ThinkSong

Album Release: I Wanna Work For You!

2011-11-16T13:56:00.000-08:00

Today, my third full-length album goes on sale in digital format. This is an album about the search for work, for purpose, for justice, for love, for anything real in an artificial world. The 10 original tunes on I Wanna Work for You ruminate on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and naked grabs for power, misguided love affairs and tired marriages, stratospheric self-actualization and gender-bending blues.

Oakland native Sam Bevan was my associate producer, and boy did he evolve my sound! Gary Mankin is my magic musical mensch -- er, engineer of SEVEN (count 'em) years! Pianist Jonathan Alford, percussionist Carlos Caro, drummer and percussionist Colin Douglas, Cuban singer Felix Samuel, trombonist Mara Fox and trumpeter Steffen Kuehn rounded out the band. For more detail on the talented band, read their bios and see their lovely photos here!

Amazingly, there were 90 backers on Kickstarter who made this project possible. Raj Kumar, thank you for your help videotaping and efforts to make the Kickstarter campaign a success! Robert Remy, meeting you at my three-night run at Jazz at Pearls three years ago turned out quite fortuitous! Shout out to photographer Melissa Agocs, too.

There are many other people to thank, of course, including my family and kids, who always say my songs rock.

Now what are you waiting for? Listen to I Wanna Work For You!

Or, here:

<p>&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://alexawebermorales.bandcamp.com/album/i-wanna-work-for-you"&amp;amp;gt;I Wanna Work For You by Alexa Weber Morales&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;</p>

Oakland Feather River Camp Early Bird Registration ends 10/31!

2011-10-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

Early Bird Family Camp Special:
September 15 - October 31, 2011

Imagine thousands of brilliant stars in the night sky, the calming sounds of rushing water, sunny blue-sky days, children's laughter, or the stillness of a quiet morning. This is the essence of Oakland Feather River Camp.

Campers have returned year after year to this tranquil sanctuary that encourages community and connection. An amazing love of the land and lifelong friendships are a common thread of this summer camp experience.

The camp has a long and colorful history. It was founded by the City of Oakland in 1924 and for many years campers arrived on the famous Zephyr train, being dropped off right in camp. Though the train no longer stops at Feather River, the call of the rails continues as the train whistles on its way through camp.

Oakland Feather River Camp, located near Quincy, CA, nestled along Spanish Creek, is now operated by Camps in Common, a small non-profit corporation formed in 2003 to support the City of Oakland in keeping the camp alive and vital for the urban Oakland community.

Make your plans early; Register now and save BIG!
EARLY BIRD OFFERS:

Offer # 1*:
Register and pay 75% of your total stay and receive a 20% discount.

Offer # 2*:
Register and pay 50% of your total stay and receive a 10% discount.

* These offers cannot be combined with any other discounts or specials.

Oakland Feather River Camp imposes no minimum stay. However, we invite you to stay longer by reducing the rates for 5 nights or more.

Youth Music Contest 10/28 at Boys & Girls Club, Oakland

2011-10-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

Oakland Councilmember Libby Schaaf and High Street Boys & Girls Club presents...

within a mic music contest
Who? Aspiring teen artists ages 13-17 who want to produce music in our new recording studio at the Boys and Girls Club of Oakland!

What? Contestants will develop their own songs to perform live. Judges will determine the winners who will receive special prizes that include $700 CASH, STUDIO TIME AND IPODS.

Sponsored by Councilmember Libby Schaaf!

Workshops: Oct 19-20, 2011

Rehearsal: Oct 26, 2011

Contest date: Oct 28, 2011

Where? The Boys & Girls Club, 3300 High Street, Oakland

COME JOIN US!!

Sign up at the Boys & Girls Club 3300 High Street or email withinamic@gmail.com. Like us on Facebook @ Within a Mic Music Competition!

40 Reasons Why I Want You In My Band

2011-10-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

1. You play my music, your music, anyone's music with artistry, verve and grace
2. I feel like I have so much to work with on stage, as if a whole palette of uninvented colors were available to me, when you're playing
3. Your phrasing is beautiful
4. You understand musicality
5. You can play with dynamics
6. You are totally reliable
7. You are making shit happen in your own life and career
8. You understand there are no small parts, only small actors
9. You know how to shut up in rehearsal
10. You avoid correcting others unless you can do it constructively
11. Through you I learn about other cool music, composers, musicians and gigs
12. I feel energized after playing with you
13. You make me laugh
14. You laugh at my jokes
15. You aren't afraid to flirt
16. Your rhythm is impeccable
17. You're determined -- when you mess up, you keep on going
18. You shed your parts before the gig
19. You're creative
20. You're silly
21. You're beautiful on the inside
22. You're beautiful on the outside
23. You are interesting to talk to
24. Your eyes are clear and alert and you are observant
25. You listen
26. You understand that making music is collaborative
27. Your reasons for gigging are simple: You can't not gig
28. You don't complain a lot
29. You're available
30. You're humble
31. You'll help other musicians out on the premise that a rising tide lifts all boats
32. You like to gossip but you aren't mean and bitter
33. You aren't passive aggressive
34. Without even trying we always color coordinate on stage
35. You are the wind beneath my wings :-)
36. I can learn from you
37. We can learn from each other
38. You are wise
39. You're not obsequious or trying too hard; you know yourself
40. Life is too short to waste a moment that could be spent making music!

40 Reasons Why I Don't Want You in My Band

2011-10-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

1. You talk a good game but your chops suck
2. You said you could get us lots of gigs but you can't
3. You're a sex addict
4. You're a coke head
5. Your addiction to pot interferes with your addiction to music (aka you don't hide your pot usage from me)
6. You drink too damn much
7. Your ego has manifested itself as an ugly little second head sprouting from your shoulder, and I don't want to hear another word out of its nasty little mouth
8. You are more concerned with technicalities than with musicality
9. You gave a malevolent glare onstage and proceeded to totally fuck up your part intentionally, despite your wealth of talent and ability
10. You have too many girlfriends
11. You're an amateur
12. You always fall apart when onstage
13. You want me to walk three paces behind you
14. You always speed up
15. Your friends are scary
16. Your solos last too long
17. You talk to me like you're my husband
18. You talk to me like I'm your wife
19. You kissed me, unbidden, when I was ill and had just thrown up
20. You don't know how to rehearse
21. You don't know how to count off
22. Your illiteracy interferes with everyone's life
23. You always need a ride
24. You yelled at me once
25. You are cynical and mediocre
26. Talking to you depletes me
27. Performing with you depletes me
28. You're a jealous person who doesn't realize there's enough to go around
29. You have no grace
30. You should be with someone your own speed -- or slower, so that you can feel superior
31. You want to get rich quick or be discovered
32. You are a theorist, not a pragmatist
33. You don't understand the word "consistency"
34. You don't have enough musical vocabulary to make a coherent request in rehearsal
35. You didn't tell me you didn't want me to be myself onstage, yet no one else in the band is doing anything to indicate they aren't autistic, and now you are upset that no one complimented you after the gig
36. You're always missing a crucial piece of equipment on the gig
37. You have become deaf
38. Where is your artistry?
39. You're sexist
40. You're litigious

A Campfire Tale to Start October: The Old Marin Hitchhiker

2011-10-01T11:29:00.000-07:00

It’s October, my favorite month! Here’s a scary story I told a dozen kids back in May when we did a school camping trip in Yosemite. It’s true, except for the parts that aren’t...

We were driving home from an afternoon gig in Tiburon, the toniest suburb in Marin County across the Golden Gate from San Francisco and a quick ferry ride from Angel Island. My 10-year-old son had come with me to help me load equipment in and out and sell CDs during the gig. It was about 5 pm as we headed West on the road out of Tiburon, sweaty, tired, and with a few hundred bucks in our pockets. We had passed the last of the stores and hotels when we saw the old man standing with his arm oustretched, thumb up. His hair was white and fluffy, like Einstein’s, he wore a long black trench coat over dark clothing, and he held a black briefcase. It’s funny how you process someone’s look, the setting and the situation, and then make a decision that you don’t expect from yourself. I passed him, just barely, before deciding to stop. My son gave me a good-natured look of surprise.

He slowly approached. I pushed the button to lower the passenger-side window, and leaned over my son: “Where are you headed?” “San Rafael,” he said. “We’re going to Oakland… We can give you a ride there, it’s on the way,” I said. He opened the back door and climbed in. I started driving. “If you’re taking the Richmond Bridge, I can tell you exactly where to drop me. You won’t go out of your way,” the man said. “Great. So, why are you hitchiking?” I asked. “Well, on a Sunday the busses don’t come often, so sometimes I’ll try my luck getting a ride,” he said. “I don’t have a car.”

He fell silent and so did we. We wound along the road approaching the highway, and after a few minutes we were heading North on 101. I saw a sign for San Quentin State Prison to our right. “There’s San Quentin, California’s oldest, scariest prison,” I told my son. “Hope you never go there,” I joked. We could see the Spanish-style building jutting out into the Bay.

He’d been quiet in the back seat, so I’d nearly forgotten about him. “I went to San Quentin,” the old man piped up. “I used to be a delivery man. I made deliveries to San Quentin. The funny thing is, I always carried a very long knife to open packages with,” he said.

When you’re giving a hitchhiker a ride, knife is a word you don’t really want to have come up in casual conversation, and a slight current of awareness travelled through me. “Really? When was this?” I asked. “Oh, in the 1950s. I’d go in there with my deliveries, and they never checked me. And I would forget that I was going in there with a big long knife for opening boxes. But it was never a problem, the fact that I had that long knife,” he said. “I didn’t have that job for more than a few years,” he said. The car was silent again as we contemplated the prison, known for housing hundreds of condemned men on death row until all appeals ran out and they went to the gas chamber, or, nowadays, to lethal injection. We also contemplated the fact that he’d used the word knife three times.

Another few minutes passed until the old man directed us to an exit. We decelerated off the freeway. “Drop me here,” he said. He thanked us and got out. As we pulled back on the onramp he began shuffling toward downtown San Rafael.

“That was kind of weird when he started talking about the knife, wasn’t it?” I laughed. “Don’t worry, Mommy,” my son replied. “I could take that old man, easy.” We both cracked up. “Well, I would never pick up anyone if I thought it wasn’t safe,” I said. The fact that he was white-haired and frail had definitely played into my decision. We enjoyed the rest of the ride home, unloaded my heavy gear back into the house and forgot all about the hitchhiker.

A few months later, I was about to turn off the TV when the first few minutes of the late-night news came on. A mug shot of a white-haired, black-suited man flickered briefly on the screen. “A murderer who escaped San Quentin and eluded capture for nearly 60 years has been apprehended in Marin County,” the anchor read. “He had stabbed his wife with a long knife, but later escaped San Quentin by way of a delivery van. The man apparently has lived most of his life unobtrusively in the area.” The mug shot appeared again on the screen. My mouth fell open. Could it be... was it the hitchiker? I hadn't looked that carefully at his face. In my mind's eye, he resembled John Thaw, the late actor who played Inspector Morse on the BBC -- only with fluffier hair. We'll never know...

But the experience didn't prevent me from picking up some Spaniards who were hitchhiking in Yosemite. My son was with me that time too. When they got out, my son let out a whoosh of air. "Mommy, those guys stank!" "Really?" I replied. "Yes! You're lucky you can't smell. Let's not pick up any more hitchhikers. Remember the guy with the long knife?"

Do I Get the Job? Less than 24 hours left in the Kickstarter campaign!

2011-05-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

We are so close!

This is the last chance you'll get to pledge and get rewards! Can you help us make the goal of 100 backers?

Via the update videos on Kickstarter, you can now see/hear SIX of the songs on the upcoming album: I Wanna Work For You, Catastrofe de Amor, Let's Not Ruin This Affair, I Think of You, When the Night Is Cool and All the Boys Are Sleeping and I Didn't Drill That Deep!

UPCOMING GIGS THIS WEEK!

Tonight I'll sing for the second time with the amazing 19-piece Pacific Mambo Orchestra at Cafe Cocomo in San Francisco. Led by Steffen Kuehn and Christian Tumalan, this horn extravaganza is irresistible on the dance floor! I'll also join them Saturday, May 7, singing lead alongside the incredible sonero Braulio Barrera and the timbalero/sonero Omar Ledezma Jr.

On Wednesday at 7 pm, the quirky professor Rudy Ramirez is spearheading a night of edu-tainment at College of San Mateo. I'm bringing my crack band! Sam Bevan/bass, Jonathan Alford/piano, Mara Fox/trombone, Felix Samuel/vocals, Carlos Caro/percussion, Colin Douglas/drumset! Pura musica latina! In the set list? A timba original, a Celia Cruz classic, a bolero, a salsamba original... $5, all ages! Lots of fun surprises!

Then on Sunday it's a special Mother's Day show with a lineup of salsa bands and Marina Lavalle at Ashkenaz in Berkeley. 5 pm!

Thanks for your support!

Siempre cantando,

Alexa

Lets Not Ruin This Affair, Catastrofe de Amor, When the Night Is Cool

2011-04-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

I Wanna Work For You

2011-04-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

Original tune, new arrangement: I Think of You live by Alexa

2011-04-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

Kickstarter project update! 21 days left for I Wanna Work For You

2011-04-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

We will have some videos of our last show posted soon. In the meantime, I also wanted to share some great press. I'm amazed at the depth of the interview with Chip Boaz of Latin Jazz Corner. It turned into a 3-part, photo-filled opus that has been picked up by NPR Music, All About Jazz and many others.

If you're wondering how French school started me down this multilingual, musical life path, how I met Bobby McFerrin in 6th grade or why I used to do pushups in the studio while recording with Wayne Wallace, the truth is finally here!

http://www.chipboaz.com/blog/2011/04/05/latin-jazz-conversations-alexa-weber-morales-part-1/

http://www.chipboaz.com/blog/2011/04/07/latin-jazz-conversations-alexa-weber-morales-part-2/

http://www.chipboaz.com/blog/2011/04/08/latin-jazz-conversations-alexa-weber-morales-part-3/

Chip writes: "Her new album’s title track, 'I Wanna Work For You,' taps into the social consciousness of the downtrodden economy... Morales has moved into musical maturity with an awareness of the world around her... Her smart writing and insightful message, along with Sam Bevan’s arranging style, promises to make I Wanna Work For You another strong artistic statement."

I also have to thank Donna Mercer, profiled by NPR as one of the most prolific jazz bloggers/tweeters ever (http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2010/04/the_woman_behind_elements_of_jazz.html). Not only did she blog about I Wanna Work For You, she's been mentioning it steadily since that day, reaching out to her 13,223 followers on Twitter with messages about my Kickstarter project.

http://www.elementsofjazz.com/home/2011/4/3/i-wanna-work-for-you-alexa-weber-morales-3rd-album.html

I understand that Donna may be on the prowl for a new employment situation, so if you know someone who's looking for the kind of person who could independently create the media following she has, contact her via Twitter (she's @ElementsOfJazz)!

So, folks, we have 21 days left. My hope is that we can get to 100 backers. Thanks so much for your help so far! http://kck.st/gEGCXQ

Gratefully,
Alexa

Kickstarter Project: 35 Backers, 32% Funded, 38 Days To Go! Pledge & Get Rewarded!

2011-03-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

This is exciting, yet scary. Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing proposition. You pledge to our project, but you are not charged UNLESS I meet my minimum goal ($6500). Backers get rewards that equal or exceed the value of pledges, which can be as little as $1! Will you be an instrumental part of our album? It's easy!

