Terry Longshore

SOU Percussion Ensembles present "Living Sound"

2012-02-20T21:52:00.002-08:00

NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: For further information contact:
February 20, 2012 Colleen Graves
gravesc@sou.edu
541.552.6102

The Southern Oregon University Percussion Ensembles, directed by Dr. Terry Longshore, and the Southern Oregon Chapter of the National Association of Composers, USA present “Living Sound”, a concert of works by local composers.

(Ashland, Ore.) – The widely acclaimed Southern Oregon University Percussion Ensembles and the Southern Oregon Chapter of the National Association of Composers, USA present “Living Sound”, a concert of works by local composers. The concert will also feature works by SOU music students and faculty. The performance will take place in the SOU Music Recital Hall, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd., in Ashland on Tuesday, March 13 at 7:30 PM. Admission to the concert is $5 general and free for students.

The SOU Percussion Ensemble and Compás have been praised throughout the northwest for their performances of contemporary percussion music that entertains, challenges, and excites listeners of all ages. Composer William Kraft (former Los Angeles Philharmonic Composer-in-Residence, Associate Conductor, and Principal Timpanist) said of the ensemble, "I have never – repeat, never – been so pleased with performances of my works."

The concert will open with “M’Weya”, a traditional Zimbabwean marimba composition by Dumisani Maraire. This exciting and joyful piece will be led by SOU Percussion Ensemble Alumnus Lindsay Campbell, who taught the piece to the ensemble.

Much of the evening’s music is composed by members of the Southern Oregon Chapter of the National Association of Composers, USA (NACUSA). Founded by Henry Hadley in 1933, NACUSA is one of the oldest organizations devoted to the promotion and performance of American concert hall music. Many of America's most distinguished composers have been among its members. NACUSA presents several chamber concerts each year that feature music by its members. The concert will feature the following works of NACUSA composers including three premiere performances:

“nobody, not even the rain” by William Ashworth - for vibraphone duet (premiere)
“Women’s Voices, Women’s Words” by I’lana Cotton - for percussion quartet and soprano, featuring SOU Music Student Beatriz Abella
“Meditation” by Ken Deveney - for marimba duet (premiere)
“Los Amores de Maria Bonita” by Theodore Dollarhide - for percussion octet (premiere)
“Diversions & Interactions” by Greg Steinke - for percussion trio

Two student works will also be premiered on the concert - “Helix”, co-composed by SOU Music Students Daniel Freiberg and Dan Machen and “The Living Loop”, a marimba quartet by Daniel Freiberg performed by percussion quartet “Reso-Nation.”

The concert will close with a premiere performance of a new large ensemble work by SOU Adjunct Instructor of Percussion (and SOU Alumnus), Bryan Jeffs. The work, titled “A Maroon Hog’s Rebel Frog”, is a tribute to the music of composer John Bergamo, a favorite of the ensemble and audiences, and is sure to leave the audience smiling. A reception will follow the concert in the Music Recital Hall foyer.

Music for 18 Musicians

2012-02-20T21:51:00.001-08:00

NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: For further information contact:
February 16, 2012
Colleen Graves gravesc@sou.edu 541.552.6102

The Southern Oregon University Contemporary Music Ensemble,

directed by Dr. Terry Longshore, presents

Steve Reich’s epic masterwork

“Music for 18 Musicians”

(Ashland, Ore.) – The premiere performance of the Southern Oregon University (SOU) Contemporary Music Ensemble, directed by Dr. Terry Longshore, will feature Steve Reich’s epic masterwork, “Music for 18 Musicians”. The performance will take place in the SOU Music Recital Hall, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd., in Ashland on Friday, March 9, at 7:30 PM. A pre-concert talk, by students of Dr. Longshore’s seminar on Minimalism, will take place at 6:30 PM in the Music Recital Hall. Admission to the concert is $5 general and free for students.

Written in 1974-76, “Music for 18 Musicians” is considered by many to be Reich’s finest work. The hour-long work features what was then a departure from the almost purely percussion-based ensembles of Reich’s earlier works into a lushly orchestrated ensemble. The performers include six percussionists playing three marimbas, two xylophones, vibraphone, and maracas; four pianists; two clarinetists doubling on bass clarinet; violinist; cellist; and four female vocalists.

The SOU Contemporary Music Ensemble is directed by Dr. Terry Longshore, Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at SOU. A specialist in contemporary music, Longshore has performed and coached the music of Steve Reich extensively throughout the United States. Recently, to mark Reich’s 75th birthday, Longshore performed Reich’s legendary “Drumming” in San Diego, Omaha, Hayward, and at Southern Oregon University. This performance of the SOU Contemporary Music Ensemble features SOU students, alumni, and faculty members including Dr. Rhett Bender, Professor of Music and Director of Woodwind Studies, and Bryan Jeffs, Adjunct Instructor of Percussion.

There will be a pre-concert talk at 6:30 PM in the Music Recital Hall. The talk will be presented by SOU Music students who are participating in Dr. Longshore’s seminar course this term, Special Topic Music History: Minimalism.

Tickets for this performance are only $5 for general admission and free for students. Tickets and season passes may be purchased by calling 541-552-6101 or at the Music Box Office prior to the performance. For more information, please visit Southern Oregon University’s Department website at www.sou.edu/music.

-SOU-

Dúo Flamenco @ The Secret Chamber Series

2012-02-20T21:19:00.003-08:00

Highlights from travel/study in Spain - December 2011

2011-12-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

Flamenco show in Madrid with Felix La Lola, cantaor; Ullrich, guitarrista; Cristina Hall, bailaora

Grant Ruiz and Felix La Lola - flamenco accompaniment class.

"Wall of cajones!" TamTam percussion in Sevilla - what a selection!

With José and Victor at TamTam Percussion.

Researching design and trying Spanish cajones. Models from Barcelona, Sevilla, Huelva, Córdoba, Girona, and Germany. I must have played 20 or more before deciding...

And the winner is...the Pepote Maxi from Huelva - great sensitivity and powerful bass.

Dúo Flamenco at the Giralda Cathedral in Sevilla.

Casteñuelas lesson with José Galvan. What a monster player!

With José Galvan.

Post flamenco session with:

Hanauel (Sevilla), Peter (London), Ian Scionti (Sevilla), Ian (Brighton)

SOU Percussion Ensembles Concert 11/29 & Daniel Glass Clinic 11/30

2011-11-24T07:56:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled to announce 2 exciting events this coming week! Read on...

NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: For further information contact:
November 14, 2011 Colleen Graves
gravesc@sou.edu
541.552.6102

The Southern Oregon University Percussion Ensembles, under the direction of Dr. Terry Longshore, presents “Rolling Thunder” featuring Taiko drummer Kelvin Underwood and percussion trio Compás

(Ashland, Ore.) – The widely acclaimed Southern Oregon University Percussion Ensembles, under the direction of Dr. Terry Longshore, will present “Rolling Thunder” on Tuesday, November 29, at 7:30 PM in the Southern Oregon University Music Recital Hall.

The SOU Percussion Ensemble and Compás have been praised throughout the northwest for their performances of contemporary percussion music that entertains, challenges, and excites listeners of all ages. Composer William Kraft (former Los Angeles Philharmonic Composer-in-Residence, Associate Conductor, and Principal Timpanist) said of the ensemble, "I have never – repeat, never – been so pleased with performances of my works."

The concert will open with “Jabberwocky”, written by Stan Sitnik in the style of the Zimbabwean marimba tradition. This exciting and joyful piece will be led by SOU Percussion Ensemble Alumnus Lindsay Campbell, who taught the piece to the ensemble.

Featured guest artist for the evening will be taiko and percussionist artist Kelvin Underwood who will lead the ensemble on Maki Ishii’s “Monochrome” for taiko drum ensemble. Underwood began his professional music career with pioneering Taiko ensemble Za Ondekoza from 1994-1998. He left the ensemble to study music and percussion at Berklee College Music in Boston, MA from 1999-2003. Once his studies at Berklee were complete he moved to California and began working with the highly acclaimed Taiko group On Ensemble and created his own Taiko project Meidoko (may-doh-koh). Meidoko is a slight departure from any conventions found in the Taiko world. The group explores the common thread of their highly energetic style of drumming, Jazz, Alternative Rock and the Brazilian fight/dance Capoeira .

Taiko drumming as a performing art is relatively young, but is rooted in centuries-old drumming in the temples and shrines of Japan. The large drums can be heard for miles, and were designed to be heard by all the inhabitants of a village, no matter how far away from the temple they resided. The “Rolling Thunder” of “Monochrome” guarantees to be an excite listeners of all ages.

Also featured will be percussion trio “Catfish” by Stanford University-based composer Mark Applebaum, a favorite of Southern Oregon audiences that have delighted in performances of his music by Terry Longshore and the Southern Oregon University Percussion Ensembles. “Catfish”, for each player’s choice of 3 like instruments (wood, metal, skin), features many polyrhythms, metric modulations, and aleatoric sections, all the while rooted in a strong sense of groove. Compás, led by Terry Longshore, features dynamic percussionists Bryan Jeffs and Jacob Phelps-Ransom.

The Reso-Nation Percussion Quartet will perform “Wart Hog #3” by Austin Wrinkle and new composition “Full Cycle” by quartet member Daniel Freiberg. “Wart Hog” has its roots in the rhythms of India, and the ensemble members recite and perform the rhythmic language used in this fascinating music. “Full Cycle” is inspired by African music with instruments chosen, from deepest lows to piercing highs, to shape the dynamic and melodic qualities of the piece. Reso-Nation also features Jordan Levelle, Sean Muir, and Sean Siders.

