Testing, Testing...
After a lonnng hiatus, I'm getting ready to start blogging again. I'm just putting this up to make sure I still remember how.

A lot has happened in the last 8 months. It'll take quite a while to catch up, so get ready for some good reads.

As soon as I get that part about posting pictures working right again.....
- posted by Gary @ 5:12 PM (4) comments

 
Salvador do Bahia, Part 2
Let's see...where was I? Oh yes. At the end of my last posting about Brazil (Sept 18) I started, but didn't finish, talking about the look of the city of Salvador.


The central square, or "Largo:" of Salvador's Pelourinho entertainment district

Salvador has a very striking urban landscape that's seems to me to be made up of four very different kinds of buildings.

1) Old and large (churches, government, commercial, and military buildings from the colonial and post-colonial period.
2) Old and small (residential and shophouse neighborghoods)
3) Ultra-modern highrises (commercial and residential)
4) Ramshackle brick shanties of the very poor


Interior detail in one of Salvadors numerous "Ingrejas" (churches)

Of the first type, there are something like 245 old churches in the city, many with wonderously ornate interiors. The city's Centro Historico (historical core) has quite a number of old government and military establishments, as well as commercial centres. For visitors, the heart of the historical district is Pelourinho, or "Pelo", several square blocks of colonial-era city that until pretty recently was abandoned and dangerous. City and state got serious about redevelopment and over a period of years turned the district into a car-free pedestrian zone and entertainment mecca that's heavily policed and very safe. The actual Largo Pelourinho (Pelourinho Square) is pictured at the top of this post, but the actual area of Pelo is much larger. Although over-commericialization is an issue, Pelo is a ton of fun for the visitor, with lots of cool stuff to eat, drink, buy, and listen to.


Homes and small shops in the neighborhood of Santo Antonio

Besides the imposing ancient structures, there are large sectors of older townhomes and shop houses, with a multitude of such structures scattered also in most areas. Although many of these buildings are worn and modest, there is an infinite variety of styles and sizes (right down to really small). These are now the homes of ordinary folk, though not, generally speaking, the poorest of the poor.


photo courtesy of Matthias Grob

Adding a complete contrast to all of this wonderful, but very aged, architecture, there are dozens and dozens of super-modern highrise buildings, both residential and commercial. These seem to appear everywhere, towering over historical neighborhoods and tenements, and it creates quite an effect. Quite a few of the cities residents live in residential towers, and many more live in smaller blocks.l

Luckily for me, my buddy Matthias has recently created a photographic study of the city's modern buildings. You can have a look at http://matthias.grob.org/pArqui/salvadorarqui.html


A pocket of Salvador shantytown

Along with all of this relatively upscale architecture, the city includes big areas occupied by the very poor with pockets scattered everywhere. The homes in these sections are made with brick and some concrete. Generally, the brick is not plastered over, creating a distinctive "brick shithouse" look. You see large neighborhoods of this style all over Salvador. I understand that most visitors (and many residents) never see the biggest of these urban village slums because they sprawl through valleys cut off from view from other areas.

Traveling around in town, I'm treated daily to an ever-changing panorama of buildings of all ages, sizes, styles, and costs per square foot. The effect is unlike that of any other city I've visited, and continues to fascinate me.

- posted by Gary @ 9:49 AM (1) comments

 
Here's What I'm Missing
I'm in Brazil for two more weeks, and I promise to get more information about Salvador and Bahia up here soon. It's a blast.

But meanwhile, I'm missing the annual Elephant Polo tournament in Hua Hin.


(photo courtesy of International Living)

You can read all about it at http://www.internationalliving.com/

- posted by Gary @ 1:09 AM (0) comments

 
Brazil!


I've been in the city of Salvador in the state of Bahia in Brazil's Northeast for almost two weeks now. I've been waiting for a good story, or an overall narrative, to emerge to make a posting but it doesn't seem to be happening that way. I've had lots of interesting experiences, but no one single item that seems worth a whole post. So I'm going to make one long, maybe rambling, post.

You may wonder how I ended up in Brazil, and in this particular city. The answer is that I'm lucky enough to have a very good friend, Matthias, who lives here.



Matthias is a musician, engineer, and philosopher from Switzerland who located here 11 years ago. I met Matthias years ago through my work with musical electronics. Matthias does many interesting things, and maintains an extensive web site at http://matthias.grob.org/. You can get samples of his music here, which I highly recommend, buy his CDs, and read about his fascinating musical inventions and musings on life, the universe, and everything.

Matthias has a lovely apartment near the center of Salvador, and was kind enough to invite me to stay here for the month. His home is in a very lovely complex of houses and small apartment buildings that all face onto a lovely private park. It's serene and very secure, and I have my own bedroom. It really feels like living here, if only for a month. Matthias also has a lot of musical instruments and full shop for any projects I feel like getting into. It's a great setup for me.