Why Do I Wanna Work For You?

Because I know what it's like to be passionate, to spearhead a team making something each person on it is proud of, to feel like your contribution is crucial, to laugh and complain and argue and know that the end result will be better because you questioned convention.

That's what songwriting and record production and gigging mean to me. I'm working for you, and we're all getting in a groove together. In an increasingly virtualized, mechanized, recessionized world, we desperately want to be useful, irreplaceable, and paid a living wage. This is a feeling I think everyone shares in 2011.

Why now?

I wrote the title track in a moment of desperation, but the truth is I'm always writing songs and then wondering when if ever I'll produce them. So now we're almost done arranging tunes for a third solo album (4th if you count the EP I made last year), titled I Wanna Work For You.

My two previous albums, Jazzmérica (2004) and Vagabundeo (2007) did well (the latter was praised in DownBeat and made top 20 jazz radio nationwide!). This time I'm working with someone new, the talented bass player Sam Bevan, to make my tunes "me, only better."

Even though we've gigged together before, I didn't realize Sam was a skilled arranger until last fall. I gave him a salsa tune of mine, Catastrofe de Amor, and he turned it into a slow-burning timba thruster. So then I gave him I Wanna Work for You. Whenever we play this pop-jazz anthem at a gig, someone always comes up and asks me to play it again for their unemployed friend.

What Will It Really Cost?

Unlike my previous albums, produced by 5-time Grammy nominee Wayne Wallace (thanks to Wayne I too am now Grammy-nominated), this time I'm out gigging the songs before getting into the studio. Another difference is I'm self-employed and support my family of four 100% via music and writing.

That means I can't spend what I did with my other albums. It's hard to budget a full-length album for under $10,000, however. So the closer we can get to $10,000 or more, the better. I know money is tight! What I fervently hope is that you can help us cast a wide net for this project. I've seen some amazing victories on Kickstarter. I've kicked in dough for a fellow musician who nearly lost his house and another whose axe was stolen. I also have raised over $6000 myself in 2008 and 2009 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. So I know crowd-sourcing works.

Also, this isn't charity, because the rewards you get for your pledges include the music from the upcoming album you want to hear PLUS other unusual, delicious or once-in-a-lifetime opportunities!

What Is the Money For?

Your pledges will help defray the largest costs: Paying musicians (which supports a lot of deserving Bay Area musicians and their families), the studio and the engineer. Sam and I have talked about ways to make this recording session and production super-efficient.

We have 10 tunes on the list, and this time they are ALL ORIGINAL! Two in Spanish, one in French, the rest in English:

* I Wanna Work For You
* Catastrofe de Amor
* I Think of You
* Let’s Not Ruin This Affair (English/French)
* I’m Your Man
* Quisiera Retroceder el Tiempo
* When the Night Is Cool & All the Boys Are Sleeping
* I Didn’t Drill That Deep
* The Names of the Winds
* Into the Stratosphere

The styles range from pop-jazz to Brazilian partido alto to blues funk. We'll mainly have acoustic instruments--plus maybe a synth or two.

Will you help me get this done? I can't wait to update you on our progress (we've got lots more video where our "trailer" came from). Please remember that we need to make our minimum goal to have the pledges turn into real money, but there is no maximum! Please help us spread the word to potential donors because it will take $10,000 or more to complete the project. Let's get kickstarted!!!!!

If you're not yet convinced, there's more...

What Do I Sound Like?

What Did the Critics Say About My Last Album?

"Her large-scale skill and talent encourages her all-inclusive dreams... Gorgeous articulation, flowing time sense and warm tone." —Ken Micallef Downbeat, June 2008

“Her passion for exploration suffuses her music, and whether interpreting tunes in French, Spanish, Portuguese or English, Weber Morales communicates a song’s emotional essence with an ardent, throaty alto that soars effortlessly into a crystalline soprano register.” —Andrew Gilbert, San Jose Mercury News, August 16, 2007

"I find her command of Latin idioms completely convincing, entrancing even." —Tom Hull, former contributor to The Village Voice

"Beautiful and bewitching." —Arnaldo DeSouteiro, producer of such stars as João Gilberto, Luiz Bonfá, Yana Purim and João Donato

"With a voice sweet, pure and strong, Alexa Weber Morales is poised to ride the Bay Area Latin jazz scene to national recognition." —San Francisco Chronicle, June 17, 2007

“One of the greatest Bay Area recordings in recent times." —Luis Tamargo, Latin Beat, September 2007

"Morales is a mix of jazzy sweetness … and Latin brightness." —Mary Kunz Goldman, The Buffalo News, June 22, 2007

"Very much the kind of singer you want to hear more of, more often, Morales is on the money throughout with a jazz/world date that open-eared adults will pass the word on quite easily." —Midwest Records, June 2007

"Alexa Weber Morales is a San Francisco Bay-area singer whose star is rapidly rising. … her lush, rangey, sensuous voice reminds me of Basia, another boundary-busting, powerhouse singer... Is this jazz with a pop/Latin sensibility, or Latin with a jazz/pop sensibility? In purist circles, 'pop' is a four-letter word, but how crucial is that when music is so high-spirited and rendered with such care, talent, and heart? Vagabundeo/Wanderings is a good name for this wide-ranging, engaging journey. If Weber Morales ever decides to tackle some jazz standards, she could blow away half the current crop of vocalists. At least." —Dr. Judith Schlesinger, All About Jazz, July 2007

New Original Protest Song: I Didn't Drill That Deep

2011-03-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hollywood-style trailer for I Wanna Work For You!

2011-03-06T18:55:00.001-08:00

Alexa Weber Morales singing I Still Believe with Orq. Evolucion

2010-12-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

From Me To Yule

2010-12-21T13:04:00.000-08:00

From Me To Yule

2010-12-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

I'll Be Home For Christmas - Alexa Weber Morales a capella jazz

2010-12-17T18:17:00.000-08:00

Alexa Releases Christmas Album: From Me To Yule

2010-12-16T23:54:00.000-08:00

Miracle - Matisyahu Hanukkah Song Music Video

2010-12-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

Going my own way and giving thanks in 2010

2010-12-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

Alexa's Homemade Halloween Projects 2010

2010-10-23T22:33:00.000-07:00

CON LOS ANOS QUE ME QUEDAN - Alexa and Larry at Oakland Camp

2010-07-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

Alexa Tapped by Thierry Mugler for Womanity Portal

2010-04-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

I recently had an article commissioned for French fashion designer Thierry Mugler's MSN.com portal, Womanity. I covered Bebel Gilberto, Claudia Villela and Carol Saboya in the piece, entitled "New Women of Brazilian Song." They were looking for "expert content," so they wanted to hire someone with a background in Brazilian music. A nice perk was that it was published in six languages:

New Women of Brazilian Song
womanity.msn.com

Brazilian songs and their uniquely beautiful singers are admired around the world, thanks to melodies with um bocado de tristeza over gently insistent rhythms.

Nuevas mujeres de la canción brasileña
es.womanity.msn.com

Las canciones brasileñas y sus cantantes de una belleza única son admiradas en todo el mundo, gracias a melodías con um bocado de tristeza sobre ritmos de suave insistencia. Exploramos los perfiles de tres mujeres distintas que ofrecen una nueva música deliciosa inspirada en sus raíces brasileñas.

Neue Frauen in brasilianischen Songs
de.womanity.msn.com

Brasilianische Songs und ihre einzigartig schönen Sängerinnen werden weltweit bewundert, dank Melodien mit um bocado de tristeza auf sanft beharrlichen Rhythmen. Wir sehen uns die Profile von drei unterschiedlichen Frauen an, die erfrischend neue Musik bieten, welche durch ihre brasilianischen Wurzeln beeinflusst wurde.

I nuovi volti femminili della canzone brasiliana
it.womanity.msn.com

La musica brasiliana, e le sue bellissime interpreti femminili, è ammirata in tutto il mondo, grazie a melodie con um bocado de tristeza su ritmi dolcemente insistenti. Oggi ci tufferemo nei profili di tre donne che offrono canzoni nuove che però affondano le radici nella tradizione brasiliana. La calma espressività di queste cantanti definisce l’era del post-bossa nova.

Les nouvelles figures féminines de la chanson brésilienne
fr.womanity.msn.com

Les chansons brésiliennes et leurs magnifiques chanteurs sont admirés partout dans le monde grâce à des mélodies mélangeant um bocado de tristeza et des rythmes plus lancinants. Nous avons creusé le profil de trois femmes différentes qui nous offrent une nouvelle musique délicieuse inspirée de leurs racines brésiliennes. Le calme expressif de ces femmes définit l'ère post bossa nova.

Novas Mulheres da Música Brasileira
br.womanity.msn.com

As canções brasileiras e suas belíssimas cantoras são admiradas no mundo todo graças às melodias com um toque de tristeza sobre ritmos bastante gentis. Nós nos aprofundamos no perfil de três mulheres distintas que oferecem uma música nova e deliciosa inspirada por suas raízes brasileiras.

Here's an interesting bit of PR about the portal in question, from an article in Marketing-Interactive.com:

Clarins has embarked on a global crowdsourcing project to shape the identity of its latest brand.

Working with fashion designer Thierry Mugler, the luxury cosmetics line has just launched Womanity, a new brand identity based in an online community, womanity.com.

The site is built in partnership with MSN, and hosts a mix of consumer-generated content and editorial content, linked directly from the MSN homepage. All of the content relates to the idea of defining Womanity, either directly by answering the question, or more abstractly by expressing the opinion or the creativity of a member of the female community around the world.

Users can post content, and assign various "moods" to their posts. Visitors can choose to browse content through a mood filter, or view posts across the full spectrum. Together, Clarins and Mugler aim to create a brand that reflects the beauty and energy of young women from around the world.

Unique among luxury brand launches, Womanity has no product at the centre of the campaign. "This launch is based on the creation of a brand identity through a dynamic community, rather than through the typical iconic image" says Ferdinando Verderi, creative director at Johannes Leonardo, "this is a brand based on an idea, not on a product, and the idea is to allow the community that inspired the brand to actively keep defining it."

As the project continues, the online community will be able to fashion future expressions of the brand identity. The Womanity brand has been trademarked across a broad range of categories, allowing for extensive future product development.

Alexa Weber Morales Band @ SF Cigar Bar Thursday May 6!

2010-04-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hey folks! Join us next Thursday, May 6 as we play San Francisco's famed Cigar Bar, on Jackson Square at the corner of Montgomery and Pacific.

We'll be outdoors playing latin jazz, Brazilian classics and funky originals for your listening and dancing pleasure. There are people smoking stogies, of course, but it's not like Europe or something where everyone is lit up. Again, we'll be outside, where the air smells just as you'd expect in Baghdad-by-the-Bay: like the sea, mixed with recently minted money and homeless people.

The Cigar Bar & Grill atmosphere is low on pretension and high on relaxation. They offer an excellent selection of cigars, wines and spirits. Inside, relax on welcoming leather couches, under flatteringly low lighting. Outside, dance or lounge on the pool tables. We can't wait to see you! Please spread the word!

Cigar Bar
850 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-398-0850
http://www.cigarbarandgrill.com

ABOUT THE ALEXA WEBER MORALES BAND

Alexa Weber Morales is a dynamic, multilingual singer-songwriter who has had success at the Bay Area's major jazz venues (Yoshi's, the San Jose Jazz Festival, Santana Row, The Improv San Jose, Jazz at Pearl's, the Sonoma Jazz + Wine Festival, The Carnelian Room, The Top of the Mark, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society) and has also performed as a guest artist with the Reno Jazz Orchestra and venues around the country. Since 2004, she's made 8 studio recordings and 2 solo CDs (produced by three-time Grammy nominee Wayne Wallace), Jazzmérica and Vagabundeo. Her latest CD reached number 13 on the JazzWeek World Music chart in 2007 and achieved charting airplay during all 10 weeks of promotion.

Southern California-born pianist Anne Sajdera has a composition degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her performances range from orchestras to her own trio, but also include work with Phil Thompson, Celso Alberti, the California Music Award-winning band Bat Makumba and Star Search-winner Terry Bradford.

Omar Ledezma Jr. is a tireless Bay Area percussionist/vocalist born in Caracas and introduced to the U.S. music scene by way of a college scholarship to Berklee. Recently Grammy-nominated for his work with Gonzalo Grau Y La Clave Secreta, on the album Frutero Moderno, Omar always shines onstage!

Sam Bevan is a rhythmically powerful, emotionally charged and musically gifted bass player blessed with monster Latin chops in spite of (or because of?) his Mormon upbringing in Utah. He plays with the Venezuelan Music Project, Candela, Mazacote and many other Bay Area bands.

Evelio Roque, originally from Havana, Cuba, is an accomplished tenor and soprano saxophonist and clarinetist who has been in the Bay Area music scene since 2001. He has played with Fito Reynoso, Danny Lozada, Orquesta Cubanacan, Jose Soto, Orquesta La Moderna Tradicion, Pellejo Seco and Pasion Habanera, to name just a few. He studied classical clarinet at Instituto Ignacio Cervantes but his broad musical taste includes Brazilian and jazz.

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An Interview with Rio Jazz Singer Carol Saboya

2010-04-06T00:34:00.000-07:00

Jazz and samba have shared a rich interactive history for the last half-century. In Rio de Janeiro, musicians took note of Chet Baker, Bill Evans, and composers like Cole Porter while jazz musicians in Los Angeles and New York absorbed the music of Black Orpheus and bossa nova innovators Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto.

Pianist/composer Antonio Adolfo was one of those young Rio players in the 1960s who found himself captivated by these new sounds, both at home and abroad. On his new CD Lá e Cá (Here and There), Adolfo juxtaposes his own compositions and three of Jobim's with jazz and American Songbook classics to create a gorgeous showcase for this alluring musical synthesis and for Adolfo's self-described obsession with Brazilian phrasing. His vocalist daughter Carol Saboya is featured on five tracks -- one in Portuguese (Sabiá) and the others in English (All the Things You Are, A Night in Tunisia, Time After Time, So in Love).

Lá e Cá picks up where father and daughter left off with their critically acclaimed 2007 CD, Antonio Adolfo and Carol Saboya Ao Vivo/Live. "I love performing with Carol," says Adolfo. "She's very jazz-oriented, the type of singer musicians like to play with."

In addition to his prolific work as a pianist, composer, and arranger, Adolfo, 63, continues to be a leader in music education. The Centro Musical Antonio Adolfo in Rio and a new experimental Brazilian music school in Hollywood, Florida, where he resides, are a big part of his current professional life.

Saboya, 35, also teaches at the Centro, in Rio, and maintains her own recording career, which began with an appearance on Sergio Mendes's Grammy-winning Brasileiro (1992). Carol's CDs include the Sharp Prêmio award-winning Dança da Voz; and Janelas Abertas, a session with guitarist Nelson Faria, as well as Sessão Passatempo, Presente, and the recent Chão Aberto, all released in Brazil. Her Bossa Nova and Nova Bossa were made for JVC Japan.

I interviewed Carol recently for a forthcoming article on MSN.com on women at the forefront of indie Brazilian music. As a jazz singer myself, I was eager to showcase someone like Carol, whose clear, supple soprano (aptly described as "elfin" in the liner notes) enchanted me on my review copy of Lá e Cá. Though only a snippet of the interview made it into the article, I wanted to share our full conversation here:

Can you describe your father’s concept of Brazilian phrasing?

