Solos

Posted on by Thor

On November 15th I went to 2 rehearsal of “Solos“, a play written by Joseph Reed Hayes at the Sandler Training Center (650 S. Northlake Blvd., Suite 430 Altamonte Springs Fl.) The production was part of Joseph’s 13 in 13 challenge, to produce 13 productions in 2013. Though the bar was set high, it seems that Joseph has completed every production he planned at the beginning of the year.

This is how Joseph describes this original play about Ben “Blues” Miller and his wife Ellie…”My
play, Solos, is nothing less than the history of jazz in America, as
told through the relationship of two people, in three movements and a
coda. Ellie’s story is a symphony: a fast, spritely first movement; a
dance-like statement of self; a slow and mournful fugue; a finale that
brings her back to herself; and then resolution and peace, reaffirming
her talent and strength in the coda. Ben, the hip
‘Blue’ Miller, is portrayed by the music; everything you need to know
about him is told by the progression of Ellie’s music, from forceful
swing to cool bebop, dissonant and chaotic free jazz, resolving back to
romantic and lyrical post-modern. Ben in a very real way does not truly
exist until Ellie creates him. If you know nothing about jazz, Solos is
theater, pure and simple, a love story of two people trying to live
through their art and insecurities. If you are familiar with jazz, the
musical hints will provide a little extra gift.”

 Paul Castaneda directed the actors Desiree Perez and Michael Sapp. While Ben Millers career as a jazz trumpeter grew, it became clear that Ellie was the creative force behind his rise. She wrote all the music that helped spark his rise. When he came home to brag about the crowds raw energy, Ella’s mood soured as she sat hoe alone. The characters arcs were always on opposing paths.  She yearned to have the music she wrote recognized but Ben got all the accolades. Though often at odds, the couple were undeniably stronger together. The play followed their relationship through the years. They grew old and matured together despite their differences.

At this rehearsal, the actors were already “off book” but Paul called them out to be fully present in the moment. While one actor was speaking, the other actors thoughts might wander to what they would have to do next. When they are fully, emotionally involved in the scene, that is when the magic happens. Both actors seemed to be living in their character’s skin. The affection and history between them felt very reel. The play will resonate for anyone who has ever felt that their talents were not fully recognized. It is only after the struggles, that the couple realizes how strong they are together.

College Park Jazz Fest

Posted on by Thor

On October 26th, Terry volunteered to help collect admissions fees and put wrist bands on patrons going to the College Park Jazz Fest. About five blocks of Edgewater Drive were blocked off and there were three stages for musicians. The street was crowded with people in their lawn chairs with picnics. For $200 entire tables were rented in the street. One area had couches and lounge chairs like someone had moved their entire living room into the street. One family had the ingenious idea of loading all their lawn chairs in a large kids wagon and then using the wagon as another seat when they were unpacked. They sat as a group on the entry to a bank.

The volunteers at this entry were all members of the Jack Kerouac Project.  The Kerouac House offers residencies to writers who are offered room and board so they can focus on their writing. Author, Caroline Walker, is the present resident author at the Kerouac House. She joined the volunteers at the entry. At one point we all wondered at a bright star in the southwest sky. It didn’t flicker much, so we debated about it being a planet. Caroline had an application on her phone that clearly showed planets and constellations when she held it up to the sky. With all the bright lights from the festival, most stars were hard to see, but with the cell phone the sky blazed bright and vivid. The mysterious point of light was Venus. Mark Your Calendar, Caroline Walker will be reading at Functionally Literate, on November 22nd at The Gallery at Avalon Island (39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, Fl) starting at 6pm.

Some of the volunteers left to find some food from vendors on the street. They returned with exotic Brazilian Tacos that looked delicious. Terry and I then went to find these tacos but all I ended up finding was a huge corn dog and a Coke. Some guy in a lime green souped up car parked near our entry station and cranked up his music to drown out the live jazz, The huge tires had those hubcaps that keep spinning after the car has stopped. The doors had huge sub woofer speakers in them and they caused the street to vibrate. After a quick flurry of photos he was gone.

