QUIET DAY….

….we all need a moment of serenity…

at least that's what this day looks to me…

it's warm about 64 degrees F ….it's sunny but

will be windy in mid afternoon about 9 miles/hour gusts…
it will be chilly and cold towards the evening for sure ...

Have you heard of Astor  Piazzola…

He's a Tango composer

and right now i'm listening to a piano version 

of his Tango No. 2 …

the cd of the week...

streaming over 

KDFC's FM studio…

Christmas spirit is now

 in full swing in San Francisco…

All over town you'll see Santa's ringing 

bells for the Salvation Army 

donation buckets and 

others spreading joy and cheers !…

At a musician's Christmas party held at the

Guitar Solo on Townsend four years ago

we were invaded by a few Santas and Lady Santas..

to complete our celebration of 

the season of giving and sharing…

Pepe Romero  

the Spanish concert guitarist

gave us a pleasant surprise

with his sudden appearance ...

 after his concert at the War Memorial…

the usual regulars were there…

David Tanenbaum

SF Conservatory Guitar Dep't Chairperson,

Vince Go, Teresa Tam,

Larry Ferrara

 and of course 

the GSP party host 

Dean Kamei …

he makes sure the tradition is 

… as always ...

cozy and intimate with plenty 

of great wines and food...

I shot this photo of Grisha for a cd cover
" Homenaje a Sabicas" under
the VGO label

Grisha Goryachev and Theresa Calpotura

 both from the

New England Conservatory, 

Ross Thompson of the SF Conservatory who i have not

seen for a few years managed to make it this time ..

that's it for now folks !

WORDS AND MUSIC

…..today is the warmest temperature we're ever gonna
get for the week… at 72 degrees F…

Vince of VGO Recordings…

invited me to go on a short  76 mile trip

down to Santa Cruz …

a view of the Pacific Ocean at noontime on Highway 1

on highway 1…along the coast

there was hardly a motorist on the road

being Monday and noontime…

it was totally an easy drive

to get to Bob Basa's studio

fr L-R:  Bob, Vince and Teresa Tam

obscurantists maybe the word…

….we're looking for today...
 that i'd like to use to describe…

talents that are superb enough…

the humming bird is slurping the nectar-like
sweetened water in the bird feeder
that Bob had hung for the birds to come around
everyday

to transport one into an inspirational trance...

 ….the reason perhaps  ....plain and pure expressions

that are evoked naturally with the voice of Teresa and the

guitar accompaniment of Bob ….

obscure because both of them are not well publicized…

firstly because they're not seeking for it and secondly because

this is their first time to partner as voice and guitar

duo performing romantic ballads and Brazilian type music...
a cd project that will be produced under
VGO recordings which also has
done Philippine Serenades vols. 1 and 2...
check it out if you're interested in
authentic Philippine music...

Teresa Tam went to UCD and Boston University
 for classical music ….

then went to attend workshops and classes

in jazz improv and ballad interpretation

in La Honda where music classes and workshops
are conducted each summer  in all levels...
 in the midst of redwood trees…

the music sessions were very intense yet

loose enough to inspire and encourage

participants to follow their hearts 

on their musical trip…

….and now Teresa is revved up
with great enthusiasm because
 Bob's guitar playing
perfectly fits...

and unifies voice and instrument
into a compelling blend…

i'll let you in
an early preview
of the duos partial repertoire….
here is a link to Teresa and Bob's
Christmas, jazz, ballads and boss nova recordings…
ENJOY...
https://soundcloud.com/jazzgirltt/sets/christmas-cheers

I had a chance to jam with Bob as we played

Luis Bonfa's Black Orpheus
and Pernambuco's Chorinoh

it was well worth the trip as usual to see 

and listen to musicians in rehearsals...

it's like the privilege of tasting the food 

with the chef to see if it's right for the

guests before they arrive

to the dining table...

last Sunday at St Brendan church

social hall I had a chance to have coffee

with a Quebeckian

adventurer who had pedaled his way

 to SanFrancisco...

John Niederrreiter 

...he has a masters degree in mechanical engineering

....and busy with inventing...but when bored

takes his bike to places beyond my armory

of adventure...

Enjoy Sunny California John !

Last Saturday at La Baguette Cafe in Stonestown

 I had the pleasure of

sharing my coffee table with two lovely ladies

who were recharging their batteries with

a delicious apple danish 

amidst busy x'mas

shopping…

that's all for now folks !

i'll be in touch so you be in touch !


jt

QUO VADIS….

