Kentucky French Cangoroo!

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Carnet de Voyage...

Tai Pei (Taiwan) june 22nd - 2008

After missing the flight of 8.00am, I finally leave Brisbane the 21st of June 2008 at 9.05 am, destination: New York!

The context:

Some interesting elements that I had not anticipated and that adds particular character to this trip:
1. I leave Brisbane on June 21st, the day of the "fete de la musique" in France (music day)

2.I am finishing a biography of Jacques Attali on Mohandas Gandhi, a book that profoundly change my vision of English colonialism, the history of South Africa and many other subject on the history of the 20th century.
3.The america is in full change, economic recession, admission of failure of the war in Iraq and the administration of fascist W. Bush in Afganistant , 7 years after the deadly attacks of September 11, 2001, the Americans are preparing to elect the first mixed race  of their history and of the history of the western civilization, evident reflection of globalization and world cultural melting pot in which the USA is the first example ...
4. My flight had a one day stop in TaiPei (Taiwan), with China Airlaines ... a symbol and something still impossible 15 years ago.

Tao says : only the movement is eternal!
The world is changing faster and faster and that's good, the movement tends to accelerate and I try to adapt as best I can, it's so interesting!

The goal:

The music in my life takes almost a "religious" place  with the idea of constant instrumental practice (prayer) have fun, sharing and above all to meet people and human being relationship adventures.
The main point of this trip is a summer Jazz workshop in Louisville Kentucky - Louisville  (Clicke here to see where's Louisville).
This Workshop - Jazz Improvisation Summer Workshops is organised by Jamey Aebersold,

11.45 pm, I take a "regular" taxi that brings me to Manhattan for $ 45, very efficient.
Carol-Ann is waiting for me and she welcomes me warmly. I know Carol-Ann from a Cameroonian friend, Simone who use to lived in New York.
What a great surprise when I came in an saw a portrait of Patrice Lumumba and many objects of African art everywhere in the room!
Carol-Ann works for a consulting and strategies development company for projects in countries in development.
She's been several times to Africa, including in Cameroon. We start a conversation of several hours before I even unpack my bag...

June 23th 2008 - first impression about New York
After a few hours walking in New York, I immediately get back to my urban reflex! And notice the noise, density of the transport network, anonymous people, huge traffic...
New York is constantly busy, I'm in Manhattan, downtown, walking in China town and buying a "fake" Nokia (I'll know that later)!

June 24th 2008 - Statue of liberty
With Jazz as the main theme of my trip, and as a French citizen, I couldn't avoid this symbol of America, gift to America from France.

I was impressed by the statue of course but also by the amount of tourist and the organisation around. A massive business well organised to treat a large amount of people as fast as possible. A shuttle is rotating from the quay to the Island and some employes are shouting to motivate tourism to get in in the boat faster!

The statue of Liberty is 5mile from where I live, thus I decided to walk back and saw Wall Street, Broadway etc...I was impressed by the size of all the building, everything is massive, huge, enormous!
Of course, the comparison with Paris was unavoidable and in general, I found that New York was quite dirty and people very individualist, therefore very selfish.
However, the service in cafe's and restaurant was always excellent, and that was true everywhere in America, at least for all the places where I went.
They really know how to take care of a customer.

June 25th 2008 - Ludlow Street.
1.30 pm - Second sax lesson with Avram Fefer
Avram used to live in France for about 5 years and has meet/played with a lot of "jazz legend". The night before we had a dinner together in a French restaurant not far away from Ludlow Street in Manhattan.

The lesson is very interesting and help me to review the fundamentals of my sax technique, then Avram explain me his conception of jazz from a soloist point of view and the way he likes to teach. For Avram, the soloist doesn't play the solo with the band but the musician and his horn are only ONE, and this "ONE unit" is PLAYED by the band! Therefore the soloist became a vehicle of the story, the tale told by the band and all this ensemble is the music. This conception of playing together, fusion, communication is also very interesting by a social point of view.
Avram told me a lot of stories about jazzmen such as Ornet Coleman, Dexter Gordon (my favorite fax player)...Joe Henderson etc...I loved it. It was so cool to be in touch with a jazz musician who knew all those jazz legend...everything became alive.
After my sax lesson, I went to a small noodles restaurant and met 2 guys who told me that they were going in Pennsylvania for a gig the day after, guitar and mandolin...I remember that I thought that that was the good thing to be in a big city such as NY, they are many musicians everywhere...with such a wide diversity.

