Well, dear readers, this week has flown by, like a gazelle listening to the songs of Zoila Augusta Emperatiz Chavarri Del Castillo. Frankly, I never miss a chance to listen to the songs of Zoila Augusta Emperatiz Chavarri Del Castillo, do you? Of course, you might just be savvy enough to know that Zoila Augusta Emperatiz Chavarri Del Castillo changed her name to something a little shorter and easier to remember and certainly more exotic, which was good since she was one of the first people to create a genre of music that would come to be known as Exotica. Yes, dear readers, I’m talking about none other than Yma Sumac. I used to be aware of her albums as a young child because the covers were so outré and weird. And yet, I never played them, bought them or heard them. It wasn’t until much later that both the gazelle and I discovered Yma Sumac. She had over a four-octave range. That’s a lot of octaves, range-wise. I eventually saw her on stage in Long Beach when she did a production of Follies there. Have I really just written an entire paragraph about Zoila Augusta Emperatiz Chavarri Del Castillo aka Yma Sumac? Apparently I have.
Yesterday, I got another night of nine hours sleep, got up, answered e-mails and had a telephonic call, then went and had some pasta in creamy tomato sauce – very good. I then came directly home and began writing the commentary for the next Kritzerland show. I got about half of it done and then it was time for the Sami rehearsal. I won’t say that the rehearsal was a walk in the park but I will say that her readings of the monologues were about 1000% better – a major step forward, so I’m hoping she heard it and can build from there. We mostly worked those. Then we sang through about five songs. And that was that. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched another thirty minutes of Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace – it was kind of the precursor to what would become the giallo films of Italy. It’s not what I’d call a great movie, but it did spawn an awful lot of imitations. Bava’s use of color is brash and bold and this new transfer captures all that very well. I’m watching it in Italian with subtitles, even though it was designed to definitely play the American market and therefore that dub would be the one that played here and in other English-speaking countries. This was an Italian/French and German co-production and everyone, including American Cameron Mitchell, is speaking in a different tongue – the entire film, no matter which language you choose, was all dubbed after the fact.
After that, I sat at my computer like so much fish and finished the commentary, so that’s out of the way, although as always I will be finessing it. And that was pretty much the day and the evening. The one thing I did not do was listen to my CDs by Zoila Augusta Emperatiz Chavarri Del Castillo aka Yma Sumac, and yes I have several. All the while, I kept thinking that yesterday was Friday. But, as keen minds will know, today is Friday and yesterday was Thursday although it distinctly felt like Friday.
Today, which is Friday, although it distinctly feels like Thursday, I have a work session with John Boswell for the Kritzerland show. After that, I’ll do some writing and hopefully pick up packages. Then I shall be on my way to sup and then see Mary Poppins out in Thousand Oaks. Don’t know yet who will be going with me.
Tomorrow we have an early Sami rehearsal, then I’ll probably drive out to Mystery and Imagination Books and figure out when our signing will be – I’m guessing it will be the second Saturday that month or maybe the second Sunday if they think that’s better. Sunday is another Sami rehearsal and then Monday we have our Kritzerland rehearsal followed by the Sami reading that evening. The rest of that week is very busy and it culminates in the Kritzerland show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a work session, hopefully pick up packages, do some writing, sup and see Mary Poppins. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, an album Petula gave me of her and Rod McKuen. Blu-ray, Blood and Black Lace and then whatever strikes my fancy on the big pile on the couch. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall dream to the exotica music of Zoila Augusta Emperatiz Chavarri Del Castillo aka Yma Sumac. Which reminds me of that great Frank Loesser song from Guys and Dolls.
Call a lawyer and Sumac, Sumac
What can you do, mac
I love you
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