He can explain it better, but what he means is that the way we talk, the way we walk has so much to do with the way we do music. It has to do with being Carioca, being Brazilian. We have this relaxing way of talking, and this is in the music of Jobim, Caetano Veloso, Edu Lobo.

This album is not a bossa nova way of playing. There are many rhythms mixed in. For example, have you heard of toada? Toada is a rhythm that’s close to a baião. We do things that people may not know of.

What do you mean when you say it’s not a bossa nova way of playing?

Bossa nova has a Brazilian pop sound of the 50s and 60s. In that era Brazilians found a way to play Brazilian styles such as samba with "sophisticated" harmony, a simplified beat and a soft sound, very much influenced by American artists such as Chet Baker and a few others.

This new release has also some influence from that moment, but with a much more hot jazz influence, showing how songs from the American songbook can sound Brazilian, even carrying that more intense jazz taste. The musicians play in a much more free interpretation way, what gives me inspiration to go deeper into that atmosphere as well.

But around the world, bossa nova is still in demand. Has that influenced your choices?

I have two albums in Japan that are totally bossa nova. They just sort of happened in my career. There was a Japanese producer who wanted a singer with a "smooth voice." They are very typical arrangements. We divided it into two albums, the first called Bossa Nova and the second called Nova Bossa [laughs]. But that made me a career in Japan -- people know me there.

I think foreigners do fixate their Brazilian passion on bossa nova because it is more easy to listen to and at same time very charming and, possibly, more popular. Not so much in the manner jazz musicians love to play. That's why some of these musicians have created what they call samba jazz.

How will you promote the new record with your father?

We want to do a tour starting in Miami, where my father lives, and New York too. We know lots of good musicians in the States. I really want to know what Americans think about the album.

The songs on Lá é Cá were all recorded live in studio in Rio with a great band. Your vocals are flawless! How many takes did you do on vocals?

The band went first and I did a scratch vocal. We did that in three days. Then I did my six songs in the studio. Some of these I already knew very well, like So In Love and Sabia. For others, I had to study the lyrics a little, like Time After Time. Night in Tunisia was a difficult one, very different.

Was it hard to sing jazz?

Well, I love jazz. I lived in Los Angeles when I was a teenager, and listened to a lot of jazz.

How about singing in English?

In one song -- So In Love -- I had to redo a word. I was sure I was correct in my pronunciation, but I said "so 'tount' me" instead of "so taunt me." I had to redo that.

When I was singing in English I wasn’t very worried about singing a perfect accent. It’s more to do it with the right meaning of the words.

The father-daughter combination is unusual and sweet. What is it like working with your father? Do you know of others doing the same thing?

Well, there’s Carlos Lyra and Kay Lyra; she’s a singer too.

It’s very nice to work with dad, but sometimes we fight. I’m a big fan of his work and I respect him a lot, but you know how it is with family. He says, "Let’s go over and over and over this," and I say, "No, that’s enough, it’s ok the way it is."

I already did this work before with him before, when we did the live show recording in 2007, which was the first time in a long time. We were wanting to do something together again.

How often do you perform live, or are you more of a studio singer?

I love live performance, but the situation is very difficult, with the club owners not paying enough, so you almost have to pay to play. I go to the States to do some things with my dad.

My last album was released in 2008, and I did some gigs here and in Sao Paulo. The kind of music that I sing -- it’s not very popular; it plays on some radio stations, but not all of them.

Here the singers who are well known… Have you heard of Ivete Sangalo? She puts on a big show, and does lots of dancing -- that’s not my style. I sing what I know, and try to pass to the people what I’m feeling.

The music industry is very bad -- it’s the same all over the world. People make money doing big shows. People are not releasing CDs any more, many people are just releasing songs online.

Yes, it sounds like you’re describing the Bay Area music economy! It is indeed the same the world over! But how does the music scene in Rio compare to elsewhere in Brazil?

I think Rio is where the scene happens. Everybody comes to Rio -- composers come here for the media. Of course, I love the rhythms from Bahia and the nordeste (northeast). But when they want to be heard, musicians come here to Rio.

The wonderful singer/composer/guitarist Guinga is a dentist by day in Rio. Do you have another career outside of music?

Oh, Guinga is a wonderful person too! My only other career is being a mommy. I have two kids, 8 and 4 years old.

Do you play an instrument?

I play piano. I’m starting to perform for myself at a couple of shows, but I usually like to just sing.

I am the same way! I have played all my life, but I am petrified to perform on piano. I think I had too many traumatic recitals as a child.

My dad never taught me a lot of piano, but I played in school, and when I teach I have to play for the students. I have started to study piano again, and get some lessons.

Tell me a little about your father’s music school in Rio. What vocal technique do you teach?

The school (Antônio Adolfo Musical Center) is 25 years old; I grew up there, and then went to music college. Now I have students that are adults and teenagers.

I teach Brazilian and pop music. I think the basics are the same for every kind of singing. Warming up is the same as for classical singing.

The main branch of the school is in Leblon. We also have one in Barra da Tijuca, and I take care of this branch.

Your voice is so beautiful. As a singer, that’s something I admire, but sometimes it seems like a beautiful voice can be held against you! Has that ever happened to you?

People here, singers, don’t like to study much, and if they do, the journalists will come and say, "She’s so technical, she doesn’t have soul." Of course you should study voice -- singing is like any career that you should train for, but we are a poor country, so we don’t have music in public schools. It’s a cultural thing. In the U.S. I admire how everyone wants to get better.

Now people don’t say this anymore, but yes, it used to happen: "She’s got such good technique, oh, her pitch is so perfect" -- like it was a bad thing!

You might be gratified to know that some have said the same about Ella Fitzgerald. I want to strangle a person if I hear them saying Ella was technically gifted but not expressive!

Ella Fitzgerald is one of my biggest influences in singing, in Portuguese and Brazilian music as well as jazz. It’s so effortless, so beautiful -- and everything she’s singing has a point. I also like Billie Holiday, even though she had such an unusual voice.

With nine albums under your belt, what have you learned as a recording artist?

I think we all improve, we mature, album after album, age after age, you feel more calm. You don’t have to show everything you know, you don’t have to hurry, you just relax. I don’t know if you do this, but when I listen to my first album, I wonder, "Why did I do that? Why was I trying to do so much?"

I always sing the way I feel. If we do things that we really feel, it’s going to be good.

The Oakland Marathon and Running Festival

2010-04-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you need a change of perspective. That's what vacation travel is for, or moving, or remodeling. When you can't afford any of those things, there's running.

It was 7:30 am and a thousand runners jostled nervously in downtown Oakland, filling Broadway for a block or two. I looked for familiar faces from my training group but saw no one, so instead I sidled toward the pace group -- 4 hours and 10 minutes goal finish time -- I had decided to run with. An air horn blasted, confetti rained down on us, we all clicked our watches and we pressed forward, slowly jogging through the inflatable orange starting arch. As I often do at the beginning of a race, I felt a surge of emotion and the pressure of tears behind my eyes. It's exciting, being in this pack of weekend warriors and semipro athletes, owning the streets as we take on some distance challenge. This time, nothing less than 26.2 miles -- which required a massive loop around my city.

As you run down the middle of the boulevard, trying to avoid the excessive camber of the road (a fruitless exercise, as it turned out for me), you see everything through new eyes. Storefronts. Quirky houses. Architecture. People. Especially people.

The running festival brought out the best in Oakland. Police officers smiled benevolently and cheered us on. People in bathrobes waved from front porches or presented us with bowls of orange slices, strawberries or muffins.

"Oakland is proud. Oakland loves you," said a tall, dark man from a lonely corner in industrial West Oakland. The diversity was spectacular, not surprisingly. There were the urban alternative artist types from The Crucible, there were the Black Hole Raiders Fans in full face makeup and monster garb, there were A's fans, Hell's Angels astride Harley Davidsons, musicians ranging from smooth R&B to heavy metal, bemused Mexicans ("Echanos un grito pues!" I yelled as we ran past some paisanos at Foothill near High Street -- they obliged with a howl), millionaire Montclairians with lavish food spreads, community-oriented Fruitvale families, oblivious flea-marketers, Jack London Square hipsters, Mandela Parkway baptists, Lake Merritt joggers. I missed them, but there were even Raiderettes at the finish line.

With so much to look at, the distance was not that daunting. My problem, however, was my right iliotibial band, a ligament that runs from hip to ankle on the outside of the leg. Never an issue during the 19 weeks of training, not even a twinge in the Kaiser half-marathon in February. Six years after my first marathon, however, my IT band decided to show me, again, its displeasure. Back in April 2004 I ran the hilly, windy Big Sur marathon, and at mile 17 was stricken with horrible IT band pain. This time, the pain came much earlier. By mile 11 I had gone from wondering what kind of personal record I was going to set to wondering how the hell I was going to finish.

I think the cambered road and the pounding I took racing down Lincoln's steep hill (against the advice of the pacers, who I heard telling me to slow down as I left them behind) were the main culprits. Perhaps stretching wasn't good, once the pain had begun (I have since read that you shouldn't stretch during the acute phase because it only increases irritation). I tried to change my pace, lean on my left leg more, pick up my feet, run faster, chat with other runners and ask them what to do about it ("I had a problem all last year with my IT band," said one pacer), and finally pop 600 mg of ibuprofen at an aid station. It all worked, more or less, and I finished in 4:21, only about 6 minutes off my goal of 4:15 -- but 28 minutes faster than my first marathon! I felt good, other than my leg.

The post-race activities were marvelous. I waited in line and got a wonderful free massage. The booths and live music in the beautiful park in front of City Hall were well organized. Oh, and my race shirt and medal -- fabulous too. It's been great reading articles in the Tribune about the socioeconomic benefits of the race, and I am definitely looking forward to next year. Only maybe next time, I'll walk down Lincoln.

Upcoming Gigs and Other News

2010-03-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers ~

I have been so busy writing, dancing and running that I have neglected my gig calendar. The first three months of 2010 have been full of gigs (mainly with other bands), the San Francisco Salsa Rueda Festival, a half marathon and freelance writing assignments (I write about music, technology and medicine, in English and Spanish).

It's been nice working with other bands, too, as I get to do what I love -- make music on stage -- but without the financial risk that comes with being a bandleader. Last week I was honored to play Yoshi's Oakland for Tito Gonzalez's CD release. And before you wonder why I didn't give you a heads-up, first, I apologize, and second, feel free to follow me on Twitter, or friend or fan me on Facebook -- I'm generally pretty active there and it's easier for this one-woman team to announce things that way.

I recently wrote a piece for MSN.com (not published yet) about women of Brazilian song, in which I interviewed Claudia Villela, Carol Saboya and Bebel Gilberto. That should be published in the next few weeks, but I'll also run longer excerpts from the interviews on my blog after the piece goes live.

Thank you as always for your support, suggestions, ideas and love!

Un abrazo,

Alexa

GIGS GIGS GIGS GIGS GIGS GIGS

Friday, March 26th, 2010
Andy y Su Orquesta Callao - 8:00pm
Montero's

1106 Solano Avenue
Albany, CA 94706
510-524-1270

Pura salsa pa goZar!

Sunday, March 28th, 2010
Salsa al Aire Libre! - 4:00pm
El Rio

3158 Mission St (@ Cesar Chavez)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 282-3325

Con Andy y Su Orquesta Callao! Outdoor barbecue!

Thursday, May 6th, 2010
Alexa Weber Morales Band - 9:30pm
Cigar Bar

850 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-398-0850

With Evelio Roque, Omar Ledezma, Christian Tumalan and Sam Bevan! Cigar Bar & Grill is on Jackson Square at the corner of Montgomery and Pacific.

The Cigar Bar & Grill offers an atmosphere low on pretension and high on relaxation. We offer an excellent selection of cigars, wines and spirits. Inside, relax in our rustic environment, featuring welcoming leather couches, low lighting and wooden tables & chairs. There are indoor and outdoor pool tables. And enjoy an array of art from local talents such as Anastasia Schipani and Mike Wolf.

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010
A Bailar Con Los Boleros! - 1:00pm
River Rock Casino

3250 Highway 128 East
Geyserville, CA 95441
(707) 857-2777

Alexa will be performing with Los Boleros. 21 and older only.

FROM SAN FRANCISCO AND OAKLAND:
Take Highway 101 north to Geyserville.
Take the exit toward CA-128 AND/GEYSERVILLE.
Turn right in CA-128/GEYSERVILLE AVE.
Turn right in CA-128
Look for Dry Creek Rancheria signs to River Rock Casino

Sunday, May 30th, 2010
Apostamos Con Los Boleros! - 9:00pm
River Rock Casino

3250 Highway 128 East
Geyserville, CA 95441
(707) 857-2777

Alexa will be performing with Los Boleros. 21 and older only.

FROM SAN FRANCISCO AND OAKLAND:
Take Highway 101 north to Geyserville.
Take the exit toward CA-128 AND/GEYSERVILLE.
Turn right in CA-128/GEYSERVILLE AVE.
Turn right in CA-128
Look for Dry Creek Rancheria signs to River Rock Casino

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
Latin for Lunch! - 12:00pm
Oakland City Center

12th and Broadway (center stage in front of Jamba Juice)
Oakland, CA 94607

Salsa, samba, funk and originals with the Alexa Weber Morales Band!

Saturday, June 12th, 2010
Latin Jazz in Tiburon! - 8:00pm
Servino Ristorante

9 Main St
Tiburon, CA 94920

With Alexa Weber Morales quartet.

Sunday, July 11th, 2010
Summer Camp July 11-18 - 8:00pm
Oakland Feather River Camp

5469 Oakland Camp Road
Quincy, CA 95971
510-336-2267

Alexa will be teaching Garage Band week. Voice, performance, percussion and repertoire.

Monday, August 9th, 2010
Summer Camp Dance August 9-15 - 8:00pm
Oakland Feather River Camp

5469 Oakland Camp Road
Quincy, CA 95971
510-336-2267

Alexa will be teaching latin dance (samba, salsa aerobics, beginning rueda)!

The Lady Bits of the Long-Distance Runner

2010-03-26T14:17:00.001-07:00

It was mile 16 of a 20-mile preview run of the upcoming Oakland Marathon. We grabbed pretzels and refilled water in front of the Oakland Marriott at Broadway and 10th, the last water stop before we headed around Lake Merritt for the final four miles.

My friend and I prepared to cross Broadway. As we waited for the light, two business men with New York accents noticed the small crowd of athletes and asked us how far we were running.

“Twenty miles! It’s a prep for the Oakland marathon in three weeks!” we chirped.

“Twenty miles, that’s incredible!” said one of the men. “How long is the marathon?”

“Twenty-six-point-two,” I said.

“Wow. How -- how does that compare -- how long is the New York Marathon?”

“All marathons are 26.2 miles. That’s what a marathon is,” I said, perhaps smugly.

The man seemed flirtatious. And persistent: “Doesn’t it hurt your body? Are your knees holding up?”

“They’re doing OK,” I said. “Well, hers are, mine not so much,” said my friend.

“But doesn’t it make your uterus drop?”

“Uh, what?”

“Doesn’t it make your uterus drop? Someone was telling me running marathons made her uterus drop.”

While I was searching for a comeback and wondering when the light would change, my friend, mother of a grown child, joked, “I’m not planning to use mine.”

“Why aren’t you planning to use it?”

Time to jaywalk, ticket-happy Oakland police or no.