8.30 pm. concert at the Blue Note and meeting with Michael.
The Blue Note is one of the oldest jazz club of the USA and probably of the world.
The history of jazz is built not only with musician but also deeply linked with club, label, photographer, magazine, jazz amateur etc...
Le Blue note is a club that has actively been part of the history of Jazz, many reputation of musicians/band started there. In my trip, it was an unavoidable place to go.
This Tuesday June 25th 2008 performed The Dizzy Gillespie All Star Bands, with Paquito D`Rivera - James Moody - Roy Hargrove - Kenny Barron - Antonio Hart etc...

About the Blue Note:
unfortunately, I've been extremely disappointed by the place. As many myth, it's now a jazz museum, including the music. Actually, a lot of mythic jazz palces in New york are now a kind tourist trap, a fake jazz club very prestigious.

As my friend Taylor told me later, it's now the Dysney land of Jazz!

The Blue note is became a simulacra of jazz (cf - Simulacre et Simulation of Jean Baudrillard).
Everything is set up to simulate jazz, but in fact there is nothing, no substance no more soul, when you love jazz, you feel that very deep, it's all about business and money, marketing!
Taylor's mother who work in conjunction with multiculturalism in Washintong told me that jazz has become a symbol that has appropriated the American black community as an identity value, precisely in the election context in the USA.

Indeed, the evolution of jazz in the U.S. slowing down since there is no more external oxygen but a conservative and therefore a closure (The Lincoln Center Jazz and marketing around the jazz are the best exemple).
This is really more significant in the "forced" multicultural context of the USA today.
The paradox is that jazz (which appropriates the black American community ) is precisely the result  of black AND white culture mix.

After the first set, Michael and I decided to go in another pub, more human and more friendly...
I know Michael from another Cameroonian freind Violet who lives in Perth (West Australia). She met Michael in Cameoon a few years ago when he was doing a volunteer job during 3 years.
Today he lives and works in New York but his experience in Cameroon was very deep and intense for him and he loved it...therefore we talked about his trip there and that was absolutely weird for me to hear those story about Bafia, Douala, Yaounde, here from a guy in New York!
The world became immediately very small, I remember that I've been thinking about Internet and I tought that it's not a surprise that this web is developing so fast, everything is ready for that, ready to be connected, actually since a long time, people, places, events....
We had a lovely evening and I'm quite happy to have Michael as a friend, he's a very nice and interesting guy.

Thursday, June 26th 2008 - Harlem
9.38 am, I jump in the subway, line F-V heading to Harlem
The public transport in New York is the most inefficient that I have ever seen in my life!
The map is confusing (when there is a map)  changing the lines every 3 days, train and subway are mixed on the same track etc...!
The objective of the days was the visit of the Jazz museum in Harlem, their website was quite attractive: http://www.jazzmuseuminharlem.org.
Stepped out at the 125th Street W and the museum was located at 104 East Street in Harlem.

After a few miles walking, I thought that nothing has changed here since a while, it was easy to feel it. The atmosphere of the lively good old time was still in the air.
After a couple of miles walking, I finally found the museum and what a surprise : noting, absolutely NOTHING at the 04 East Street  in Harlem! Only a big sign on the roof outside advertising for jazz listening session at 6.00 pm but in the buidling, only stairs that took you to rooms at the second floor, like classrooms! Not even a plate at the entrance, or a photos... I tough that Jazz is definitely Negro's  music, that deserve no money for that.

I was so upset that I didn't even took a photo of...nothing, jump back in what I thought it was a subway, but It wasn't, actually it was a train (same station, same track) and
I had a panalty of $11 because apparently I had a subway ticket but this was a train. Note that in the morning they urged me to buy a daily ticket...for the subway...funny isn't it?! I never knew the difference. Finaly I decided to get out of that underground dodge stuff and had a shopping party on Broadway with myself. Good to find nice shops, good clothes with a great prices.

