12.2-4.16

Fri. 12-2

Up at 7. Travel day to Rhinecliff. Not going to detail the itinerary, except that we stopped at Bruise Apple books in Peekskill, where I found a 1966 sales convention musical for Listerine, a John Hartford LP, and a large collection of the songs of Paul Dresser, w/ a foreword by his brother. Finished Love for Sale on the train, arrived at the house Jenny  + Brian rented (for a 10th anniversary/wedding party reunion) around 5; dinner, card games.

Sat. 12-3

Up around 9, slow coffee/breakfast, eventually walked into downtown Rhinebeck, there's some kind of Dutch pre-Xmas winter festival (Sinterklaas) on -- a life-size cuckoo clock w/ owl-masked rope-pullers is the most Wes Anderson thing I've ever seen in real life. Haven't been up here since I taught at Bard 8-9 years ago; odd to be around old, if short-lived, haunts. Splurged at Oblong Books/Records on new copies of the recent Leonard Cohen and Esperanza Spauling albums, Toussaint's American Tunes from last year, and Robyn Schiff's recent A Woman of Property. Heard the tail end of a Balkan vocal group in a Lutheran church, had a bowl of soup downstairs and perused a Jerome Kern collection that was lying around - "Cleopatterer" has ahead of it's time Wodehouse lyrics, and "Ka(h)lua," from 1921's Good Morning Dearie is AABA (somewhat in the vein of Berlin's "Lady of the Evening.") Managed to catch up in the daybook and answer some email in the late afternoon (but no reading to speak of) eventually returned to town to watch the Sinterklaas parade, which was impressively elaborate - lots of giant owls and bees, among other local/seasonal symbols mysterious to me - to the point of creepiness, esp. given that I had no idea this went on while I lived up here. Evening - dinner, playing music (from Xmas songs to "Ruler of My Heart," "Jive Talkin'" and "New Lace Sleeves" w/ Trip, Dan, Kevin, and Amy. 

12.4.16

Didn't pay attention to when I got up; last breakfast, rehearsed "I Don't Care" w/ Bree and played though other songs for the show later in the evening. Kristin & Brian gave us a ride to the station, turned out Kevin was taking the same train. He and Bree talked for most of the ride while I napped, got to 150 in The Sellout, and listened to the Toussaint album - highlight may be a lovely performance of Maurice Gottschalk's Danza (op. 33), which is intriguing to think about in re "The Crave" (Morton) and the B strain of "St. Louis Blues." Arrived at Penn Station around 4:30, at Sid Gold's an hr. after that. W/ about 20 songs/singers, I won't go on at length about David's book event, but I acquitted myself acceptably playing "After the Ball" (at the last minute for Steve Ross from his chart, which I accidentally retained), "I Don't Care" (Bree), "I've Got the World on the String" (Charlotte Preston), "…Cowhand" (which I sang w/ David's guitar), "Video Killed…" (David + Karen's son Nate), and, once again, the closing "Happy Trails." Stuck around a little for piano karaoke w/ Joe McGinty (sang "Psycho Killer"), cab home, cold still lingering enough to be exhausted, lights out by 11:30.

12.1.16

Up around 7. Weight 213.8

Very scattered, hard to remember in order. Did daybook first thing, read 50 p. Hadju and 25 of Pollack for good measure. A lot of correspondence/printing/b.s. at home. Mailed the LPs; next, a larger order of various records for Dan H.'s record store in Des Moines. Rehearsed "I Don't Care" w/ Bree. Rested for a while, then played through other songs I'm playing on - "Video Killed the Radio Star" and "I've Got the World on a String" (just kept playing several choruses w/ metronome to get the changes ingrained), also spent a while on "I'm an Old Cowhand." Packed in a halfassed way, as I do, and went out around 8:30 to meet Laura C. at E77 and watch one Jacob Tilove play a couple of sets of gtr and mandolin - some trad bluegrass ("Liza Jane," basically a minstrel song), some singer-songwriter material, inc. a couple by John Hartford, who I know nothing about, a Neil Young song I know but can't name, and solid originals in similar modes; nice surprise was the Fleetwoods' "Mr. Blue," a better song than I'd remembered. (Turns out the writer also penned Garth Brooks' "Friends in Low Places," decades later.) A couple of high-lonesome-style duets w/ a guitarist. Ran into the fellow who hired me for the Bill Frisell/Woody Guthrie talks at Lincoln Ctr. a couple of years ago - seemed pretty interested in the bridge book. Also had a good catch-up with Laura. Nice evening, in all. Lights out midnight.