Salvador turns out to be a wonderful city, one of my favorite places in the world. If I hadn't settled in Thailand, I might well be here. It's similar to where I live in some ways, and in other ways very different



Salvador is the third-largest city in Brazil (after Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro), with about 3 million inhabitants. It's a good size for a city, I think, big enough to have lots of activity and variety, but not so big that it's ovewhelming. It's also a very lovely city, the oldest in Brazil, built on beautiful bay of Todos os Santos, which is larger than San Francisco Bay and very nearly as gorgeous. Like SF, Salvador is a city of hills and valleys, so that there as you travel about, you frequently encounter beautiful views of the ocean, bay, and other parts of the city.



Unlike SF, Salvador is ringed by wonderful swimming beaches with white sand and warm water. Parts of the city face onto the open ocean, and the surf can be substantial. Other parts face onto the bay, so that the beaches are calm and protected. By selecting the beach you go to, you can have a wide range of experiences, all nice. And you can be sure that people do take advantage of the situation. On any given day, you'll find dozens to hundreds of people at any beach you choose to go to. And has been famously noted, Brazilian women can look very good in their bathing suits! (Pictured are two new friends, Leda and Isabelle).



The buildings and architecture of Salvador are also fascinating and attractive, with a unique combination of ultra-modern high-rises and nearly ancient colonial-era buildings. Salvador was the original capitol of the colony of Brazil, and there are numerous examples (whole sectors, actually) of governmental, residential, and commercial buildings from this era, starting from the early 1500s, as well as older buildings post-independence (Brazil became its own country in 1822).





- posted by Gary @ 8:58 PM (0) comments

 
Jamming with the Ancients
I spent a couple of days last week in southeastern Arizona. Here are some establishing shots to give an idea of what the landscape is like in that part of the US.
The highlight was my stay at the Tucson home of Alan Shockley, an old friend of my brother's (and mine, though I don't see him often). Of the people I know, Alan is one of those few who have stayed most true to their roots as artists, craftspeople, and spiritual individuals.


Alan Shockley at home.

Among other accomplishments, Alan is a modern master of the Didgeridoo, a native Australian instrument that is known to go back at least 50,000 years. Alan was one of the very first people in US to adopt the instrument, and the first to give lessons on it. His students include a number of well-known New Age artists and specialists in the instrument such as Stephen Kent.


Alan playing of his "Dream Pipes" in his home sweat lodge. Click on the picture to hear the sound (MPEG download).

Alan has also innovated the instrument by creating an American version made from the stem of the agave plant. He decorates these with elaborate bead and turqoise work and sells them as "Dream Pipes", to distinguish them from the traditional Australian versions.

Naturally, we had to jam while I was there, and I was able to record it.. Here's a link to download the MP3 file. I'm playing my new bass Melodion.

Click here to download MP3.


- posted by Gary @ 5:38 AM (0) comments

 
Welcome Home
I'm back in the US for a little while, and engaging in one of my favorite activities here: wandering aimlessly in the scenic Southwest. However, it seems this activity may be on the verge of being criminalized.


Scene of the interrogation: The Rio Grande Motel in Williamsburg, New Mexico.

Two nights ago, after a day of sightseeting (Gila Wilderness, Cliff Dwellings and Hot Springs. Nice.) I was driving down out of the hills on a state highway (New Mexico 152) that was marked on the map as a scenic route, on my way to find an affordable room for the night.

I reached the point that the backroad connected to Interstate 25 North-South. There's no town at that intersection, but I knew there was one about 15 miles north. As I came up to the ramp, I saw a vehicle marked "Border Patrol" stopped on the right.

When I got on the ramp, I looked back in my rear view mirror and in the twilight I saw the Patrol vehicle ease out real slow with its lights off and start up the ramp after me. Once I got going on the freeway, I saw his lights come on, but well back of me, obviously thinking he was being stealthy. He then proceeded to follow me for the next 15 miles, at first hanging way back, then easing up right behind me, and also pulling up on the left in my blind spot, checking me out as closely as possible.

I knew I was completely legal (seat belt fastened, watching my speed) and couldn't imagine why I warranted this attention. And certainly, it was annoying. Finally, I got to the exit where a motel could be found and pulled off the freeway. My friend followed me down the ramp and right into the motel parking lot. I parked in front of the motel office and walked up to his vehicle to find out what the problem was.

"Where are you going, sir?"
"Where were you last night?"
"Where were you the day before?"
"Where did you start out?"
"Where are you going?"
"Where do you live?"
"What is the purpose of your journey?"

I answered these queries as politely as I could, all the while thinking "None of your f---ing business." But in today's America, I think it's not healthy to be seen as being uncooperative with the quasi-military thug in a uniform.

I don't want to blow things out of proportion, but the last time someone questioned my movements of the previous few days, it was in Burma, a dictatorship notorious for its survellance of visitors and citizens. And even there, the query was a lot more casual than this.

Finally, the interrogation seemed to be winding down without his finding reason to jack me further, and I ventured to ask what had attracted this attention.

"Well sir, I saw you come down that road. Most people who travel that road are people who have something to hide."

There you have it folks. In America today you can be deemed a suspicious character simply for the road you are driving on. Best to stay on the mainstream big highways and avoid any disreputable back roads. (You know what kind of people use them.) I'm kind of glad to be residing in Thailand. At least the police there don't follow me around.

btw, the next day I passed through a now-permanent checkpoint on Interstate 25 North, where I was made to slow down and be scrutinized by three more BP officers and a German Shepherd. But they didn't stop me. I guess they hadn't heard that I'd been traveling that road.