The ensemble will also perform Anthony Cirone’s “4/4 for Four” and Daniel Levitan’s “Variations on a Ghanaian Theme.” The concert will close with audience favorite John Bergamo’s Zappa-esque “Totally Hip” arranged for 10-member ensemble including keyboard percussion, drums, bass, junk percussion, Swiss cowbells, and electronics.

Tickets for this performance are $5 for general admission and free for students. Tickets and season passes may be purchased by calling 541-552-6101 or at the Music Box Office prior to the performance. For more information, please visit Southern Oregon University’s Music website at http://www.sou.edu/music

-SOU-

Daniel Glass Clinic

Wednesday, November 30, Southern Oregon University presents a drum clinic by Daniel Glass. The clinic will take place at 7 PM in Room 220 of the Music Building at SOU.

Daniel Glass is one of today's foremost authorities on classic American drumming. Since 1994, he has toured all over the world with the pioneering " retro-swing" group Royal Crown Revue, and recorded and performed with a host of top flight artists like Brian Setzer , Gene Simmons, Bette Midler, Liza Minnelli and Mike Ness from Social Distortion. He has been voted one of the top five R&B drummer s in the world two years in a row by the readers of Modern Drummer and DRUM magazines. Daniel is also an award-winning author and clinician. He has written three books, including The Commandments of Early Rhythm and Blues Drumming (with Zoro), and has performed at many prestigious international festivals like PASIC and the 2010 Modern Drummer Festival. Daniel's clinics focus on the evolution of the drum set. Using dazzling chops and high- energy showmanship, Daniel takes audiences on a whirlwind journey that covers seven decades of groove. His goal? To convince you that the best way to play today's grooves - Rock, Pop, Blues, Funk, Hip Hop, Reggae, Gospel, etc - is to understand the roots from which they grew. To learn more about Daniel and his obsession with classic American music, please visit: www.DanielGlass.com.

Caballito Negro presents "Una Noche de Duende - Wednesday, 11/2

2011-10-18T20:13:00.000-07:00

NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: For further information contact:
October 15, 2011 Colleen Graves
gravesc@sou.edu
541.552.6102

Caballito Negro presents “Una Noche de Duende”, an evening of contemporary music, dance, and multi-media art featuring Southern Oregon University Faculty

(Ashland, Ore.) – Caballito Negro (flutist Tessa Brinckman and percussionist Terry Longshore) presents “Una Noche de Duende” Wednesday, November 2, at 7:30 PM in the Southern Oregon University Music Recital Hall in Ashland.

Caballito Negro is named from a line of the poem, Canción de Jinete (Song of the Rider) by Federico García Lorca, and one of the Madrigals, by composer George Crumb. "Little Black Horse" gallops in and around Oregon's new music scene, directed by flutist Tessa Brinckman and percussionist Terry Longshore. Assisted by brilliant guest artists, Caballito Negro presents contemporary music on the edge of many worlds, always in the spirit of duende.

The Spanish word ‘duende’ defies definition, but has been interpreted as inspiration, emotion, authenticity, magic, and “fire”. The music encountered in this eclectic program, “an evening of duende”, takes the audience on a journey of seldom experienced musical diversity, including avant garde American contemporary music, electro-acoustic music, video projection, dance, music of South Africa, and a musical score consisting entirely of bizarre pictographs to be “interpreted rigorously” by the performers.

New Zealand flutist Tessa Brinckman, described by Gramophone as a “flutist of chameleon-like gifts” and "virtuoso elegance", is an active performer on the West Coast, and serves on the faculty of Southern Oregon University and Rogue Community College. Percussionist Terry Longshore is a champion of contemporary music who has premiered and recorded many important works, composes contemporary percussion music, and is Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at Southern Oregon University.

Brinckman and Longshore will be joined by guest artists David Bithell, composer/artist/musician; Ellie Leonhardt, choreographer/dancer; Christine Williams, soprano; and percussion ensemble Compás, including Terry Longshore, Bryan Jeffs, and Jacob Phelps-Ransom. The ensemble will perform works by Mark Applebaum, David Bithell, William Kraft, Ellie Leonhardt, Alvin Lucier, and Bongani Ndodana-Breen.

“Una Noche de Duende” will feature the world premiere of William Kraft’s “Encounters XVI” for flute and percussion, performed by Caballito Negro. World renown composer William Kraft has had a long and illustrious career. In 2002 he retired as chairman of the composition department and holder of the Corwin Chair at the University of California, Santa Barbara. From 1981-1985, Mr. Kraft was the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Composer-in-Residence. During his residency, he was founder and director of the orchestra’s performing arm for contemporary music, the Philharmonic New Music Group. Mr. Kraft had previously been a performing member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 26 years – eight years as percussionist, and the last 18 as Principal Timpanist. For three seasons, he was also assistant conductor of the Philharmonic, and, thereafter, made frequent appearances as guest conductor. Mr. Kraft has received numerous commissions and awards, including two Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards; two Guggenheim Fellowships; two Ford Foundation commissions; fellowships from the Huntington Hartford Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts; the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Music Award; and numerous others. Mr. Kraft’s works have been performed by orchestras throughout the United States and around the world, including in Europe, Japan, Korea, China, Australia, Israel, and the former Soviet Union. In November 1990, Mr. Kraft was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Percussive Arts Society.

Kraft’s “Encounters” series of works for percussion and another instrument are some of the favorites of the percussion chamber music repertoire. “Encounters XVI”, the latest in this series and receiving its world premiere by Caballito Negro, is full of rich color and texture. Scored for flute and a battery of percussion including marimba, vibraphone, seven graduated drums, tam-tam gong, and suspended cymbal—the work explores the rich harmonic sonorities between the flute and both the resonant sounds of metallic percussion and drier, woodier textures of the marimba and drums.

“encapsulating” is an interactive work of video and audio composed by David Bithell, newly-hired SOU Assistant Professor of Digital Art and interdisciplinary composer, artist, and performer whose work blurs the lines between experimental music, theater, and visual art. “encapsulating” was written specifically to accompany choreography by Ellie Leonhardt, creating a work that uses technology to convey a multiplicity of perspectives as well as a sense of containment, resistance, and escape. The video uses a camera focused on the live dancer as input to a series of visual columns and is controlled by audio cues as well as automated through algorithmic processes. The sound world is created by the live electronic manipulation of a Javanese gender (a 14-key bronze percussion instrument), augmented by flute and additional percussion performed by Brinckman and Longshore. Leonhardt’s dance and choreography blend her passions in Contact Improvisation, Authentic Movement/Dance-Therapy, Yoga/Somatics, and the Erick Hawkins Modern Dance Technique.

As with most of his compositions, Alvin Lucier’s “Still and Moving Lines of Silence in Families of Hyperbolas” is based upon an acoustic phenomenon, in this case “standing waves.” If sine waves are tuned closely to the geometry and resonant frequencies of the performance space, then pockets of tone and silence appear in different areas of the room simultaneously. With the addition of deliberately mis-tuned frequencies, the “lines of silence” can be spun around the room at varying speeds.

Bongani Ndodana-Breen’s “Apologia at Umzimvubu” is an unwavering explanation of Xhosa culture and the composer's personal identity through music. Animated dances by the young people give way to the dignified umxhenstso dance of the elderly matrons. “Apologia” was originally commissioned in 2005 by Tessa Brinckman for flute, violin and cello and will be performed for the first time in this arrangement for flute and two marimbas by Tessa Brinckman, Terry Longshore, and Bryan Jeffs.

The concert begins and ends with two compositions by Stanford University-based composer Mark Applebaum, a favorite of Southern Oregon audiences that have delighted in performances of his music by Terry Longshore and the Southern Oregon University Percussion Ensembles. Applebaum’s rousing percussion trio “Catfish”, performed by percussion ensemble Compás, sounds the alarm for an evening of exciting juxtapositions. “Catfish”, for each player’s choice of 3 like instruments (wood, metal, skin), features many polyrhythms, metric modulations, and aleatoric sections, all the while rooted in a strong sense of groove. Compás, led by Terry Longshore, features dynamic percussionists Bryan Jeffs and Jacob Phelps-Ransom.

The program concludes with Applebaum’s “Medium”, a work for a quartet of any four musicians (Tessa Brinckman, Terry Longshore, Jacob Phelps-Ransom, and Christine Williams) “who rigorously interpret its score—a mercurial spray of pictographs whose precise definition as musical specifications is left entirely up to its performers...There are several mediums at play: the work is multi-media as it resides equally in the realms of visual art and music. The score itself is a medium—it presents a conceptual substance through which the expressive energy of creative musicians must pass; and, as a non-standard notation presented to imaginative, inventive performers, it is as much a musical filter as a musical prescription...And lastly, the work represents a middle state between spatial right and left, between the ceremony of performance and the routine of not performance.” (Mark Applebaum)

The Southern Oregon University Music Recital Hall is located at 405 S. Mountain Ave. in Ashland. Tickets for this performance are $10 for general admission and free for students. Tickets and season passes may be purchased by calling 541-552-6101 or at the Music Box Office prior to the performance. For more information, please visit Southern Oregon University’s Music website at http://www.sou.edu/music

-SOU-

Chris Burton Jácome Flamenco Ensemble in Southern Oregon!