“Ah … you two are on a business trip, aren’t you? I can just tell,” I cracked, starting against the light. “Let’s get going,” I called to my friend.

We got across the street. “Can you believe those guys? God! Business men!”

“I’m so tired, I can’t even tell if that was offensive,” my friend said.

“Of course it was! Uterus dropping? I should have said, ‘Even worse, it really makes your scrotum sag.’” We were laughing and running.

Another group of women caught up with us at the next crosswalk and I told them about the exchange we’d just had with the business men. They all groaned. “Yeah, it makes your penis shrink!” called out one girl. The group laughed.

“Of course! From all the chafing!” I yelled. “Why don’t I ever think of these things in the moment?!”

Like: Dudes. You're in Oakland, not Las Vegas.

Image credit: Uterus Vase by The Plug & Stéphanie Rollin

Vocal Coach Decries Phenomenon of Over-singing

2010-03-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

Vocal Coach Decries Phenomenon of Over-singing, Points to Popular Talent Shows

March 25, 2010 (Nashville) The American music scene seems to be experiencing a phenomenon of painfully loud and meaningless over-singing which could be due in part to hit talent shows like American Idol, according to Renee Grant-Williams, one of the nation’s leading voice experts and coach to some of the music industry’s biggest stars.

Grant-Williams points to this week's painful duet by two former Idol contestants as an example, "By shamelessly over-singing, Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas managed to destroy what might otherwise have been a perfectly decent song. Their performance was over-loud, over-ornamented, mutually over-competitive and ultimately banal."

"The lyrics to Make a Wave written by Scott Krippayne and Jeffrey D. Peabody are very positive and send a very powerful message," says Grant Williams. "However, these two singers obscured the words so badly by over-singing, that I had to look up the lyrics to see what they were actually saying. The very essence of a song is to touch the listener by conveying a message of some kind. That's difficult to do when no one can get a grip on the melody or understand what's being said."

Grant-Williams feels these non-verbal squiggles should be there for one reason only—to emphasize the powerful emotion of the song. "When a singer ornaments, it should be because, at that moment, the singer's emotions are running so high that words will not suffice; the singer is only capable of a visceral response too powerful to put into mere words," she says.

Grant-Williams also says singers she encounters are increasingly belting out songs to the point where words don’t matter. “We seem to be caught up in an epidemic of loud,” says Grant-Williams. "Singing should be more subtle than just slinging a lot of voice around. If you sing with a thundering voice, you sacrifice the honesty, intimacy, and integrity of music. Yet, this style is presented to millions of TV viewers as desirable.”

"You just don’t hear the level of ear-splitting over-singing in Australia and other places like you do here in America," says Grant-Williams, who recently returned from a sold-out teaching-tour of Australia. Observations she made during tours in Europe and South America confirm that this phenomenon is especially prevalent in the United States. "I’m convinced it’s due in part to the tremendous influence in the U. S. of talent shows where over-singing is rewarded.”

“I still think America has the best singers on the planet,” says Grant-Williams. “They just need to bring down the volume and focus on the words and the emotions. I’m determined to do what I can to curb these phenomenon before they get out of hand.”

Grant-Williams has as few simple suggestions to help singers get back to the basics of good singing:
1. A song is a one-way conversation, a singer must be very intimate with the words.
2. Singing should be like speaking with the audience, there's no need to yell.
3. Use consonants and silence to indicate the most important words of the song.
4. Use inflection sparingly as you would use spices, too much will ruin the song.

Grant-Williams coaches aspiring performers as well as celebrities including Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Miley Cyrus, Faith Hill, the Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw, Christina Aguilera, Linda Ronstadt, Randy Travis, and Huey Lewis. She has been quoted by Cosmopolitan, the Associated Press, Business Week, UPI, Southern Living, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe, and the San Francisco Chronicle. She has appeared on many broadcast outlets including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Bravo, USA, MTV, GAC, BBC, PBS, and NPR. Grant-Williams is a former instructor at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as well as the former director of the Division of Vocal Music at the University of California, Berkeley.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Renee Grant-Williams, call 615-244-3280 or visit www.myvoicecoach.com

Inspiration from Born to Run

2010-03-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

I finished Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall in just a few sittings. I would have finished it faster if I hadn't read the first part aloud to my family, much to their annoyance.

I needed the inspiration, as I'm training for the Oakland Marathon, which is this Sunday. This will be my second marathon. The first was Big Sur in 2004, a hard initial outing -- hilly, windy and winding. My iliotibial band seized up at mile 17 thanks the to cambered road (Highway 1) -- along with hundreds of others, as evidenced by the agonized stretching going on around me.

Though I continued running shorter distances, I've enjoyed triathlon training the last two years and had begun thinking maybe everyone was right: triathlons were better for you than marathons. However, this training experience has been wonderful, long and slow (18 weeks!), and I have remained ache- and injury-free (fingers crossed). My knees protested the increase in distance around 13 miles, but now they seem happy. I have iced them only occasionally after runs, and haven't had to pop any pills.

Born to Run makes the argument that endurance running is not only not bad for your joints, it's what humans were designed to do. It also posits that today's plethora of running injuries are due to over-engineered shoes that encourage heel-striking rather than a forefoot-centered stride. Skeptic that I am, I thought the barefoot runners were nutty, though I did buy the argument that running on grass or beach was good for the muscles in the feet. We had a barefoot guy in last year's tri team, and now I'm embarrassed about my ignorant questions (for some reason I remember wondering if it was for religious reasons).

If you consider it, though, the flat-footed stride of a barefoot runner is more natural than heel-first. I also used to think our super-fast coach's (and her husband's) speedy hamster-wheel steps (similar to the POSE method) were strange. Now I find myself doing the same thing: picking up my heels, focusing on fast foot turnover, and landing flatter. My old way of running was with big, quad-crunching strides and major arm pumping. Now I keep my arms close to my torso.

I don't know how my stride will evolve further, but I have gotten faster in the last seven years -- and especially the last two. So check this out: Maybe I have even more years of speed ahead of me than I thought!

McDougall quotes Dennis Bramble, biology professor at the University of Utah in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains: "We monitored the results of the 2004 New York City Marathon and compared finishing times by age. What we found is that starting at age nineteen, runners get faster every year until they hit their peak at twenty-seven. After twenty-seven, they start to decline. So here's the question -- how old are you when you're back to running the same speed you did at nineteen?" The answer is not 36, or 45, or 55, but an astonishing 64 years old!

"There's something really weird about us humans; we're not only really good at endurance running, we're really good at it for a remarkably long time. We're a machine built to run -- and the machine never wears out," says Bramble in the book.

"You don't stop running because you get old, the Dipsea Demon always said. You get old because you stop running..." writes McDougall.

Further, as humans evolved, the difference between male and female diminished such that it's far less than in other primates. Human men are only 15% bigger than women, while gorillas are twice as big and chimps one-third. And women have proven, especially lately, that "caring for kids on the fly isn't that hard, as American ultrarunner Kami Semick demonstrates; she likes to run mountain trails around Bend, Oregon, with her four-year-old daughter, Baronie, riding along in a backpack." McDougall also notes that Emily Baer finished 8th overall among men and women in the 2007 Hardrock 100, while stopping to breastfeed her baby at every aid station (OK, that makes my boobs hurt just thinking about it -- but having climbed mountains while nursing I know it can be done). Among the world's last nomads, Congo Pygmies still hunt in mixed-gender groups.

I adore the wild characters and settings McDougall describes in the book, although sometimes his gonzo style makes me question the factual accuracy. I've read a number of adventure journalism books and his, unlike many I've seen, does not come with foot- or end notes. But it works well for the topic. His descriptions of my beloved Western states and Mexico, where he covers the running culture of the Tarahumara Indians, are effective and enticing.

Rather than go on, I'll close with a quote on one of many pages I dog-eared (oops, in my friend's book), where McDougall talks about Jenn, a wacky young party animal who runs 50-mile trails with the joy of a child. I couldn't help thinking of jazz traditionalists as I read this.

"Her naked delight is unmistakable; it forces a smile to her lips that's so honest and unguarded, you feel she's lost in the grip of artistic inspiration. Maybe she is. Whenever an art form loses its fire, when it gets weakened by intellectual inbreeding and first principles fade into stale tradition, a radical fringe eventually appears to blow it up and rebuild from the rubble. Young Gun ultrarunners were like Lost Generation writers in the '20s, Beat poets in the '50s, and rock musicians in the '60s: they were poor and ignored and free from all expectations and inhibitions. They were body artists, playing with the palette of human endurance."

You needn't run 50 or 100 miles to get that feeling, but that sensation of doing something that everyone around you says is insane, or pointless, or irresponsible -- and the fleeting nirvana when you realize you have just done it? I want some more of that.

My 9-Year-Old's Observation

2010-03-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, coming home from school, my son said, "Mommy, day and night are opposites, but not just in the obvious way. If you think about it, in the day, light is everywhere and darkness has a shape, like a shadow. In the night, it's dark everywhere, but light has a shape in the dark, like headlights."

I thought that was brilliant.

If You Cross Me, Watch Out!

2010-03-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

If you cross me, watch out!

I will bitch about it to my family endlessly, perhaps for a year or more, while you get shit done. Heck I might even complain bitterly about it to strangers or important business contacts who would have given me work if I hadn't come off as vengeful and unstable.

Yeah, and I might supersize myself. Mess with me and I could put on 20 pounds just to show you who's the victim here.

Watch out, because I'll be watching you. I will cyberstalk you and catalog your every move while my own web presence attracts old flies.

Stab me in the back and I'll never heal. I'll let myself go completely -- teeth, hair, nails, you name it. I'll be Cousin It, here in my hole, watching old sitcoms, wondering what you're doing right now. I know you'll be haunted by my total deterioration.

So don't you do me wrong. I won't forget it.

The Lady Bits of the Long-Distance Runner

2010-03-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

Alexa Weber Morales sings I Will Survive, Salsa-Style

2010-03-06T13:19:00.001-08:00

Con Andy y Su Orquesta Callao last night @ Roccapulco in San Francisco.

Este arreglo del exito de Gloria Gaynor "I Will Survive" proviene del percusionista/productor Ivan Lino Montes. Se grabo en los 2000 temprano con su Orquesta Kache y ahora se ha vuelto a prominencia con Andy y Su Orquesta Callao.

Top 10 Tough Acts to Follow

2010-03-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

10. Strippers

9. Graffiti artists high on fumes

8. Performance artists using bodily fluids to make statements about corporatization of all life forms

7. Sing-songy poets

6. Long-winded rappers wrapped in flags from little-known countries

5. Veterinarians giving talks about estrus in breeding bitches

4. Drunken priests eulogizing the wrong person

3. DJs with advanced hearing loss

2. Fakirs

1. Soulful 19-year-old girl in a micro-mini who sings one song a cappella and nails every note, then whips out a guitar and plays a blisteringly perfect jazz solo

What was the worst act you had to follow? Do share!

A Sauna Tale

2010-02-11T14:40:00.000-08:00

I am sitting in the sauna, eyes closed, sweat running down my body. In the dark I can make out the figure of a small, round woman basking in the heat. After a few minutes, she speaks: "The sauna is so nice, isn't it?" "Oh yes," I reply. "This is my last remaining luxury." We both get up to go out and she continues chatting with me.

"We don't belong to this gym. I snuck in here while my son plays basketball with his team. We belong to the one on the other side of town. They have a pool." She has a Phillipino accent.

"Ah, yeah, if I need to swim I go to the school near my house."

We begin talking about working out and what sports we like. I mention triathlon training. "Did you do that with Team in Training?" she asks, noticing my TNT hat.

"Yes," I say. "It's a great charity, and they also do the best job preparing you athletically."

"The charity is for what?" she asks.

"It's the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society," I reply. "Blood cancer."

"Oh, yeah, they are a good charity. It's a terrible disease. I lost my daughter to that."

"Oh my God, how sad. I'm sorry to hear that... Did the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society give you any support?"

She hesitates: "No... We didn't find out until too late. She, ah, she checked in to the hospital and died the next day."

"That's terrible," I say. A few beats of silence pass while we both dress.

"When did this happen?" I ask.

"Yesterday," she replies simply.

"Ah." More silence, and we are finished dressing. In my head I am wondering why she has made this story up for me. It's almost like a form of improv.

"Leukemia mostly gets young people, doesn't it?" the woman asks.

"Well, yes, compared to other cancers. No one knows what causes it. My grandmother died of it," I answer.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was she young?"

"In her forties," I answer. We are walking out.

"Where are you going now?" she asks brightly, as I head for the kids' area. "I'm going to get my kids, and you?"

"Oh, I guess I'm going now." She looks like she wished she could tag along with me, but instead walks out the door into the sunshine, leaving her imaginary son behind on the basketball court.

Oakland Running Festival Coming Soon!

2010-02-02T18:00:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about Oakland's upcoming marathon -- so excited, I ran 18 miles through the streets of Oakland on Sunday! Here's an email I got today with news about the event:

The big day is getting near and the excitement is mounting as we approach race day. Registrations are coming in at a furious clip, surpassing our every expectation. The community of Oakland is starting to buzz as everyone looks forward to the end of March.

New sponsors have joined our quest of making the Inaugural Oakland Running Festival an event to remember: Alameda County Medical Center will provide medical support at several spots on the course as well as at the finish line. They will be supported by American Medical Response who will provide medical transport services. See Jane Run has been named the Official Women's Running Store and Greenlayer, the Official Merchandise Provider. MGD 64 will be the presenting sponsor of the Celebration Village at the finish line, GEICO will sponsor the Pace Groups and KTCU & KICU will serve as our television media partners. Further, Kaiser Permanente, with a large office in downtown Oakland, has just signed up as a supporting sponsor. Our expo is just about sold out with chiropractors, charity groups, running stores, events and much more!

We are still recruiting runners so if you know of someone looking for a Spring event, let them know that Oakland is where they will want to be! This Inaugural Event will feature top-notch premium items, cool medals, great on-course support and a fun and fan friendly finish line party for everyone to enjoy. Runners can register on our website today.

Those who are unable to run on race day are encouraged to sign up to volunteer, come to the finish line celebrate with the runners or cheer from their neighborhoods along the race route.

Keep the Pace,

Gene Brtalik
Race Director

WE PROMISE, THEY WON'T TACKLE YOU DURING THE RACE
Oakland Raiders Team Up with Running Festival

The Oakland Raiders, The Team of the Decades, has teamed up with the City of Oakland for the inaugural Oakland Running Festival.

The Raiders will sponsor the first mile of the 26.2 marathon course and the Raiderettes, Football's Fabulous Females, will also be in attendance to cheer on runners as they cross the finish line. As an added bonus, all runners will have the opportunity to purchase a specially priced ticket package that includes the added value of being honored on the field in a pre-game ceremony prior to a 2010 Raiders home game. [...MORE]

ON COURSE NUTRITION SET FOR OAKLAND
GU Energy, Powerade and Clif Bar Sign on to Support Runners

The Oakland Running Festival has partnered with three great companies to provide nourishment for the runners on the course and at the finish line.

As you continue your training you will want to note that the following products will be served on race day:

GU Energy Gel: Simple to take, fast to digest, GU Energy Gel provides simply what you need for premium exercise fuel and none of the extras that slow you down. GU takes you where you want to go, fast. We will be offering the following flavors: Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Outrage, Strawberry Banana (no caffeine) and Jet Blackberry (double caffeine).

