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All posts for the month April, 2010

How To Make Raisins

Posted by golfkat on April 29, 2010
Posted in: Food, Stories. Leave a comment

I will bet that most of you do not know how to make raisins. Am I right? I know some city slickers that think the grapes are dried on the vine or worse yet, grow that way and unaware they start life as a grape! Most raisins are made from seedless grapes. On our farms, it was the Thompson seedless. The secret to making them is to pick the grapes when the sugar and water content is just right. We use a hydrometer for this purpose. A hydrometer measures the specific gravity of liquids. Specifically, a saccharometer measures the sugar content in a solution. I bet you thought farmers did not use much technology, right?

But first, the crops must be properly readied for several months. During the dormant season, we must prune the vines in a specific way. Generally, we leave 5 or 6 good canes, and 3 to 4 spurs (the length of 2 to 3 eyes) on each vine. Then during the spring, the leaves sprout uniformly, and the crop comes in correctly. Of course, the weather is the biggest variable, as extreme heat or cold anywhere along the way will reduce or ruin the crop. There is also the possibility of infestation. That is what I do not understand about so-called organic growers. I can easily see their entire crop ruined by fungus, leaf-rollers, or aphids. But what do I know?

Anyway, we irrigate through the spring and into summer. Around late August, we terrace the soil between the rows of vines. Many years, it is hard to find farm workers to pick the grapes. That is an issue for another or later discussion. The grapes are picked by cutting the stem at the top of the bunch, then placed or dropped into a large pan. When the pan is full, the grapes are dumped onto a specially treated paper tray. We use a wooden frame around the perimeter of the tray, both to hold the paper tray flat, and to keep the grapes on the tray. The paper tray is treated to prevent mold, and help resist moisture. Rain, of course, at this time of year is rare, but potentially devastating. It causes mold and rot on the grapes as they try to dry.

Assuming all goes well, the grapes take several weeks in the hot sun to dry to the proper level. The raisins cannot be too moist or too dry. The sugar and water content, back when we decided when to pick, is the key here. Too much water or sugar, and the raisins shrink to nothing. The tonnage will be a lot less, and we will not make as much money. Plus the raisins are not as plump and juicy as they should be.

We walk through the rows of vineyard, and roll the trays in a three fold roll, and place them in a row along one side of the row. Some stragglers are left to dry a little longer. If we make it to this point, we are generally safe from the weather. When we have completed this monumental task, we are ready to bring the raisins into the yard. We do this with a tractor and two vineyard wagons. The wagons are now holding large pallet boxes, much like you see on the big trucks on the freeway. We dump the bundles of raisins into the bins. At the end of the row, we pull out the tray paper, and burn it as soon as we drive down another row. When the bins are full, we head into the yard, where we will stack the bins with a forklift. Once this is done, we load the bins onto a truck, or hire a hauler to take it to our cooperative, the Sun Maid Raisin Cooperative, located right in our hometown.

As you can see, the process is about as natural as can be. No sugar is added to the grapes or raisins. No chemicals are added as a preservative. Once at the plant, they are stored until they begin their cleaning and stemming process. The raisins are washed by hot water, after being put through a stemming machine. After drying, they are boxed according to their use, or placed into bulk containers for other uses.

You may see traditional raisin boxes in the store as they have for decades. But raisins are also chocolate or yogurt coated, added to trail mix, or energy bars. They are sold to cereal companies for granola and raisin bran type products. They are sold to baking companies for pastries and cookies. They are sold in bulk overseas. One use you did not guess is this. Did you know what the primary ingredient of A1 Steak Sauce is? That’s right, raisins. Think about it next time you taste it.

A big irritation for many of us is the shameless promotion of dried cranberries. Many recipes call for dried crans instead of raisins. But dried crans are a by-product, left behind when making cran juice. The hulls are dried, pressed, and then SUGAR is ADDED. If you ever taste a raw cran, it is too tart or bitter to eat. So please use raisins and help the California farmers.

