Carolina in my Mind

I couldn't resist the urge to name this one after the famous James Taylor song. I love his songs. Go ahead, make fun of me!

I'm writing from Milwaukee, and since the last time I blogged, we've played in Detroit and North Carolina. I was thinking that maybe Detroit would surprise me the way Cleveland did, but...wow. It's sad to see a city like that. Much of it looked abandoned and worn down, and it just didn't have the people-walking-around factor that a great city should. It was an experience of contrasts. We stayed in the MGM Grand, which is a very nice hotel, but very artificially so, with a casino on the first floor. Everything around the hotel looks pretty run down, but there were certainly a lot of people in the casino! In fact, in the casino and at the concert are where I saw the most people at any point while I was in Detroit.

The concert hall, which is where the DSO plays, was really beautiful. The house was packed and the audience was very enthusiastic. The reception afterward was special because of the people's gratitude. They were really grateful for our music and our presence there, and they said that our concert had been their best seller of the year. Even though this was obviously a formal concert, there was a really beautiful feeling of service afterward, which I wasn't expecting.

Next stop was Chapel Hill, NC. What a difference! Chapel Hill is a happening little college town with a LOT of school pride and a relaxed Southern feel (at least from my perspective of having spent virtually zero time in the south). Also a LOT of humidity... The food there was great - I had fried chicken the first night, eggs, bacon and grits for breakfast the next day, and catering before the show was some surprisingly good (surprising to me, at least) Indian food. The energy at the show was great, and I was happy that my family came out to see that one, on my parents' 30th wedding anniversary! Happy anniversary! (I know they'll be reading this...). Though I wasn't unhappy with my playing, I didn't feel it was my strongest playing of the tour, but on the whole the ensemble played very well that night.

At the donor reception afterward, Yo-Yo was asked to speak. He began by telling everyone that he was there with the catering, and proceeded to tell us about the great food that he had prepared earlier that day just for us! But joking aside, he went on to say some very nice things about the concert series and the venue, and I could tell that the chancellor and the people who had presented the show were touched by his words. I feel like I can learn a lot from the way he speaks - he is able to give ample compliments without it feeling overly emotional or contrived, weave humor into the things he says, and all with zero planning! It's a great skill to have as a musician, as it is impossible to be successful without understanding the non-musical aspects of this field very well.

Anyway, we're playing at the Pabst Hall in Milwaukee tonight, which I'm certain is named after the Pabst Brewing Company. Good old PBR! Drink of hipsters and old guys. Milwaukee is pretty nice, I walked down to Lake Michigan yesterday and saw much of the downtown. There was live music happening on this river that flows through town, people congregating and walking around, and a nice feeling to the city overall. Great Thai food, too. I miss the hospitality of North Carolina, though. When we arrived at the hotel, we were given a packet which included information about the city, places to eat, the upcoming concerts, and emergency contacts. Someone affiliated with the concert series even gave us their cell phone number in case we needed anything! And then shortly after arriving at my room, I recieved a call from the front desk welcoming me and offering help if I needed anything! That's hospitality!

Cleveland rocks!

So I figured a blog about Cleveland was in order. To preface, on the way from Rochester, I was sent this video, which I watched on the bus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

Needless to say, my expectations of this city were not super high upon arrival. However, Yo-Yo took us starving artists out to dinner last night to a really good Vietnamese place which rivals anything in San Francisco, in my humble opinion. It was on a pretty happening little street which someone said reminded them of New Orleans. There were a lot of people and some nice looking restaurants and bars, and even a woman on the street soliciting psychic readings. Towards the end of dinner, we began to hear some noises which sounded like quick loud explosions. Gunfire? Bombs? Nope, just fireworks! A game must have just ended. I don't recall ever having been so physically close to fireworks. Those things are loud!

On my way to the bus today I boarded the elevator with two guitars in hand, joining a kindly middle aged woman who was also riding down. She asked me if I was playing at the wedding that was happening later at the hotel. I thought this was pretty funny, especially since in any other case that would most likely be the explanation for me! Not wanting to be too much of a name dropper, I said that I was playing with the Silk Road Ensemble, but when that still didn't ring any bells, I mentioned Yo-Yo Ma and then things were made clear.

The venue today was huge. Like, epic. The backstage is essentially a separate building below the stage itself. There were FREE arcade games in the room we ate in. And while I may be the youngest on this tour, I was definitely not the only one shooting virtual bad guys or cruising through San Francisco in the year 2049 on a convenient super-road that allowed me to see all of the big SF sites in one swoop, as well as launch over Lombard Street.

It was pretty filled today, even the lawn. The humidity was INSANE, but fortunately the stage was air conditioned. That's something I had never come across before. We played well, but for some reason the sound was really boomy, which made it difficult to hear. The highlight for me musically was Wu Tong's encore. Wu Tong is this dude who is something of a rock star in China, who sings beautifully and plays the Sheng (Chinese mouth organ) like a BEAST. This time, he quoted Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Child in the middle of his solo, which basically blew my mind. You can see him for a minute at the beginning of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Rv2vkfg9YU&feature=related

Ok. Time for sleep.

