Got up around 9:30, basically just hung around the house with J&B. More Amy Sedaris + some of the bizarre Tim and Eric courtroom-drama miniseries about a disastrous music festival in San Bernardino, with Greg Turkington. Kyle needs to see this. Played a couple of the rough mixes, which made me anxious, had lunch, and took the train home, chatted w/ Bree. Got back about 5, went to E77 from 6-8 to do email, etc. Daybook, read first few poems in Ann Lauterbach, Under the Sign. Travel exhaustion hit me pretty quickly once I got home – did some minimal tidying and unpacking, got into bed around 9:30 and read a chunk of Clifford D. Simak, Project Pope. Asleep around 10.
11.23.17
Woke up at 6:30 – missed flight. Saw that I had hit snooze…it happens. Don’t really need to recount a complicated airport day, but I got a later flight out of Greenpoint. Finished the EMP proposal ratings and sent them to Eric W. while waiting to board, and the Ellington book during the flight. Landed at Newark at 2:30, found a livery car, made it to Jenny’s brother’s place in Larchmont for Thanksgiving by 4. This is where Bree and I have gone for the last several years, and they’re kind to invite us. Played some piano for sing-alongs after dinner. “A Spoonful of Sugar” is a perennial. Went home to Jenny and Brian’s around 9, watched an episode of At Home with Amy Sedaris, went to bed.
[The Shop Assistants, “All That Ever Mattered” to Howard Crockett, “All of the Good Times are Gone”]
11.22.17
In and out of bed all night. Got up for good around 7, listened to some of Mal Waldron’s Meditations. Left about 9, went to a breakfast/coffee place in Winston-Salem, only stayed about 30 min. Checked out the other branch of McKay Books, picked up Peter Doggett’s Electric Shock, a Leslie Scalapino collection, and O’Jays and Aretha CDs. Listened to Mary Timony’s Ex Hex (her last solo album before forming the band of same name, very good and ignored at the time) and some of a Latin jazz CD I’d bought from the artists at Le Terraza a while back. Got back around 1, finished lyrics to “Sad and Afraid” (which I’d been thinking about off and on while out), went in to the studio, practiced it while Mitch comped, recorded it in 2 piano/vocal takes around 3 pm. Edited those into an acceptable comp, talked for a while and let him get back to work. Went to dinner at the nearby Mexican place around 7, came back, looked back in at 9, played piano aimlessly for an hr., paid Mitch, made arrangements to pick up the drive tomorrow, went to bed at 10 or 11.
11.21.17
Up 7:30. Mitch is comping vocals, so I’m not needed (even wanted) in the studio for most of the day. Watched part of a YouTube lecture about category theory. Left house before 11, found the only coffee place in the world w/o pastries, stopped in an antique mall I’d noticed – on the trashy/cute side, but picked up a Cab Calloway 78 and two pieces of Floyd Tillman sheet music. Drove to Greensboro, got a few books/records/CDs apiece McKay’s Books and Hippo Records, had a too-heavy bbq lunch, read to 170 in Ellington, found nothing at a Goodwill. Listened to Mingus Epitaph (a live record that maybe isn’t a good entry point) and Secret Ellington (a 2002 disc of some unheard songs from an unfinished 1958 musical – contemporary performances, just ok) while driving around. Back at cabin at 3. Rec’d expenses, called Dad for his birthday. Went down to the stuidio and played the new song I don’t know if I’ll finish. Mitch came in and worked on comping “A Different City,” I hung out for a while. Came back to the cabin around 8, called Bree. Not in the mood to read – listened to last Boris Karloff episode of YMRT, tried to sleep.
11.20.17
Woke up early, put on another mathematics/philosophy lecture (on Carnap) to get back to sleep. Up at 9. Daybook. Went into studio at 11, got a rough mix of “Untimely Beggar” and worked on my Cropper-style (as if) guitar part from 11:30-1:30 while Mitch comped vocals on other songs. Got down to recording it, in several takes and w/ a ton of punches. I think I got it. Dinner break – “Eastern” barbeque and a chicken leg at Prissy Polly’s. Came back and sang “Believe In Ghosts,” which was tricky (changes in register), and “Boring Postcards,” which is straightforward. Comped/edited the clavinet tracks from Joe McGinty’s on “A Different City” – one brilliant moment where two passes turned out to harmonize at a key moment. Replaced three combo organ phrases in bridge of “Believe In Ghosts.” I think that’s the last sound I need to make. Done by 9, usual decompression (one beer + YouTube) in evening. Lights out before midnight.