by on

I am determined to follow through with my resolution from the end of last year. I promised myself that every victory would be celebrated, every step taken, every milestone. I strongly believe that when we do that, we not only boost our self-esteem, but also our productive capacity. In other words, the victory of today is the fuel that keeps the engine running towards the victory of tomorrow.

Therefore, to be faithful to this self commitment, today I would like to talk about a very special event that took place exactly five years ago: the release of my traditional jazz vocal EP called So Now. The title and intro of the song that gives name to the album both refer to So What, the first theme from the iconic 1959 album A Kind of Blue.

Miles is a character in the song and is even quoted in the lyrics of the story that reports in a mocking and humorous way a date that did not work out very well. After hearing Miles “for quite a long time”, the protagonist wonders if it might not be the right time to order a taxi back home and call it a night.

The launch concert represents, in itself, a milestone in my career, as it was held in a traditional jazz club in the city of Eugene, in the State of Oregon, U.S.A.: The Jazz Station.

The club, set as in the classics of the golden age of jazz has with tables adorned with natural flower arrangements and an extremely polite audience, used to high-level performances conducted by students and professors at the University of Oregon.

Of course there were little problems before (musicians late for rehearsal, for example) and during the show (some technical problems and minor mistakes), but what I really remember is a magical night, with a full house, people stopping at the street to listen, great merch sale and lots of nice comments on my presence book.

I know that memory is a movie set, but in the movie of my memories, So Now started off on the right foot. I will tell you more about this dream-concert on the following post. For now, I would like to invite you to listen to So Now on your favourite platform.

Are you the kind who likes to listen to songs paying a lot of attention to the lyrics? Then you got to check out this playlist.

Be seeing you!

G.F.

by on

How was the first half of the year for you? Mine was busy and productive, thank you. I certainly would like to have a few days totally off, but things are not always the way we wanted them to be, so here I am trying to organize myself in order to get what I planned for the second half of the year done.

It is also time to start looking for some “year from now” deals and opportunities. This is a tiring move, as you have to make plans based on probabilities. However, there is no way to move on to real actions without going through the sphere of intentions. What do I mean by that?

Intentions are all those messages you send that are not always answered. Intentions are also the projects that you put together in your head, but mostly will not survive the shock of reality. I, for example, often put together imaginary tours that work great in my mind, but have little bearing on my budget reality.

For these and other reasons, the second half of the year is a time for desk work, which means hard work, but no visibility. To tell the truth, moderate levels of invisibility are welcome from time to time. They are perfect for health check ups and treatments for the hair and skin, deeply mistreated by stage make-up and curling iron.

The problem is the hard work itself, that is, how to manage it in an intelligent, productive way. More precisely: how to build up an effective work routine without deadlines?

Say what you will about the oppressive nature of deadlines, but they guarantee that the job gets done. Without them, I oscillate between a mindset of “work, work, work and work” and “hey, how about finally watching that movie from your must see list?”

I am not only talking about indulging yourself to a little bit of laziness on a Thursday afternoon, but also about being awere that, well, it is now or never. As soon as the first booking confirmation arrives, the pre-production process begins, the deadlines pop up, and you can forget about finishing that one book that has been living on your bedside for ages, much less watch that 2016 movie that everyone was talking about… in 2016.

Maybe this mismatch between “take a break” and “you have a lot of work to do” comes from my current difficulty getting restorative sleep. I may not be in the position to give you any advice, but what the heck! So here it goes: my five items list of little tricks that usually work:

  1. every time you feel guilty about an afternoon nap, think about how many times you worked on Sundays, holidays, including Christmas and carnival;
  2. do not, I repeat, do not take your cell phone everywhere with you all the time and, if possible, leave it far away from your bed, to avoid falling into the temptation of “quickly checking what time it is”, and end up up hearing the alarm clock go off with your eyes wide open, after pointless spending the night reading posts on socials.
  3. some of the symptoms of a bad night of sleep can be avoided with careful hydration during the following day, so do not forget: drink water!
  4. your energy is not one hundred percent proportional to the number of cups of coffee you drink throughout the day, but maybe your heartburn is, so go easy on the coffee, will you?
  5. mint or lemongrass tea can work miracles in some cases and are woth trying.

Now to that 2016 movie.

Be seeing you!

G.F.

by on

Miss Suéter is one of my favourite songs by João Bosco and Aldir Blanc. The song was immortalized in the voice of the great singer Angela Maria. Its bears the signature of the lyricist Aldir:”Fake blondes fascinate me (oh, the black lingerie)/ With freckles, penciled eyebrows and Coty perfume“.

In her mouth, this attractive lady holds “two pivots so graceful/ among natural jewels” and her eyes resemble “tiny fishbowls/ Of tropical minnows“. Ingenious, bittersweet, totally Aldir!