Natura Coffee and Tea

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When I work till 9PM at Full Sail I tend to go out and sketch Jazz which pops up all over town. Natura Coffee and Tea is a hole in the wall coffee shop right near UCF (12078 Collegiate Way Orlando, FL). The front window proclaims, “Self expression welcome.” The place offers music, art and film. All the clientele are young college aged kids. Students smoked hookahs on a couch to the left. An older woman got a whole cup of hot coffee spilled in her lap. There was quite a commotion to get her cleaned up.

The jazz was lively but I never caught any of the musicians names. The guitarist just told me that he and Reagan on the keyboard had gotten the group together for the night.  I desperately want to return to sketch the students smoking the intricate and ornate hookahs. I may have to work late next month so I might be back.

Taste Jazz

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Since I have been working till 9PM at Full Sail, I have been searching for late evening sketch opportunities. Monday Night Jazz at Taste (717 W. Smith Street in College Park) has become a standard Monday Night ritual. They have an early set from 7PM to 9PM and then a later set from 9:30PM to 11:30PM. My sketch is usually finished before the evening of music wraps. All sorts of musicians gather in the bar area and different musicians rotate in for each jam session.

I order a Blue Moon beer and some tater tots to munch on as I sketch.  The young couple at the table in front of me were obviously on a date just getting to know each other. As always the music was lively and spontaneous. My goal at these late night sketch outings is to get a quick sketch done then get home before Terry goes to sleep.

Monday Night Jazz at Taste

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I have been working a late shift at Full Sail from 5PM to 9PM. That means I’ve had to search for events that go late into the evening. Jazz at Taste (717West Smith Street in College Park) fits the bill. Danny Grudal, Chris Muda and Michael Wells started a set when I arrived. I ordered some crispy tater tots, a beer and got to work. Different musicians joined in for different jams. A saxophone player I had met at Terrace 390’s Jazz event said hello.

This is a great way to relax after a hectic day. Soloists would take the music and improvise their own riff on top of it. When a performer got lost in the moment, the audience at the bar and tables would root him on with laughter, clapping and shouts. It is quite addictive. I nodded my head to the beat and tapped my foot as I sketched. I tried to let the lines flow unhindered.

These Jazz sets happen every Monday Night from about 9PM to 11PM. There is no cover.

Jazz on the Green

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Bank of America was the host for Jazz on the Green held on Saturday October 20th at the UCF College of Medicine (6850 Lake Nona Boulevard). Terry had VIP passes since Merrill Lynch had paid for a corporate table. VIP parking wasn’t much different than regular parking since the event didn’t seem to be very crowded. Food trucks and their loud generators crowded much of the lot. Corporate tables were arranged on either side of the stage. The Merrill Lynch table was empty. There was no shade and it was hot, so Terry and I abandoned the table and sat in our lawn chairs in the shade cast by the stage. We had to move several times as we lost shade.

We were offered a free bottle of wine and a large cheese and fruit platter. Each table got one of these platters and since we were the only ones at our table, there was too much to eat. The Lake Nona Middle School Jazz Ensemble was performing on the Travistock Green when we arrived. It was hard to listen to all the missed notes. The audience, baking in the sun on blankets, loved them however. They all must have been parents of the kids in the band. Next up, on stage, was Jeff Bradshaw and his band. Their jazz had a subtle taste of Cajun Zydeco. During one number, the folks at the table next to us started dancing as they waved their napkins above their heads. Jeff came off the stage and marched up to the table still playing his saxophone. He lead them in a Cajun march through the audience and more people joined the line. Terry got up and joined in. Last to perform was Ken Navarro. He played gentle, smooth jazz as the darkness rolled in. Ken is the act I managed to catch in my sketch. It was a relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon. All the money raised from the event benefited the Lake Nona YMCA and the UCF College of Medicine Scholarship programs.