Empire State of Mind

So we've had 4 performances now. We started at Tanglewood, then played in New Bedford, MA, then Philadelphia, and last night we played in Rochester. I have to admit that I've been writing and deleting parts of this entry for the past 5-10 minutes, but the Colbert Report is playing in the background, and Steven Colbert just quoted Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind," so I think I'll start there.

What does that song have to do with the Silk Road Ensemble, you might ask? We played it as one of our encores last night! The other cellist in the group, Mike Block, made quite a nice arrangement for the ensemble. It begins with a gorgeous cello solo and as the other strings come in evolves into a groove, at which point the rest of the group enters. If you haven't heard it, it's incredibly catchy, but it might get stuck in your head - just a warning - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UjsXo9l6I8

We were rehearsing it during soundcheck, and Mike asked me if I wanted to play a solo in the verse, so of course I jumped on the opportunity. So I got to play a guitar solo in front of thousands of people last night! There's one to take off of my bucket list. I threw in the obligatory pentatonic 16th note triplet licks, and I felt it generally went pretty well. I'd probably be more concise next time, but a lot of people came up to me afterward who were excited about my playing, so I took that as a good sign.

Anyway, we're off to Cleveland today and playing there tomorrow. This will be my first time in Cleveland, and I think also Ohio in general. I wouldn't mind staying where we are for a couple more days though, at a hotel on a lake in Canandaigua, NY. It's gorgeous today. Philly was HOT, as was Providence (where we stayed when we played in New Bedford), but I enjoyed both places. Had some time off in Philly so I got a chance to practice a bit while we stayed at the Ritz Carlton (had to drop that somewhere...). Ok. Bus leaves in an hour.

First performance

Just got back from the first concert of the tour. Wow. What an incredible experience. I am happy to say that it went very well. I thought that I played pretty well, and I got a very good reaction after the show from many people. This was my first time performing in front of so many people. There were probably 5,000 people or more in attendance. It is an incredible feeling. After the first piece I played in, Wine Madness, I felt like I was still catching my breath after I was off stage, perhaps more metaphorically than lyrically, but the feeling was there. Later came Ambush to end the program. The sound engineer Jody generously lent me his steel string Ovation acoustic guitar for this piece, which fits the feeling of the piece much better than my Archguitar. Someone told me that the piece sounded like a western movie a la Clint Eastwood, but set in China, and I took that as a compliment. Ambush is a very old Chinese song, which has been arranged for the group in a way that incorporates a bluesy/rock kind of feeling in places.

The ensemble's musicianship and technical ability is about as high as I've seen, but beyond that, the joy and freedom in their music making is profound. What an experience. And the post-concert feeling of euphoria was terrific. I need to mention how supportive Yo-Yo Ma has been of me throughout the past few days. He is one of the most genuine people I have ever met, and he has been ridiculously encouraging and kind. Brilliant man. I never feel pressured making music with him, or with the group in general, and he has made a point of telling me that I am doing a good job many times throughout the past few days, which really means a lot. Because who am I, next to this great man? But to sit next to him when he is playing the cello...wow!

2 days of rehearsals...

So I flew to NYC on Thursday, met up with most of the ensemble and we were bussed to Lenox, MA, home of Tanglewood, where we have been rehearsing and will perform tomorrow night. There is so much to write I don't know where to start. I was thinking though, if I had to describe my experience thus far in one word, it would be: uplifting.

When I got off the plane and started meeting the members of the Silk Road "team" and the members of the ensemble, I was amazed at how nice everyone is. But more than nice, down to earth. I have felt incredibly welcomed into this musical family of sorts who have been playing together for ten years, and it is an amazing feeling. The musicianship is astounding - so much heart and freedom. I've been jamming a bit with Yang Wei, the Pipa player for the tour. He is an amazing musician and something of a jokester too. We worked out the first couple phrases of Dowland's Flow My Tears with him covering the vocal line on Pipa, which sounds remarkably good.

On the first day of rehearsals, I arrived at the barn (literally) that we have been rehearsing in to watch Yo-Yo Ma rehearsing with a smaller version of the ensemble - an absolute treat. When they finished, I went to go introduce myself to Yo-Yo, my heart beating somewhat harder than usual in my chest, and I was taken aback when he greeted me like an old friend. He gave me a hug, and rather than ask the usual courtesy questions related to travel, etc, he immediately started joking around with me. He told me "I heard they've been hazing you all the way from New York. You probably had long hair when you got on the bus and they shaved it off. Well, watch out for your eyebrows, they'll be going for that next. You can put saran wrap over them to protect yourself." He then told me that if I needed any saran wrap, I could come to him and he would hook it up.

He is often joking around about something, but the main thing that strikes me about this man is his kindness. I don't know if I've met a kinder person in my life. He is so warm and very supportive of everyone in the group, and totally genuine.