The San Joaquin Valley is the producer of the best raisins in the world. Many other countries now produce raisins, such as China, and Afghanistan. While their quality is not close, they sell at a much lower price, keep the price of our raisins down. You can certainly understand the plight of the small farmer, as foreign competition keeps prices down. Yet we are confronted with issues of quality and safety, like the recent spinach and pepper problems. It will get worse before it gets better. We lose valuable farmland in this country every day, to homes and shopping centers. The farmer cannot be blamed for selling to a developer, or leasing his land to the highest bidder. If you think the war over gas is bad, wait until we fight over water and food.

Lefthandedness

Posted by golfkat on April 27, 2010
Posted in: Stories. 2 Comments

Only 13% of the world is left handed, the rest are you. We are often ambidextrous. Lefthandedness is an advantage in some sports and games, like baseball, boxing, tennis, and bowling. There are times when it is a real problem. I never had a pair of left handed scissors until I was well into adulthood. I hear there is a left handed store at Pier 29 in San Francisco. August 13th is national lefthanders day.

Left handedness is more common in males than females. It seems to occur more frequently in identical and fraternal twins. In our Japanese culture, I was highly encouraged to be right handed. I remember coming home from school and walking over the my Grandmother and Grandfather’s house across the street. They had me write my lessons with my right hand. The first baseball glove I had was for a right hander. But, I play golf right handed, tennis left handed, and I kicked field goals and punts in football right footed.

There are many, not so nice terms used for lefties. The latin word sinister, means left. Southpaw is a term for a left handed pitcher in baseball or softball. I have heard port sider. In some countries we have visited, the right hand is used for eating, the left hand for toilet duty. They call the golfer, Phil Mickelson by the nickname, “Lefty”, but he is really right handed. He learned to golf by standing across from his right handed father, and mimicking his swing!

Many tools and implements are made for right handers, such as computer mouse, scissors, cooking knives, funnels, fishing reels, fountain pens, firearms, and textbooks. A recent study by Johns Hopkins University showed lefthanders who attended college were 15% richer than right handers. It goes up to 26% if they graduated from college. But it does not apply to women.

But left handers have an above average quota of high achievers. Left-handers’ brains are structured differently in a way that widens their range of abilities, and the genes that determine left-handedness also govern development of the language centers of the brain. I don’t think that has helped me in my quest to learn foreign languages.

Some famous lefties: Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, GHW Bush, Ben Franklin, Nelson Rockefeller, Joan of Arc, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Fidel Castro, Henry Ford, Albert Schweitzer, Ted Koppel, David Letterman, F. Lee Bailey, the Boston Strangler, John Dillinger, Mark Twain, H.G. Wells, Phil Collins, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Michelangelo, Leonardo DaVinci, Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, Greta Garbo, Angelina Jolie, Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Robert Redford, Jerry Seinfeld, Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Larry Bird, Steve Young, and Ross Perot.

Statistics show left-handed people are more likely to be schizophrenic, alcoholic, delinquent, dyslexic, and have Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as mental disabilities. They’re also more likely to die young and get into accidents. The same reason so many left-handed people are successful in sports could also explain a possible higher success rate among lefties in primitive combat. This means that, back in the days when fighting was an important part of survival and winning mates, the rare left-hander may have come out on top more often. Four of the 5 original designers of the Macintosh computer were left-handed. One in 4 Apollo astronauts were left-handed – 250% more than the normal level.

Christianity is strongly based towards the right hand. It is the right hand that gives the blessing and make the sign of the cross. The bible contains over 100 favourable reference to the right-hand and 25 unfavourable references to the left-hand. E.g.: The right hand of the lord doeth valiantly, the right hand of the lord is exalted (Psalm 118 vv15,16).

Enough for the facts. Let me tell you about being left handed. Writing has always been a problem since I was taught incorrectly. I think it was about the 3rd or 4th grade where this happened. I should have been taught correctly. My handwriting is poor at best. I would have made a great physician. Other than this problem, my education was fine. The desks were made for righties as well. I have teased people about some of my things being made for lefties only, like kitchen tools, pocket knives, pencils, and tape measures. Not true!

As far as music, I did not have a problem with the piano, saxophone or guitar. In sports, I enjoyed being left handed. It was a big advantage in baseball, and tennis. Working as a pharmacist was a problem at first. The counting trays are made for right handers. So I had to move the spatula from right to left with my left hand, basically backwards. Many of the tools in my Dad’s shop were for righties. The lathe was set up for righties. Most of his workstations were for righties. Adding machines, slide rules, and calculators were a problem as well.

