Passion Party #564 - Master Class

I have never had the guts to audition, to put myself in a highly competitive environment musically.  The only time I had to audition to get into graduate school in a jazz program, I hated it so much that I decided that continuing schooling was just not for me.  I never went back to a formal degree program after getting my Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition - I was just not a real academic, in the "ivory-tower" sense.  And this decision worked well for me.

My son Evan, on the other hand, is on a solid path to get a Masters in Cello Performance (Chamber Music) from San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  Right now he is in Los Angeles as one of 40 students from around the world that were chosen to participate in the Piatigorsky Cello Festival
https://piatigorskyfestival.usc.edu/

We went to the cello festival this afternoon to see Evan play for a master class with Raphael Wallfisch

Evan was one of three students that played in this, the first master class of the week (each of the 40 students gets a chance to play for one of the master teachers.)  Evan was nervous, and understandably so.  He was not only playing for one of the most recorded cellists in the world, he was doing so in a concert hall FILLED with other cellists that were really outstanding, including three cellists that had played for the LA Philharmonic.

The first two students that played were really quite good, and Raphael was a great teacher - very precise, and humorous in a very British way. They were both nervous, and he worked on their bowing quite a bit.

Evan played the Debussy Sonata for cello and piano.  The pianist (who played for all three) was really phenomenal.  Raphael clearly knew the Debussy inside and out, and had very specific suggestions for Evan, mainly regarding interpretation and direction of the phrases, really detailed stuff.  He clearly enjoyed Evan's playing.  He let Evan play all three movements of the piece - the only student that he let complete their pieces.  And at the end he clearly said, (very softly), "Bravo" to Evan, when he finished the last dramatic ending of the sonata. 

We were so proud.  I almost started to cry.  It was a huge triumph for Evan.  Now he gets to just go to cello concerts, recitals and other master classes for the rest of the 10 days.

Tomorrow night we see him perform at Disney Hall as part of an 80-cello orchestra!


So I guess this falls into the old "Follow Your Dream" category.  Or perhaps "Follow Your Reality - find what you are good  at, and keep doing it".

Prince, Adele, Ed Sheeran and Herbie Hancock walk into a bar...

Not it's not a joke, it's some of the music you'll hear on Wednesday at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood when the George Kahn "Secrets" Band takes the stage to play an eclectic night of Jazz;  Music starts at 8:30 PM,
Here's the program:
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1)   Killer Joe

2)   Rumor Has It - Adele

3)   The Night Has 1000 Eyes

4)   Freedom Jazz Dance – Eddie HArris

5)   Roger Kilowatt - Kahn

6)   Can’t Feel My Face – The Weeknd

7)   Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran

8)   Thieves In The Temple - Prince

9)   Wayne’s World - Kahn

10)                  Work Song – Nat Adderly
Wednesday, May 11 at 8:30 PM.  Please call for reservations, to make sure you get a great seat 323-466-2210 or buy online at CATALINAJAZZCLUB.COM

Passion Party #563 - Behind The Front Page

I never use this blog for this purpose, but I just have to share the various news stories I read today in the Wall Street Journal.  None of these showed up on the first page, and none of them were reported in the LA Times.  I believe they are more newsworthy than the latest thing that any politician said today.

1.  -  Millions of documents that were leaked from Mossack Fonseca & Co. list 140 very prominent public officials, executives and celebrities that used their services in setting up shell companies and offshore accounts for its clients: Many business associates of Vladimir Putin, The Prime Minister of Iceland, eight relatives of China's Politburo Standing Committee, the brother-in-law of Chinese President Deng Jiagui, Ukranian President Petro Poroshenko and others.  The law firm and all individuals have denied any wrongdoing.
2.  - Although college students take notes on the computer 33% faster than if they hand-write the notes, students that take notes by hand  consistently learn better,  retain information better and are faster to grasp new ideas.
3.  - New rules from the Labor Department will, for the first time, require stock and insurance brokers to act solely in the best interest of their client, and fully disclose the commissions they earn by making an investment recommendation.
4.  - Although the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (established in 2009 after the Great Recession started) named specific executives at Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and AIG that they felt should be brought to trial for violating federal securities law in 2011, NO Wall Street executives have faced criminal charges for the events that brought about the financial crisis.
5.  - Bill Gross, the "Bond King" of Pimco was paid a $300 million bonus for his work with the firm in 2013.  He quit in 2014, and is now suing PIMCO for $200 million in damages for a bonus he claims he is owed for the time he worked there in 2014 before he resigned.