2011-01-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

It's a great for flamenco in Southern Oregon! I'm proud to present the Chris Burton Jácome Flamenco Ensemble in "Amigos Flamencos" at the SOU Music Recital Hall on Friday, Jan. 14, 7:30 PM. Chris and his wife, incredible flamenco dancer Lena Jácome, will be joined by Grant Ruiz, guitar; Mónica Morales, dance; and myself on cajón and percussion. Lena will also teach dance workshops while here. We will also perform on the Pistol River Concert Series on Saturday, Jan. 15, 8:00 PM for those of you on the coast.

SOU Percussion Ensembles present "Sonic Diffusions"

2010-11-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

Southern Oregon University Percussion Ensembles present “Sonic Diffusions”

featuring the West Coast Premiere of Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic’s “Tak-Nara”

(Ashland, Ore.) – The widely acclaimed Southern Oregon University (SOU) Percussion Ensembles, under the direction of Dr. Terry Longshore, will present “Sonic Diffusions” on Thursday, November 18, at 7:30 PM in the Southern Oregon University Music Recital Hall.

The SOU Percussion Ensemble and percussion quartet Compás have been praised throughout the northwest for their performances of contemporary percussion music that entertains, challenges, and excites listeners of all ages. Composer William Kraft (former Los Angeles Philharmonic Composer-in-Residence, Associate Conductor, and Principal Timpanist) said of the ensemble, "I have never – repeat, never – been so pleased with performances of my works."

Compás will perform the west coast premiere of “Tak-Nara” by Serbian composer/percussionist Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic, one of the artists featured at SOU’s Day of Percussion last May. This virtuosic work for an enormous arsenal of percussion instruments is inspired by the Canary Islands, the volcanic eruptions that formed them, and various myths of the islands.

Compás will also present Christopher Deane’s “Vespertine Formations” for marimba quartet, a work inspired by the composer’s chance observation of flock maneuvers of a huge number of birds, their wing motions, and their fantastic choreography of movement.

The SOU Percussion Ensemble will perform Eric Ewazen’s monumental symphonic percussion work “The Palace of Nine Perfections.” Ewazen states that “the three-movement work is inspired by a spectacular painting on 12 adjacent hanging scrolls by the 17th century painter, Yuan Chiang. The three movements depict scenes from this majestic artwork.”

The concert will also feature SOU Music Performance graduate and recent recipient of the Master of Music degree from California State University, Sacramento, Bryan Jeffs. Jeffs has recently joined the adjunct faculty of SOU and will be featured as soloist on Christopher Rouse’s “Bonham” a piece which celebrates the drumming of Led Zeppelin’s late drummer John “Bonzo” Bonham. Other works featured will be “Apple Blossom” by Peter Garland and traditional Zimbabwean marimba composition “Isu Tauya Pano.”

Tickets for this performance are $5 for general admission and free for students. Tickets and season passes may be purchased by calling 541-552-6101 or at the Music Box Office prior to the performance. For more information, please visit Southern Oregon University’s Music website at http://www.sou.edu/music

August in Guanajuato, México!

2010-08-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

Hello all - OK, I know, I've been away a long time! I'll try and be better about regular updates! A lot of amazing stuff happened last spring but since it's so late, I'll just resume with current events....

August has been very exciting. I have been in Guanajuato for the entire month. I was invited by my good friend and flamenco/classical guitarist extraordinaire Rafael Cuen Garibi. I taught Master Classes to the percussionists of the University of Guanajuato and I've been enrolled in a month-long Spanish language intensive course. Every day, classes in grammar, conversation, literature, and history - completely in Spanish. It's been intense, but wonderful, and just the "jump-start" I needed for my Spanish. Que Bueno! Special thanks to Southern Oregon University for helping to make this trip possible!

My family joined me for 2 weeks and we had a wonderful time. I've made many new friends here, and I look forward to returning soon. Here are some pictures:

The colors here are so increíble! The Guanajuato Basilica against the sky:

Los Tiempos Pasados in the Teatro Juárez with poet Pedro Vázquez Nieto. Wonderful concert! Rafael is on the far right and my nuevo amigo Ramon is on the far left.

At the top of "El Pipila".

Rafael and his AMAZING paella - que rico!

About to dig in - Rafael, Max, Maddy, me, and Georgina:

Cathedral in San Miguel de Allende - day trip:

Amazing garden at Casa-Museo Gene Byron in Marfil (Guanajuato) - I could live here!

Mis amigas del estudio de español - Stacey and Victoria:

Amazing quartet - "The Sconek-T" - thanks Adrián for the great percussion playing and for trading cajón licks!

Hangin' post-master class with the percussionists of Guanajuato. What a great group - thank you all! "Que chido!"

Post concert whew!

2010-03-12T10:55:00.000-08:00

It was a crazy week of concerts over the last couple of weeks, but they all went really well and I'm winding down now, getting to know my family again! Here are some pics from the past couple of weeks:

A beautiful day of fishing on the East Fork of the Walker River (near Bridgeport, CA) on my one day off while in Carson City, NV.

I worked with the percussion students at Carson High School while there - here I am with Carson High School Band Director, Jarod Sorum, and Carson City Symphony Conductor David Bugli.

A little Venezuelan maraca and cajón demo with the students.

A beautiful hike in the hills above Carson City.

Dúo Flamenco y Sol Flamenco after the concert!

Concerts in the next week!

2010-02-26T16:58:00.000-08:00

I am currently in Carson City, NV to perform Ricardo Lorenz's "Pataruco: Concerto for Venezuelan Maracas and Orchestra". The performance is this Sunday, February 28, at 4 PM. First rehearsal was Wednesday night and by the end the orchestra was starting to groove nicely on this challenging piece. It will be a fun concert!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The widely acclaimed Southern Oregon University Percussion Ensembles, under the direction of Dr. Terry Longshore, will present “Foreign Objects” on Tuesday, March 2, at 8:00 PM in the Southern Oregon University Music Recital Hall.

The SOU Percussion Ensemble has been praised throughout the northwest for its performances of contemporary percussion music that entertains, challenges, and excites listeners of all ages. Composer William Kraft (former Los Angeles Philharmonic Composer-in-Residence, Associate Conductor, and Principal Timpanist) said of the ensemble, "I have never – repeat, never – been so pleased with performances of my works."

The concert will also feature the debut of ensemble compás, the newly formed resident percussion quartet at SOU. In Spanish flamenco, compás means the rhythmic cycle of a given musical form, but also refers to a musician’s “feel”. ensemble compás is comprised of the top undergraduate percussion students at SOU who audition to actively perform a variety of new music, classic percussion chamber music, and world music. The ensemble is dedicated to the creation of new music for percussion quartet and collaborations with other instruments. ensemble compás commissioned and will premiere Chris Burton Jácome’s new work for solo flamenco guitar and marimba quartet, “la alma del árbol, la resonancia de una rama” (“the soul of the tree, the resonance of a branch”) in May, 2010.

Ensemble compás will perform two works, Nigel Westlake’s “Omphalo Centric Lecture” for marimba quartet, and Steve Reich’s “Music for Pieces of Wood.” In Westlake’s words, “The title comes from a painting by Paul Klee - the direct & centered simplicity of which was an inspiration to me during the writing of this piece. The piece also owes much to African Balofon (or xylophone) music, with its persistant ostinati, cross - rhythms & variations on simple melodic fragments. Like African music it seeks to celebrate life through rhythm, energy & movement.” Reich’s work grew out of his desire to make music with the simplest possible instruments. It is performed by five percussionists with five tuned pairs of claves, cylindrical pieces of hardwood used in Cuban music, among other Latin genres.

Also featured will be two classic works for percussion: Henry Cowell’s “Pulse” and Lou Harrison’s “Simfony #13”. Cowell’s work is interestingly scored for percussion quintet, with a sixth performer who moves around between the other performers’ setups and serves as a sort of “utility player”, dampening others’ instruments and sometimes playing from their setups. Harrison’s “Simfony”, a quartet, was written for John and Xenia Cage and features Harrison’s trademark orchestration for families of instruments grouped by timbre and use of canons in the structure. The ensemble will also perform two arrangements of Zimbabwean marimba and mbira music.

The program will close with the entire ensemble performing John Bergamo’s “Foreign Objects”, a Zappa-esque romp that alternates between meters of 7 and 2 and features an arsenal of electronic and acoustic keyboard instruments overlaying a rock & roll rhythm section of bass, drums, and junk percussion.

Tickets for this performance are $5 for general admission and free for students. Tickets and season passes may be purchased by calling 541-552-6101 or at the Music Box Office prior to the performance. For more information, please visit Southern Oregon University’s Music Department website at http://www.sou.edu/music

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Join Dúo Flamenco for our monthly First Friday Flamenco at the Standing Stone Brewing Co. in Ashland - Friday, March 5, 8:30-10:30 PM.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Sol Flamenco Dance Company will perform on Saturday, March 6th at 8:00 p.m. at the SOU Music Recital Hall in Ashland. The show, entitled "Fiesta Flamenca", showcases the gipsy style of flamenco dance and music from Andalucia in the south of Spain. The program will include both traditional and contemporary flamenco dances, songs and guitar solos. To complete the Spanish theme, Elements Tapas Bar and Lounge of Medford will sell Spanish appetizers and wine before the concert at 7:00 p.m. and during intermission.