Red Wine Wednesdays

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Every Wednesday between 5pm and 8pm, the Global Beer Lounge and Grill (301 Church Street) across from the Amway Center, offers a $15 unlimited select wine and beer. I arrived shortly after work. Yvonne Coleman of WLOQ 103.1 FM was seated at a table using her laptop. The corner of the room was set up as a stage with saxophones and trumpets neatly arranged in a semicircle. I decided to camp out at the end of the bar which offered a clear view of the musicians. They were doing a sound check. Yvonne let me know that the musicians would start playing later as the place filled up.

I focused on the setting and composition. The musicians were sketched in quickly when they took to the stage. As expected the jazz was lively and entertaining. The musicians paced the room walking table to table. There was a table full of women and the sax player serenaded them with his saxophone and squealed as he reached his credcendo. After the first set, Yvonne introduced me to Guy Rawlings of WESH Channel 2 and Paul Stevens from a Circle of Friends.

When I packed up my art supplies, the place was packed. The evening was just getting started.

Feels so Good!

Posted on by Thor

I’ve been feeling disconnected from friends and family lately, so on Monday night I decided I needed to treat myself to a sweet taste of jazz at the Grand Bohemian downtown (325 South Orange Avenue.) Jazz is performed every Monday night starting at 8pm, and there is no cover. A collection jar is kept out and any tips go towards the needy in the community. When I entered the bar, Yvonne Coleman, who organizes the jazz jams, gave me a warm welcoming hug. She is such an amazing champion of my work. Between sets she introduced me to the crowd. I ordered a Blue Moon and got to work.

The performers I sketched were Joey Pegram on the drums, Joseph Jebanni on the sax and Don Black on the keyboard. The spontaneous flowing riffs swept over me and caused the lines of my sketch to dance and vibrate. I didn’t have to second guess or worry, the music allowed the lines to flow with simple spontaneous joy. Miss Jacqueline Jones got up to sing. As the sax screamed it’s pleasure, her body vibrated electrically to the sound. Several minutes passed as the sax continued its joyous conversation. The crowd shouted back and Jacqueline shook harder. The place erupted. This was my first time seeing her perform and I wish I had caught her in a sketch. I am sure I will be seeing her again. Outside a firetruck pulled up in front of the hotel. Its red lights flashed in time to the music which flowed unhindered.

A performance of “Feels so Good” had me swaying to the beat my spirit lifted. Dr. Otto Gomez stepped in and livened the performance with his awesome trumpet playing. One of the final songs of the evening was, “This Masquerade.” I was completely lost in the moment. I left after this set, my sketch complete. The beat stayed with me affecting my walk back to the truck. I didn’t turn on the radio on the drive home, instead I hummed and tapped my foot to the beat that was stuck in my head and like a heart beat wouldn’t stop. When life offers no resolutions, jazz is my anchor and joy.