- posted by Gary @ 1:22 AM (0) comments

 
An Old Photo
Writing the post about playing music reminded me that I have this photo from last November, from the Loy Krathong celebration in Chiang Dao. For the original story, see "The Trouble with Guide Books" in the archive for November). It was emailed to me by a Dutch couple who were there, and is the only shot I have that shows me actually playing with the villagers.



It was a great night.

- posted by Gary @ 11:37 AM (0) comments

 
My Music Scene
Among other satisfying developments in the last few months here, I've finally found a musical scene for myself. For several weeks now, I've been sitting in with a Thai music duo, doing live gigs.


Playing live at the Khao Suay ("beautiful rice") restaurant

The pair I've been playing with, Met and Boo, play and sing Thai country songs with acoustic/electric guitars and a drum machine. In the manner of Thai professional musicians they work hard, playing two jobs every. From 7 to 8:30 they play at local restaurant. Then at 9:30 they take the stage at local "Thai country pub". There they warm up for the main act. Boo plays bass in the house band, too, so he actually plays three sets a night, seven nights a week.

I was originally invited to sit in with these guys by another musician, Neung, who has an easy gig. He only plays one job a night, playing drums with a jazz piano trio at one of the local 5-star resorts. He also gets Mondays off, and likes to join his friends on that night. I had been doing some playing with he and his partners, and he invited me to come over to the "Blue Station" to join in.

It took me a while, but I finally went over there with my Melodian (the blow-into keyboard instrument I've mentioned in another post). When we played, I discovered that even though I didn't know the songs, I could play along by a combination of ear and eye (I know basic guitar chords). More importantly, the sound of the instrument turned out to work well in the context.


The main scene of the crime. The "Blue Station" country pub.

After that first session, I started sitting in more and more often, even when Neung couldn't be there. Boo and Met decided they really liked what I did, and I've come to feel good about playing with them. It's interesting, because I consider them good friend now, and we communicate musically, but we can't have any real conversation. They speak about as much English as I speak Thai, which is very little. But they are great guys.

Although I still barely know a few of the songs (they have big books of Thai tunes they do), and have not a clue of the lyrics, I think I'm developing a feel for the music. It's a lot like Western folk or country music. Not very complex harmonically, but expressive. The chord patterns are not unlike country/folk tunes in US, but sometimes the placement of changes is unexpected. I find I have to pay attention.

But when I do, things seem to work. And the audience seems to feel that way, too. I'm probably the only foreigner they've ever seen playing Thai songs, but on most nights I can see one or two in the audience who are taking note and giving me big 'thumbs up'. Sometimes the applause is general, and that's really satisfying.


Onstage with Met and Boo at the "Blue Station".

That's particularly true since I added a pickup to the Melodian. It's made the sound strong enough to really mesh with the other instruments. Frankly, I think I'm on to something here. I find the portability of the Melodian to be a real asset, and it's a lot easier to play by ear when you're not expected to carry all the parts that're expected of a "big keyboard".

So you're probably wondering what it sounds like. I've just started to record the performances. So far, I don't think I've captured the best of what we've done (I have to do all the set-up and engineering, and it's distracting), but I can give you a taste. Here are links to MP3 files for two songs you can download. The files for the whole songs are about 4 MB a piece, so I've also posted shorter (about 800 KB) excerpts you can listen to if you don't want to take the time to download and play the whole song.

Song 1 excerpt
Song 2 excerpt
Song 1 entire
Song 2 entire

My part is the one that sounds like accordian. btw, I would list the songs by title if I knew what the titles were! I just field them as they come.

If you've been following this blog for a while, you may remember that I wrote about some dire problems (arrest, deportation) experienced by some buddies of mind when they gigged here without a work permit. So you may be wondering if I'm worried about something similar happening to me.

Since that nasty incident in January, I've tried to pay close attention to what went down and why. Basically, my friend messed up badly. He and his crew (all foreigners) came into town and started playing "jazz" for pay at as many places as they could, hawking their CDs, being as public as possible, and generally showing not an ounce of respect for the local players or their music.

My approach is pretty much the direct opposite. (a) I only take the stage when I'm invited by Thai musicians . (b) I will not accept payment. You can give me a beer, but that's it. And (c) I make it a big point to be friends with the local players and respect what they do. btw, it turns out there are some quite good players here, once you learn to like Thai rock and pop.

In sum, I feel liked, safe, and protected. And I'm really glad to be involved with local music, not some Western import that's done better elsewhere.

I'm trying to get the frequency of postings back up again, but I don't exactly know when the next will be. I'm hitting the road again, traveling to the States for a few weeks and then spending a month in Brazil with my buddy Matthias. This is a hiatus that I planned from the beginning, but actually it feels funny to be leaving, even though I'll be back in October. A lot has come together here in the last couple of months, on a variety of fronts, and now I'm sure that I want to make my home here.

See ya!

- posted by Gary @ 7:29 PM (1) comments