Powerade Electrolyte System Sports Drink: When you sweat you lose key minerals- Sodium, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium- which can be crucial to your body and hydration. As you loose hydration you can lose your ability to perform. Now you can get it all back with Powerade. Fruit Punch flavor will be served on course and at the finish line.

ClifBar: Whole, all-natural, organic ingredients. Good nutrition and great taste. It's the energy bar for everyone with 23 vitamins and minerals. We will offer a variety of flavors on the course and at the finishline.

MEDAL DESIGNS RELEASED
A Worthy Symbol of Your Achievement

Samples of the medal designs for the Inaugural Oakland Running Festival have arrived and they look amazing! They are large in size and heavy in weight and should serve as a worthy symbol of your accomplishment on March 28.

All finishers of the full marathon, half-marathon and team relay will receive one of these fabulous medals after finishing the race. Then they can wear them with pride as they celebrate with the other runners, friends and relatives at the MGD 64 post race Celebration Village, complete with live music, cold beverages, vendors, interactive games and fun for the whole family.

NOT UP FOR 26.2 OR 13.1 -- TRY THE RELAY
Great Option for Friends, Families or Co-Workers

If you are interested in participating in the Oakland Running Festival festivities on Sunday but 26.2 or even 13.1 miles seem daunting, consider joining with a group of friends and running the 4-Person Team Relay.

The Team Relay splits the marathon course into four sections. Participants receive the same benefits as the full marathoners (with only 1/4 of the training and post-race pain). We provide transportation to and from your leg (if needed). The exchange points for the four-person team relay are listed below:

Leg 1. Start to Lake Temescal Park (~ 6 miles)
Leg 2. Lake Temescal Park to 580 Underpass on Champion (~5 miles)
Leg 3. 580 Underpass on Champion to West Oakland BART station (~7.5 miles)
Leg 4. West Oakland BART station to Finish (~7.5 miles)

Legs 1 and 2 are the more difficult legs as they go through the hills and hence the reason for why they are shorter. Legs 3 and 4 are more downhill and flat, which is what makes them the longer legs.

We hope you and your running posse consider running the relay or one of our other races. To learn more, VISIT THIS LINK...

33 Reasons To Feel Shitty

2010-02-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

I am feeling crappy today. I wonder why? Of course, I could slowly back away from the computer, sit down at the piano and practice or climb the roof and take the Xmas lights down or clean the dishes or read a book that I have been reading at an excruciatingly slow pace or clean my office or do work on a good-paying writing project that is at a standstill or go be a good mom or... but no, I will sit here in self-contemplative mode and think about myself and my emotions and my hair and my itchy neck and who likes me and who I like and where am I going and what have I done, etc.

Here are possible reasons for the ebb of my emotional tide today, an ebb that is so awesomely all-important in the scheme of the world. Yep, I am a writer and that sentence sucked. Onward:

1. Talked to my mom on Sunday. That seems to bring me down for a few days pretty reliably. (99% sure she won't read this.)

2. Ran 18 miles on Sunday, then hiked 6 miles (slowly) with dog and family on Monday. Still tired. My dog can't even move now. I checked an hour ago and he's still alive though. He didn't run the 18 miles, by the way.

3. I had a really good show Saturday night (actually two gigs that day) and maybe this is the low that follows the performance high?

4. Don't have any gigs at all in February as of right now.

5. I'm waiting to get paid by three people, so that I can make February's house payment, now due.

6. Last night when I crawled into bed wearing three layers of clothes I thought, "What if this is all there is?" That's a great launching point for your mind just before it drifts into the abyss.

7. I hope no bookers who might possibly book me read this. Because I am doing great sigh that took too much effort.

8. I tried to sleep some more but I couldn't.

9. I bought something online but it didn't work.

10. I feel gross.

11. Men fill me with despair. But I am raising two little men so I have to teach them to be gentlemen. Conundrum.

12. Depressing lists make me more depressed.

13. I know I'll snap out of it in a bit.

14. I forgive too easily.

15. I don't like fake people, in real life or on facebook.

16. I'm not trying for sympathy or anything, I truly thought this might be an entertaining post but now I think it probably sucks.

17. I don't like complainers and that includes myself.

18. I hate the IRS.

19. My dentist discriminated against me.

20. I wish I could finish more of what I started.

21. Why do mean people seek positions of power?

22. What is the evolutionary purpose of a virus? Just to replicate? But then it kills its host. Are there any good viruses?

23. Why do people pull at the thread of something irksome that you in a moment of trusting weakness revealed to them so that they continually bring it up in what seems to be a shared dark humor but in truth is a way for them to satisfy their morbid desire to see you fail? How can you spot these people and avoid them?

24. Why does love require you to nakedly connect without knowing if your sacrifice will be acknowledged or just taken like a $4 toll and you don't even care if it's a pacer or a porsche that drives through.

25. Why is your attention span so short? Can't you see how amazing it is to enjoy something fully? I don't mean forever, but I do mean for more than four minutes.

26. How do you build something truly great?

27. Officer, why did you give me a $100 ticket for parking with my right wheels slightly up on my sidewalk in front of my house (we do that so people won't hit the car coming around the corner)? Where did you pull that handwritten $100 figure out of, your ass?

28. My head feels heavy.

29. Why can't you take care of yourself? I feel bad that I can't fix everything for you.

30. I don't like it when people aren't professional. Then someone has the gall to say I wasn't professional one time? Give me a break.

31. How come you were nice to me, then mean to me, then nice to me again? I try to be nice. But I don't want to play this game. I know, it's not always about me. It's about you, motherfucker.

32. I am sure tomorrow I will feel grateful again. Even though this list is pissy I'm actually not as low as I can go. And that's low. So this is good.

33. You know what, I think I feel better.

Fundraiser this Saturday for the San Jose Jazz Society

2010-01-28T13:38:00.000-08:00

Step out in style while supporting San Jose Jazz's year round music and education programs

Hollywood Comes to Silicon Valley, a fundraiser for San Jose Jazz, is very special evening of music and Hollywood glamour featuring award winning jazz composer/arranger/saxophonist John Altman.

Saturday, January 30, 2010, at 6:30pm
San Jose Athletic Club, 196 N. 3rd St., San Jose

The party will feature:
>>Music by noted Hollywood composer and performer John Altman, with the San Jose Jazz Orchestra
>> Fashion Show
>> Rare Live and Silent Auctions, including a poster signed by Miles Davis, a cruise aboard a Macondo sailboat, a week in Maui, and many more
>> Abundant Hors d'Oeuvres and Somptuous Desserts
>> Attire: Hollywood chic and glamour

About John Altman:
John Altman's name might not be instantly recognizable as one of the world's greatest composers, arrangers, or musicians, but his music is known to millions around the world. He is the man behind "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" and an array of other well known classics. During his career, John has worked with some of the greatest names in the music industry, including Bob Marley, Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Sting, Diana Ross, Simple Minds, and Björk.

A highly acclaimed player of the saxophone, flute, and clarinet, Altman is lauded by respected critic Don Heckman in the Los Angeles Times as "one of the few film composers with authentic jazz skills." He has composed or arranged the music for numerous films (Titanic, Shall We Dance?) and television shows (Monty Python, Peak Practice) and won several awards, including an EMMY.

This very special evening of music and Hollywood glamor is the perfect opportunity to step out in style while supporting San Jose Jazz's year round music and education programs.

About San Jose Jazz:

Each year, since 1986, San Jose Jazz has made a difference in our lives by bringing jazz to Silicon Valley schools, venues, and festivals. San Jose Jazz nurtures the cultural identity of Silicon Valley. In this economy, each dollar for the arts is a considerable investment in the future of our community. We need the arts... the arts need you.

Purchase tickets and RSVP to Madelyn Crawford at 408-288-7557 ext. 2335 or email membership@sanjosejazz.org

It's a Tough Job but Somebody's Gotta Do It

2010-01-24T11:25:00.001-08:00

I was forced to pose in this degrading man sandwich backstage. That was rough! Could be some kind of phobia? I may need to repeat the exposure to desensitize myself.

That'll Leave a Mark

2010-01-24T11:10:00.001-08:00

Last night after Seaon Stylist's salsa tribute to Michael Jackson at the Cowell Theater, in which I sang backup with the band led by Rebeca Mauleon (more about that later), I headed over to Cafe Cocomo for the after party. It was packed to the gills. I had some nice dances with excellent partners, and then snuck into the green room to say hi to the band, Mazacote. One of the players said, "Hey, I remember you -- you gave me some ear plugs one time, right?" "Uh, yeah, that's true!" I replied. See how memorable I am?

This morning as I lay in bed trying unsuccessfully to sleep in I started riffing on that comment in my head. Having gigged around I've made quite an artistic impression on many bands. Here are assorted compliments:

"Hey, I remember you -- you gave me a paperclip!"

"Hey girl! You're the one who had some Advil when I needed it."

"That show we did together was great. You really have a pleasant disposition."

"You know what I like about you is you always have scotch tape in your bag."

"Oh I remember you, you really sweat a lot on stage don't you?!"

"Alexa, Alexa... let's see, when did we work together -- oh now I remember, we arm wrestled at the gig! Yeah! My arm hurt for weeks after that."

Yep. As a singer I have made an indelible mark -- with a permanent pen? -- on the music scene.

You're welcome, Bay Area.

Don't Just Peep in the Window! Tonight, Proyecto Lando @ La Pena!

2009-12-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

Last night we were rehearsing again for tonight's gig at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley. It's a show of adventurous and original proportions, mixing tunes by Peruvian percussionist/songwriter Pedro Rosales of Rompe y Raja with Afro-Cuban and even R&B elements (that's where I come in, singing Fallin' by Alicia Keys over a lilting landó lament). I also recorded my version of the tune for the new CD, available in limited quantities tonight.

As we rehearsed in a copy story on Solano Avenue in Albany, passers-by pressed their noses to the glass and tried to peer over posters taped on the closed doors. On the one hand it was lovely to know we drew attention, this cast of well over a dozen musicians rehearsing complex music with driving cajon- and cajita-based percussion.

On the other hand, a peevish voice in my head said, sure, they stop and listen now, but come time to fill a concert hall as an artist you practically have to donate a kidney to get an enthusiastic audience in the seats. Now, there are probably many factors at work here -- I'm just being honest about the feeling it brought up. I definitely don't advise browbeating people to get them to come to concerts -- though some might argue that it doesn't matter HOW you get them in the door so long as they're pleased once they get there. One reason we might have attracted so much attention last night, too, was the peep-show element: Hide something (even in plain sight), and people want to know what it is. Another might be simply the street music factor: There are lots of folks walking up and down Solano Ave, and they might have been pleasantly surprised by the sight of musicians shedding inside a copy shop. Finally, it didn't cost a thing for them to look through the window, whereas it will cost a few dollars to come see the live show tonight.

With that said, hope to see a good crowd there! Time to get ready for soundcheck!

Saturday, December 19th, 2009 8:00 PM
Pedro Rosales CD Release
La Pena Cultural Center
3105 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA 94705
510-849-2568
Tickets: $15
http://www.lapena.org

Act now! Save Pianist Fred Harris's Home!

2009-12-08T13:05:00.000-08:00

In the past 2 weeks, $9,500 has been raised by jazz lovers, musicians and good Samaritans to keep pianist Frederick Harris from losing the San Francisco home that has been in his family for 39 years, in a neighborhood that thanks to gentrification now only houses three black families. Can you kick in some cash to help Fred?

From his bio:

Frederick Harris has been an active professional musician in San Francisco for many years. He graduated with a Master's Degree from the SF Conservatory and is an unusually gifted classical pianist. He's also been music director for numerous local theatre productions and has risen to great heights in the jazz world, where his credits include Dizzy Gillespie, Regina Carter, Billy Higgins, Chico Freeman, Barbara Morrison, Kurt Elling and many others. He is on the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop and is the Music Director of St. John Coltrane African Orthodox Church. He teaches through Stanford and at his home studio.

Here is Fred's situation, in his own words:

"On December 11, '09, this home will be lost to foreclosure. Though I've resumed payents, Wells Fargo has returned them, and I need to raise $12,000.00 to stop the pending auction, set for 12/11. 12k is less than trifling to lose one's home by, and yet it's beyond my grasp, so I need your help. This will settle the arrears on the property, and keep me in my home, a home that's been 'in the family' virtually my entire life. Those of you who know me know that I'm not one to ask for help, generally, but an angel reminded me that there's nothing to lose in asking, nothing's gained in not (asking), and that one must try. It is in this spirit that I ask you to please securely donate whatever you can by simply clicking on the button below, or by mailing to Frederick Harris, P.O. Box 16642, S.F. CA 94116."

http://www.fhperformances.org/

I'm Your Man -- Original Song by Alexa Weber Morales

2009-12-04T17:06:00.001-08:00

Just wrote this one today!

I’m Your Man
By Alexa Weber Morales © 2009

I’m your man
I’ve got everything covered
I can pay my own way
I can be your casual lover

I like to step out and have a good time
I know how to drink and fight
Sometimes I go too far or meet someone or lose my car
I stay out all night

I’m your man and life has shown me
Ain’t no one else who can help me stand
I’m your man and I know what to do
I learned long ago I can’t count on you

When someone says it can’t be done
I’m your man and I say Yes it can
I’m your man and I act real strong
I can fix anything and I’m never wrong

I’m your man and you don’t have to call me
I’ll magically appear when I’m needed
I’m your man and you don’t have to worry
I know when to beat it

Other men might be afraid of me
But I’ve got no choice this is who I’ve got to be
Sometimes I remember what it was like to be a girl
She’s got no place in this heartless world

I’m your man and I look so hard
Got mouths to feed, can’t let down my guard
I’m your man, this act is getting old
Deep inside there’s a woman’s soul

Don’t want to be your mother
Don’t want to be your wife
Don’t want to be your man
I want to share this life
It’s been so long, this act is getting old
Could you ever care for a woman’s soul

I’m your man
I’m your man
I’m your man
I’m your man

Quisiera Retroceder El Tiempo -- Cancion Original por Alexa Weber Morales

2009-12-03T20:53:00.001-08:00

Quisiera Retroceder El Tiempo

Derechos de autor (c) 2009 por Alexandra L. Weber Morales

Quisiera retroceder el tiempo
Al hermoso descubrimiento
Que eras tierno y eras un tigre
Aún el encanto nos envuelve y vive

Te digo que tu me matas
Gozando el calor de tu piel
Apretando mi cintura me contestas
Tu me matas tambien

Desaparece el mundo
Al aferrarme a tus brazos
Trazas caricias con la punta de tu nariz
Que ricura tus labios

Quisiera retroceder el tiempo
Al hermoso descubrimiento
Que eras tierno y eras un tigre
Aún el encanto nos envuelve y vive

Crees conocerme
Esta noche soy tuya
Profundamente me miras
Lentamente nos amamos

Lo nuestro sigue en sueños
Un viento de la posibilidad
Lo vivo cuando cierro mis ojos
Este recuerdo no descansa, es mi realidad

Quisiera retroceder el tiempo
Al hermoso descubrimiento
Que eras tierno y eras un tigre
Aún el encanto nos envuelve y vive

Classic Clip: Don Music Rewrites Mary Had a Little Lamb

2009-11-29T11:03:00.000-08:00

This is from the early 1970s. I love how Don Music bangs his head on the piano whenever he hits a songwriting speedbump. "Oh, I'll never get it, never, Oh!!! [BANG]!" And the interaction with a reasonable Kermit and the easily frustrated Don Music is one that I think many a composer could relate to.