Sol Flamenco is a Santa Rosa-based dance troupe dedicated to the fiery art of flamenco. The dancers are Joelle Gonçalves and Liz Bortolotto. They will be joined by Spanish classical and flamenco guitarist Mark Taylor, as well as local percussionist Terry Longshore, who is Director of Percussion Studies at SOU. Sol Flamenco and Mark Taylor have been working together for many years, and it shows in the dancer’s precision footwork, the guitarist’s bold accompaniment and the company’s strong stage presence. Sol Flamenco has been delighting its audiences with sold out performances throughout California for years.

L. Pierce Carson of The Napa Valley Register called Mark Taylor "The Bay Area’s Best flamenco guitarist" and stated, "Mark Taylor amazed an attentive crowd of more than 300 with his technical skills, lightning-fast fingerings and perfect tone. Taylor has a feel for the music’s innate sensuality." With a high quality of music and the powerful dancing of Sol Flamenco, "Fiesta Flamenca" is an evening not to be missed!

Sol Flamenco and Mark Taylor will also teach beginning workshops on flamenco dance and guitar. Call 482-2826 for more information.

The show is presented by the Jefferson Classical Guitar Society and the Southern Oregon University Department of Performing Arts. Tickets for this performance are $15 for general admission and FREE for students. Tickets may be purchased by calling 541-552-6101 or at the SOU Music Box Office prior to the performance. For more information, please visit SOU's Music Department website at http://www.sou.edu/music or the JCGS website at http://JeffersonGuitar.org.

Ian Scionti, Flamenco Homecoming

2009-12-09T12:59:00.000-08:00

Ian Scionti, flamenco guitarist and AHS graduate, will be performing at the Southern Oregon University Music Recital Hall Sunday, December 13 at 8:00 PM. He will be accompanied by percussionist Terry Longshore, Director of Percussion Studies at SOU.

Scionti has been living, studying, and performing in Sevilla, Spain, the heart of flamenco music and culture, since 2004. Scionti’s formative musical years growing up in Ashland began with piano study with the late Dave Marston. He moved on to study guitar with Jeff Ebnother, jazz guitar with Ed Dunsavage, and later classical guitar with Joseph Thompson. While in his formative years in southern Oregon, he performed with local jazz musicians as well as a brief stint with the Jefferson State Jazz Orchestra.

Scionti has studied with and been influenced by the leaders in modern flamenco, including guitarists Manolo Sanlucar, Miguel Ángel Cortés, Niño Pura, and Manolo Franco. He was introduced to flamenco while pursuing his musical career in New York City. Scionti was inspired to learn more about flamenco, leading him to travel to Spain in the summer of 2003 where he fell in love with the sounds and rhythms of Andalucía. Sevilla has been his home since then.

Scionti has performed throughout the United States and Europe, including Germany, England, France, Greece, and Hungary, appearing both as a solo artist as well as accompanying dancers and singers. For this performance, Scionti will be playing classic flamenco pieces as well as newer songs that respond to the modern direction of this Spanish folk genre.

Terry Longshore is active as a performer, composer, and educator of percussion and has performed throughout the U.S. as well as in Sweden, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, India, and the U.K. He performs regularly as a soloist and with percussion duo Skin & Bones, flute/percussion duo Caballito Negro, and multi-media ensemble Sonoluminescence. In 2007, Longshore studied the art of flamenco percussion in Spain and has since been active accompanying flamenco guitarists, dancers, and ensembles including guitarist Rafael Cuen Garibi, ensemble Calo Flamenco, and his ongoing project with guitarist/vocalist Grant Ruiz, Dúo Flamenco. He can be heard on numerous CD and motion picture recordings and has premiered many compositions for solo percussion, chamber ensemble, and symphony orchestra. Terry Longshore is a Yamaha Performing Artist and an artist endorser for Remo drumheads, Vic Firth sticks and mallets, and Zildjian cymbals and his compositions are published by Go Fish Music.

Longshore holds bachelor's degrees from the California State University at Fresno and Sacramento. He earned the master's and doctoral degrees in contemporary music performance from the University of California, San Diego where he studied under percussion virtuoso Steven Schick. He has taught at several universities and colleges and currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at Southern Oregon University.

Tickets for this performance are $15 for general admission and free for students. Tickets and season passes may be purchased by calling 541-552-6101 or at the Music Box Office prior to the performance. For more information, please visit Southern Oregon University’s Music Department website at http://www.sou.edu/music

First Friday Flamenco!

2009-12-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

Join Dúo Flamenco for our monthly First Friday Flamenco at the Standing Stone Brewing Co. in Ashland - Friday, Dec. 4, 8:30-10:30 PM.

SOU Percussion Ensemble presents "In the Dream"

2009-11-17T18:40:00.000-08:00

Come join us for a night of great music! Featured repertoire will be:

"In the Dream" by Erik Griswold for percussion sextet
"Variations on a Ghanaian Theme" by Daniel Levitan for percussion trio
Shona marimba music "Vamudara" and "Mweya"
"Third Construction" by John Cage for percussion quartet
"Nagoya Marimbas" by Steve Reich for marimba duo
"Ionisation" by Edgard Varèse for percussion ensemble

Performances with RVSO

2009-11-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

Last night was the first night of 3 concerts performing Ricardo Lorenz's "Pataruco: Concerto for Venezuelan Maracas and Orchestra" with the Rogue Valley Symphony Orchestra with guest conductor Martin Majkut.

The concert well very well - thanks to Maestro Majkut and the orchestra for a wonderful performance. I had so much fun and the audience's response was so touching. It was a very special night and I am very excited to perform again tonight at the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theatre in Medford and tomorrow in Grants Pass.

Also featured on the concert was my incredible colleague, Dr. Rhett Bender, performing "Fantasia for Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra" by Heitor Villa-Lobos. Rhett gave a fantastic performance - truly inspiring.

It's been exciting to work with Martin Majkut, a fantastic conductor and passionate musician. If you have a chance to come to tonight's or tomorrow's concert - do - you'll love it!

Thanks all!

College Music Society National Conference

2009-10-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

I just returned from presenting at the College Music Society National Conference in Portland, OR. It was great fun - saw some old friends, and made some new ones! Below is a picture of me with some new percussionist friends - Nicholas Papador (who gave a wonderful presentation and performance of Francois Rose's "Points d'emergence", Andy Bliss, and Erin Walker.

2009-10-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

Last month I performed 2 Oregon Shakespeare Festival Green Shows with Phoenix, AZ-based flamenco ensemble Calo Flamenco, directed by Martín Gaxiola. They were incredible, we had great fun, and some future collaborations are already in the works! Here are some pics from the second show:

Lena Jácome, Martín Gaxiola, me, Chris Burton Jácome, and Bernadette Gaxiola

Bernadette Gaxiola performing a beautiful solea por bulerias.

3 photos above: Rhett Bender

I'm back!

2009-09-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Well, it's been a while - sorry for the long absence! I've been really busy with lots of performing and adventures, but I'll try to keep this blog better up to date! Instead of trying to fill in the last 5 months, I'll just start up from now! Phew!

Last week Dúo Flamenco performed at the OSF Green Show to a great audience - thanks to all of you who came out. It was great fun!

Photo: Alex Georgevitch

This week I will be performing with Calo Flamenco, one of the largest flamenco troupes in the US, from Phoenix, AZ. I jammed with them today and it was great! Muy caliente! We play the OSF Green Show tonight, Sep. 29 and Thursday, Oct. 1, both at 6:45 PM. You don't want to miss this if you are in the Southern Oregon area!

Flamenco this week - Rafael Cuen Garibi and Dúo Flamenco

2009-04-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

I'll be accompanying master flamenco guitarist Rafael Cuen Garibi, visiting from Guanajuato, Mexico, this Saturday night. The concert is at 8 PM, Saturday, April 18, in the Music Recital Hall at SOU. Tickets are $15 (error on poster).
Also, on Monday, April 20, Dúo Flamenco will perform at Liquid Assets in Ashland from 7:30-9:30 pm. Come join us!

A Week of Great Music!

2009-02-25T06:21:00.001-08:00

There are four great performances I am doing coming up starting Thursday, March 5 through Tuesday, March 10. I'll even arrange a special "prize" for anyone attending all four - you just have to make contact with me at all four so I know you were there! Here's the info (click on links for more info):

Thursday, March 5, 7 PM
Sonoluminescence will perform at the Schneider Museum of Art on the Southern Oregon University campus. Sonoluminescence is Todd Barton, Bruce Bayard, Suzee Grilley, Terry Longshore, and Michael Maag - an improvisational/multi-media quintet exploring the boundaries of sound, light, and movement. Our performance will be featured as part of the exhibition, Arps Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies.

Friday, March 6, 8:30-10:30 PM
Come enjoy our monthly First Friday Flamenco with Dúo Flamenco at the Standing Stone Brewing Co. Head out for the Ashland Gallery Association ArtWalk and then join us for some great music, food, and drink!

Monday, March 9, 8 PM
I am pleased to bring virtuoso sitarist Kartik Seshadri to Ashland again. The concert will be held in the Music Recital Hall at SOU. Kartik performed here 5 or 6 years ago and for those of you who heard him, you know it is an experience not to be missed! One of my former teachers, Kartikji is a disciple of the legendary Ravi Shankar and one of the most amazing musicians I have ever worked with. He will be accompanied by tabla virtuoso Arup Chattopadhyay.

