Well, dear readers, we had a pretty excellent stumble-through and almost no lyric flubs at all – I mean, a couple of hiccupping over words but no one actually forgot anything. It’s a really fun show – the structure and order works really well and it’s always surprising and, of course, very tuneful. Many highlights, and we do love the whole vibe of the stumble-through. I got through my song (Guy Haines couldn’t make rehearsal, nor could Bill Hayes), but my voice is still giving me problems and hopefully it will behave today and for the show.
Prior to the stumble-through I’d gotten eight hours of sleep. Once up I did the usual morning stuff – answered e-mails, printed out some e-mails, and then I did a two-and-a-half mile jog, which was a good thing. I got ready and then everyone arrived. After the stumble-through, co-producer Doug Haverty and I went to get a bite to eat. I had a cup of chicken soup and a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich, and some onion rings, since I knew I wouldn’t be eating anything after that. Then I got in the motor car and paid a visit to Amoeba, where I had a bit of credit left. I was surprised to hear that they don’t have a lot of SACD stuff – I would think a used store would love that kind of stuff. They had some but they mix it in with the regular titles, so they’re hard to find. I did find SACDs of a Mahler sixth, a Rachmaninov third, and some Russian violin concertos, and I bought all those. They were all incredibly cheap, average price five bucks. I’d also picked up a few packages in which there were some more SACDs – in my fervor I inadvertently ordered a couple of titles twice, so I think dear reader ChasSmith wants the duplicates and he certainly won’t find them cheaper than I found them.
After that, I moseyed on over to LACC to see Waiting for Lefty – a Clifford Odets polemic – it’s not really much of a play, but there’s something appealing about Odets and his florid writing. I thought the production was very good and the kids did very well. It was in the Cameo Theater, which is their really small upstairs theater/classroom – it seats about seventy and tonight it was pretty full. The best part was the show began on time and ran exactly sixty-five minutes, so I was able to get home by nine-twenty so I could relax and rest, especially my voice.
One of the things that arrived were the recording of the complete Villa-Lobos Choros and Bachianas Brasileiras – I uploaded all seven CDs into iTunes. The Choros were first – I wasn’t familiar with any of them, and they’re quite marvelously marvelous in that Villa-Lobos way. And I already like the recording much better than the EMI/Batiz sound on the Bachianas, so that one can go away now. Anyway, I just love this guy’s music – exotic, tuneful, heartfelt, and sometimes just mind-bogglingly beautiful and highly recommended by the likes of me.
Today, I shall be up by eleven and then I shall do a jog, and relax and keep my trap shut until sound check. Then I’ll have my usual artichoke, and then we do our show. I’m sure a few of us will go out after for a bite to eat. Monday I must relax, but also have a few things that must be done. Tuesday we have a rehearsal for the Richard Sherman event – I’ll hear everything, do a little staging on the group number, and we’ll rehearse our little sing-a-long medley with everyone. They’re supposed to have the lighting and sound all set for us. Wednesday, Richard Sherman and his ever-lovin’ Elizabeth will come here at three-thirty and we’ll be to the school at four for our sound check until four-thirty. At that point, we’ll go have some dinner, then come back, and then we do our little evening. Thursday is, of course, my very own actual birthday – I think someone is taking me to lunch, but no dinner plans as of yet. Then Friday I believe we’ll start comping the vocals for Kay Cole’s album – it’s already mixed, and once we finish the vocals, then we’ll play it all down, I’ll do any adjustments I feel should be done, then we’ll send it to Kay so she can hear it and so we’re sure she’s happy with everything.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, relax, pick up one package, have a sound check, then do our show. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a stumble-through sans stumbles.