Going Postal

2009-11-29T10:38:00.000-08:00

I'm standing in line at my local post office. I know all the clerks and managers, even though I rarely come in here. A portly white guy in shorts and sandals with socks is speaking, very agitatedly, with one of the clerks. His loud voice is the only one heard in the small space.

"I am trying to find out what has happened to this package. I used to work for the post office. According to YOUR TRACKING CODE, this package NEVER LEFT THIS BUILDING. It was supposed to go to Anchorage, Alaska. But my friend in Alaska went TODAY to her post office box to retrieve this package and THIS IS THE INFORMATION SHE RECEIVED. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE HAS DONE WITH THIS PACKAGE."

The clerk responds, quietly, examining the sheet of paper the man has been waving.

"I WANT YOU TO CHECK YOUR WAREHOUSE. I WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER." He's nearly apoplectic.

Finally, the manager comes over. She's a woman with a mellifluous voice who always wishes customers "a blessed day." The clerk tries explaining: "She says the package did not leave but we show the package went to Alaska."

"I AM NOT A SHE. I AM A HE. I AM SO SICK OF DEALING WITH U.S. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES WHO CANNOT EVEN SPEAK THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE."

"Sir, can you step over to this window while I go look for your package?" asks the manager. He does so and she disappears through a passageway.

He pulls out his cellphone, dials and pauses until it connects.

"Hey. Yeah, I'm here at the post office," he says, at the same volume he'd been using before. "Yeah, it's so frustrating. I can't believe how INCOMPETENT these people are. Yes, I told them I used to work for the U.S. postal service." He pauses, looks through the window, and sighs loudly. "I know, I know. All I am trying to do is figure out WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FUCKING CHEESECAKE."

The Man of the Future

2009-11-15T17:55:00.000-08:00

I pulled into the Emeryville marina at 9 AM this morning after a late night spent gigging and visiting Denny's locations. Last year I trained with an informal, free running team led by a fleet-footed woman named Claire, and I was thrilled when this year's training email came around. We're working toward the Kaiser half-marathon in February, followed by the new Oakland marathon in March! I really didn't want to miss the first group run, and it turns out my brain wouldn't let me -- I couldn't oversleep, even though I tried.

I took the run at a very easy 9:30 to 10-minute-per-mile pace, and aimed for a modest five miles even though I could have done my usual overkill and gone for the max distance, which was eight. On the way out I had an enjoyable talk with a woman who was training along with Claire's husband for a marathon, doing her last 22-mile run. I had poked fun at all the water and nutrition Matt was carrying for a five-mile run before I realized that they were actually planning on running for three-plus hours.

With marine air and clear skies on our left, and freeway noise on our right, we rolled along, happily chatting. Somehow the conversation turned to me sharing observations from a personality test that I recently took. "I just took a personality test too!" the woman chirped. We seemed to have a similar predilection for setting goals but then letting the path to those goals unfold intuitively. I said that works out well, if slowly, but the downside is I often get stressed out when a little more planning/discipline and less intuition could facilitate those goals.

I reached my turnaround and started running with a guy I had met last year who is quite fast -- a seven-minute-miler. But he seemed happy to go my pace, and in fact said he'd suffered an injury at the amazing Angel Island 10-mile trail run in January, (which I blogged about), and that that injury had plagued him ever since. So his goal now is simply to take it easy.

He began to tell me about his wife, a radiant woman who has left her previous job as a cartographer and made a new career choice to become a physical therapist, a profession I'd say is ideal for her disposition. I thought it was wonderful to hear about a successful life transition like that and he shared interesting details about her physical therapy studies, such as the fact that certain of their necessary stress tests can actually be harmful to the joints in question.

I observed that she seemed well suited to be a PT. He said that motivating patients to do the painful work of restoring their bodies' mechanics, especially with diminishing healthcare dollars and a widespread pill-popping mentality, makes the PT's job harder than the drug-dispensing nurse's when dealing with, say, a hip-replacement patient. He said she was also interested in geriatric care, and we began talking about youth and age.

That reminded me of a recent public TV special I saw, a talk by a gerontologist named Ken Dychtwald. In it, he told a story about meeting an older man who had just begun working with a personal trainer. The trainer urged him to talk to his inspiring client. "Why did you start training?" Dychtwald asked the man, who looked about 75. "I was getting stiff, and not feeling as energetic as I used to," the man said. They discussed his training and positive results. "When did you start working out?" Dychtwald asked. "Two years ago," the man said, "when I turned 100."

"I felt like I was looking at the man of the future," the author said in his TV special.

My running partner agreed it was a compelling story. Dychtwald's whole premise is that as human longevity increases, the way we have lived our lives in sharply defined phases, ending with retirement, no longer makes sense. We think of the young as being in their prime, "but actually we're young for such a short period of our lives," my companion wisely said -- and he's much younger than I am.

As we loped into the parking lot and reunited with our motley teammates and perky coach, I realized how effortless the five miles had been, despite the lack of sleep. I hopped in my truck and drove happily through the bright fall sunlight back home.

I always feel so good after running. I wanted to write this because a powerful sensation enveloped me later today, a sensation that, step by step, footfall by footfall, we are becoming more like that man of the future. If I am lucky I will be that spunky centenarian.

I keep making mistakes, tripping, falling, yelling, cursing, sinning, and wasting my precious time. But after last night's gig and this morning's run, I want to remember that the road is long. I know that I can take a step every day that turns me into the person I want to be. And whenever I screw up, I need to go for a run.

Late-Night Adventures of Fast-Food Musicians

2009-11-15T15:57:00.000-08:00

I gigged last night with the salsa band, enjoying the sensation of being part of a well-oiled machine, thanks to recent vocal rehearsals and gigs. I floated along on a rollercoaster of emotions, doing my job as best I could while dealing with the sundry band and fan dramas that unfolded around me. The sound, unfortunately for the struggling singers, was capriciously run by a corpulent curmudgeon (when we asked for more in the monitors he grumbled and wondered why we couldn't sing louder, then actually turned us down). My best ass-kissing diplomacy had little effect. "It really sounded great the way you had it," I desperately lied. "Could you put it back to how you had it?" "Stop complaining -- you're making it worse!" someone hissed at me -- someone who'd asked me to smile at and talk to the sound man. Afterwards I thanked the man for the great sound, of course.

Dancing was fun, especially with two partners for a few songs (they would switch off partnering with me back and forth, like double-dutch jump rope -- what a blast!). After the show I had planned to jump in the car and race home to get as much sleep as possible before this morning's first run with my Oakland marathon training group. However, the timbalero, a sweet guy who is blind, asked me to give him a ride to Denny's, so that plan went out the window.

On the way, I picked his brain about how he learns tunes by ear. He shared some very interesting insights. You can easily burn yourself out listening to tunes over and over to learn them, he said, and then you stop hearing them. He said he learns a tune in about four listens.

First, he just lets it play, making no effort or commentary. The second time, he listens carefully to ALL the parts, the lyrics, the melody and the form, making mental notes. At this point (or maybe after one more listen -- I can't remember), he leaves it to get a coffee, run errands, whatever. When he comes back to it later or the next day, he focuses on sections of the form, maybe just playing the parts of the song he feels he doesn't know yet. He said he can learn a new tune in 24 hours, and can learn a band's entire book in a week.

Further, many salsa tunes are very similar, so once you know the form, he said, you're most of the way there -- the breaks may be different, among other things. This is similar advice to that in an Aebersold book I once bought on learning tunes, which classified jazz standards according to many criteria into a mental database of related songs. Great stuff that I will put to use!

We pulled into Emeryville Denny's only to discover that it was closed. "Where is a 24-hour restaurant in Oakland?" I asked the security guard. "I have to leave my friend to wait for someone, and I can't just leave him in the cold!" He directed me to the Denny's near the Oakland airport, off Hegenberger. Traffic on 880 was slow due to construction. At 3 am we finally pulled into Hegenberger Denny's. "Damn, these people are scary," I said, pulling into the only available parking space, which faced a gang of white, black and brown guys with low-hanging pants and aggressive body language. Their heads were mostly obscured by the cloud of smoke they were sharing. If you were casting a prison movie, these guys would have been a windfall.

"Don't worry, I have a blade," my resourceful percussionist said. Hmmm. In the pros column, we had the fact that my friend is a big guy, he's Puerto Rican, and he's got a switchblade. In the cons, he's blind. Worse than that, he's a musician, a breed not generally known for its fighting capabilities. "Well, there's no where else to park. Guess we'll make a run for it," I joked, wondering how I would make it back to my car alone.

We went inside just as a gargantuan woman blasted through the doors, having a tantrum about her cell phone. At this point I was hungry -- and not too proud to hit up my companion for a $3.99 meal. We waited for his friend to arrive. I looked around, then said in Spanish, "This is about the worst-looking crowd I've ever seen inside a Denny's." I don't know if it was because I was blurry-eyed and wondering how I was going to wake up in a couple of hours for a long run, but glancing around the restaurant revealed patrons who looked like they were from that famous Star Wars alien bar scene. Yep. Pretty much The People of Walmart (hey, I shop there too).

His friend arrived from his own far-off gig. We wolfed down the usual fare -- burgers, pancakes, fried eggs, french fries, bacon (though I asked for sausage) and had fun chatting in Spanglish about gigs, love and exercise. I checked my watch. We were homing in on 4 AM, so I excused myself. "Can you walk her out to her car?" the timbalero asked. The gentlemanly behavior touched me. It wasn't in vain. Exiting the doors, we nearly collided with a hometown version of Marlon Wayans in Scary Movie 2. He managed to take up the entire walk way while standing, immobile, again in a cloud of his own smoke. "Hablando del diablo," I laughed, as we parted around him like water around a boulder. My car faced more smoke-filled, angry-looking-men-with-scary-hair-filled cars. "Did you want a ride back to the door?" I joked.

I managed to be in bed by 4 AM. I woke at 8, and met my friends for a gorgeous run from the Emeryville Marina at 9. To be continued...

Yummy Cinnamon Roll Recipe

2009-11-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

I made these cinnamon rolls last weekend for breakfast. The recipe was in the Oakland Tribune, adapted from a Sherwood Forest Bread and Breakfast recipe found in the new cookbook, "Cinnamon Mornings and Savory Nights: Romantic Recipes from America's Inns" by Pamela Lanier. They turned out great! I should have snapped a picture 10 minutes later, when this plate was empty.

Hit Songs I Have Neglected to Write

2009-11-09T13:41:00.001-08:00

Going through my files of unfinished songs and ideas, I came across some titles that, simply put, would be platinum hits if only I would complete them. Wanna whiff of my genius? Here you go:

Cerveza, Meado del Diablo (this could be a major hit in Mexico)
What You Call Beer I Call the Devil's Piss (crossover hit for U.S. market)
You're a Dipshit, Joe Lieberman
I Had a Very Shitty Christmas This Year (don't worry, it's from a while ago)
Lover's Logorrhea (over an Ivan Lins-style melody)
Mi Venganza Telefonica/My Telephonic Revenge (just has a ring to it, no?)
Mommy's Not a Happy Camper
Rejected, Dejected and Infected (R&B)
Something Is Pounding In My Head (techno)
What's In Your Diaper? (actually, I finished that one, and it was a hit on YouTube. My brother said he sings it when he changes his son's diaper.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOISZzCwMIs

Our 2009 Halloween Costumes: Elvis and Lobito

2009-11-04T11:40:00.000-08:00

Here are my boys' costumes! I am so proud of them. Though I must say this year Halloween was a big deal everywhere. Throngs of kids came to my door, and they were all dressed up well! My boy's school mates were really creative, and there were lots of homemade costumes. A lot of Michael Jacksons, too. My three-year-old really enjoyed the whole thing, although it was a struggle explaining every night of October why it wasn't Halloween yet! I hope next year my older son and I can make it out to the haunted house in Fremont -- we were going to go, then unexpectedly found ourselves without any coin!

Elvis turned out not so hard. I took a white tuxedo jacket that my sister-in-law bought for him at her wedding. I ironed on a few bejeweled transfers, and sewed on silver mardi gras beads. I hot glued mardi gras beads to an old pair of my sunglasses, and sewed more of them to the sides of his pants. We sprayed his hair black and I painted on a forehead curl and mutton chop sideburns. Done!

The werewolf costume was a lot easier. I made that a few years ago for my older son, so it was just a matter of finding it in the basement and painting his face. I looked online for some werewolf makeup inspiration, and think it turned out well. Of course, by the time his older brother's school parade came around he was hot and tired of the costume, so that was short lived.

My own costume was the casualty in all of this. Next year I'll try to think of something in advance. There are actually some lucrative costume competitions out there. One parent at my son's school won $400 for his incredible replica of a Manhattan bathroom (it consists of a tiled box that he wears, and it has all the amenities). However, I was called last-minute to support a friend on a gig by singing a few songs for her, so I had to abandon my plan of going as a victim of bad plastic surgery -- puffy lips, mismatched boobs and all!

Twenty Things I Miss About Corporate America

2009-11-04T09:17:00.000-08:00

I am sitting in a conference keynote for a freelance writing assignment, and had to take a bio break. That got me thinking about the contrasts between this world and that of night clubs and salsa gigs. So, instead of listening to this panel discussion about how social networking and Enterprise 2.0 are affecting companies today, I wrote this list.

Twenty Things I Miss About Corporate America

Sparklingly clean restrooms
Free coffee and donuts
Limitless supply of pens
Butt photocopying
Expense accounts
Fancy restaurants and no haggling over the bill
New computers
Expensive shoes
Nice hotels with comfy beds
Frequent flyer miles
Health care
Button-down shirts
Infrequent swearing; no shouting
Infrequent drunkenness
Blazers
Cubicle banter
People with large vocabularies
T1 Internet connections
Paychecks on the 15th and the 30th
Being middle class

Original Song: Long Enough to Hear the Song that God Made

2009-10-29T20:10:00.001-07:00

I wrote this awhile ago. Just recorded it today. Frankly I can't remember the last chord--I had a really beautiful one and now I can't figure out what it was. I don't know how I feel about this song, but want to post it just in the interest of keeping the pipeline flowing.

Here are the lyrics, copyright (c) Alexandra Weber Morales 2009

All I want is to be loved
To float on a tropic wave
For you to stop yelling at me
Long enough to let me hear the song that God made

And when the song pours through me
Will you finally love me
My insatiable need to be free
Please don't be angry
What do you gain when you disdain me

My heart beats wild, my back is weary
Where on earth are we going
There is no map, there is no fucking plan
Bivouacking for years on end
Contemplating the weakness of man

All I want is to be true
To sleep under open sky
For you to stop blocking my view
Long enough to let me see the light of God's eye

I gave myself away like a fool
Danger drew me to you
Imprisoned by your hazy traditions
Your phony signs and your hieroglyphics
Who have you smuggled inside you?

We found an ancient vessel
Breathed new life into the clay
Suckling, scrubbing, never sleeping
Your spears scarring, carving me deeply
Now all that's left are shards and figurines

All I want is to be loved
To float on a tropic wave
For you to stop yelling at me
Long enough to let me swim the sea that God made
Long enough to let me see the light in God's eye
Long enough to let me hear the song that God wrote
For me

Alexa's Homemade Halloween Decoration Ideas, Part 2

2009-10-24T20:06:00.001-07:00

In part 2 of homemade Halloween decorations, we cover homemade gravestones, accidentally-grown pumpkins and a head and a hand in a jar.

If you like the video please rate and comment with your favorite homemade Halloween tips!