Tuesday, March 10, 8 PM
The SOU Percussion Ensemble will present "Be Prepared" in the Music Recital Hall at SOU. Our featured piece will be "Concerto for Prepared Piano" by Erik Griswold featuring prepared piano soloist, Joseph Yungen. Also featured on the concert will be "Wart Hog # 3" by Austin Wrinkle, "Just Buckets" by Brian Justison, "Alone or Together" by Eugene Novotney, "Boom" by Terry Longshore & Brett Reed, and traditional Mexican marimba music from Chiapas and Zapateados.

Dúo Flamenco at Elements in Medford

2009-02-11T21:56:00.000-08:00

Dúo Flamenco performed at Elements in Medford on Monday, February 9. It was great fun - packed house, great energy, good food and drink...fun night! It was a paella party and their chef, Chad, made some delicious seafood paella served in a 36" paella pan!

Dúo Flamenco to debut at Standing Stone Brewing on Friday, February 6

2009-02-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

To those of you in the Rogue Valley, you may have heard T's Restaurant and Grill, home of our montly First Friday Flamenco, is now closed for good. We are very sad to see the passing of this wonderful local place and wish all of our friends there the best in their next step. Thanks to Tika for her support of local music!

However, Dúo Flamenco, guitarist Grant Ruiz and myself, will now present its monthly First Friday Flamenco at The Standing Stone Brewing Co., another of our favorite local spots. We are very excited to be there this Friday, February 6, from 8-10pm and we hope you will come out and support our monthly flamenco in it's new location! If you haven't been to Standing Stone in the last month or two, they have a new menu which is very exciting. So come out after the art walk and enjoy some great food, drink, and flamenco!

Dúo Flamenco in Pistol River, OR

2009-01-25T16:54:00.001-08:00

Dúo Flamenco performed in concert for the Pistol River Concert Association on January 10. What an amazing audience we had - thanks to all who came out and so enthusiastically appreciated our music. Also, special thanks to Les and Mary Stansell - our hosts for the weekend. Les is Grant's luthier and he makes one beautiful guitar! Here we are backstage before the concert.
Here's Mr. Cool Les:
The next day we gave a workshop - Grant taught palmas, compas, guitar and led the workshop. I taught cajón and Dawn taught dance. It was great fun - thanks to the eager participants!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T21:13:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everyone - I hope yours is off to as great a start as mine. I started the new year fly-fishing the Rogue River on New Year's Day. What a perfect way to start the year. Well, not quite perfect as I didn't catch any steelhead, but I still had a fun day!

On Jan. 2 I headed up to Mount Ashland for a great day of snowboarding with my family. Here we all are getting ready to head down the mountain.
Over the holiday break our Music Recital Hall at Southern Oregon University has been getting a major facelift. This is the final step to a major renovation project I have been working on with an anonymous donor for the last year or so. We put in a new stage floor last summer, and over this holiday break we installed all new seating and carpet. Our old seats were 30+ years old and terribly squeaky. The new chairs, floor, and carpet are beautiful!

Here's a pic of the new seats. This is taken before the carpet went in.

Our first concert is this Saturday, January 10th - Quartetto Gelato presenting by Chamber Music Concerts at SOU. I'm so sorry I'll miss this wonderful performance but...

Saturday and Sunday I'll be performing with Dúo Flamenco (Grant Ruiz and myself) at the Pistol River Concert Association series in Pistol River, OR. We'll perform on Saturday night and give a workshop on Sunday. I hope to get in some steelhead fishing on while there on Pistol River! Here's link to the concert association.

Sonoluminescence

2008-12-09T21:34:00.003-08:00

Here's some pics from our recent Sonoluminescence series in Ashland at the Black Swan Theatre. We hope to have some video up on the sono web site soon - check back!

Percussion Ensemble Concert

2008-12-09T21:23:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, Dec. 2 we presented "Incantations. The highlight of the evening was the performance of André Jolivet's "Suite en Concert" for flute and percussion featuring flutist Tessa Brinckman with the ensemble. Tessa played beautifully and the ensemble sounded great. Here are some pictures of some of the highlights:

Fly Fishing the Klamath

2008-12-09T21:13:00.000-08:00

Saturday after Thanksgiving I fished the Klamath River in Northern California for the first time with Maddy and David.

David is my father-in-law to whom I owe the immeasurable thanks for introducing me to fly fishing. It has become an addiction. The river was beautiful and I caught my first steelhead on my new spey rod. OK, it was a little half-pounder, but at least the skunk is off the rod!

Maddy scouted out a nice little hole and caught several smolts on dry flies. We saw some beautiful stretches of this river and I can't wait to go back!

Party for the Parkway

2008-12-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

On November 15, I performed with Matt Darling, Associate Professor of Music and Director of Percussion Studies at California State University Fresno, for a benefit party for the San Joaquin River Parkway Trust in Fresno, CA.

The party was at the beautiful home of the Hallowells in the foothills outside Fresno. The sold-out party was great fun with wonderful food and a great crowd. It was fun to see some old friends and to perform with Matt. We played one time many years ago in the Sacramento Philharmonic together, but this was the first time we really played "together".

We performed Nagoya Marimbas by Steve Reich, Duet for Vibraphone and Marimba by Daniel Levitan, Just a Bunch of Notes... by Stephen Whittington, and Saint Agnes and the Burning Train by Sting. We also each performed two solos.

Thanks to the James and Coke Hallowell, David and Linda Grubbs, and to all the enthusiastic people at the concert and party. It was great fun!

CSU Fresno Clinic/Master Class

2008-11-17T20:38:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Dr. Matt Darling for inviting me to give a clinic/master class at CSU Fresno last week. His students performed John Cage's "Third Construction" for me and rocked it! It was a great performance - congratulations to Mike, Mike, Sarah, and Gary - and to Matt - great performance guys!

I enjoyed sharing my music with you all and thanks to Matt and everyone for welcoming me.

Thanks to CSU, Fresno, Remo, Vic Firth, and Yamaha for sponsoring the clinic!

And thanks to Matias for layin' down some tangos and bulerias with me!

We Got the Beat Clinic

2008-11-13T08:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I gave a clinic for the "We Got the Beat" percussion band in Fresno, CA. Run by wonderful percussionist and teacher, Brenda Myers, this club serves students from elementary, middle, and highs schools throughout the San Joaquin Valley. The first group I worked with were elementary school percussionists and there were 25 of them all jammin' on an Afro-Cuban arrangement of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear". These 3 pics show most of the students.

Here is a pic of the "Beyond the Beat" group, the older students, with Brenda Myers. Congratulations to Brenda for her work with these groups - it's so great to see such a large group of young students exposed to good music and percussion playing! Thanks to Brenda and all of the students for a wonderful time - keep up the beat! Thanks to We Got the Beat, Beyond the Beat, Remo Drumheads, Vic Firth Sticks & Mallets, and Yamaha Percussion for sponsoring the clinic!

SOU Percussion Ensemble 2008-09

2008-11-04T07:29:00.000-08:00

We took photos for the ensemble last week - here are a couple of them. Ian gets the points for the highest jump in this one! I think Evin wins for best face...

Here's one we'll use for publicity early on. Unfortunately, Val was sick for the shoot so she's not with us in the pictures - but definitely in spirit!

Our first concert will be Tuesday, December 2, at 8 PM at SOU. It will feature flutist Tessa Brinckman as soloist with us on Andres Jolivet's "Suite en Concert for flute and percussion." Hope you can join us!

Thanks to Rhett and Andrew for the pictures!

The Clay Cart Trio at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Green Show

2008-10-20T10:54:00.001-07:00

I performed on October 11 and 12 at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Green Show with The Clay Cart Trio, aka "Nocturnal Sallie and the Gold-Gilded Monkeys".

Tessa Brinckman (flutes), Ed Dunsavage (guitar, oud, sarod), and I (tabla, cajón, udu, percussion) are the musicians in the play "The Clay Cart" this year at OSF and we sponsored a "name the band" contest amongst the actors and crew. We combined our 2 favorites to come up with that name. They both come from different lines in the play.

Thanks to all who came out and heard us play music by Shakti, John McLaughlin, Ralph Towner, and Oregon. We had a great time!

First Friday Flamenco!

2008-08-06T15:30:00.001-07:00

On Friday, August 1st, Grant Ruiz and I inaugurated our "First Friday @ T's" tradition. We will be performing flamenco music every first Friday, after the traditional First Friday Art Walk at T's Restaurant and Bar in Ashland. We will play from 8-10 or so - come on in and enjoy some wonderful food, a great drink menu, and some fiery music! There is a nice dance floor for any of you bailaors out there!

Flamenco in Ashland!

2008-07-30T14:54:00.001-07:00

Sunday, July 27 Alba Flamenca performed for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Green Show. We closed the Festival Latino to a very enthusiastic crowd of about 750 people. It was a spectacular evening - olé! Thanks to all who came out and made us feel the love.

From the left that's me, cajón; Grant Ruiz, guitarra y cante; Tennille Carnes y Dawn Sturgeon, baile y palmas.

We play again this Friday, August 1st, to inaugurate our "Frist Friday Flamenco at T's" series at T's Restaurant and Bar in Ashland, and then again on Sunday the 3rd at Roxy Ann Winery in Medford. Check my performances page for times.

Return from sabbatical!

2008-04-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

Before Dawn - Federico Garcia Lorca
But like love
the archers
are blind.

Above the green night
arrows
leave traces of ardent
lily.

The keel of the moon
rips purple clouds
and the quivers
fill with dew.

Oh, but like love
the archers
are blind!

I read this poem on Monday morning, March 31, as I awoke at 4:00 AM with my mind spinning about returning to work after 6 months away. I feel a little like the blind archer, but I am excited about getting back to teaching, working with students and colleagues, and being on campus again.