23.42  departure to Louisville in  Kentucky
I decided to take the bus for this travel from NY to Louisville to be in touch with different people, different king a social class, because in the plane and airport, there just NO human being relationship as with the bus you HAVE TO share more and therefore the experience was different.

Despite the fact that I bought my ticket online, I had to keep the queue for almost 2 hours to make sure that I had a place in the bus. The bus station is a mess and I felt like I was in Cameroon (I'll have this feeling all the time along my trip in the USA), almost no sign with direction, you have to queue again to register you luggages (you know about that when your are in the first queue for your place)...
We leaved NY at 11.50 instead of 11.15 in a big bus like the one you can see in all the American movies.
Stop at Columbus - Cincinati - Cambridge.
At each stop, you have to go thru the same process, queue for your place, queue for luggage etc...

Rascisme aggressive and still deep.
In Columbus, while I was holding my place in the queue since an hour, this white guy came to me, he was about 60 years old and asked me to let him my place in the queue, he was very aggressive and was insisting. I asked him why should I do that, with 50 people behind me, here is he's answer : cuz' you're a fucking rhum baby!
All his friend around started to laugh at me but the majority of the people in the station were black, and they didn't seem to be surprised, no reactions!
Immediatly I thought  about the guns in this country and that was stupid to take the risk to be shot just for a silly guy...I decided to ignore him but it was psychologicaly very violent.

 

 

 

Friday June 27th 2007 - Arrival in Louisville - Kentucky

Louisville is Kentucky's largest city. It is ranked as either the 17th or 27th largest city in the United States depending on how the population is calculated (see Nomenclature, population and ranking below). The settlement that became the City of Louisville was founded in 1778 by George Rogers Clark and is named after King Louis XVI of France. Louisville is famous as the home of "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports": the Kentucky Derby, the widely watched first race of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. and the Kentucky fried chicken.

The summer jazz workshop was happening in the building of the university of music of Louisville.
I went to the reception and they gave me the key of my room. Very nice room, air conditioned,  large room, bathroom brain new etc...great!

Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th of June 2008 - seminar : everyone can improvise.
During 2 days, Jamey Aebersold talked about improvisation, how to practice, the bebop language, relationship with instrument etc...
I knew almost everything he was talking about, due to my musical experience but it's so good to have 500 people around that share the same interest and the love for Jazz music.
I was quite impressed by the enthusiasm of Jamey, his positive energy, the way he was sharing his motivation, the way he loves jazz music and probably music in general.
Also, he did a long speech against drugs and cigarette, explaining that both has taken away the life of many many jazz genius, so now was the time to stop it.

The end of the week end seminar "every one ca nimprovise" was also the begining of the 2 weeks jazz workshop and a concert with an impressive jazz musician team such as Antonio Hart, Jim Snidero, Tim Armacost, Bobby Floyd etc...After the concert, back to my room and meeting with my room mate : Francisco Jabier.
Francisco  lives in Quito in Equator and he is a sax teacher at the university of Quito.

Here is the program of a regular day during the Summer Workshops organised by Jamey Aebersold:

• Breakfast: 7:00am - 8:15am
  
• Jazz Theory/Improv (4 Class Levels): 8:30am - 10:00am
  
• Ear Training/Listening/Transcribed Solos/Playing with the Faculty: 10:00am - 11:00am
  
• Combo Rehearsals: 11:00am - 12:00pm
  
• Lunch: 12:00pm - 1:30pm + Faculty live concert
  
• Master Classes for Each Instrument: 1:30pm - 3:00pm
  
• Combo Rehearsals: 3:00pm - 4:30pm
  
• Dinner: 5:30pm - 7:00pm
  
• Faculty Concerts: 7:30pm - 10:00pm
  
• Student Jam Sessions: After the Faculty Concerts
  

Every day was very rich in term of knowledge, meeting , music etc...
The majority of the faculty are people who has written a lot jazz manual such as  David Baker, Jery Coocker, Andy Laverne, simply excellent.
Also in the faculty this year, we had, Jim Snidero, Gary Campbell, Rufus Reid, Antonio Hart, Steve Davis, Jamey Aebersold...
The fact that we could stay 2 weeks with those huge musicians was just amazingly good and useful.  All of them were very open and happy to answer any question we had, sit down with the horn and show us whatever we asked...very very open.