Alexa's Homemade Halloween Decoration Ideas, Part 1

2009-10-24T19:11:00.001-07:00

This year we are not spending a cent on Halloween -- well, maybe buying candy, though I wish we could hand out cookies instead. To my amazement I realized we had come up with a lot of homemade projects, including Mr. Bottlebones (which I found on another website). If you like the video please rate and comment with your favorite homemade Halloween tips!

In Search of Halloween Inspiration, We Remember the Ventriloquist Mummy Costume

2009-10-20T17:19:00.001-07:00

Digging into our Halloween archives for inspiration, we revisited this gem. The best costume yet. Today my son (who is now 9) said, "How about Elvis, Mommy?" I started getting excited about the possibilities of both of my boys as Elvis, and went on for about 5 minutes until my son interrupted me: "Who is Elvis, anyway?"

Tema Original de Salsa: Catastrofe de Amor

2009-10-20T15:52:00.001-07:00

This is a song I've been writing and re-writing over the past few weeks. It's not completely done or arranged of course but I'd love your opinion and ratings! Agradezco sus comentarios!

Catastrofe de Amor
Letra y musica por Alexa Weber Morales
http://www.alexajazz.com
Derecho de autor (c) 2009 por Alexa Weber Morales
Todos derechos de autor reservados mundialmente

Trato de huir, pongo velocidad pero la noche no me ayuda
Quemando llanta doy la media vuelta
Soñando toco tu puerta
Los fantasmas me abren camino
Sin querer pizo corazones
Luego tus labios descubren cincuenta mil razones
Por las cuales estoy compartiendo mis pasiones

Es imposible que este amor oscuro triunfe
No sé porque te he dejado tratarme así
Sembramos vientos, recogemos tempestades
Porque somos dos desastres precipitándose a la catástrofe

Ámame pues, no aguanto mi soledad siempre me entrego aunque no debo
Si eres tan terrible porque tus latidos
me llaman desde tu pecho
O será que escucho los mios
me enciego a tus pecados
Grítame más, mi ternura calma tu despecho
Sollozos transformados en dos cuerpos entrelazados

Es imposible que este amor oscuro triunfe
No sé porque te he dejado tratarme así
Sembramos vientos, recogemos tempestades
Porque somos dos desastres precipitándose a la catástrofe

Melody Gardot - Official Video

2009-10-19T16:52:00.001-07:00

This is quite beautiful.

October Gigs So Far

2009-10-08T11:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a triple-header for Andy y Su Orquesta Callao, and it culminated in a wonderful show at that very San Franciscan institution, the outdoor stage at El Rio, where we enjoyed stellar sound engineering by Frank, rapturous dancers and a genuine rapport on stage. Gone was the in-fighting, the gun-pointing, the hair-pulling and the cat-scratching, replaced by the harmonious energy of a dedicated posse of underpaid primadonnas! Wait, maybe that was the most recent episode of Desperate Housewives. The point is, we felt great and we'd love to see more of you!

With that in mind, I thought I'd let you know where I'll be during this very busy week! Please see below for some dates that might interest you...

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Salsa en San Francisco - 10:00pm
The Glas Kat

520 4th St
San Francisco, CA 94107-1609
(415) 495-6620

With Andy y Su Orquesta Callao... This club consistently has GREAT dancers and great salsa bands... definitely a place to go to learn to dance salsa as well as watch the pros do it! We'll be celebrating musical director Ivan Lino-Montes' birthday, so please come and raise a glass to him!

Thursday, October 8th, 2009
Jazz 'n Cocktails 'n Entrees - 7:00pm
Cafe Claude

7 Claude Lane (near Kearny & Sutter)
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.392.3505

Alexa's jazz trio enhances the lovely French cuisine and soothes the beautiful people who all appear to be gainfully employed.

Thursday, October 8th, 2009
Salsa en Concord - 10:30pm
Club Sazon

2765 Clayton Rd
Concord, CA 94519-2725
(925) 686-1950

With Andy y Su Orquesta Callao!

Friday, October 9th, 2009
Salsa en Albany! - 10:00pm
Montero's

1106 Solano Avenue
Albany, CA 94706
510-524-1270

With Andy y Su Orquesta Callao!

Friday, October 16th, 2009 10:00 PM
Salsa in San Francisco!
Roccapulco
3140 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94110-4504
(415) 648-6611
http://www.roccapulco.com
Price: $15

With Andy y Su Orquesta Callao!

Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Salsa en Concord - 10:00pm
Club Sazon

2765 Clayton Road
Concord, CA 94519
(925) 686-1950

With Andy y Su Orquesta Callao!

Men Are Raccoons

2009-10-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

Last night at 3:00 AM I arrived home after the gig and surprised a family of raccoons. It got me thinking how men are like raccoons. Allow me to explain.

Being a woman I focus on perfecting the face and hair, but I know that's not what men notice. My outfit last night consisted of a flared, strapless minidress and silver stilettos. The gams on display were key to my popularity.

The gig was great, and I sang well and felt increasingly confident about the arrangements of all the songs. But the higher-than-normal level of male attention was yet another example of how men can be totally manipulated with hair, makeup and clothes.

I know this because I can just as easily make myself completely invisible to men.

Granted, confidence is the best outfit-enhancer there is. If I'm pleased with how my costume -- that's how I think of it -- looks, that radiates outward.

But men, like raccoons, are attracted to shiny things. I have a tank top that is covered in sequins. It is loose-fitting, not revealing at all, and forgiving if I've just eaten an enormous pot of pozole. Throw that sucker on and the men come running. What is it about this gold tank top that renders them helpless to resist? I've decided it's simply because it has hundreds of sparkling disks attached to it.

That's not the only way in which men are raccoons. There's also the fact that men have opposable digits and they love to unfasten things, or stick their hands somewhere they don't belong. Once they've got hold of whatever it is they were reaching for, they're so curious they won't let go. Not even if they're in imminent danger.

Men are raccoons because they're all bluster and swagger, but shine a headlamp in their beady eyes and they lope unevenly back into the storm drains decorated with bottle caps and lingerie ads they proudly call home.

Men are raccoons because while they're out carousing they seem unattached and debonair, but if you make the mistake of following them as they scurry into the sewer, surprise! The wife and six kids pop their adorable little heads out to see what's going on.

Men are raccoons because by day they are docile, progressive and logy. By night they paw through every trash bin on the block. The more rarified the stench, the more exotic the garbage, the more intoxicatingly irresistible it is to them.

Men, like raccoons, are next to impossible to trap. When cornered they can be quite dangerous. Poisoning them is not advisable. They are frequently parasitized by lice, ticks, fleas and various types of worms, and have been known to have rabies, tuberculosis, distemper and, most often, bad temper.

I love men, I do. But for months now mama's been out clubbing multiple times per week singing in bands, thanks to the recession, and now she sees the truth. It's a little depressing. Raccoons are cute, and I'd never harm one. But they sure are filthy scavengers. Damn it.

The Ending Isn't Everything

2009-09-30T17:31:00.001-07:00

I was feeling sorry for myself. A booker didn't want me back at his club, and he was heaping stinky booker dung on my ego, telling me why. I tried to salvage the conversation, but afterwards I ruminated endlessly: "I never get called back. I don't get steadies. I just don't have enough fans and I never will."

After a few hours of this, the other voice in my head answered back: "Wait, remember your steady gig for five years at that prestigious venue? It ended, but that doesn't negate the fact that you had it for five years."

I am a long-term person. The years pass easily for me, and I don't leave situations readily, even though I am flamboyant and dramatic in many respects. But I've experienced my share of endings in life -- relationships, partnerships, jobs, gigs, friendships. As I was running today I realized how we characterize everything by the ending. My editorial job ended badly after 10 years, with a layoff that was a painful surprise to me. It took more than a year for me to get over that, but I know now that the 10 fruitful years spent traveling the U.S. and Latin America and learning the magazine business in a large trade media company are far more important than the two months it took to shut my magazine down.

The same goes for my musical partnerships. Some have simply drifted apart, while others endured more dramatic farewells... but I can't discard the performance or composing or recording experiences we had, of which I am proud, simply because it's over. (Digression for another time: When do you rekindle a past partnership? How do you decide the risk of another Waterloo is worth it, given the possibility of doing great things together?)

Of course, there are truly horrible, atrocious endings. Bad divorces, protracted wars, litigation, tragedies and intrigues... I wouldn't wish those on anyone. But is it also true that the older you get, the more you realize there will be plenty of endings in life? That this too shall pass? Perhaps my "problem" is that because I've been so steady, I haven't experienced a huge number of endings. Perhaps, thanks to my childhood, I've worked hard to avoid endings. Who knows.

I am at a crossroads -- Yep, been there for two years and counting -- but I am a little tiny bit less afraid of endings than ever before. Because I know that what I have accomplished, what I worked at, alone or in concert with others, is worth more than a few goodbyes.

Team in Training: Putting on my Wetsuit

2009-09-27T18:11:00.001-07:00

I always knew I was going to make it big on YouTube. Unfortunately, my hit vid is not music-related! Life's unpredictable that way, huh? I just noticed this video has now reached 100,211 views since I posted it back in March of 2008. If only a song of mine could boast the same popularity! However, I have been thinking about dusting off that wetsuit and singing a tune while wearing it... Nah, I'm not that desperate yet! What I'd really like to know is, are these latex fetishists harmless? I sure hope so. Enjoy!

Photos by David Belove -- Opening Today, 2-4 PM, Berkeley

2009-09-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

In My View
Photographs by David Belove
Opening September 27th from 2-4pm

David Belove is a bassist and photographer (and I've worked with him in both capacities) following in the tradition of the great Milt Hinton whose images of jazz musicians are legendary.

Through photography, David has been chronicling his involvement in the diverse San Francisco Bay Area music scene since the early 80's. Please join David for this free opening of his photo essay. Refreshments will be served.

The images in this show are but a few of the tens of thousands of images he has recorded. The subject of this showing is musicians that live and work in the Bay Area as well as those who have traveled here to perform.

The photos will be available for viewing at the Jazzschool Books & Records store (2087 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704) through the first of the year.

I recently caught up with David and learned he is also producing a new vocalist whose voice "makes me shiver, she's so good": Amikaeyla Proudfoot Gaston. The recordings, still in progress, feature Esperanza Spalding and David Pinto on Bass, and Deszon Claiborne on drums, among others. He met Amikaeyla when she hired him for an Eva Cassidy tribute show. Subsequently, she realized what a great ear he has and pulled him into the recording project. Amikaeyla sounds like a real go-getter, as she's squeezing recording sessions into her busy schedule travelling the world and recording a public television show (I believe for children). Can't wait to hear the album! Congrats, David!

We're Number 37 (In Healthcare)

2009-09-17T12:56:00.001-07:00

U.S. is Number 37 in healthcare in the world, and this song makes me "proud to be an American!" ;-) I love this guy!

Behind the Scenes: O Silencio de Iara and Overcoming a Tricky Chart

2009-09-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

On August 23 I enjoyed a splendiferous musical encounter at my Sacramento concert with Scott Collard, piano, Jeff Minnieweather, drums, and Rob Lemas, bass. As is often the case, we only rehearsed the afternoon of the show, and the cats only had my charts and recordings for about a week. But these musicians did such an excellent job of learning the tunes and bringing new subtleties to them that I was overjoyed.

Perhaps no song made me happier than O Silêncio de Iara, by Guinga, with lyrics by Luís Felipe Gama. (The song talks of seeking a mysterious, winged Iara, who remains silent in the day's shadows. The singer begs her to whisper her location, and never to sleep.) This was the first time I'd done it live, as the notation is quite difficult. Guinga is a Brazilian composer and guitarist who does not read music, so sheet music of his songs is generally replete with chord symbols that spark many a passionate argument among musicians -- simply because they are transcriptions of his magical guitar playing. I had taken the notated sheet music, with its guitar arpeggios all written out, and condensed it into a simple jazz lead sheet, or chart, that contained the melody but no arpeggios that might elucidate the chord symbols. I was concerned there wasn't enough time for Scott to learn the tune.

I was wrong! Scott made it sing. In fact, he and I discussed it afterwards, and with his permission, I am publishing his wonderful response to my question to him the other day.

I wrote:

Hi Scott,

I was wondering if you could send a PDF or scan or simple email explanation of the chord fixes you made to O Silencio de Iara? I want to do that song this Thursday with someone and hopefully with your improvements they might make sense of it. Thanks!

--Alexa

Scott wrote back:

Alexa,

Actually, on that chart I made very few marks. Here's what I put on there:

Measure 2: I noted the chord as G/Ab (instead of EbMaj7+). Not really much of a difference...

Measure 4: I noted the chord as Abmin/Gb (or BMaj6/F#) (instead of Bmin6/Gb). Only one note different; again no big deal...

Measure 5: Added the chord Bmin6/F# as I thought the "one note" (above) changed there...

Other than that, I circled the D.S. sign at [B], I circled the phrase "D.S. al CODA" the bar before the Coda, and I circled the Coda sign. This was just so I wouldn't miss them (I use a distinctive red pen...my vision is pretty poor).

So, given that I really didn't mark up the chart much (because you did a very nice job, really, of notating it), how come I was able to make sense of it where others have difficulty, you ask? First, obviously, your accompanist should listen to the recording. Second, if he or she just plays the chords you have indicated as quarter notes, it basically works. However, because the melody dances off the beat, your accompaniment should be lilting and support the dance by providing some simple rhythmic motion, etc.

What makes it really SING? "Strumming" the chords sort of like a guitarist would (not TOO much though), adding counter melodies as an arranger would if working with an orchestra, listening to the singer and pulling the time forward and back like taffy, playing with dynamics (lots of dynamics), varying the harmonic range (what I call the "width" of the harmony--the range from the lowest bass note to the highest treble note) to support the emotion and inflection, finding pretty voicings that don't clash, interesting voice-leading from chord to chord, at least a rudimentary knowledge of pan-diatonic harmony and functional substitution (i.e., Bb diminished and C7b9 are FUNCTIONALLY similar, heck, practically identical...),...,...,...

In short: being musical.

I know all that stuff above sounds pompous, but that really is what I'm doing, consciously, but without thinking about it, if that makes sense. I mean, I know exactly what I am doing, but I am really not trying to do anything except play. Um, it will be different every time that I do it (like between the sound check and the performance), but the APPROACH will basically be the same each time, because that's what the song IS.

OK, I'm not giving you any answers at all, I guess I'm just rambling...a great Sacramento composer/pianist named Bob Fyling just passed away recently. My wife worked with him for years and years. His arrangements of standards are absolutely wonderful, but no one around here can read them except for me. It's not that the charts are hard to read or the chords are wrong or he has some system of notation that is a mystery (well he does have a couple of very minor notational-shortcut-quirks, but that's another story), it's just that in order to play his charts you have to have a SENSIBILITY that his charts are a shorthand for. The full music is actually not on the page, but the choice of chords itself gives you the SENSE of what needs to happen to make the music work.

So when I play your chart for "O Silencio de lara", I try to heighten the sense of the drama and emotion. The chords and the melody already suggest this, the recording makes it very clear, and your accompanist should think like a classical musician in crafting a harmonic approach. I guess that's about as simple as I can say it.

And if I was going to go deeper, myself, in trying to make MORE out of it, I would first want to know what the lyrics mean. I mean, they SOUND beautiful, but since I am language-challenged, I have no idea what they actually SAY.