The sabbatical is over. It has been an extremely rewarding and busy 6 months. Read on in the blog for a detailed blog about our month in Spain studying flamenco and absorbing the culture.

I was on sabbatical from September 15, 2007 - March 30, 2008. It sure went by fast! Highlights of my time away from Southern Oregon University include:

September-October:
Finished up the world premiere musical Tracy's Tiger at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Here is a pic of part of my crazy setup - I think I counted 35 instruments!

Here is the whole band. We had a "name the band" competition with the actors. The winning name - The Alunatics! (Inspired by a line in the play.)

In November I prepared for a set of concerts with my multi-media quintet, Sonoluminescence. We did three concerts at the Black Swan Theatre in Ashland. Great fun, as always. Visit the Sonoluminescence website for some images, sounds, and video.

December - early January was spent in Spain. Scroll down the blog entries for detailed descriptions and pictures of that adventure!

When I returned to Ashland in January, I immediately started rehearsals for The Clay Cart, a new adaptation of a 2000 year old Sanskrit Drama debuting at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival this year. It runs until November 2! Here is a picture of the Clay Cart Trio - Ed Dunsavage (guitar, sarod, oud), Tessa Brinckman (flute, alto flute, piccolo, and wooden head joint flute), and myself (tabla, udu, cajón, gongs, percussion). The show is really fun with great music by Andre Pluess. Dig the turban! Come see it if you can!

Tessa and I also comprise the flute/percussion duo Caballito Negro. We make our debut April 20 in Portland, perform again there on the 22nd, and then here in Ashland on May 5. Our program is great fun - music by Howard Hersh, Gareth Farr, David P. Jones, Máximo Diego Pujol, Isang Yun, and Terry Longshore (who is he?). For those of you in the Portland or Ashland areas, we hope you will join us for one or more of these concerts. Check my website for time/location details.

I've also been jamming with my good friend and person who introduced me to flamenco, guitarist Grant Ruiz. It's been fun putting my new cajón and knowledge to work! We have some things planned for the near future as well.

Well...there it is. I started back to work last week at SOU and it has been great to be with the students again. The percussion ensemble is working on an exciting program for our June 2 concert featuring music by John Cage, Lou Harrison, Johanna Beyer, James Tenney, Beethoven/Paul Bissel, Emmanuel Séjourné, and Peter Garland.

Thanks for reading!

Home in Ashland

2008-01-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

Hola familia y amigos!

We are now home from Spain - what an amazing trip! I cannot believe how fast the month there went by. It seems like just last week we were packing to go...

Our final days were busy with taking in some more music and getting ready to go. My cajón arrived the day before we left and it is amazing. Here is a pic of Juan Carlos and I with our Ocaña cajones and Sergio between us (he has one as well).

The sound of these instruments is truly incredible.

So, our last night we enjoyed a final tapas dinner, some churros con chocolates for dessert, and a stroll through Plaza Mayor and our neighborhood. This month has been wonderful, and we definitely want to return to Spain as soon as we can work it out.

Un abrazo and a heartfelt thanks to all of the wonderful friends we made in Madrid - Juan Carlos, Tina, and Sergio - you are some of the best friends anyone could hope for anywhere! Also to Andres, Maria Isabel, Alejandro, Isabel, Andy and family, David and family, Pedro, Laura & Momo, Manuel, Germán, and Rosario. You all touched us deeply! Ian - so sorry we didn't connect in Spain - next time!

And finally - everyone always asks me, "What was your favorite food?" Or, "What was your favorite place?" Spain was full of wonderful discoveries and it's always hard for me to narrow down favorites, but I thought it might be fun to try. If I left anything out - let me know!

Favorite place: Madrid, Sevilla, and Barcelona
Favorite food: Wow - this is tough. Here's a partial list: jamón iberico pata negra, Spanish tortilla, churros con chocolates, Andres's lamb, pan jamón, napolitana chocolate, salmorejo, asparagus casserole (can't remember the Spanish name), egg/potato/ham casserole (also can't remember the Spanish), polvorones, and of course paella. I'm sure I forgot something but...
Favorite drink: cafe con leche - this has converted me from a die-hard "double, tall, non-fat, wet cappuccino with 2 raw sugars" drinker (yes, that was embarrassing to admit)
Favorite wine: Rioja tinto (red)
Favorite restaurant: Taberna Miranda in Madrid, Taberna Salinas in Córdoba, Cerveceria Cruz Blanca in Madrid
Favorite museum: Reina Sofía in Madrid, Joán Miró in Barcelona
Favorite piece of art: Guernica by Picasso
Favorite cathedral: Sagrada Familia in Barcelona (Gaudí)
Favorite palace: Alcázar in Sevilla
Favorite outdoor place: Parque Retiro in Madrid
Favorite garden: Alcázar garden in Sevilla
Favorite musical experience: jamming and hanging with Juan Carlos and Sergio, Flamenco show at La Casa de la Memoria in Sevilla, Sergio's ensemble and Mayte Martín in Madrid
Favorite transportation: Ave train, Madrid Metro
Favorite shop: El Flamenco Vive in Madrid, Kukuxumusu, Objetos de Arte Toledano
Favorite market: La Boqueria in Barcelona
Favorite tour guide: Top 10 Madrid
Favorite CD store: El Flamenco Vive, FNAC
Favorite thing brought home: my cajón!
Favorite landmark: Plaza Mayor in Madrid
Favorite activity with the kids: Real Madrid soccer game, Retiro park, goofing everywhere
Favorite memory: sharing this experience with my beautiful wife and children, making new and wonderful friends

Many new adventures to come in 2008!

Feliz Año Nuevo!

2008-01-01T03:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from Madrid! We celebrated New Year's Eve last night with Juan Carlos and Tina at their house, and their friends Andres, Mari Isabel and their two children Alejandro and Isabel. It was a great night, celebrated Madrid-style with touches of Venezuela, Denmark, and the U.S. Here we are on our way to the house on Puerta del Sol sporting our Madrileño New Year's wigs!

Puerta del Sol is the equivalent of Times Square in New York City on New Year's Eve. It was pretty crazy! This picture is at 9 PM before things really get going!

Wonderful dinner of lamb, Catalunyan spinach, rice, pan jamón, and much more. Andres, the master chef, prepared quite a delicious feast!

The Madrileño custom is to eat 12 grapes, 1 each second during the last 12 seconds of the year. The bells on Puerta del Sol count down the final 12 seconds and everyone eats a grape at each toll. Then of course champagne, toasts, kisses, etc.

Andres and Mari Isabel, who live in Toronto but are from Venezuela, taught us their custom which was fun. At midnight, they also partake in the grapes and champagne, but custom is to hold in your hand your passport, some cash, and some gold for prosperity and travel in the new year. Then you must take all of that along with a suitcase and go out the door. They did all of this which was very funny. As we were all kissing they were dashing out the front door with their suitcase and clutching their passports, cash, and gold. Very cute! You are also supposed to discard of something old, as in toss it over the balcony. Very complicated!

We had a great evening and as always, Juan Carlos and Tina were the most gracious of hosts. We could not be more lucky in our experience here!

Happy New Year to all - we miss you and look forward to seeing you in 2008! We have a few more days here and we return home to Ashland on January 4. Hope to see you soon!

Happy Birthday Jen!

2008-01-01T02:40:00.000-08:00

Today (Dec. 30) is Jen's birthday! We had a very relaxing day. Here is Max singing her happy birthday in the park with his "magic whistle".

Juan Carlos and his wife, Tina, took us out for a delicious lunch at Taberna Miranda, one of their favorite places. Muy delicioso!

We had a delicious late dinner of paella. Tomorrow - New Year's Eve!

Cajón!!!

2008-01-01T02:31:00.000-08:00

My cajón, custom-built for me by Germán Ocaña in Barcelona, is finished! He sent this picture and I will get it just before we leave. After completion, he keeps the instruments for a week or more to monitor acclimation, fine-tuning, etc. It looks absolutely beautiful. The artwork is an image of one of Picasso's guitar sculptures, and my name is written around it. The wood on the sides and top is African mongoy, and the face is cherry.

A very, very special thanks to Juan Carlos Melián for introducing me to these beautiful instruments and for arranging to have Germán build one for me while I am here!

A Day in Córdoba

2008-01-01T02:02:00.000-08:00

We stopped for the day in Córdoba on our train trip home from Sevilla. Córdoba is famous for its Mezquita, shown here in the background. La Mezquita was a mosque built between 785 and 987. Formerly on the same site existed the Roman Temple of Janus and the Visigoth Christian church of San Vicente. When the Moors (no, not the Moops-for you Seinfeld fans) conquered Córdoba they purchased and destroyed the Visigoth church and erected the original mosque in 784-786 and it was expanded over the next 200 years by 4 different rulers. When the Christians re-took Córdoba in 1236, they left the Mezquita in place, and erected a cathedral right in the center of it. 150 of the 1,000 columns (constructed from Roman and Visigothic ruins) were removed to make room for the ornate cathedral.

The mihrab, or prayer niche where the imam would lead prayer in the mosque.

The juxtaposition of the mosque and cathedral was truly bizarre. To walk from the Moorish architecture of the Mezquita and step into a cathedral, turn around and step back, was a very unusual feeling. I found myself being very thankful that the mosque was not torn down by the Christians, but at the same time being disturbed by man's need to "conquer" and erect mosque over cathedral, cathedral inside mosque. A pattern we see repeating itself much too often in our world.