The rehearsals, while fun, have not been completely without challenge, however. We were rehearsing the piece I am playing in the second half, Ambush From Ten Sides, and in a couple of parts where the guitar holds down a groove with bluesy/rock style strumming, I wasn't playing it with quite the right feel. I was pushing a bit, somewhat ahead of the beat, and accenting the wrong parts of the measure. Yo-Yo and Wu Tong (one of the arrangers) both began explaining to me how it should go, but it seemed like everything I tried wasn't quite right. I'll admit that grooving in the pocket isn't my strong point as a musician, but this was a little overwhelming, though I think I managed to keep a happy rehearsal face on. I knew I would be up half the night working on the passages in question (and I nearly was). I think I understand it better now. They both seemed to like it more today, but I am going to put in some more serious work tonight. Because hello, tomorrow night I have to perform this music!! We've had just one rehearsal so far for the other piece I will be playing, Wine Madness, and I started playing it in a different tuning last night, which works better, but is still a different tuning than I've been practicing all summer!

The thing about working with and learning from Yo-Yo Ma is that he is not a strict and intimidating figure. And with his ability and status in the music world, he totally could be. Instead, he is down to earth, and motivates through encouragement. I never feel like I am playing with an authority figure - he makes it feel more like I'm playing with a friend. One might think that this could foster a lack of serious effort, in that he is always very kind in how he gives advice and rehearses, but I don't think this is so. I (amazingly) don't feel any added pressure working with him, and he is very encouraging when things improve or when he likes something. But I know that this isn't because it can't be better. Instead, it makes me want to give more, to reach the next level in my knowledge of the piece we are working on, rather than stay on a plateau with it.

Leaving soon...

So it is now midnight, and my plane leaves in 6 and a half hours. I have to confess that my perpetual excitement in the weeks and months leading up to this moment has given way to a fair amount of nerves at this point! I'm basically packed and ready to go, I have multiple copies of the music, I have more strings than I could begin to use in 2 weeks, I have been working on the music all summer...

And I am overcome with the urge to stay up practicing this music until I leave at 4 in the morning. What if this goes wrong? What if I miss that harmonic? What if I'm not taking enough time here? What if it I miss this note? What if, what if, what if... Fortunately, I can see the flaws in this line of thinking! Sleep. SLEEP. It's not just for the weak. Better still get what I can and hope to sleep on the plane. But if I can't, I'll at least be able to finish Dave Mustaine's new autobiography, most of which I read yesterday and which is thoroughly enjoyable.

The music

Some of my friends have been asking me about the music I am playing with the Silk Road Ensemble. So I want to blog about the two pieces that I am playing. They are entitled "Ambush From Ten Sides" (Chinese trad., arr. Li Cang Sang and Wu Tong) and "Wine Madness" (Ruan Ji, arr. Wu Tong and Liu Lin).

When I was first emailed the scores, I had a reaction of "this is it?" The music looked much simpler than I might expect, especially coming from an ensemble of such fantastic musicians. "Ambush From Ten Sides" (from here on referred to as "Ambush") was only in part form, and was 5 pages long. Not bad, I thought. Wine Madness was only in score format and was around 17 pages long. I could see that some arts and crafts were in my near future.

Then I was sent recordings of both of the pieces. I listened to "Ambush" first. I could barely follow my part the first time I sat down to listen. The first page of the guitar part consists of sections of playing separated by sections of rest, and the tempo seemed to be shifting in just about every section. I would get lost, trying desparately to find a downbeat, and then hear the guitar come in way ahead of where I thought I was. Or I wouldn't hear the guitar where I thought I should.

Then it comes to the musical material itself. Listening to the recordings I was sent, it became evident that this was not a literal part I was given for "Ambush," but rather something of a sketch or a skeleton of how the piece should sound, and it was up to me to figure out what to play, where to fill things in, where I could be a little improvisatory, etc. Hard work of listening, copying, practicing, and thinking ensued. I was later sent a score (and noticed some notable differences between part and score, as well), and this helped clarify the one or two remaining sections that seemed the least bit mysterious.

"Wine Madness" was similar, though the counting was easier. Formally, it shared some elements of the Indian Raga, which I have studied in the past and love very much, so it was in some ways easier for me to relate to and get into. It started with an arrhythmic, free introduction, which I found to be analogous to the Alap section of a raga performance, and then went into a rhythmic section (accompanied by tabla, no less!) which was based around a recurring theme with some notable variation. I found this to be analogous to the Indian Gat.

The score to "Wine Madness," however, presented the sheer problem of quantity - who can turn through 17 pages while playing just about the whole time and stay on top of communication, playing, etc.? If you meet him, he can have my gig. I realized I would have to make my own score, especially because the Ruan (Chinese guitar) part that I heard on the recording and would be imitating sounded NOTHING like what was written throughout much of the piece. But, if you consider the score to be a sketch, it makes perfect sense. However, I did not want to risk the success of my playing on my memory of a recording. So first I transcribed the opening section from the recording (thank you, musicianship class), and based my playing on that. Then, I cut my part out of the score for the second section (literally, like scissors style) and taped the lines to pieces of paper, which I then photocopied. However, this was still a bit long and vague, so I wound up writing it out by hand, using a lot of shorthand notation - repeats and what not - and I got the second section of the piece down to a page. WIN.

I really love both of these pieces. They are a joy to play and learn and I am beyond excited to play them with the ensemble. In other news, I leave in a week and two days. Where has this summer gone?!