Now I skiied with no problem, although I had a strong side(the right). I learned to golf right handed since I could bat both ways in baseball. My baseball coach in high school switched me to right handed exculsively, since he said I had more power. But my putting is my weak spot, probably because of my dominant eye.

I bought my first pair of left handed scissors many years back. Not only did I figure that I could finally cut a straight line, but that I had a pair of scissors that were mine alone. But imagine my surprise when the scissors could not be found. It turns out my daughter Sarah would use them, never realizing they were for left handers. I have never been to one of those left hander’s stores, but I think it would be alot of fun.

As I look around me, I still see a lot of right hand prejudice. Just look at this computer. The mouse and number key pad are on the right. Most workstations are set up for righties. Most doors in our homes have the handles on the right. The car is set up for righties, with the key, gear shift, radio, and controls on the right. Bicycles and motocycles are another issue.

The checks we write are for right handers. The three hole punch for paper, the binder that holds the papers, all right handed. Soup ladles are another problem, as are spouts on containers like measuring cups. The controls on the microwave oven, and dishwasher are for righties. Oh, and the golf scorecard is another issue. Now I do not want to sound like I am complaining. I think I have done fairly well in a right handed world.

There are some things that have been made for me, such as custom suits and shirts. I know my left side is larger, especially my shoulder and forearm. But I still wear my wedding ring and watch on the left side. I string my belt as a righty. I would imagine if I were in the trades, I would have problems with the necessary equipment.

Now that I am retired, it does not matter.

Checkpoint Charlie

Posted by golfkat on April 26, 2010
Posted in: Stories, Travel. Leave a comment

This was my first real travel blog. Here it is: I was talking last week to my physician about my trip to the old East Berlin during the Cold War days. He thought it would be a good idea to chronicle that event, as it is unique in our history and experience.

The year was 1971, a little over a year after I graduated from Pharmacy School. I put together a long European travel itinerary that included wandering around on Eurail, then working in a hospital in London for a few months, then travelling again the following year. The plans did not work out completely, but it was a memorable trip anyway.

My friend and fraternity brother, Russ, had introduced me to new experiences, like fine wine, classical music, gourmet food, and foreign travel. As we talked, and planned, we decided to go to Europe, travel together for a few months; then he would return home, and I would go to work in London. It certainly turned out otherwise, for various reasons.

We left in September, 1971 on a charter flight from Oakland International Airport. It seemed like such a big deal at the time, as my Mom, and Russ’ parents showed up to send us off in style. It was a cheap charter, actually $99 one way to London’s Gatwick Airport. We had a stop in Bangor, Maine for a refuel. stretch our legs, and eat something decent. What a desolate place.

On to London overnight, landing in the early morning, then waking up our hotel manager to get into our room at about 5am. He was not happy. Moving on through several days in London, then Amsterdam, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, we made our way to Munich. The Oktoberfest was in full swing, and we probably spent a week there, enjoying the Oktoberfest beer, food, people, and spirit.

Somehow, a local German kid who I befriended suggested going to Berlin. He said the train was the cheapest, but the airplane was faster and less hassle. What he meant was this: the train from Munich to West Berlin travels through what was East Germany. At every stop in East Germany, the East German Army would board the train, and check passports, especially U. S. passports. That meant being wakened every hour or two, getting a flashlight shined in your face, and told to stand up while being addressed by the soldier.

Finally, getting to West Berlin in mid day, we found a nice pensione, with our own shower. After this gruelling train and plane trip, we needed a good, hot shower. By this time, after WW2, West Berlin became a modern, well developed, and fun city. We experienced good food, nice people, stylish shops, wide boulevards, and a vibrant nightlife. Since I missed rice a lot, we went to a Chinese restaurant in West Berlin. It was staffed completely by Germans, so I began to worry about the quality of the food. Needless to say, once he took our order to the back and opened the kitchen door, we knew it was an authentic Chinese place. Lots of Chinese chefs, yelling at each other at the top of their lungs in Cantonese, anxious to cook our order.

