duty free shop, and as we turned the corner, there was a tired old
sax player playing along with an equally tepid recorded track, and wonder of wonders, wearing a uniform of the duty free shop. he seemed exhausted from his long gig
even tough it was 9am. as he launched into the retirement home version of
“the girl from ipanema” that would send the perkiest senior into a coma, we realized that we only had about 25 minutes to make our next plane. Bau went ahead around the
corner and down the hall to plead our plight to someone and they saw our problem.
so we rushed past all these waiting throngs scowling at us and cut in front of everyone.
that was never really clear what they wanted at this checkpoint, but they picked it out of
our sheaths of papers and off we went. we passed by currency exchanges. at the
end of the hallway were booths with people trying to get people to hire taxis.
as a welcome to brazil, a voluptous dark haired woman stood up in her booth,
leaned over to present her taxi selling “womanly attributes” to a group of arrivals,
smiled, waved and said “taxi! you want taxi?”
we turned the corner into the terminal. we were swarmed by money changers
and taxi hawkers, and all we wanted was to find TAM airlines. which we finally
figured out was in terminal 2, which was a LONG WAY. We did the rolling
luggage trot. none of the moving walkways were working to help nudge us
along even a little bit. rivulets of sweat were rolling down my face, soaking
my shirt, some of the long ramps were uphill. we were down to around 15 minutes
until the plane left.
finally we arrived at the ticket counter. for some reason, we could not get
ticketed all the way though to this flight in chicago, so we had to check in
and get boarding passes. bau showed the lady our itinerary. she said it was
closed. after some pleading, she checked with a supervisor, who agreed to
let us check in, check our luggage and get to the plane. we got our boarding
passes and ran for the gate. headed for the domestic gate. no! even though we
were flying one hour away in brazil, we had to go through another check
and security point at the intrnational gate. andrea, laura and bau
sailed through. i beeped.
back through the detector. removed things. still beeped. feeling like
jaques tati. through again and still beeped. soaked with sweat. shoes and
belt off; 4th time a charm. put my birks on unbuckled, belt, wallet, papers,
books clutched in my paws, i held my pants up as i shuffled as quick as
i could to the gate
where an anxious man was waiting. he shut the door behind me as i
started down the jetway. and with an exhausted gasp, i sat down,
my pile of suspect belongings on the seat next to me, twisted that
that pointy fan thing at my head and made noises like“phew´´ but more
gaspy, as the male flight attendant stood in the aisle miming a seatbelt
buckling in portugese to the 8 or so people in the back half of the plane.
for the first time in my life, someone held a bazillion dollar plane for me.
little old sweaty gaspy me. in brazil. never happen at o´hare.
but as it turned out, the brazilian people are wonderfully friendly and
accomodating. this day alone, two restaurants stayed open long past their
operating hours to feed us. literally refired the grills to cook us meat
and bring it to us with amazing abundance and bursting with flavor and attentive
service.
but that´s a story in itself for another day. every single thing we have eaten has
been spectacular. but i do babble on. but.
full of beef, pork, chicken, bacon, chicken hearts, meat from every part of
every animal including toad, i say goodnight.
love
steve
Filed under: Brazil, Notes from Steve, Uncategorized by Steve | June 3, 2009 | Comments (0)
Boa Tarde from Belo Horizonte
Laura Doherty, Andrea Bunch, Steve Rosen and Bau Graves reporting in from Brazil.
It’s great here. The “winter” weather is 75-80 degrees daily. The people just as warm. The food really pretty unbelievable.
We are teaching at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, which is a huge campus, the 3rd largest in Brazil with about 40,000 students. The Musica building is spacious and very well equipped. Like almost all the public buildings here (schools, restaurants, banks, you name it) it is open and airy, with whole sections of wall open to the outdoors. A very large garden is planted in a big central counrtyard INSIDE the building.
Our host, Prof. Walenia Silva, teaches in the music program. and is an encyclopedia of information about Brazilian traditional music. We’ve been offering workshops for her students and others in the music school. The students are all well trained musicians, very quick on the uptake, and full of interest in American music. Many of them have a lot of knowledge about our music already — which is a little humbling since we have so little insight into theirs. Even though we’re singing in a language foreign to them, all of the students know the words to “Blowin’ in the Wind.”