……at one point or another a painter

encounters the writer's block….

referring to the inability of the artist to conceive….

this is my version of Olympia as opposed to Manet's

….usually this is just temporary…although it

occurs more often to the non seasoned artist…

the reason being…

 the neophyte lacks the experience

of  facing challenges and solving problems…

it is baffling when one first encounters it

and it seems like it would be a nice excuse

to switch to another career…

it's like being at a crossroad
and didn't exactly know what to do…

however… after a serious analysis…

one discovers that ideas grow not
from trees, or looking at the sky,
staring at beautiful girls…

Tanya, my Ukrainian model

begging the Gods
of creativity to throw a modicum of  activity to
your brain….

none of the above can help…
but answering a question of purpose and
message may help…

it's as simple as that….
just like the other creative fields…
the painter's urge to express himself is tied to 
sharing a message…
"what is it that i wanted to say triggers
the block to step aside and for concepts

to come in"…
the answer to this question solves the 
impotence of creativity…
at least in my own experience…

that's all for now folks !

jt

THURSDAY IN SAN FRANCISCO….

….it's thursday…..

need to run a few errands….

then will proceed to check out gallery happenings in

downtown and do photo shoot for everyone to have …

an idea of what's goin' on …..

it's was 38 degrees last night and frost is everywhere

i would imagine….
thanks to the Canadian cold air flow...

….the day so far is sunny and bright but far from being

warm….so people are layered ….even the KDFC broadcaster

Diane Nicolini is taking note of it as she plays Van Cliburn's

recording of Brahms " Rhapsody No. 1"…

Van Cliburn did a concert at the Philippine Cultural Center

a while back when Imelda Marcos was spearheading the

cultural affairs in Manila

Van Cliburn passed away in 

February at the age of 78….

Last year i went to attend a piano concert by a Brazillian

concert player at the Center…and the place isn't just the same

anymore….it's all worn down and lacked attentive maintenance…

the sight gives you a feeling of great neglect …wish they'd

do something about it….

anyway….i'll get my fix

and get something for everyone…

catch you guys later…

jt

WHEN DOES TIME STAND STILL?….

….when something serious happens…

of tragic proportion usually but not always...

…we then… 
stop..

look and listen…

things that had been taken ….

for granted are now right in front 

of our very noses…

TIME 

therefore 

STANDS  S T I L L

nothing moves but our minds and everything is so

quiet…you can hear a pin drop….

this is the backyard pond in a neighborhood in West Norwalk , CT
that i shot in the fall of 2008 

….a loss of job…a relationship breakup…

a separation anxiety... war news ...

or whatever it is that can cause ….

one to be very attentive…with dire seriousness…

It is sometimes healthy but often it isn't…

so when it comes

….it seems to come unexpectedly…

at least as far as our busy mind is concerned…

we have not expected it in the very least…

hence, follows … shock and surprise…

that's why suddenly …

time stands still….

for now

we 

suddenly 

find 

the time 

to think 

about it….

...if IT…

 is a problem…

we would now dedicate

ourselves to its resolution

to the point of allocating all our energies

and resources if need be to get it done…

That's why TIME stands still…

this is the time …that we demand so much of 

ourselves  to worry, to ponder, to be alone…

and to be spiritual…

further..this is the time..that we find ourselves…

to be nothing but the minutest 

of all the minutes…and in quiet solitude find 

our helplessness in total acceptance…

for time has proven once again

our limitations as mortals…

…….there is more…

i'm thinking extemporaneously…

and i'll continue when my brain….

starts grinding again…

just something to provoke our minds…

or perhaps just to get naughty…

in some foolish sense….

that's all folks!

catch you later…

jt

p.s.   
speaking of time….Sonja Moeller
has spent great time with her sister
in Oahu and the big island in Hawaii enjoying the
exotic fruits and other produce at the farmers market
as well as meeting the locals and killing time
listening to Hawaiian music….
She is now in New Zealand

 basking in the
sun and soaking herself in the hot springs of a

volcanic
part of Rotorua Lake a geothermal park...
"watch where you're steppin' lady",
there might be a sink hole somewhere…

anyway, that's our update with Sonja.
Enjoy and share us your pleasures and impressions
of your travels….

9

UNION SQUARE X'MAS TREE LIGHTING...

….tonight was extra special for San Franciscans…

because the Union Square X'mas tree was finally lighted…

 and this happens traditionally on the day after Thanksgiving….