Sensual Saturday

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Torria Hudson, who I had met at the Grand Bohemian Jazz Jam, invited me to attend a sensual, sultry evening of smooth Jazz and R&B music at Tavern on the Lake (6996 Piazza Grande Avenue). VIP tickets to the event were $55 and money raised went to an organization called Miracle of Love that raises awareness of AIDS and offers free HIV tests. Terry decided to join me. When we arrived, a woman was scrambling around trying to arrange seating for people. Since she was occupied I just walked into the seating area and started looking for where I would want to sketch from. Rather than sitting at a table, I decided the best spot was right in front of the sound board. A video camera was also set up in this area. I set my stool down and was ready to go. The woman arranging the seating found out I was there to sketch and she graciously arranged to get chairs for both Terry and myself.
When I started my sketch Live Hart was doing a sound check. I used that time to block in the composition lightly in pencil. Only a few of the tables were occupied so I knew I would have to add audience members to the sketch when they arrived. After the sound check it was another hour or so before the performers came back to the stage. I had to put my sketch aside and order appetizers. Someone came around offering raffle tickets for some original art work and Terry bought a few. We didn’t win, though we did help a good cause.
Live Harts silky smooth voice was a joy to sketch to. Her alternative soul filled the room and swayed the spirits of everyone. The music was gentle, lyrical and heart felt. The lines flowed quickly to the beat. When Live Harts set was over, my sketch was complete. I packed up and started heading for the door. Torria stopped Terry and I before we left. She said I couldn’t leave because I would miss the headliner act, Miki Howard. I don’t follow the Smooth Jazz scene so I was unaware that Miki is a huge deal and she was flown in from Los Angeles for this show. Once we realized our mistake we ran back in and sat down. Miki was astounding. Her songs swept over me with a maturity and grace that left goose bumps. During one of her final numbers Miki had back up singers. She sang a song about the hard knocks of love. She wandered into the audience and asked a woman, “Are you in love?” The woman replied, “Yes I know I am in love?” Miki shouted out , “See, we are so certain about love yet it always finds a way to kick us in the butt.” She asked the back up singers how old they were and one responded, “Twenty Two.” Miki shouted, “This song is older than you!” Then her song educated us all on just how hard love can be and how we always come back for more.

Tomorrow Thor will be sketching the Emotions Dance Massquerade at the Peacock Room between 9PM and 2AM.

Juneteenth – Jazz Jam

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Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. In honor of this holiday the Grand Bohemian (325 South Orange Avenue) hosted a Jazz Session Jam. Yvonne Coleman, the coorfinator of the event said, “Our Jazz Session Jam has been going on every Monday for almost two years and was selected to be a part of the Juneteenth event. The founder was the late keyboardist Billy Hall along with co-founder, saxophonist Don Black. The purpose of starting this awesome night of music was to have a venue to bring musicians together so that people could enjoy great music. Most important, proceeds in the tip jar goes toward needy families, and charities. ”

I dressed up for the occasion and headed downtown. The jazz was to be flowing from 8 to 11 PM. I parked across from City Hall and walked down Orange Avenue to the Hotel, my dress shoes snapping crisply on the pavement. I entered the Bossendorfer piano lounge and asked where I could find the Jazz. I was led to the bar area. I didn’t hesitate to find a place up front from which I could sketch. There was an empty table but it was being reserved for Dick Batchelor, a notable former Congressman and businessman and community leader, and his friends. I decided to place my small tripod camping chair next to a thick pillar and leaned back to start sketching.

There was much shuffling as people moved chairs from one table to another and at times photographers would stand in front of me to get their shots of the performers. Patience and perseverance paid off. I get a visceral thrill out of drawing while listening to jazz. The beat and rhythms add a spontaneous flow to the line work. The whole time I drew I was tapping my feet and swinging my body as I quietly let go to fully experience the flow and surge of the music.

People kept coming over to compliment me on the sketch. I’m always surprised to be complimented on something the is only half finished. I was talking to a woman on my right when someone tapped me on the shoulder making me swing around to my left. As I looked up at her my body kept falling to the left. My left leg had fallen asleep and I crashed to the floor. The woman tried to catch me but I went down anyway. I then tried to stand up to get some circulation back in my leg but then I stumbled again and began hopping up and down on my one good leg until I could do a sort of shuffle step to the beat of the music. When I had stopped my contortions, the woman said she had been watching me work the whole time I was sketching and she was amazed. I thanked her and then sat down to finish what I had started. I tapped both feet to the music to be sure not to loose them again.

Sultana Fatima Ali showed up for the final set, dressed in a black sequin dress. She and Washington-based Jazz musician, Marcus Johnson, both sat tapping on their respective cell phones with the warm glows from the screens illuminating their faces. I assumed they were tweeting or updating their Facebook statuses. I was shocked and delighted when I found out she had been inspired by the art-themed environment to write, and she shared her musings with me.  I believe through the visual elements and written word, an experience can truly be captured.