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| in the sky |
although i slept all the way from ATL to ZRH, [when i wasn't reading "bill evans: how my heart sings"]- i was so kaput after getting here/home, i napped from noon until 8PM- got up had soup/watched BBC then to bed @ 12PM
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| arrival zurich |
i woke @ 4:51AM after crazy dreams of a house i always dream of having lived in [freud/jung, bitte] which i went off & left a lot of my stuff in for decades- and hadnt paid rent on. it's like a combo of places i had lived in little rock/new orleans- this time i finally met the elusive 'landlord' who said he'd rent the place to me for 350$- i said "let me writer you a check NOW" - 2 people were moving out & he was kind of cleaning up- when i had 'lived' there it had been sealed off [as had my possessions when i went back in recurring dreams] - anyway, i took it as a sign, that i finally met the mythical landlord and he offered me the place for 350$ [definitely a dream]- which might mean a single [or camel back] shotgun in the bywater is in the cards eventually... who the hell knows? alora...
i woke to the smell of fresh bread [i put it in the machine last night before my last sleep] went up and made coffee- so, now the smell of fresh coffee, too; sitting in my thermals, in my bijoux of a zimmer, drinking coffee, smoking & listening to Kotaro Fukuma playing Takemitsu... [big inspiration/ as is Messiaen]... waiting for the sun. perfection. but...winter... it stays dark a long time now...
was/am very happy to see jacqueline- [and albert who picked me up at the flughafen in zurich and drove me home]- we had lunch, then i napped.
AND this morning, i am so happy to see my acoustic upright piano- it is my therapy/my lover- i have many plans for it. as jt will be out on tour a lot in december i hope to write/record a lot more; get a lot of editing done, on what i have already done using it since 2009, [and my electric from 2008-2011] and get some of this newest solo piano music on cdbaby for digital downloads.
i brought my 4 input Lexicon/Omega/Cubase apparatus- 4 or 5 mics [sm58s] to put 3 on the back of the piano and one for my voice and maybe do some piano and vocal- as i have only been doing solo piano [and/or synth] improvisations the last few years, both here in switzerland and in louisiana. I need to get 4-5 stands from Andre- and maybe a Sennheiser or Neumann for "the voice" and begin doing some vocal and piano sessions. [sebi, bring that upright bass!] transferred a LOT of old material from cassettes, that i might wade through, and attempt to record- some really good material i have never touched; stuff i wrote in the 70s living in Hollywood & new orleans; the 80s living in little rock and new orleans, and the early 90s in new orleans. there are some songs i really need to revisit, au naturel, not ttracked, but performed/recorded in 'real time'.
had been doing some experiments in MLU when there...as i had done here in August- lots of improvisation but also 2 or 3 'real' songs: writing lyrics on my baby Hermes manual portable typewriter here, on my old olympia there- editing editing editing, then writing/recording the music to the songs in Audacity or Acid, using either my electric piano or my ancient synth- then adding the vocals/melodies/ lyrics. some of it was very vocally challenging/acrobatic- and experimental- as i was trying to avoid redundant chord progressions; typical styles etc. breaking away from the constraints of 12 bar blues and or 4/4 based structures- doing songs at 50BM etc in audacity, 70BPM in Acid- ray charles slow, shirley horn slow... songs about life and death; songs for the new depression. [marci...that 'red wine' title is coming...lol]
i did record two or 3 solo piano blues sessions in MLU, which will be released as [title] 1 and 2 and 3, i suppose; and did various meditations, matins and vespers; musical prayers/hymns- waking of a morning, making coffee, rolling some cigarettes, then beginning; doing the same thing at dusk, or during the day or night: everything improv and everything recorded.
i did/do the same here with my acoustic, which i will check today and see if it held tune, if not call herr schmidt to come and tune it: an 1880 Burger & jacoby black ebony upright. deep warm tone, with good sustain. beautiful. i tore the nail off my little finger, when doing yard work before i left MLU, so, i might have to wait a few days- or soak it in salt water and put on some cloth athletic tape, as i do for gigs- like going into the ring!
cant believe magic jack works here and i can call home for free- 29$ a year- i should have done that years ago.
i also brought art work to show some galleries and museums; and plan to spend whatever time i am not making music making collage, paintings and drawings; making photos; reading and resting. this has been a hell of a year; i need rest/relaxation and musical and art therapy.
our [the doug duffey international soul band] 1st concert is the 19th which i am really looking forward to, as i am to all of them.glad i got here a few days in advance to rest up and hopefully get through jet lag before sho nuff time.
a million gazillion thanks to debbie, jimmy, shellie, marsh & tommy, for house sitting, cat sitting, helping me so much- watching out for and holding down the fort while i am on tour... and to denise & richard.
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| smoke break-autobahn schweiz |
[C]2011 DOUG DUFFEY