Much like we do in most new cities we visit, we decided to take the safe route, and take a guided bus tour of both East and West Berlin. It took the better part of a day. It contrasted the East and West in many ways that you will read about shortly. It was night and day for the most part.

The bus tour was rather sterile, so I decided to look for some other American travelers who would go over with me on foot. Americans could get a 24 hour visa to cross into East Berlin. Our embassy was advised of any Americans not returning within the designated time frame. At that point, they would somehow join the East German police and come looking for us.

I was having my daily pea soup in a well known student hangout in West Berlin. I helped provide first aid to a German national who was having a seizure. I quickly made friends with a young, American couple about my age, who looked like hippies. They said they had a van, and would drive the three of us to Checkpoint Charlie, so we could cross over on foot. My prayers were answered, a free ride, and some company. Russ did not any part of this, as I left him in the room that day.

We drove to Checkpoint Charlie with some trepidation, parked their hippie van, and proceeded to walk the remaining block or so to Checkpoint Charlie. If you have not seen photos of Checkpoint Charlie, it is a well fortified gate, about 50 yards wide, staffed by about 20-30 (that I could see) East German soldiers, fully armed, and well equipped with tanks, bazookas, machine guns, and jeeps.

Were we rather naive about this whole thing or what? We were led into the actual Checkpoint room, and filled out the day visa, and handed over our passports. I had no trouble getting through, although they made comments that I was of Japanese origin, and should not be an American. Now the other couple was another story. I forgot their names, but let’s call them Bill, and Mary. Bill had extremely long hair, rather unkept appearance, sandals, and alot of facial hair. The soldiers got their laughs calling him all kinds of names, poking at his hair, and frisking him from head to toe. Now, I remember, his last name was Kelly. So naturally, they asked if we was related to the infamous William Calley.

Mary was another story, as she was a fairly attractice, young American hippie with long hair. She had a tie dyed blouse, which they had to comment on several times. They then called over a female soldier and told her that she was going to be strip searched in another room. Now, my guess is they probably had hidden cameras in there, but we were all so scared, we just did what we were told. They really did not even want me waiting around for them to get through the formalities.

Finally, we are ready to go. No way. We now had to buy 50 East German marks, and were told it must be spent while we were in East Berlin. They warned us that it could not be carried out, and that we were not to spend our West German marks in East Germany. And that some East Germans would approach us wanting to trade marks, since the West German marks were more powerful.

Taking off now on foot, we decided to walk to the main square, which we were told, was built to resemble Red Square in Moscow. It was a very cold, and sterile area, with dark windowed buildings, guards everywhere, and nobody smiling. We decided to have a coffee near the Square, and see if we could find some young East Berliners to talk to or even hang out with for the day.

No such luck, as there were NO young people on the streets, or in the shops. The only East Berliners walking around were usually older, hunched over ladies, usually in pairs, going about their daily errands. It was hard to find anyone that spoke English. So, we set out again on our own, trying to find something to do. There were no movie houses, shopping areas, or parks. We had seen them the day before on our bus trip, but it must have been mostly propaganda.

In frustration, we finally found a cafeteria to have lunch, and try to spend our East German marks. We did not find many stores that carried anything that we might want to take home. A lot of small stores carried canned goods with no labels. They had no fresh food of any kind. We could not even buy a beer or soda. We finally found a store and bought postcards, and some more snacks. It would have been impossible to buy an East Belrin T shirt or trinket.

We must have walked for miles and miles after lunch. It was the same thing, over and over. Old, war torn buildings, or newer sterile, gray, stark office buildings and tenements. And no young people walking around at all. We could also not get within about 100 yards of the Berlin wall itself.

We were just about ready to give up and go back even though we had several hours of day light. Out of nowhere, a guy comes up to us and wants to buy some West German marks. We swear he looked like a “plant”, as he just as quickly disappeared down an dark alley. But, it turns out we were standing right in front of a bar, or ratskeller, with a small, dimly lit beer sign outside. We decided this was as social as the day would get. So we went inside.