I hummed the song in my head as I went through a preliminary dental procedure, which (now I realize) will turn myself a bit like the song character, for I will also have two graceful pivots among my natural jewels.

Any alteration in the mouth affetcs directly the way the air moves inside it when we articulate. Therefore, the slightest change may affect the voice. Maybe this explains why I was so worried about the procedure, until I found a professional who knew how to clearly explain all the phases of the treatment.

I felt safe and in good hands and that made things a lot easier. And painless! My face did not get swollen and I did not even need to take the prescribed painkillersis. It is reallly amazing how information is able to assuage our fears and move our lives forward!

Well informed and in the hands of a competent professional, the whole process was much easier than I imagined, which made me think how many times we fail to make the right decisions simply because we are not aware of all the possible options.

How many times do we procrastinate on important decisions because we mistakenly think we will not be able to handle all the implications?

Sure, each challenge in life demands a tailored reaction. Sometimes patience is the secret, sometimes boldness is the best, but the essential ingredient is always the same: information.

Unforeseen events will happen, accidents may occur, but the ability of bodies and ideas to regenerate garantees that the magic will go on.

Be seeing you!

G.F.

by on

My Sunday feeling is one of my favorite Jethro Tull songs. The live version at the Isle Of Wight Festival, in 1970 has such an energy and expresses such a potency of what art has the power to do, that no matter how many times I watch it, it always impresses me tremendously. Same goes for ther virtuosity of Ian Anderson.

At first, it seemed curious to me that such a vibrant music would evoke a “Sunday feeling”, since that day is associated with the idea of rest. However, for several categories, including those working in entertainment, Sunday is one of the busiest days.

I believe that the lyrics of the song connect with this, say, “other side” of Sunday, with the idea of a perfect day to get out of the routine and do something really special. My last Sunday, for example, was quite lively. The chat about Jazz and Literature that I led in a traditional bookstore in the city was a success!

It is indeed a great to realize that there is a representative amount of people interested in leaving home on a Sunday afternoon to exchange ideas and talk about music and books. Who are those people?

Well, the audience was as varied as possible. It included, fo instance, a three-year-old girl who behaved exceptionally well and a white-haired gentleman who did not know how to turn off his cell phone, which, of course, kept on ringing, not only disturbing the audience, but also providing a very welcome comic relief.

What a lovely feeling to be there, joining in with the numerous events in 195 (hurray!) countries in order to celebrate International Jazz Day. And what a beautiful congregation!

Jazz is freedom, jazz is inclusion and a lot of other great things worth living for, like a lovely Sunday afternoon with friends.

Be seeing you!

G. F.

Some of my guests

by on

Since 2017 (with the exception of the years 2020 and 2021) I have been a partner of the International Jazz Day, which means that I create local events around the jazz theme on April 30th and they are included on the official page of IJD. Local events are not necessarily music events. Last year, for example, the event was a masterclass on the links between jazz and comics, interspersed with live performed songs.

This year the concept is similar. I will talk about Jazz & Literature. The lecture format (well, I might sing some parts of mentioned tunes a cappella, to better illustrate a passage, but nothing more than that) made me think that, compared to the hybrid version of words and music, the event this year would be less attractive to the general public. And I was totally wrong.

In fact, the event this year has gained much more attention and momentum, so to speak, and I not only talking about “likes” and “shares” in socials. This time, for the first time, the official social media profiles is co-hosting my event on Facebook! Okay, I know that a year ago people were a lot less open to face-to-face events than they are now. Even so, something tells me that the fundamental difference is in the exchange of the word “comics” for “literature”.

I have been researching graphic art (including comics, editorial cartoons and graphic novels) since 2012 and, from my point of view, this field of knowledge had already overcome the prejudice of being considered a “minor art”, “children’s thing” (in the bad sense of the expression) and other absurdities. When, however, I mentioned my suspicions to a researcher friend, he was adamant: “Comics are still considered a sub-form of literature, while jazz is supposed to be a appreciated by the elite”.

Funny, because prejudice and snobism are actually on the opposite side of what jazz represents. If you listen to jazz because you think it makes you look sophisticated and intellectual, then you have probably not aquired the most basic information about the genre. Jazz has nothing to do with being part of “a select few”, whatever that publicity line may be able to sell. Jazz is not about pretending. It is about being and feeling.

And you know what is even funnier? Record covers are among the first representations of jazz and guess who were the pioneering creators of covers for jazz records? Illustrators, posters, graphic artists. Which means that jazz is, in a way, as far as chronology is concerned, more connected to the despised comics than its rich cousin, literature.

Perhaps this information will surprise the audience and help them form a more enlightened opinion of the greatness of jazz. If that is the case, I will consider my mission accomplished and my event a resounding success.

Anyway, I just wanted to invite you who might be in Rio by the 30th, or who migh know people around to my event. You can check out the poster here, as well as my past events. Celebrate the date!

Be seeing you!

G. F.