“Hooray, hooray, the 1st of May, outdoor f***ing starts today” – but not in this weather!
I see I haven’t written since the year began – so much water under the bridge…. Babette’s Feast in Portland and now in NYC, for which I wrote some music long distance, and Karin Coonrod worked her customary magic directing… I finished Geography with the help of a Kickstarter campaign to which, once again, my friends (and many strangers) contributed munificently… It hit the stands in mid February and I managed a release concert at The Owl in mid March, with almost all of the musicians who had recorded on it. Greg Cohen was in town for Ralph Carney’s tribute at Roulette (such a loss – what a wonderful human being, crazy as may be but all the more amazing a musician), so Greg joined me, Doug, Dana and Marika as the core band, with Matt, Peter, Kenny and Joy (who did an opening solo set) swelling the ranks… only Charlie B and Isaac Alderson couldn’t make it, being out of town… it turned out to be the night of a freak snowstorm and I feared the worst, but in the event the place was packed – hardy New Yorkers, yay! thank you, one and all, for coming out and bearing witness to my latest endeavour… since I almost immediately fled town for what may be 4 or 5 months, I imagine it will sink without a trace, but somehow that has never bothered me – it’s the making of it that is important, after that it’s up to the universe…
I’ve also been trying to finish up Vagabond. I made the Jan 31st deadline for the Duffy Institute, both orchestral and piano/vocal scores, then spent a month making all the parts, and it had its first full reading in Norfolk in mid March (immediately after the Geography concert – no peace for the wicked). 2 days of vocalists with rehearsal pianist, the 3rd day with full orchestra. I had never thought they would actually produce it, but they were all so enthusiastic (the director mentor constantly saying “oh I’d do this and this for this scene” etc) that Jan and I thought “well, maybe??” They had found us some more money with the stipulation that some of it be used to fly Jan over for the workshop – it was wonderful having her in the room, fun for all of us and we got so much work done. There are still some things to be addressed, but we know what they are (of course 2 months later Jan still hasn’t sent me the rewrites – plus ça change…). However, in the end they have decided not to (produce it). Not a surprise, as I say, but still a slight disappointment, for all that. So now we must look elsewhere – gulp… I am going to the opening of this year’s Aldeburgh Festival, at Jan’s invitation, to press the flesh etc, and I have written to some people I know in the US – verremos…
Meanwhile, Westbeth has been undergoing major reconstruction for the past few months, and starting in March it was the turn of the light well outside my windows. It will be going on (and off and on) until December, they say, but the worst of it was to be May and June, they said, when my windows would be taped up so I’d have no air and no air conditioner, so since I was headed across the pond for sis’s 70th birthday at the end of March, I figured I’d just stay away as long as I can and avoid it… so here I am on the finca….
It’s been a long, cold and wet winter here as well, so spring is quite delayed, but the island is green green green and the wild flowers rampant. I planted the potatoes a month ago, and they are already quite sizeably above ground – the rain last night and today is making them very happy, as is everything else in the huerto, which has been in for 2 weeks now – onions, tomatoes, peppers, beans, aubergine, calabacin, even some peas and strawberries this year, since it’s been so wet and cool…. we did have 10 days of glorious early summer in the middle of last month, but today it’s back to early spring and both fires are going…. my studio is up and running so I can work, tho’ the garden and huerto take most of my attention these days. It’s still too cold to swim, and a seriously bum knee has put a large crimp in my hiking habit – really sad, as the island is looking so glorious at the moment…
But two recent highlights: the first was a gathering here of the Saura clan for a Saturday comida – they are the family that run the bar where sis sings on a thursday night in Mao – Geddi and Juan run the bar, Ramon does the music, along with Arturo (who is the ex-mayor of Mao and a pretty good piano player). Ramon has a gorgeous voice, and plays the guitar like a pro (he gigged in hotels for years), and when the 3 of them (Ramon, Arturo and Juan) sing menorcan songs together I could listen all night (much of the 60s and 70s stuff I could do without). Sis had been trying to get them over for a meal all winter, so I just asked, the night I got here, and lo and behold, they all came con mucho gusto, along with Lucia and Verio, a lovely couple who are there every night and have had them all to their house, so it was a fun, food- and drink-filled afternoon, with loads of local delicacies, and much music after… and then… Joan Schirle was just here for 4 days (we are talking about a possible collaboration, so wanted to talk in person, as well as catch up generally, it’s been too long…) – she had been in the south of France visiting friends and was on her way back to CA… We managed a day hike and picnic up to Pregonda, which was fabulous – I had a cane and went slowly, but it felt so good to be out and about… Actually, I lie about the picnic – we made sandwiches, but then stopped in Mercadal for lunch at Las Vegas – incredibly good value prix fixe menu – and ended up having the sandwiches for supper when we got home! But it was a lovely day… also a short excursion to Es Grau one evening, to walk along the beach and back through the S’albufera, so I’ve not been totally deprived…
There are a couple of offers of work on the horizon, for September… we shall see… meanwhile I must make a short sampler of the Vagabond recording to have something to send out to potential interested parties – so hard for me to do, I can’t see the wood for the trees…. but I must keep my hand in, and try not to turn into a total payesa… I need to keep my life in NY afloat…. life with sis is as complicated as ever (she was so thrilled and happy to see me at first, but it wears off pretty quick…) But we are managing – only just, at points, but at others very well – we had a bonfire last night in the fire pit out back – the last legal day for burning until October – we even baked potatoes in the coals – yum! today I slept until 11, playing catch-up after playing hostess for 4 days, walking the tightrope between guest and sis…. She gave me a colouring book for my birthday, and I am having the most marvelous time with it – great therapy, and it helps slow me down and not feel frustrated that I can’t leap out of bed in the morning and do 6 million things before breakfast as was my wont… time to turn a new leaf, learn some new tricks…
I realize one reason for the bum knee may be that I had a 13 hour layover in Madrid on the way here, from 8am to 9pm, and it being a glorious day I spent it walking all over the city in the wrong boots, going to 4 museums and 2 galleries, the only respite being a 2 hour soak in a fabulous hammam I found right in the heart of town – a great find… but it could have been too much of a good thing (for the knees, not the mind!)
Onward and upward, at a slower and more stately speed…
