What a day! Woke up in the trailer on a hill, Pammy rolling halfway to PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). A light knocking on the door, and young Matt with a sign that said: French toast...didn't take us long to rouse and hit the kitchen. A great breakfast had us feeling pretty optimistic about the day. The grim news on the TV was startling, but we were thankful that our travel plans were more rustic than the airport.
 
We needed a plan, after a long discussion (you know, democracy is not neccesarily the best way to run a band but thought I'd try it).  We decided to check out USC, where Gabe goes to school and I teach. Even though school isn't in session, we were hoping for freshmen orientation, early arrivals, old friends, anything. We went and hung out by the Commons and played a set.
 

While some of the people passing by hung out, it was amazing how invisible we were to most of them. I mean, how often is is that you pass a western swing/bebop band playing their heart out actually living off the whole experience? And I know you can feel it when you see and hear it. Now I don't expect everyone to love it...or help out, but an acknowledgement (a nod, eye contact, pulling those ear buds out of your ears) makes more difference than you can imaigine. Sometimes it is hard to keep the whole thing in perspective, that and the pressure of keeping everyone on the same page...not to mention fed.
It all went right when Mikey did a special solo on the bells of a local vendor's pushcart, and he played the box at the same time! ding ding!



After an hour or so, and running into some friends, we got the most polite eviction I ever experienced (polite eviction, not two words you commonly hear tied to each other). It went like this:
MR X: You can't play amplified music here
Noah (in the most diplomatic, respectful and peaceful tone you ever heard come out of a teenager's mouth, he's very well-trained): We are playing acoustic, we aren't plugged in
MR X: I meant no drums
Noah: He's playing a box!
MR X (exasperated): You're playing outside the Vice President's office...
At that point I jumped in and explained that I'm on staff....blah, blah, blah, we actually knew many people in common,so,  everything was hunky-dory, and it was time to split anyway. After that, we returned to the beach area, got the trailer (we'd left it behind) and headed to a where else? A wine bar.
Monique had this all taken care of...thanks Monique

The wine bar was fun, we played to a big crowd, Pammy was so inspired she took up the bass...nice try!! Hey we did well enough to fill the tank ...no, not with Bordeaux, Hank drinks a cruder vintage


Getting late now, got to get ready to blow this 20 million horse town. Was lots of fun, but now we're all looking forward to the open road. Hope it's cooler tomorrow, temperature I mean. Swing on folks, and please, remember why we are doing this. Your help (a pledge to JazzMasters Workshop) will go along way to ensure that kids get the opportunity to play with established pros, and it's a method that has over 100 years of success. 

See you somewhere soon I hope, reservoir!