11.30.16

Up 7. Weight 213.5. Fitful sleep, cold persists, but a little more energy overall.

Needed a hot breakfast, went out for huevos rancheros, did daybook (also a page last night) and finished Hobson. Pretty intriguing account of the relationship between barbershop singing and blues tonality, not sure how to incorporate past 1 or 2 smaller points. Went on to E77 and had enough energy to write a graf on the bridge of "Somebody Loves Me." Did some organization at home, finished the "String" chart, and set up the new printer. It works, wirelessly even. Packed 2 record orders. Rested (listened to an ok talk on the poetics of "wrongness" by Rachel Zucker, and watched an episode of one of Jacques Pepin's cooking shows, which are idly comforting). Went out around 5, read 50 p. of Hadju, correspondence; invitation to play in Pittsburgh next Oct.; wrote to yet another publisher about "Strange Feeling." Nothing of great moment once I got home; looked at a few pages of Aleksandr Skidkan, Red Shifting, an UDP translation I've had around for a while.

Reminder that I want to see the following museum shows before leaving for the holidays:

Picabia, MoMa; Lackey, PS1; Ukeles, Queens Museum; possibly Agnes Martin, Guggenheim. Also need to see Daughter of the Dust at FilmForum, would like to see at least a couple from the Raul Ruiz retrospective at Lincoln Ctr.

11.29.16

Up 8. Weight 213.8. Still congested, resting in bed a lot between bouts of activity - not sure I'll go upstate this weekend.

Got coffee and read 50 p. Hadju, another chapter or so of Beatty.
Came home and finally got the "String" chart 90% together.
Got our plane tickets to CA for Xmas/Jan.
Entered "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" into Sibelius. Faster (but found out later I don't have to play it).
Printer arrived.
Had a burst of energy, went to E77 at 5 and wrote a [personal] letter. Faded again by 7.
Rested for a while, then took baby steps toward printer set-up and wrote to the Songwriter's Guild re mechanical license for "Strange Feeling."
Read to p. 100 of Hobson. Lights out before 10.

11.28.16

Up 9. Weight 213.9. Hope this is one of the worst 2-3 days of the cold. No hope of writing.

Read quota of Pollack. 
Got my phone battery replaced; hope this one works.
Got coffee, read first chapter of so of Paul Beatty, The Sellout and David Hadju, Love for Sale. Will probably have to put aside Pollack for a few days to finish the latter before the Dec. 4 show.
Zoned out/napped for a while at home, got back to some low-grade tasks around 3.
Correspondence; nearly cleared out my in-box; sent David Nagler "Enemies of Song"; contacted Wesley Stace about appearing on a Cabinet of Wonders show next year.
Actually have 2 records to send out, 1 to Germany; dug out materials, addressed mailers.
Ordered a new printer/scanner from B&H (Cyber Monday and all).
Thought I'd left the Hobson jazz book somewhere, but it turned up.
Went to Cafe Bene for a salad.
Came back and worked on Sibelius entry. Slow and annoying - it seems I was a little better at this a couple years ago (w/ a different iteration of the software). Think I'll just give up and write a transposed chart by hand. Played through "World on a String" for a bit.
Tried to work on some travel arrangements, but lost heart. Low energy.
Read another 25 p. of Hadju - goes at a clip.
Lights out at 10, but very restless - a lot of Shostakovich, and fitful sleep.