A very large crowd gathered around the square to witness the event

the monument that stands in the foreground…

just in case you didn't know is the

George Dewey monument erected in 1901

by Robert Aitken

as a tribute to Admiral Dewey and 

President William McKinley

for the Spanish American war victory…

Alma de Bretville Spreckels was the model…

She spearheaded the Legion of Honor during her time…

...another point of interest…

it was featured in the opening scenes

of Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 movie…

The Birds…

as Tippi Hedren was crossing the

square to the bird shop….

so tonight the square and the periphery

was a collection of cops in every corner...

and a firetruck too…

Masha of the Salvation Army...

ice skaters…of young and old

musicians

even visiting New Yorkers like Danielle and Sam

who recognized me for my clowning

in a skating rink…

years ago…

….the x'mas tree lighting also coincided with ... 

Black Friday…so shoppers flocked to Macy's

across Geary and the shops around the square…

the square cafe's were also happy to keep

the crowd warm with espressos and hot

mochas…or whatever concoctions

... they can imagine…

but for a satisfying night-cap …

...one needs to capture an

imagery of Godiva not necessarily in the

nude but …

necessarily in the flesh with a great 

and sweet smile such as Loreta's and the

rest of the crew at Godiva's, JR and Elina…

it's been quite a night folks…

i'll be in touch so you be in touch…

jt

..

DUMB LOOKS ARE EXPENSIVE…..

our shop talk for the day...

…..only the gifted can actually do this….

either that ….or you are in the words of a fellow golfer…

a POLITICIAN…." they can even fumble and louse up

                        your day for nothin'…"

however…I'm speaking of another matter here...

anyone will tell you that any auto repair shop trip

is not exciting at all let alone adventurous…
is also very true…

where i go to get my car fixed …

things are different…

their charges are totally inexpensive….

check this sign posted 

by the doorway of Lisa, the manager….

the sign has faded over the years and nobody took the 

interest of replacing it with a more readable one…

let's take a closer look … see if it will read better…

the answer desk  rate schedule reads..

ANSWERS……………………………………….$1.00

ANSWERS WHICH REQUIRE THOUGHT ….$2.00

CORRECT ANSWERS…………………………$1.00

DUMB LOOKS…………………………………$10.00

the last one is the highlight of this sign because 

at one point or another one must have encountered 

this from any shop mechanic who's totally smart

...but would choose to look dumb 

..to make the car owner either

look smarter while at the shop

or to realize when he reaches home that he is

the dumber party….

the idea behind the sign is for the

customer not to infuriate the mechanic with…

 a lot of questions or risk getting

the dumb looks...

…this is Dan, he is trustworthy and

a very good trouble shooter …

also saves customers

unnecessary expenses…

that will be all folks!

jt

….AREN'T YOU LUCKY YOU'RE NOT A TURKEY?….FINAL ACT

….this is just another day if you really come…

to think about it….but to turkeys in America….

this is the day…

when millions of them will be forced to face

Nero and get a capricious thumbs down...

and then be simply  slaughtered….

FOR WHAT ?…

that is the question….

…to be sold by the pound and be injected with some chemical

to prevent the carcass from decomposing…then entombed in

warehouse large coolers for the big day…

…then to be eaten….and take the mysterious journey

of getting sucked down the

esophagus in grinded form mixed with saliva…

(the way this giant lizard would swallow its prey…)

and continue the squeeze, stretch and squash motion 

...to the large and small intestines…

this process is called by the scientific community

as digestion…

and then when all its juices of proteins or whatever

had been squeezed out in molecular and atom size

form…as if that were not enough

...the travel get its final chapter of leaving the 

body with the aid of gravity and the human system

of rejecting waste….and the excretion button

is ordered without hesitation by the human brain…

the only sound that echoes in the white chamber…

is a big sigh of relief….SIGH... PLOK..SPLASH..

not necessarily in that order …

at this point the poor turkey would consider 

itself lucky if no gas is passed by…

(depending on how

many ounces or pounds was finished ) 

the big 

inconsiderate parasitic ape

 to celebrate what he calls

THANKSGIVING…

and then to consummate the final

act….

he pitilessly presses down the flush lever…

and down the poor turkey swirls

round and round into the abyss of

the unknown…

or what human civilization call

"the TOILET…"

The only thing the turkey is guilty of is

its inability to speak

…. the human language

so it is unable to reason out with the homo sapien about

…how they too…

... value their lives…

and would be willing to spend anything and everything 

to live for another minute, hour or day 

or month or year

….the way humans value and fight for their lives…

….well what can I say…

the French call it….

C'EST LA VIE

that's all for now folks!

p.s. "Enjoy your turkey!…."

jt