We started drinking beer, and buying beer for anyone who walked in. We quickly became the toast of the town. People started, literally, pouring in, having heard of free beer from the crazy Americans. We saw it as a fun way to get rid of the East German marks. It was fun until the money ran out, and we were relegated to ugly Americans again.

We decided, after many beers, that it would be best to go back to West Berlin, so we hoofed it back to the Checkpoint. As we crossed back over, we could see the soldier in the machine gun nest, pointing his machine gun at us as we crossed back over. It turns out that just the month before, a clever East German escaped via the Checkpoint in his car. We actually found photos and other paraphenalia at a small museum on the West Belrin side of the Checkpoint. We also saw the welcome sight of American GI’s on the West Berlin side.

We still wanted to see the wall up close, so we asked the American soldiers where we could go. He drew a quick map and told us that a small scaffold had been erected at a point, so that you could see into East Berlin from there. We quickly drove over, climb a small scaffold, and got to see it all. Dozens of motorcycles patrolling the interior of the wall. Mine fields between the tenements and the wall. Barbed wire and broken glass all over the top of the wall. Danger signs posted everywhere. At that moment, it sure felt good to be free, and an American.

This is a trip I will never forget. The contrast between East and West was so vast, yet here we are trying to live together now that the enemy has changed. We never thought it would end. Will this war on terror ever end as well?

Note: Now that the Wall is gone, you can still see remnants at the Newseum in Washington, DC. They have the largest remaining section of the Wall, the lookout for Checkpoint Charlie, and an original and rather ominous sign that warns people about the wall and the East German sector. A small piece of the wall is also in the men’s room at the Main Street Station casino and hotel in downtown Las Vegas.

Whatever Happened to the Jockstrap?

Posted by golfkat on April 24, 2010
Posted in: Stories. Leave a comment

Many things have either been replaced or no longer necessary. Nobody seems to wear a jock strap anymore since the “new” undershorts have a big pouch. Let’s see what else has gone by the way side.

Slide Rule: Does anyone under the age of 40 know what this is or how to use it? When I started using one in high school, I thought it was the slickest thing since Pomade.

Pomade: Speaking of Pomade, where did this go? Also butch wax or hair oil? Now we use mousse, spritzers, and gels.

Velcro: I thought this was pretty handy stuff, except for soft soled shoes. It kind of defines senior citizenry.

Bow Ties: With Senator Paul Simon losing stature, who will carry on this tradition? We are left with bow tie pasta, I guess.

Liberals: Where have they gone? Ted Kennedy was the last one standing.

Mink Coats: Classy but no longer PC. But they look great on the right woman.

Deep Fryer: This is the only way to make French fries. Bring it back.

Kodak Film: Does anyone still have a camera that uses film?

Record Player: What happened to the great licorice pizzas of the world?

Humongous Stereo System: Nobody has one anymore, since Bose and iPod have taken over.

Cassette or 8 Track Tape: I think I spotted a cassette the other day, in a landfill.

Transistor Radio: About the size of a pack of cigarettes, but pretty handy in its day.

Walkie Talkie: Where would Dick Tracy be without it?

Tap Water: Does anyone drink it? Do your dishes with it?

Red Hair: Where did all the redheads go? To blonde I say.

Apple Pie: Replaced by fancy tarts, torts, and mousse.

Corset: I am not sure, but I have not seen one in over 40 years.

Stick Shift: I will bet most people under 30 cannot do the manual shift.

Newsprint: Replaced by the internet.

VHS Player: All these will end up in a land fill, unfortunately.

Wine Corks: Cork has been replaced by synthetics or plastic. I saw tons of cork trees in Portugal.

Maps: Have GPS devices taken over the world?

Moustache Wax: Does anyone wax anymore? Or do they just wane?

Bolo Tie: Someone cool like Brad Pitt or Sean Connery will bring this back, big time.

Folgers Coffee: Does anyone buy this anymore? At least anyone under 70 years of age?

Brass Knuckles: Bring back the good old days.

Thin Lips: Big, fat, luscious lips are the norm these days. Botox or collagen anyone?

Wooden Tennis Racket: Gone, replaced by space age materials.

Wooden Golf Clubs: Replaced by outer space launchers.

Johnny Wooden: There will never be another, ever.

Clean Tour de France Winner: Impossible.