Last night we visited a small private music school called Pro-Musica, which has about 800 students and focuses on popular music. Students there sign up for a year of classes and they all take three classes per week — their specialty instrument, ear training/theory, and ensembles. They seem to run their operation on a shoestring and the amazing energy of their director. He invited us to offer a workshop on Friday so we’ll be able to experience the students then.
More to come soon. Boa tarde. Bau
Filed under: Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Notes from Bau, Uncategorized by Bau | June 3, 2009 | Comments (2)
Ideas on Improvising
Here are some interesting takes on improvising, and by extension, writing, that I’ve jotted down from various master classes:
Ben Street - find the people you want to work with and make music with. Accept the level that you’re at.
Angelica Sanchez - Sometimes it’s okay to step on someone’s toes when you’re improvising – just come in and make a statement. Don’t listen to yourself – listen to the group.
Jerry Granelli - If you wonder why you’re playing in an improvistional setting – stop – listen instead of playing.
Dave Douglas - Don’t back away from making a statement. Let it be there. Don’t be afraid of silence. Silence is part of sound. It’s not about technique, but about intention and clarity.
Filed under: Banff International Workshop 2009, Canada, Notes from Alison, Uncategorized by Alison | June 3, 2009 | Comments (1)
Banff
I am here in Banff at the International Workshop for Jazz and Creative Music. I’ve been here for a week and it feels like 5 years, I’ve learned so much about being a musician and about myself. The session is 3 weeks long and we’re into the 2nd, with a new set of faculty to work with. Dave Douglas, the head of the program, is with us for all three. He is posting about the workshop on his blog, which I seriously suggest you check out.
The program definitely is heavy into the jazz world, but in a very open, interested, creative way. Everyone is encouraged to write and play with their own voice, coming from their own place. This has been a challenge for me as a “rock” musican, but a challenge in the best way.
Last night I performed here at a Club at the Banff Centre (an amazing site in the middle of the Canadian Rockies) with musicians from Norway, Switzerland, Belgium, Vancouver, Ireland and Los Angeles – all playing pieces we had written. I got to hear one of my pieces played by Tenor Sax, Clarinet, Violin, Bass, Drums and Piano. Amazing.
More later – there is so much to relate about this wonderful experience.
Filed under: Banff International Workshop 2009, Notes from Alison, Uncategorized by Alison | May 27, 2009 | Comments (2)
Dobar dan stari grad skola!
(alright, I probably completely mangled that potentially grammatically scary sentence. All apologies)
Its supposed to say Afternoon Old Town School!
Although I’m sure it isnt anywhere close. Hey, what can I say, my teacher is basically a book. And books don’t correct you (or laugh at you condescendingly)
Friendly neighborhood Desk-ite checking in from Sarajevo today. Spending my days walking about in eerily familiar climates, but wondrously different geography has me exhausted, a teeny bit homesick, but greatly invigorated.
I was hoping to see the Old town (Bascarsija) here teeming with crazy street musicians and vendors. However I think the cold and snow probably are to blame for sometimes near empty plaza’s and promenades. Nonetheless, there are still occasional characters to be found roaming about the streets. (and you know I’m chasing them down for photos like the good little tourist I aspire to be)
Tomorrow, or perhaps over the weekend, I hope to find my way to what is known here as “Seljo” (or basically “academic cultural centers” or even more basically, “ensemble classes”). I guess there are quite a few of them, consisting of groups of (mostly elder) Bosnians who got together to perform and maintain old folk music and dance. Seems appropriate, ya?
If that turns out to be a success, be ready to see some photos, or maybe even a short video, of something..um..folksy? I’m on a hunt people!
For now, a few photos from the road…
Filed under: Bosnia, Notes from Becca, Uncategorized by Rebecca | January 29, 2009 | Comments (0)
Thank you Juan and Victor
Hola, amigos. Thanks to the hooked up hotel in Veracruz and the easiest internet connection yet — also Lani’s notebook, I have been able to write emails, post on Facebook and realized that I have been getting it out to only to a few friends and family. Barbie asked a question and I’m posting my response, because it’s the quick version of how things are going so far.
This trip has been really productive, and here’s why: (a) there were a LOT of contacts recommended by Juan Dies and Victor Pichardo, and most of them have panned out in some form (b) Shana is pretty much fluent and Jason is getting there, so there have been many opportunities to share along the way; and (c) Anacron is a superhero, disappearing and reappearing just as he is needed, with handfuls of contacts and opportunities for one or more of us to experience. Jason and Anacron did internet radio in Morelia a few nights ago. Also, the areas we have been in are quite rich with Old Town School-ish escualas. The level of discipline is much higher, and mostly (but not all) geared toward professional employment, but we have been absolutely blown away several times, and have two more formal visits to go. They all go long, too.