We enjoyed the rest of our day in Córdoba. We had a delicious lunch and enjoyed a local specialty, salmorejo, a creamier version of gazpacho that was delicious.

When we arrived back in Madrid that night, I went straight to a flamenco concert that my friend Sergio arranged for me to attend. His ensemble opened the show and consisted of cantaor (singer), bailaora (dancer), 2 guitarristas, 2 palmeras (clapping) and batteria (percussion). They were amazing - great performers all and they rocked. Their dancer, Rocío Molina, is one of the most respected up and coming young dancers (only 23) and she was amazing. So expressive - very modern.

The main act of the concert was a cantaora from Barcelona, Mayte Martín, with guitarrista Juan Ramón Caro. She has one of the most beautiful voices I have heard in any music. The music was quite a contrast - also very modern but very slow, expressive, and full of breath-oriented phrasing. It was a great night. We went out after to celebrate and enjoyed food and wine until 3:00 - very fun.

Sevilla!

2007-12-30T09:19:00.001-08:00

Orange and lemon.

Oh, the girl
unhappy in love!

Lemon and Orange.

Alas for the girl,
the pale girl!

Lemon.

(How the sun was glinting.)

Orange.

(Off the pebbles
in the water.) from Songs, Fedrico García Lorca

What to say about Sevilla? An absolutely beautiful city - orange trees everywhere, the gorgeous Gothic cathedral, the magical Alcázar (Royal Palace), flamenco, and more. The two days we spent here were truly wonderful. Sevilla is a city I could return to and live in for some time!

Orange trees are everywhere in Sevilla. Their evergreen shade cools this southern city in the summer and their blossoms must smell delightful in the spring, but in the winter they provide orange and green beauty for the eyes. Not the tongue, as their oranges are very bitter and are used for perfume, cat food, etc. and not for eating (although Maddy and Max ate a couple!).

Here we are enjoying some delicious tapas in Barrio Santa Cruz along with orange juice (Maddy), orange soda (Max, of course), and orange wine. Mmmmmmmm...

The Cathedral and Giralda bell tower - the third largest church in Europe and the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. Built in the 15th and 16th centuries, it is a marvel to behold. We climbed to the bell area of the tower and enjoyed marvelous views of Sevilla from 330 feet up. The bells chime every 15 minutes - that was a loud surprise from right underneath them!

Sevilla street at night.

La Giralda at night.

A beautiful woman in a beautiful place - the Alcázar gardens. The Alcázar palace and gardens are the most breathtaking we have seen in Spain. The Moorish design was influenced by the Alhambra in Grenada (which we didn't get to see on this trip). Jen and I both are quite taken with the Moorish tilework, the gardens, the stones, etc. It is just amazing. Ahhh...to be royals!

The gardens.

We saw an amazing flamenco show at Casa de la Memoria in Sevilla. It is a beautiful patio setting; very magical! The performers were incredible. Casa de la Memoria is known for its more traditional flamenco shows, not as touristy as many of the tablaos (bars that have flamenco shows). It was an amazing show.

We crossed the Guadalquivir River to Triana, the historic Gypsy district of Sevilla.

Flamencos performing on the street.

From Sevilla, we head to Córdoba on the way home to Madrid.

Feliz Navidad!

2007-12-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

Feliz Navidad from Madrid! Here we are on Puerta de Sol on Christmas Day.

We had a quiet but wonderful Christmas. It was strange to be just the four of us away from a big family gathering, and in a foreign place, but we enjoyed it very much.

Luckily, Santa found our little apartment in Madrid, far away from Ashland, and was able to come in the balcony door we left open for him! Maddy and Max were delighted to see he found us! We cooked dinner and had a wonderful day together. In Spain, Christmas Eve is the traditional big family gathering, and they usually have lunch together on Christmas Day. The children exchange some gifts but the main gift giving holiday isn't until January 6th, Dia de los tres reyes, or Day of the Three Kings. The three kings come through the city giving candy and gifts to the children signifying when the three wise men came to give gifts to the baby Jesus. We maintained our traditional Christmas Day gift-giving, much to Maddy's and Max's relief!

We joined some new friends for coffee in the afternoon which was a welcome bit of socializing. Andy from Ashland had just returned to his wife and two children in Madrid and invited us over to a family friend's house. It was a wonderful afternoon. Their apartment was near the Plaza de Castilla where the famous "Puerta de Europa" buildings are. They were about to fall over so Max helped hold them up.

The day after Christmas we are heading to Sevilla for two days, and then Córdoba for a day.

Barcelona!

2007-12-21T07:59:00.000-08:00

We visited Barcelona from 12/17-12/20. What a truly unique city! The Catalan culture and language, the architecture by Gaudí, Picasso and Miró museums, Las Ramblas, La Boqueria, so much to see and experience!

Gaudí's style is so unbelievable to behold. Such color, shape, and breath. His buildings are truly like no others on earth. His Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) church is remarkable - he worked on it from 1883 until his death in 1926 and it is still unfinished. It is not expected to be done for another 50 years at least. Parts of it seem like they are melting away in the rain, others are amazing shapes bordering on Gothic. The large, towering spires that rise above all in Barcelona will not even be the tallest ones when it is completed. We went up in one and experienced breathtaking views of the city.

The back side - the only side Gaudí saw completed in his lifetime.

The front of the church. We went up in the two spires on the right side. A little freaky!

Some views from up top:

Spires on the other side.

The back side from up top.

We also visited Gaudí's Parc Güell - made famous in many films and postcards. The winding benches, mozaics, and labyrinthian paths were a treat for the senses. Another magical spot!

Smile!

Unbelievable!

We did quite a bit of rambling up and down Las Ramblas (the streams), a mile-long boulevard leading from Plaça de Catalunya, a huge plaza dividing the Barri Gótic (Gothic Quarter) from the new city, to the Mediterranean Sea. As James Michener says of the Gothic Quarter, "it is not often that one finds in the heart of a modern city an ancient one existing as a kind of soul imprisoned in stone yet mysteriously vital..." Las Ramblas is full of life and energy, but I would love to have seen it 40 years ago. It was renown for its shops at one point, but now many of them have become fast food and tourist shops. It still has wonderful street performers - like these fairies with Maddy and Max - a bird market, and the most amazing food market I have seen anywhere on earth (including India, which up until now was my favorite) - La Boquería.

Seemingly miles of fresh fruit, produce, candy, meat, fresh fish, prepared food, and more. If this market were near my house in Ashland, I would never go anywhere else! We ate here daily and marveled at its beauty. OK, we're food crazy, but I think anyone would love it. Even Maddy and Max thought the produce was beautiful.

But nothing compared to the candy stand for them!

They each got a huge bag of hand-picked candy that lasted them about 5 days. Don't tell the dentist!

We took a million pictures of this delicious market. I'll try and limit it to a few below:

Lovely fruit and vegetables. The fresh squeezed fruit juices (so many choices!) were delicious.

Dried fruit and nuts, spices, mushrooms, chocolates, olives, anything you could want!

I didn't try these sandwiches, but was tempted by the label - "sandwich orgasmic"! There were also "burrito orgasmic, pizza orgasmic, etc."

Café con leche and tortilla for breakfast - so delicious. Spanish tortilla is not at all like tortillas from Mexico. The traditional Spanish tortilla is like a potato omelet. We also had one made with peppers and zucchini that was incredible - Max even loved it! He said, "I don't care if there is zucchini in it - I love it!"

We also visited the Picasso and Miró museums - two of my favoite artists. The Picasso museum was a fascinating exhibition of his development, from 12-year old prodigy to the end of his life. Most interesting were his "copies", more interpretations, of Velasquez's "Las Meninas". Compare this work with Velasquez's "Las Meninas" in the "Entry 3 from Madrid" blog. Visit the Museo Picasso here.

The Miró museum was just a pure treat for the eyes - probably my favorite museum of all I've seen here so far, although that is hard to narrow down. His creations are so playful and improvisational, they are a breath of fresh air to me. Check out the Fundació Joan Miró here. There were also several works by Alexander Calder, one of my other favorite artists, including his Mercury Fountain which was captivating.

The Miró museum is located on Montjuïc (Mount of the Jews), a former Jewish burial ground. Also there were beautiful gardens, a palace, and the Olympic Stadium from the 1992 Summer Olympics.

All in all, it was a beautiful four days in Barcelona, but we are all glad to be "home" in Madrid!

Adios!

Fútbol Club Real Madrid!

2007-12-21T07:34:00.000-08:00

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!!!

We got to hear that twice last Sunday night as Real Madrid ("Royal" Madrid Football Club) beat Osasuna from Pamplona 2-0. It was great fun - really something to experience the energy of a top-class soccer club in its home stadium!

The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is huge - it holds 80,400 fans and it was pretty full that night. The match started at 9 PM and ended around 11:00. The low that night was forecast to get down to around 21 degrees Fahrenheit so we bundled up (as you can see). It was pretty funny - we each had on something like long underwear under sweatpants under jeans, etc. When we got there there were huge space heaters up in the stands so we removed jackets, hats, etc. Oh well, at the least the walk home was warm! The metro ride after the match was like a huge cattle call...it was pretty unbelievable. But the Spanish people are very orderly for the most part.

When Real Madrid scored the sound was deafening. Many of the fans bring these incredibly loud horns they blow throughout the match. It was so incredibly loud I can't even describe it.

Next stop - Barcelona!