Bacon: It has been replaced by Pork Belly.

W: Replaced by Obama.

Laura: Replaced by Michelle.

Slick Willie: Back in prime time sooner than anyone thought.

Jack Bauer: We found him.

Steroid Free Baseball: Also impossible.

Levis: Replaced by just about everything.

Christmas: Year around for most kids.

Pilgrim: A word used by John Wayne in his westerns.

Ford’s Theater: Lincoln and Audrey II

Posted by golfkat on April 23, 2010
Posted in: Stories, Travel. Leave a comment

We are attending a play on Thursday at the famous or rather infamous Ford’s Theater. Ford’s, as most of you know, is where the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was shot by John Wilkes Booth. President Lincoln later died early the next morning from the gun shots in the back bedroom of a boarding house across the street.

After his death on April 15, 1865, President Lincoln was further embraced and respected as a great leader and preserver of the Union. Though he never experienced the healing of wounds from the war. His humble beginnings gave hope to millions of people. Many of today’s leaders, including President Obama, have found inspiration in Lincoln’s life and work. Would you believe we are attending a performance at Ford’s Theater on the anniversary (145th) of this terrible event?

After the theater, we are headed to the spanking new Newseum, and then a quick stop at the gift shop of the International Spy Museum. We visited the Spy Museum several years ago and found it rather dreary and depressing. Most of us do not need any prodding to remember the Cold War. It also reminded me of my trip through Checkpoint Charlie, and the Berlin Wall into East Berlin. Lo and behold, Newseum had a big section of the Berlin Wall, a Checkpoint Charlie Gun Tower, and an ominous sign from the Cold War days.

Most people do not know that John Wilkes Booth was a very popular and handsome actor. He was only in his twenties, and had already enjoyed prominence on the American stage. He was best known for his Shakespeare dramas, particularly as Marc Antony in Julius Caesar. During his Presidency, Lincoln attended a dozen performances at Ford’s, including The Marble Heart, where Booth had a leading role. Booth stayed the night before at a hotel in DC where the Newseum is now located.

Most of us did not know that the Lincolns invited Lt. General U.S. Grant and his wife to the theater that fateful night. The play, Our American Cousin, began at 8pm. They invited, at the last minute, Clara Harris, the daughter of a New York Senator, and her fiance’, Major Henry Reed Rathbone. At about 10:15pm, Booth entered the Presidential box and shot the President. After stabbing Rathbone in the left arm, he jumped onto the stage, landed off balance, and broke a small bone in his leg. He mounted his horse in the back alley, and left the city.

Almost to the day, we are attending a presentation of Little Shop of Horrors, the story of the well-meaning flower shop employee Seymour Krelborn and his wisecracking carnivorous plant, Audrey II. Seymour delights in the attention his leafy friend attracts, but when Audrey II develops a craving for human flesh, the situation spins out of control. Coy Middlebrook, a key member of the artistic team for Shenandoah and Big River, makes his Ford’s directorial debut with this zany American classic. Husband-and-wife team Christopher Kale Jones and Jenna Coker-Jones make their Ford’s Theatre debut as Seymour and Audrey.

Must See the Newseum in DC

Posted by golfkat on April 20, 2010
Posted in: Cultures, Travel. Leave a comment

The Newseum is Washington DC’s newest museum, and bills itself as the world’s most interactive museum. It features seven levels of galleries, and theaters, offering a unique environment that takes the museum goer behind the scenes to really experience how and why news is made.

The featured exhibits currently are, “Athlete: The Sports Illustrated Photography of Walter Iooss”, Elvis at the Newseum, and the Pulitzer Prize winning Photographs. The Newseum has 250,000 square feet of news, and is one of the most enjoyable of all the museums here in the DC area.

Just to highlight some of the things we saw:

Ted Kazinsky (The Unabomber) cabin
North Tower flag pole and base of the World Trade Center
Tim Russert’s desk as he left it
Door from the Watergate Apartment hacked into by the plumbers
Edward R. Murrow Story
(BTW, do you know his middle name?) answer below
First Amendment Gallery
Five Freedoms Walkway
Big Screen Theater
Interactive Newsroom
Great Books
Early News
Digital News

We took a cursory look at everything with a 55 minute guided tour. When we return someday, it will probably take a day to go through the more interesting artifacts. I have only scratched the surface of the Newseum’s offerings.