The answers to Barbie’s questions are yes, no way, and I wish. It’s a guitarron(sp?)
Now that I’m finally in Wordpress, I will attempt to post a photo. Mine seem to be all of buildings. . .
Filed under: Mexico, Notes from Gail, Uncategorized by Gail | January 28, 2009 | Comments (2)
Why Authentic La Bamba?
I woke up this morning in Veracruz, Veracruz, México; the land of La Bamba. We played music and danced all night with some kids in the zocalo, and frankly I feel like I was run over. What a night it was.
I keep thinking about La Bamba. I can remember the first time I ever heard La Bamba. I was in the back seat of my mom’s car and I was 9-years-old. La Bamba came on the radio and I remember thinking it was just so cool. Of coarse this was 1987 and it was the Los Lobos cover of the Richie Valens version.
Then, like a lot of things in life when you’re nine-years-old, I kind of just left it.
But the song stuck with me. I didn’t know the cultural background, or what the song was about.
“Weird” Al did a parody of it called Lasagna (all about Italian food), and I liked that almost as much.
Over the years I stayed curious about México and it’s music, but that was mostly because I had become a fan of Los Lobos. Eventually I found the Old Town School and Victor, Juan, Maria and Yahvi, and found that I could play this music myself. And now here I am, speaking and singing in Spanish, en La Tierra de La Bamba.
I wonder what would have happened if someone had told me that the Los Lobos La Bamba, which I loved so much, wasn’t “authentic’; that it wasn’t real. What’s “real” to a nine-year-old kid?
Filed under: Mexico, Notes from Jason, Uncategorized by Jason | January 28, 2009 | Comments (2)
Live and Direct from Capital Hill!
Howdy All!
Your friendly neighborhood deskperson checking in from our nation’s capital. I’ve just spent the day traipsing around the D.C. area which, compared to Chicago last week, was downright balmy at roughly 20 degrees. The city is absolutely electric. There are lots of people, but strangely enough no real “crowds”. Everyone is sporting some form of Obama-gear from bright yellow homemade t-shirts to bedazzled skullies of our new first Fam.
And, similar to that memorable night in Grant Park, EVERYone is friendly. We made a beeline for the mall today in attempts to take in some of the Smithsonians, only to discover a line around the block at most of them. But it didn’t matter because all around us the mall was buzzing with…well…everything. CNN, MSNBC, NBC and more were taping all over the grassy area.
Vendors selling…well..everything. Various characters of all types, from folks dressed in period outfits from Lincolns day, to big burly bearded guys boasting their group as “Rednecks for Obama”.
soledad o’brien
I probably annoyed our gracious hosts by flitting about from one photo-op to the next willy-nilly without warning them that I was straying from the pack but really…how could I resist these guys?!
It was a long day of soaking in the blustery air and the frenetic energy abundant in every space we happened upon. Now, late on monday night I kick back in the kitchen of this D.C. home taking in the local news interviewing commuter residents about the massive surge in public transit ridership and not one of them are tossing disparaging comments about the burden of out-of-towners that have swarmed their city. They shrug non-chalantly as if it’s just par for the course of being a D.C. native.
Many times throughout the day I thought about all the people in Chi at OTS who worked so hard to campaign for this to happen and how much all of them would love to be right here in the moment. The least I can do is hope my photos can give you guys a piece of the action.
Tomorrow at 5am is calling in way too short notice for my tastes. But its all in the name of OBAMA!…so its worth it.
(ppsstt, oh yea…and just in case anyone thought we all forgot…Bush, you may now be gone but, you’re far from forgotten: 
)
Filed under: Domestic, Notes from Becca, Uncategorized by Rebecca | January 19, 2009 | Comments (2)
Rapper Dance
Filed under: England, Notes from Maria, Uncategorized by Maria | April 23, 2008 | Comments (1)
Ensemble classes at Sibelius
This is the ensemble class taught by Olli Varis. These students are also in their second year. They were making new arrangements of traditional tunes. It was great to listen to them! I shared song from Michoacan called “Jucheti Consuelito”, and Bau taught us “Lay Down Little Doggies.”
Maria 
Filed under: Finland, Notes from Maria, Uncategorized by Maria | April 22, 2008 | Comments (1)
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