Entry 5 from Madrid

2007-12-16T08:57:00.000-08:00

Hola!

Well, since the last post we have been very busy! We have visited the zoo/aquarium in Madrid, and I have been hanging out with my new friend, Sergio Martinez, a fantastic flamenco percussionist. We also took a day trip to Toledo on Friday, went to the Reina Sofia modern art museum on Saturday, and tonight we go to a Real Madrid Fútbol Club match! Whew! Tomorrow we fly to Barcelona for four days which should be a real adventure. I'll be away from email while we are there and I will post a new entry when we return. Here are a couple of pictures from the zoo - the exhibits there are pretty amazing. Very little bars and cages, most of the animals are only separated from the zoo-goers by moats. It feels very exposed!
The kids enjoyed the dolphin show.

Nativity scences are everywhere in Madrid,
even in the shark exhibit!

Maddy loved the pandas - a gift to the queen of Spain by China:

This is my friend Sergio Martinez, flamenco percussionist and very cool guy!

Toledo was fascinating. The history of that city and the change in power from Germanic tribes, to Visigoths, to the Moors, to the Spanish spans over 2,000 years. The city, a walled city on a rock, is surrounded on 3 sides by the Tajo River, so it was well-protected. The tiny, winding streets were wild to walk on. We got lost several times! Also, cars are allowed in the city (supposedly changing next year) so we were constantly pressing ourselves against walls to avoid them...that got a little tiring!

The cathedral was enormous and beautiful:

I loved the Reina Sofia - lots of Picasso, Dalí, and Miró. A couple of Calders as well. Picasso's Guernica was incredibly powerful - his reaction to the German's bombing of the Basque town Guernica. Franco gave Hitler permission to test his new air force resulting in the first ever saturation bombing in 1937. Picasso captured the horror as only he could:
Well...time to leave for our Real Madrid match - more after Barcelona! Hasta luego!

Entry 4 from Madrid

2007-12-11T23:02:00.001-08:00

Buenos Dias amigos y familia!

Things are going great here - I thought I'd update you all on what we've been up to but also send some pics of our apartment and neighborhood so you can get a sense of where we are. This is it - Calle Costanilla de Santiago, 1-5-D, Madrid, 28013. We are right across the street from Plaza Mayor in the old city...amazing location! It's a pretty quiet street (compared to Calle Mayor!) and everything we need is within a few blocks.

I've had an incredible two days. Juan Carlos, my percussionist friend here, is such an amazing guy. One of the nicest people I have met anywhere. A great thanks to Steve Smith for introducing me to Juan Carlos!!! We have had fun jamming, listening to music, etc. He is loaning me a cajón while I am here and really exposing me to a lot. Juan Carlos turned me on to a cajón builder, actually a luthier, in Barcelona and I am having a custom cajón built while I am here. His name is Germán Ocaña, and you can check out his site here. I am so excited - Juan Carlos has one of his cajones and it is the most amazing instrument I have ever played...truly unique! Juan Carlos took me out CD shopping last night which was great - very nice to have someone recommending some important flamenco CDs to have in my collection!

Monday night I went to a club and heard a flamenco singer, El Torta, who is making a comeback after 15 years. He was really great - powerful, expressive, and passionate. It was a very small club called "La Boca del Lobo" (the jaws of the wolf). Hard to see, but good sound and a nice first flamenco experience. Very pure - only cante y guitarra (singer and guitar).

Sunday we are going to see Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (the top professional soccer team in Spain, and one of the best in the world) play at their home stadium. It is a league match against Osasuna. It is pretty hard to get tickets, but Juan Carlos helped us figure it out and we got some. They were ridiculously expensive...but when else will we have this chance? We watched them play in the Championship league on TV last night against Lazio (Italy) and it was an exciting game.

So, as promised, here are some pics of our apartment and our neighborhood. See you in cyberspace soon!

"Bienvenidos!" says Max.

Maddy at the elevator.

Maddy in the stairway...muy rústico!

Neighborhood streets

Max doing some homework:

Maddy doing homework:

Jen in the living room:

Maddy & Max in their bedroom:

Our tiny kitchen - thank god for it!:

Entry 3 from Madrid

2007-12-09T23:37:00.000-08:00

Hola!

Well, we are starting to really feel like Madrileños now! We have been all over the main part of the city and have been taking in lots of tourist and local sights. This first week has been a really great introduction to the city and to life in Spain.

Yesterday we visited the Prado, one of Europe's largest art museums. I have to say, it is pretty special to be able to tour the world's great museums with your own personal art historian! I'm a very lucky man! Jen gave us an incredible tour to this museum's incredible painting collection. The Prado's collection is mainly centered around 16th and 17th century paintings, and we saw many by Velasquez, Goya, and El Greco. I enjoyed it and the kids were really great - they tromped around that museum for several hours without any complaining; well, OK - not much!

Some of my favorites were:
Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights"

Goya's "The 3rd of May"

Velasquez's "Las Meninas"

and Medrazo's "Countess of Vilches".

Max got a kick out of what we called the "Lactating Marys". He really thought those were funny. I am truly more of modern art aficionado and I am really looking forward to visiting the Reina Sofía and seeing Picasso, Miro, etc.

We have been enjoying the local food. The jamón here is delicious, especially the jamón ibérico, the ham from the Iberian pig, said to be the best in Spain. We have also enjoyed the pulpo - octopus prepared in various ways. Max even likes it! Maddy, our little culinary adventurer, loves it of course. The tapas are delicious and great ways to sample lots of different foods. We've also visited a couple of Irish pubs with David and Linda which has been fun. It almost feels like we are back home at the Black Sheep, only smaller and smokier!

Today I start some music adventures. I'm heading over to Juan Carlos's this morning and I plan to check out a flamenco concert at a club tonight. Finally, the holidays and Sunday have passed (we had 3 of the past 4 days that smaller shops were closed) so I'm also going to scope out at least 3 flamenco shops today - can't wait!

Adios!

Entry 2 from Madrid

2007-12-06T22:39:00.003-08:00

"Earth" - from "Mirror Suite"
Federico Garcia Lorca

We walk on
an unsilvered
mirror,
a crystal surface
without clouds.
If lilies would grow
backwards,
if roses would grow
backwards,
if all those roots could see the stars
& the dead not close
their eyes,
we would become like swans.

Hola amigos y familia,

We have had two more excellent days here in Madrid. Wednesday we discovered a fun plaza where many locals hang out and shop, the Plaza Santa Ana. Max and Maddy and I pose with Lorca in the Plaza above.

We spent the afternoon in the Parque del Retiro, a 300 acre oasis in the city. It was originally open only to the aristocracy beginning in 1767. 100 years later it was opened to the public. It is very beautiful, with a myriad of things to see and do.

Here is a boating lake, one of the oldest features in the park. It was built in 1631! There are over 6,000 fish in it which occasionally have to be removed for cleaning. What a job that would be!

We were thrilled to happen upon an installation by Andy Goldsworthy in the Retiro's Cystal Palace. The palace was inspired by its British namesake and was built in 1887. Goldsworthy's work is titled "En las entrañas del árbol" and is built inside follow the architecture of the Palace. It is three large, connected domed wood spaces built completely of logs of Scots Pine from the forests in the mountains north of Madrid. The logs are "borrowed" and temporarily diverted from their commercial route in the timber industry. I took some pictures from the outside but no pictures are allowed inside. There are some images at the Museo Naciaonal Centro de Reina Sofía It was completely breathtaking. Jen and I just recently saw "Rivers and Tides", a film about Goldsworthy which is really fantastic. Great music by Fred Frith too!

We ended the day with a favorite of Madrileños - Chocolates con Churros. Imagine Churros dipped in some of the richest chocolate you've ever tasted...with enough chocolate left over to sip. Muy delicioso! The kids really loved it!

Jen's parents, David & Linda, arrived Thursday. Dec. 6 is "Constitution Day" in Spain and the crowds were truly unbelievable. The Plaza Mayor was so crowded you could hardly move. We took a long walk around much of the central old city and got to know more of our surroundings with David & Linda. Today we are heading to the Palacio Real, the Royal Palace, to continue our touristic adventures!

I've found a couple of flamenco shops I hope to check out today (they were closed yesterday) and I'll be getting together with Juan Carlos Melián on Monday to start some music adventures!

Adios!

Saludos de España!

2007-12-04T19:21:00.001-08:00

Hola amigos,

We arrived in Madrid yesterday (Tuesday, Dec. 4) morning after flying all day and night from Oregon. It was a long trip, but rather smooth and Maddy and Max did very well. They are great travelers! They even slept for 4-5 hours on the overnight from Philadelphia to Madrid. Jen and I did not sleep much unfortunately. We managed to stay awake until 9-10 PM last night, but now it is 4 AM Wednesday and we are both wide awake. And hungry! Our bodies think it is dinner time! Oh well, we'll adjust in a day or two!

This was Max's first time flying and he loved it. He enjoyed watching out the window as we took off, landed, etc. It was dark a lot of the time so he didn't get to see much from the plane, but he will on the way home.

We took a nice walking stroll around central Madrid yesterday. It is a beautiful, historic city and the people have been very friendly. The Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol are lit up with thousands of lights for the holiday season.

There are musicians and street performers everywhere near Puerta del Sol. These are some flamencos that were playing last night.

There was a "human statue" with an elaborate Don Quixote costume mounted on a horse that would "ride" if you tossed some money into a tube hooked up to him. He was almost like a carnival machine.