Murrow’s middle name was Roscoe. It turns out that his artifacts were purchased via ebay. The seller asked all the bidder’s for the middle name. Most people guessed. The Newseum’s curator was honest, and said he did not know. He was selected as the winner of the auction!!

Coincidentally, the view of the Capitol Building from the Newseum is THE BEST anywhere in DC. It also has great views of the National Gallery, and the National Archives. You must go! By the way, do you know how the word “news” originated? It is from the four points of the compass, North, East, West, South. Even our guide did not know that!

Take Five With Dave (Brubeck)

Posted by golfkat on April 8, 2010
Posted in: Music. 2 Comments

We went into the city to see legendary jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck and his quartet at Davies Symphony Hall. It was a fantastic evening. And it is always fun being in the City, especially in the Fall, as tourists are gone, and the weather is clear.

I saw Dave Brubeck at Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus about two years ago. We both agreed it was one of the best concerts we have ever attended. I remember the sax man’s name was Bobby Militello. He was great, but so over weight that we thought he was going to have a heart attack on stage. The drummer did a solo that was outstanding, while Brubeck is content to let it just happen. What a great musician!

Dave Brubeck is from Concord, and is now 88 years young. He went to my alma mater, the University of the Pacific. He has almost single handedly kept the music program alive there. His numerous jazz standards reflect both his mother’s attempts at classical training, and his considerable improvisational skills. Much of his music employs unusual time signatures.

In College, his professors discovered that he could not read sheet music. He was so talented, he could play by ear, after hearing the composition just once! He was threatened with expulsion, until some of his profs came forward to argue for his ability with counterpoint and harmony. But they allowed him to graduate if he promised never to teach piano. He joined the army where he met Paul Desmond and formed a band. After the army, he enrolled at Mills College to study under Darius Milhaud, who encouraged him to study fugue and orchestration.

After finishing his studies with Milhaud, he signed with Berkeley’s Fantasy Records. He started a trio with Cal Tjader, and Ron Crotty. It became a quartet when he added Paul Desmond. They did not do very well, and Brubeck ended up in a trio without Desmond, playing old jazz standards.

In 1951, he organized the Dave Brubeck Quartet with alto sax man, Paul Desmond, and quickly gained popularity on the college circuit. In 1954, he was featured on the cover of TIME magazine, Only Louis Armstrong in 1946 has been accorded that honor for jazz musicians. Later, Eugene Wright joined the quartet, but Brubeck cancelled a TV appearance since they wanted to keep Wright, an African American, off camera.

In 1959, the Quartet released TAKE FIVE, an album reluctantly released by their label. The art work was done by Neil Fujita and contained all original compositions, almost none in common time. It quickly went Platinum!!! It was the first million selling jazz record. During this time, he and his wife, Iola, wrote a jazz musical, called The Real Ambassadors based on experiences during their State Department tours overseas. The soundtrack album included both Louis Armstrong, and Carmen McRae.

Take Five was written in quintuple time or 5/4 time, from which the name of the song is derived. Written by Paul Desmond, it features a large solo sax track and also the well known drum solo by Joe Morello. And although Desmond is credited with its compositon, there is considerable speculation that Brubeck wrote it for Desmond.

When I went off to college from my little town, I discovered most guys in the dorm had many jazz albums, like Brubeck, Cal Tjader, Lionel Hampton, Vince Guaraldi, and Buddy Rich. I was still trying to figure out the Beatles and the Stones. But after listening, and having some appreciation being a former sax man myself, I quickly became a fan. It made me wish I had stuck to my piano lessons.

They produced several albums before the Quartet broke up in 1967. He still played with Desmond, then later baritone sax man, Jerry Mulligan. When Desmond died in 1977, he left all of the considerable residuals for Take Five to the American Red Cross. Today, he continues to write new works, and perform about 80 concerts a year. In 1996, he receivrd a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He has written many works, including: two ballets, a musical, an oratorio, four cantatas, a mass, works for jazz combos and orchestras, and many solo pianos pieces.