These 2 weeks jazz workshop was simply fantastic, I had a lot fun and I've learn a lot about the jazz and specifically the be bop language. I realise how lucky I am!

 

People that I've meet during the Jazz workshop:

 

 

Francisco Jabier, my room mate.
Francisco lives in Quito en Equator, he's a saxophone teacher at the university of Quito that is linked to the Berklee music School.
He's from Cuba and we had a great relationship
He's a great guy, very easy going and intelligent...we have the same composed first name : Francisco-Javier / Francois-Xavier

 

 

Taylor J.
guitar player 23 ans, Taylor has some relatives in Nice will enjoy the fact that I'm french to practice and improve his french that is not bad at all.
It's a very intersting guy, in additional of being a musician, Taylor has studied the Mandarin at the university of Toronto during 4 years. He wants to live few years in France and after, in China to improve both languages.
We've spent all the time together during the workshop and had a very good relationship + we drove together to Washington DC where his parent hosted me, fantastic people.  We are now friends

 

 

Eric S.
Eric is a business teacher at the university of Philadelphia, very intersting and well educated mate.
He plays sax Alto, Soprano et Tenor. We met each other in the computer room...checking our email.
Eric has been traveling in many many countries as well.
He invited me in Philadelphia and thanks to him I felt in love with this city Philadelphia where I spent only 24 hours but he showed me the most important and that was a good quality time.  We are now friends and maybe we will will travel together at the end of this year

 

 

Mayo M.
Mayo is a 26 years old Japanese girl who lives near Tokyo.
She was the pianist of my combo during the first week.
She has an ecxellent classic training and love jazz.
We had a lot of practice time together, scales, chord etc...she was my personal piano accompaniment for practicing.
She's very smart and I was impressed by the way she was learning very fast.
We are now friends and she invited me in Japan

 

 

Juan P.
Juan is 25 years old drum player in Quito en Equotor. very professional musician, cool mate.
We had a great time together and he's a very easy going man, lovely.
We are now friends and a bed is waiting for me in Quitto.

 

Stephanie S.
Stephanie is a flute teacher in  Manhattan Beach near Los Angeles.

We met each other in the restaurant where we had the lunch everydays all together and we've spend half of a night with 2 other friends on the parking of the restaurant, talking and rebuilding the world...that was really interesting!
She has a great sens of humor and she's very intelligent. We keep in touch and I might design a new website for her...to be continued.

 

 

Hagino H.
Hagino is a Japanese girl who lives in Louisville with her husband and their lovely son.
She plays piano. We had a good exchange during the jazz workshop and I liked all the nice conversation we had about her live in Louisville.
She a nice and sensitive girl, very friendly. Everyone and specially me, loved their son, a beautiful baby.
Hagino invited me to go to visit her place in Japan - Nara.

 

 

Lauren D.
Lauren plays trumpet, she lives in  New York with her boyfriend and works for the New York time as a graphic designer.
Lauren was Mayo's room mate.
I whish we could have share more time all together but she arrived only the 2nd week.

 

 

 

Clara P.
Clara is a 20 years old girl who lives in Lyon en France.
She plays Alto Sax et wants to come back in New York for a marketing degree.
She's very enthusiastic and mature for a 20 year old girl.

And many many other great people....Randy, Ariane, Robert!

Conclusion about the 2 weeks workshop:

SIMPLY TOO EXCELLENT!
The first week, my combo instructor was Gary Campbell, excellent sax from Miami who has played with Miroslav Vitous Quartet and many other famous jazz musician, very philosophical and open mind Gary has published a couple of sax method and I invite you to check his website Gary Campbell.
The 2nd week, my combo instructor was Franck Smith - Bass Player, excellent  bass player who was telling us stories about West Mongomery's brother...
Franck has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Zoot Sims, Teddy Wilson and Michel LeGrande...

Those two guys were very patient with us, making sure that we were on the right track everytime whatever the level, I want to thanks them here.