 - Just another day here in paradise.

Passion Party #562 - One More Day

If you could spend one more day with a loved one already departed, how would you spend it? What would you do? Mitch Albom became fascinated by this question while writing the book, For One More Day. 
 
Albom found time and again that people wanted to spend an ordinary day doing ordinary things with the people they had loved. Almost everyone wanted to tell this special person, “I love you” one more time. Many said they wanted to do the habitual things they always did with the person, such as head to the movies, or eat at a favorite restaurant, or just sit around and talk about old times.

Albom learned what we yearn for is not something exotic or faraway – it’s connection. And realizing this, a “normal” day is something we should all treasure. 
 
This year on February 29th you will be granted One More Day. I can’t grant you time with someone who is already gone, but I can remind you to do something ordinarily wonderful with someone you love today!

Happy Leap Day!

Passion Party #561 - Optimist Vs. Pessimist

An optimist looks at her smartphone and sees a mighty hand-held computer that is changing the world for the better.
A pessimist looks at her smartphone and sees all the accidents caused by people who text while driving, or text as they walk into a streetlamp.

An optimist thinks, "Another day of potential and opportunity".  A pessimist thinks, "Another day of meaningless existence.  And then you die."

In the end, life is what we make it, and the only constant is change.
As my friend Mark says, "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf".

As for me, I choose to be an optimist
             because the alternative sucks.

Passion Party #560 - Keeping Love Alive

Falling in love is easy.

Falling in lust easier still.

But to be in love and stay in love for decades takes commitment and work.

A recent study of sexual satisfaction in long-term relationships is being published this month in the Journal of Sex Research (you can read more about this at http://www.wsj.com/articles/what-keeps-couples-happy-long-term-1454961956)

The study, started in 2006, analyzed answers from 39,000 heterosexual couples that had been with their partners for at least 3 years.

The “No, duh!” result from the study? Men and women who are sexually satisfied are happier in their relationship.

Well, as Marvin Gaye said, “Let’s Get It On”.

But maybe a long-term loving relationship is not that simple.  The study found that there were consistent habits of happy, long-term couples.  And it is not just frequency of sex that creates a satisfying relationship.  Other factors consistently came up amongst the couples.

The habits that show up consistently amongst the couples are mood setting, sexual variety, communication and frequency of orgasm (no, orgasm was not first among men).

What sets the mood? The most important, by far, is saying, “I love you”.  Lighting a candle, dimming the lights, putting on music; these are all things that fall into the “No, duh!” category, but how often do you do this?  Are you aware of how often you say, “I love you” to the one you love the most?  Engaging in sexy talk and laughing were high on the list as well.

And what kind of communication is key?  Well, scheduling a “date night” or a morning to be sure they had sex was mentioned by about 60% of the couples.  Spontaneity is wonderful, but it is not a habit for most people.

Other types of communication that were mentioned in the study: Praise your partner. Communicate about what you want. Ask what the other person wants. Say what feels good.  Ask for feedback.  Talk throughout the day, not just at night.  The more people communicate, the more satisfying the relationship. (No, duh again.)

We never stay the same in a relationship. We are always growing together, or growing apart.  So take the time. Communicate.  Schedule a date night. Light a candle.  And not just on Valentine’s Day.

Passion Party #559 - The Unexpected Challenge

Who knew it would be uncomfortable to plan a 25-day vacation?
Who knew that writing a cover letter for something you believe in could be so difficult?

The challenges we set for ourselves
- to lose weight
 - to exercise more
 - to make more money
these are easy compared to the unexpected challenges,
the ones that life throws at us like a curve ball
the ones that leave us questioning
wondering where the resistance is coming from,
whether we can even lift the bat, much less swing it,
wondering and wandering.

It takes time to dig deep and find where the resistance is coming from.
I cannot prepare, I can only be open and willing to face the challenges