We could tell that he loves his music. He is also content to let the quartet riff along, while he displays a huge smile. It is great to have such enthusiasm for performing at the age of 88. His wife of 66 years was also in the audience.

But the best part of his music is that it comes alive, and becomes indelibly etched on my brain. I close my eyes when I play his CD’s, and I can see and feel the magic of his music. Seeing him in person has only reinforced my belief that he is the greatest living jazz musician.

For The Byrds

Posted by golfkat on April 1, 2010
Posted in: Music. Leave a comment

Did you know that Roger (Jim) McGuinn co founded the Byrds with David Crosby and Gene Clark in 1964? We went to see Roger McGuinn at the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga on Thursday night. A native of Chicago, he toured with the Limelighters, Chad Mitchell Trio, and Bobby Darin, as a guitarist and banjo player.

After knocking around with Bobby Darin, and the New York folk music scene, he heard the Beatles for the first time at the Brill Building. He started playing folk songs to a rock and roll beat in the coffee houses of Greenwich Village. This experiment did not please rock purists, so he moved on to Los Angeles and worked at the famous Troubador. After one of his opening sets for singer Hoyt Axton, Gene Clark approached Roger about his new blend of music.

They started writing songs together, and were soon joined by David Crosby. Within months, conga player Michael Clarke was recruited because he looked like two of the Rolling Stones. Chris Hillman, a mandolin player, was recruited, and learned to play bass guitar. On Thanksgiving Day, 1964, they decided to call themselves The Byrds. By January 1965, they signed with Columbia Records and recorded their first number one hit, “Mr. Tambourine Man.” (Of course, written by Bob Dylan)

Then in 1968, they hired Gram Parsons and went to Nashville to record “Sweetheart of the Rodeo.” Roger disbanded the Byrds in 1973 to pursue a solo career, which included 5 albums for Columbia Records. He rejoined Clarke and Hillman in 1978 on Capitol Records for three albums. Then in 1981, he returned to his folk roots and began a solo acoustic tour.

His 1991 rock album, “Back From Rio” included his pals Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Michael Penn, Chris Hillman, and David Crosby. In 1995, he began recording and uploading music, a series of traditional folk songs on the internet. They are available free at mcguinn.com.

But his signature 12 string guitar created his signature “jingle-jangle” style, with arpeggios based on banjo finger picking styles he learned as a youngster in Chicago. His other famous style was a merging of John Coltrane’s free jazz atonalities, which sounded like a droning sitar. It was used in the Byrds’ 1966 hit, “Eight Miles High.”

By accident, he added a compressor to get a sustained sound that became his signature sound. The engineer used compressors to protect his equipment from loud rock and roll. It sounded so good that he used two compressors, making the “jingle-jangle” sound like a three or four second woodwind. Another sound Roger created was done with a seven string guitar, with a double G string (octave apart). The C. F. Martin Company even released a special edition called the HD7 Roger McGuinn Signature Edition that captured the sound of his 12 string but maintained the ease of playing a 6 string.

I saw a special on PBS last night that featured Joan Baez. Roger McGuinn characterized Joan as the queen of folk music. Her relationship with Bob Dylan, and her former husband, David Harris, were told in greater detail. And she was a big supporter of Martin Luther King Jr. She spent time in jail for her non violent protests. It was very inspiring.

So here we are now. Roger McGuinn has a rich tradition in the music world, and folk rock in particular. He has toured with the greats. And he has made several number one hits. His appearances on Public Television really exposed his vast talent to me. We also met his lovely wife, and caught up with all the latest “Roger” news. The clear voice, after all these years, “in the jingle jangle morning, I’ll come following you”. “I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to”.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you.

Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin’ ship
My senses have been stripped, my hands can’t feel to grip
My toes too numb to step, wait only for my boot heels
To be wanderin’
I’m ready to go anywhere, I’m ready for to fade
Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way
I promise to go under it.

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to.
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me,
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you.

Then take me disappearin’ through the smoke rings of my mind
Down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves
The haunted, frightened trees, out to the windy beach
Far from the twisted reach of crazy sorrow
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free
Silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.

(who else but Bob Dylan could write this?)