Xenogenesis

Today and this week has been a whirlwind of activity... I've gotten perhaps an average of 5 hours of sleep a night and I'm feeling like I'm in college again. However, I did get an application in and a recording done, a rehearsal and a small performance done, 2 full days of work, and I found some churches in the Oak Park to practice in. So those things make it worth it. Perhaps. If I can now slow down and find time to actually practice.

Anyway, I'm not writing to complain about my week, but rather to set the stage for what happened, today, Friday, the last day of this week.

I had worked, then gone to the Churches, walked a few miles, finally got home at around 6pm... come about 6:10pm I get a phone call from Nicole Mitchell who has a 7pm performance and she tells me her flute is unplayable and I'm kind of her last hope. SO, I hop in my car, eating a sandwich, drive faster than I've ever driven through not very fun traffic, make it to the Cultural Center at about 6:50 where I hand off my flute to her so she can have the amazing performance she deserved to have.

And DAMN. I'm glad that happened because otherwise I wouldn't have gone. That was one of the most intense performances I've seen from the Black Earth Ensemble. From what I gathered, she wrote the music based off of texts by an African American sci-fi author who wrote about waking up in a dream state where everything has changed and nothing will ever be what you once knew, etc., etc....as a metaphor for how the African people came here, by force. I didn't even fully understand that until I heard an African American man telling Nicole how much he appreciated it, and very passionately going off on how they came here "packed like goddamn sardines". It made me sad. However, it really made for amazing and passionate music, in this avant garde, free jazz form. Nicole sounded amazing. I don't think she sounded as good on my flute as she does on her's, but it was awesome to hear her play it and see what my flute is capable of. I'm in no way a match for it yet, but she's much closer to it than I am.

Directly after that show I ran off to play the Ears and Eyes opener show with Camilla Rhodes. I was not happy with my performance. I am feeling a need for comfort lately. Or familiarity. The group I played with had all played together a total of one unorganized hour prior to this gig, and that showed. I had the first solo and it was senseless and unconfident. My solo in the last tune was better, but still, my confidence lacked.

I was talking to Chris afterwards, and we both agreed that sometimes this sense of uncertainty can be good. IT keeps people on their toes and makes for constant excitement. But, sometimes, not all the time, and not this time.

QMRPlus played an amazing set though. Their completely free jazz felt like it had been inbred in all of them, or something. Very natural and the chemistry was amazing.

Come to the rest of Ears and Eyes this weekend!! The next two nights will rock and rock and rock some more.