All along the week, we had 3 concert a day from the faculty and we had a student performance at the end of each week with our combo.
All performances was great, high quality of jazz music, high level and the quality of the faculty was just incredibly excellent!

The Negativ:
- everything is focused on le be-bop, even if it's the best "old school", the danger is the formating process as for classical music, by this way, the music is framed and shaped the same way everytime, is the beginning of conservative = dead music.
- some of the teachers/ instructor are a bit too "old school" in the way they teach, but it's understandable.
- THE food during the 2 weeks was a shit! sorry but there is not other way to say it

The positive:
- I received 100 time more than what I was expecting
- I was impressed by the good organisation, the availability of the staff night and day
- a lot of instructor were open to share their knowledge even after lesson, most of them are really friendly and happy to help
- 3 concerts live a day with the best jazz musician of the USA...no price for that
- The price for the workshop ($800 US / week, including accomodation and 3 meals /day)
- networking, meet people from everywhere.
- the possibility to have a practice room from 7.00 am to 11.30pm everyday
- the energy, positive state of mind of Jamey Aebersold
- The master class per instruments, excellent quality...those guys know what they are talking about man!
- rare meeting with James Moody, Jazz legend!

Saturday July 12th 2008 - Louisville to Washington DC.
Taylor and me drove during 11 hour after a typical American breakfast at the Denny's.
The road and the landscape were beautiful when Taylor showed me a sticker on the back of a car: "coons hunter".
Taylor explained me that West Virginia is a very racist state and when he stopped for gas, he urged me to stay in the car each time. Indeed, in all the restroom after I saw the KKK almost every time written on the wall.
Once again I thought about the problem of weapons in this country...
When we arrived in W DC, Taylors Parent's took us to an Indian restaurant and we had a great time.

Sunday, july 13th - Philadelphy
I finally took the bus at  3.00 pm after 2 hours queue again.
Eric S. warmly welcomed me at Philadelphia and immediately started to show me the city...
The Philadelphia musee of Rodin... In the middle of large avenues, Eric showed me nice Sculptures of Calder and explained me that Philadelphia has hosted  3 generations  of Calder. I love Calder specially since I lived in  Tours, Calder used to live in Saché, in Touraine a few miles away from Tours.
Eric told me that the council of Philadelphia must spend 1% of their annual budget for art! Good news.
For the first time in the USA I love a place and I thought that I could have live there.
We had a dinner in the  Monk's cafe (cf-Thelonious Monk is my favorite jazz musician), it was such a nice coincidence.
After dinner, we went in a jazz club for a jam session...I had such a great time.
The day after we had a long walk in the city, which is the best way to "feel" a place. I loved it! thank you Eric!

 

Monday July 14th 2008 - Phily and back to New York

Back to NY by train. I took a taxi and again this one was aggressive, he was not happy because I didn't know the intersection of the street! Apparently, now in their training they don't learn the street number anymore, only intersections, strange!
Taxis in NY are very agressiv (from my experience of course), most of the time they don't talk to you and/or they are on the phone while they're driving, and they drive their car like a camel in Tombouctou!
This time, for my accomodation, I will live at a different place, with Carol-Ann's boy friend, 10st W a Manhattan, very nice apartment.

Tuesday July 14th 2008
I realized that I forgot the Bastille day in France! what a bad citizen I am!?
Lunch with Taylor and his girlfriend Jessy in a nice french creperie in Manhattan.

6.00pm
Last Sax lesson with Avram Fefer. Once again, very intersting
Jazz concert in the evening, at the Zinc bar, nice place and great music adviced by Michael.

Tuesday july 15th 2008 - Tim Armacost + new mouthpiece
I met Tim during the  2 weeks jazz summer workshop, He was one of the instructor.
Tim used to live in Japan before moved to NY and you can feel it in the way he is.
I didn't know him before but as soon as I heard him play, I immediately know that I had to meet this guy and spend a bit of time with him.
Once again, my feeling was correct, he's an amazing musician as he's a teacher, actually it's not really teaching but more share the passion of the instrument and he enjoyed the fact that the information he gave me had unlocked something in my head by a musical point of view.
After visiting the Guggenheim museum where the exhibition of  Louise Bourgois was not really exciting, I went in a sax shop, 46st, near de Time Square - Roberto, to buy a new mouthpiece.I bought a ted klum (FocusTone), I love it!

