Rebecca's Books Music of the Word, Musica Palabra with Avotcja and Eric; College of Alameda Big Band featuring Nicolas Bearde

So I run between the Jazz School and Anna's Jazz Island. I park on Allston Way, walk through the garage over to Addison where the school is and then stay where I am and walk up to the club. When I left at intermission it was filling up and I heard from one of my English composition students that the second half ended with Ellington's Jungle Music, a really explosive piece. I found it ironic that Marcus Shelby's class on Harriet Tubman and Jazz also included an Ellington composition, I think it was called a Day in Harlem.

I don't know how I am going to attend Shelby's class next week, the same date and time as the Association for the Study of African Classical Civilizations at ASA Academy. This weekend I'm cool: tonight Nas and Goapele, tomorrow the Bobby Hutton Art Exhibit Reception in San Francisco at the Luggage Store Gallery then over to Berkeley for Glen Washington. There is another concert Abdi Rashidi told me about at the Red Poppy, which also sounds good, maybe I'll leave the gallery early and go check the band out there and then head for the East Bay. Sunday, let's see, oh, Mahea Uchiyama at Ashkenaz at 8 PM. I guess that means I can't go to the American Play. I guess I'll have to check that out this coming week, maybe Saturday?

Joyce Gordon's having an art sale today. I'm still thinking about Africa, how I'd like to go, so I need to hold onto my cash.






I've mixed it up here a bit. Last Sunday, Nov. 23, I attended three events in a row: Marcus Shelby's Harriet Tubman and Jazz workshop at the Jazz School, the College of Alameda Big Band concert, under the direction of my colleague, Glen Pearson, and the poetry reading at Rebecca's Books. I was really tired at 5 p.m. and as I tried to decide it I really wanted to go to a concert to see the Broun Felinis in San Francisco, I went over anyway. I needed to pick up my computer from my brother's. So I go to Yoshi's and I'm a day too early, so I stay for the last two-three songs for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. I'd seen Bela Fleck and Victor Wooten the day before at the West Coast Live event, but I'd never seen the group. I really like the guy they called Future Man, however, the soprano saxophonist added a nice element to the overall compositions which on their latest album, are clever rearrangements of Christmas carols.





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