Thursday July 16th 2008 - Tim Armacost - surprise + concert 
I had to join Tim at new Shool at the corner of 13th str and 6th Av to get back my phone that i forgot in his car the day before.
When I arrived there, Tim was having a rehearsal with other musician and I realized that the drummer was Billy Hart.
Billy Hart is a Jazz legend of the time of Miles Davis, he used to pay with all those famous jazzmen, Mc Tyner, Mingus, Stan Getz...but also with Charles Lloyd who is my favorite sax player. Thus, Billy is my favorite drummer.
When I asked him for a photo, he answered me that it would cost me $200 and that we have to play together next time...I was so impressed...
This kind of meeting changes your day for ever and gives you motivation for the next 10 years.
That's the good side of new york for thos who loves jazz, all these musician are on the place!

2.00 pm. lunch Jessy & Taylor and my first Hamburger since the beginning of the trip.

Concert in central park with Taylor and 2 other friends: $20 each in one hour with a bad location, not too bad...
11.30 pm departure to Brisbane and one day stop in Taipei.

I have to tell you that I was impressed by the good quality of China airlines!

 

End of the trip!

About the USA:

Negative.
- The quality of life is really low,  New York is dirty, and public transport is a nightmare, level of public education very low
- The gap between rich and poor is really too big for me!
- the waste of energy, water, fuel are unbelievable: air cond everywhere everytime, water, electricity
- The racism still deep, and everytime I had to face it - It was psychologically very violent

Positive.
- The dynamism of Americans
- High expectation for work and good sens of customer service
- good prices, shopping is a pleasure
- enthusiasm and openness of the americans, always the willing to try new thing
- Everybody that helped me was fantastic and I had such a great time.
- Everything is big, they think large, I love it.
- they are curious ...
- Of course the JAAAAZZZZZZZ

A few quote that I grabbed here and there:
- in a restaurant in Louisville, the Bluegrass Brewing Company, I asked for real "normal" bred (no sugar),  the guy answered me that their bred was not good but their beer yes and he added: "Beer is the bread of water".
- "Blue Note is a tourist trap, the Disneyland of Jazz " - Chat with Taylor  in the car on the road from Louisville to WDC, refering to Jean Baudrillard (simulacra and simulation)
- "Sunny side up" = I didn't know that was the name of fried egg...very cute.
- "Take an object, do somthing to it that do something to it" -  in the magic garden in Philadelphia .
- "the more you practice, the more you're lucky" - Jamey Aebersold
- "If you don't take time to think for yourself, someone else will do it for you" - Jamey Aebersold Seminar.
- "Imagination is more imprtant than anything else" - Jamey Aebersold
- "Efficiency is a necessity" - master class with Gary Campbell, about the way we practice instrument.
- "Conviction is the power of motivation" - mataster class with Antonio Hart
- Nothing is impossible, it's just not familiar" - James Moody .

Conclusion:
The trip was very rich and I had a fantastic time in the USA.
I learned a lot and my understanding of jazz music is what I was expecting...obviously it was too short and I wish I could have stay longer.
I had the opportunity to meet lots of wonderful people who took the time for me and with whom we had a good time.
I really want to thank all of them for their generosity, their availability and friendship.

 

Carol-Ann and I in central parc

 

Aebersold summer-jazz-workshop

 

With Gary Campbell in Louiville Kentucky - July 2008

 

In Monk's Cafe in Philadelphia - July 2008

 

With Jamey Aebersold Louisville Kentucky - July 2008

 

jam session -Philadelphia - July 2008

 

Philadelphia Rocky - July 2008

 

Concert in Central Parc with Taylor - July 2008

 

University of Music of Louisville Kentucky with Taylor - July 2008

 

With Tim Armacost in New School in New York - July 2008

 

With Billy Hart in New School in New York - July 2008

 

 

 

Viva la musica! VIVE LES VOYAGES! viva el Jazz

> Feel free to contact me for any coments, feedback!