Sorry I can't be more specific...sometimes I just play a C7 with an E in the bass for the Eo on beat 2 of the first bar of letter [A]. Does that help? ;-)

Collard

O Silêncio de Iara by Guinga, sung live @ JB's Lounge in Sacramento, California by Alexa Weber Morales with Scott Collard, piano.

Autumn Leaves/Les Feuilles Mortes sung by Alexa Weber Morales

2009-08-28T18:20:00.001-07:00

Autumn Leaves sung by Alexa Weber Morales at JB's Lounge at the Red Lion in Sacramento, California. Scott Collard, piano, Jeff Minnieweather, drumset, Rob Lemas, bass. This Wayne Wallace arrangement of Autumn Leaves/Les Feuilles Mortes can be found on Alexa's first album, Jazzmerica (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/alexawm).

Sunday, 5-8 PM, Alexa plays jazz in Sacramento!

2009-08-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Sacramento peeps! Tomorrow, I'll be singing multilingual jazz and originals from 5-8 pm at JB's Lounge (formerly Savanna's) at the Red Lion Hotel, 1401 Arden Way
Sacramento, CA 95815.

Price: $8! For advance tickets call 916-723-5517 and press 3 for reservations.

Joining me are Jeff Minnieweather, drumset, Rob Lemas, bass, and Scott Collard, piano. It's been over a year since we played this gorgeous lounge and its enthusiastic audience, MC'd by the vivacious Vivian Lee. Don't miss our return appearance!

Jumpin' July! Alexa's shows July 29-31

2009-07-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

It's feast or famine, as usual, and this month has been a feast beyond compare! Looking at my calendar, I see we began with a bulky pickup from the garbage company -- oops, meant to stay focused on the music gigs. Yes, well, to begin with my family and I spent a marvelous week at Oakland's 85-year-old Feather River Camp in Plumas County (five hours north of here). I taught music and salsa aerobics, and we put together a slammin show with the campers, young and not-so-young, by week's end. Shouts out to my fellow teachers, Howard Pomerantz and Larry Ferrara.

Next, I was honored to be called in by Rudy Ramirez to appear on a pledge break with him and DJ Chris Cortez in support of KCSM TV (sister to KCSM jazz radio at FM 91.1). We had great chemistry. This will be airing Saturday, August 8 at 8 pm with the Latin Legends show focusing on mostly West Coast rock from bands such as Azteca, El Chicano and Santana. In researching for this I gained new insight about these bands and their ties to latin jazz!

We've also been in intensive rehearsals the past two weeks as singer/dancer Seaon Stylist helms an ambitious salsa tribute to Michael Jackson. See below for details! This is a smashing show with pro dancers, singers, hip hoppers and a live band with all new salsa arrangements of the greatest MJ songs ever. And I have been learning choreography too -- yikes!

We'll preview Friday's show tonight at the Down Low in Berkeley. Also, tomorrow check out our free latin jazz show at Cafe Claude in the San Francisco financial district. Please come and say hi! Heck, bring your axe and jam with us!

There's a lot simmering. I hope to see you savoring the music soon!

Siempre cantando,

Alexa

GIGS GIGS GIGS GIGS

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
Preview of Michael Jackson Tribute - 11:30pm
The Downlow
2284 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA
510.548.1159

Price: $10

Seaon Stylist, Jesus Ortiz and I will be performing selections from Seaon's upcoming song-and-salsa-dance tribute to Michael Jackson tonight with Montuno Swing, the hip salsa band led by intrepid arranger Cristian Tumalan. Look for us in the second set!

Thursday, July 30th, 2009
France in the Financial District - 7:30pm
Cafe Claude
7 Claude Lane (near Kearny & Sutter)
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.392.3505

Price: $0

If you want delicious French eats, beautiful people and live jazz, come and say hi. Watch out -- we may ask you to sit in with us!

Friday, July 31st, 2009
Michael Jackson Latin Tribute featuring Seaon Stylist & Montuno Swing! - 9:00pm
Cafe Cocomo
650 Indiana St
San Francisco, CA 94107
650-676-8900

Price: $15 advance, $20 door

I will be singing backup and dancing for this Michael Jackson Latin Tribute featuring Seaon Stylist & Montuno Swing! Come dance to the music of MJ as Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Bolero & Cha Cha Cha!

Sunday, August 23rd, 2009
Capitol Sunday Jazz Series, 5-8 PM - 5:00pm
JB's Lounge (formerly Savanna's) at the Red Lion Hotel
1401 Arden Way
Sacramento, CA 95815
916-723-5517 press 3 for reservations

Price: $8

With Jeff Minnieweather, drumset, Rob Lemas, bass, and Scott Collard, piano. It's been over a year since we played this gorgeous lounge and its enthusiastic audience, MC'd by the vivacious Vivian Lee. Don't miss our return appearance!

West Coast Latin Rock and KCSM TV

2009-07-29T15:05:00.001-07:00

Last week we recorded a series of pledge breaks for KCSM TV (sister station to our only Bay Area jazz station, KSCM FM 91.1) in San Mateo. Professor Rudy Ramirez (the fellow making a silly face with the guitar) is a genuine sweetheart and prankster who met me on a gig with the funk band I worked with, bought my CD, and invited me to do this for KCSM, his alma mater (and where he now teaches).

The show our pledge break is interrupting (enhancing?), entitled Latin Legends, focuses on West Coast rock bands including Azteca, El Chicano and Santana. I learned a lot during the prep and recording process. The show and our silliness (we sang and goofed around with KCSM DJ Chris Cortez) will air Saturday, August 8 at 8pm on KCSM, which last I checked was channel 60. Thanks to producer Kaveh for all his help!

SalsaAlexa @ Club Anton, Oakland, Friday, June 19!

2009-06-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

She's sold out Yoshi's, Jazz at Pearl's and sizzled at the San Jose Jazz Festival. Now the Alexa Weber Morales Band brings you danceable salsa, son, cha-cha and a few funky surprises at the swanky Club Anton in Oakland's beautiful Jack London Square. The lovely Zareen joins on vocals! Grammy nominee Omar Ledezma on percussion, Murray Low on piano, David Pinto on bass, Miguelito Martinez on flute/vocals and Brian Andres on traps!

DJ Mambo spins nonstop hits before the show and between sets. Don't miss this chance to DANCE!!!!

Tickets are $15, $10 BEFORE 10 PM if you RSVP! Get on the guestlist! RSVP on Facebook, or contact Alexa by emailing song [at] alexawebermorales.com.

SalsAlexa
One night of danceable originals and salsa by the Alexa Weber Morales Band
Hits by DJ Mambo
Friday, June 19, 10 PM - 1:30 AM
Club Anton
428 Third St. @ Broadway
Oakland, CA
510-463-0165

ABOUT THE ALEXA WEBER MORALES BAND

Murray Low is a 30-year veteran pianist on the Bay Area jazz scene. Though he is a tireless performer, recording artist, and arranger, he is best known for his work with Pete Escovedo (since 1994); Grammy-nominated John Santos and the Machete Ensemble (since 2000); and Andy Narell, the pioneering steel pan player. His multifaceted career has also included international performances with Tito Puente, Bob Mintzer, Sheila E, Benny Golson, John Patitucci, George Duke, and many others.

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, 2008 Grammy-nominated Omar Ledezma, Jr. has been taking the Bay Area by storm with his percussion-vocals skills and his professionalism. After graduating at one of the most prestigious law schools in Caracas, Omar packed one bag and one drum to begin his move to Boston while making a passionate commitment to study at Berklee College of Music. There he collaborated and toured with renowned artists in the US, Europe, Caribbean and South America. He has participated in more than 20 recordings and projects including CDs, DVDs and books.

David Pinto is a Peruvian native probably best-known for his work as musical director, arranger and bassist with Grammy-winner Susana Baca, champion of Afro-Peruvian song. Other credits include Olga Guillot, Alex Acuña and Bay Area band leaders Edgardo Cambón and producer Wayne Wallace. He has played more than 800 festivals around the world.

Vocalist Zareen grew up in a small town outside of Boston. She has studied with Madeline Eastman, Kurt Elling, and Raz Kennedy; writes her own songs; and has recently released an album of original trip-hop tunes. Her repertoire also includes Brazilian, Afro-Cuban, and Latin American music. Zareen has performed all over the Bay Area, with several different bands including Los Boleros, Simply Jazz, and the Befores, but she especially values her performances with her third-grade students.

Miguel Martinez studied Music Education at the University of Art and Sciences in his native Chiapas, Mexico, and classical flute at the University of Veracruz. In 2001, Miguel traveled to Cuba to study under René Beltrán and Freddy Martines. Miguel recently received a certificate of recognition for his invaluable contribution to the flourishing of son montuno in Mexico. Miguel is new to the Bay Area, but he has played and recording with Anthony Blea,Karl Perazzo, John Calloway, Jesus Diaz, Michael Spiro, Orestes Vilato, Alfredo de la Fe. He is member of Conjunto Karabali and Tito y Su Son de Cuba.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio into a family of professional musicians, it is no surprise that drummer Brian Andres found himself drawn to the origin of all music: Rhythm. While living in the Midwest, Brian’s diverse range of styles led him to performances with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Little Anthony and the Imperials, as well as Tony Award winner and Broadway star, Faith Prince. Brian has also shared the stage with such artists as Leroy "Sugar" Bonner from The Ohio Players, blues greats Sam Myers and Lonnie Mack and television and movie star, Woody Harrelson. Brian's growing interest in Latin music and culture brought him to the San Francisco Bay Area in early 1999. He quickly began working with numerous local Salsa, Afro-Cuban, Latin funk, Latin jazz, and Tex-Mex groups. In 2007, after spending his career as a sideman, Brian stepped into the role as bandleader. The San Francisco Bay Area was introduced to The Afro Cuban Jazz Cartel.

How Alexa Got Her Schmooze Back, Part One

2009-06-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was very impressive, for me. Friday night I hit three clubs in San Francisco and Saturday I both performed with my Cuban rueda (circular salsa dance) class and went out to Roccapulco in the Mission. Sunday I hit the kid soccer circuit and networked with all the hippest 3- to 8-year-olds in the pool.

It all started at a joint in the Financial District, Cafe Claude, that has been hiring jazz trios and quartets for over a decade. In fact, Marcus Shelby, the debonair bassist who was playing there that night, told me he's played there 14 years -- back in the days when he still drank and smoked and partied. I sat at the bar and listened to Marcus and a guitarist whose name escapes me as they played in the corner. The food was delicious -- well, all I had was chocolate mousse, but it was great.

An English chap sat next to me at the bar, reading a book in Italian. After a while I started talking to him. Apparently he was into early music -- from before the Renaissance, folks like Josquin. He said something I made immediate mental note of, which was that some music is wonderful to hear, and some is more wonderful to perform than to hear. I think that sums up my relationship to classical music and more esoteric jazz. The challenge of learning and performing difficult music makes it enjoyable, but if you were to ask me to sit and listen to Baroque music I quickly lose interest if I'm not participating. Eventually I talked him into buying my CD. Thanks Dave!

On the break I schmoozed a bit with Marcus and the guitarist. I did a terrible job of it. My attempts at self-deprecation merely sounded lame, like I was possibly the most unsuccessful singer in the Bay Area. My jokes were stupid: As the wait staff began to break down the sound equipment, I acted surprised, and then said to the guitarist, "Wow, they break down your equipment for you? At my gigs they usually just... uh, they just, uh, hit me with it. Heh heh." The reaction of barely camouflaged pity? Priceless.

We were all polite to each other, but I also felt uncomfortable, like I was obviously trying to poach a gig from them. I often feel guilty when schmoozing or selling, even though there is no reason to -- they weren't even the bookers, for crying out loud. In any case, they were nice fellas and Marcus said he'd put in a good word for me.

I left Cafe Claude and realized if I could brave another club alone I could drive over to Biscuits and Blues, in the theater district. One nice thing about the bad economy is that street parking is easier to come by; I quickly found some. Across the street, Ruby Skye had a big line. Not sure what kind of scene that is but I'd guess DJ'd dance/house/meat market-type music. I walked into Biscuits and Blues. The man behind the ticket counter told me the show was almost over, so they'd let me in free. My kind of show! I began to walk downstairs to the venue, then turned back. "Excuse me, do you know who books this club? Can I leave a package for them here?" "Sure, got a press kit? What kind of music do you do?" "World and latin jazz and salsa," I said. He nodded approvingly and said another artist I know worked there frequently. They do book non-blues acts, despite the name.

I pulled out my second press kit of the night and spruced it up, then handed it to him. "Hey, could you do me a favor and tell the booker that when I gave you the press kit, I was incredibly charismatic? Like you were just blown away and wouldn't even have to listen to know I was great? Can you do that for me?" He laughed and said sure. "Well, that just makes my night," I said. "Lately my schmooze has totally sucked!"

I descended the stairs and it was as if I was back at Eli's Mile High Club in Oakland, watching the old-timers. I loved the dazed expression on the face of the drummer, as if he were an astronaut on a space-walk who just happened to be striking these drums in perfect funkyness. The horn section -- sax, trumpet and trombone -- was tight, and I recognized Mike Rinta on trombone, as he has played a few of the salsa gigs I've been on. I always like horn sections. They seem to work every type of gig there is. Rinta played a burning solo at one point and had great blues feel. The other horn solos were a bit jazzier, to my ear.

But the star of the show, Johnny Lee Walker Jr., had us in the palm of his hand. Most of the old standards (Stormy Monday) were trotted out, but there was no waiting between songs, and he kept them short which made them not seem so tired. There were some funkier originals, too. His voice and presence and wit were all the real deal. A seasoned showman, he made sure we were all standing and dancing before he was through with us. As I watched I found myself wanting to do more blues in my own show. It's pretty hard not to feel the blues if you're an American, I think.

When the show was over I felt horribly guilty for not buying his CD, but I was $20 ahead what with my own CD sale earlier that evening, so I forced myself not to. I always tip street musicians and I often buy CDs. Anyway, I slunk out past the bluesman and his stack of CDs, walked to my car, and realized that yet another venue was across from me. It was a restaurant that I'd looked into earlier for performing. The venue paid a pittance, however, not enough to cover a band, so I'd written it off. I went in and climbed the stairs. A tiny piano bar on a balcony sat over a hotel lobby. A woman was singing R&B standards with a gray-haired pianist and a drum machine to two English tourists. "Sing 'I Found My Thrill On Blueberry Hill,'" they requested. I stood there politely, giving the singer a positive vibe even though internally I was thinking, wow, this is a pretty bad gig.

Just then in the lobby below a storm of swear words burst out, as if from a Tourette's sufferer. We all looked over the ledge to see a balding white business man in a suit. He collided against the double glass doors, seemingly trying to break them down. "How the hell do I get out of this place?" he bellowed. "Get in the elevator and push R," the weary female bartender called down. He disappeared. A minute later, he was on the street, colliding with the same double doors, trying to get in now. "I'll go help him," she said. I wondered why she would want to do that. Then I wondered how I was going to get out of this postage stamp without encountering him. Stay or go, I debated... Go, I decided, and as I stepped down the stairs he barrelled up them past me, yelling with choice epithets about bleached blond bimbos who had done him wrong. Thus my Friday night clubbing ended, and I drove home...

Three Ways to Win Friends

2009-06-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

Lately, I don't know what has changed about me but I have begun to go out a lot more and have more of a social life. I have always been a tremendous homebody, very content to putter, create, fritter, garden and houseclean for hours on end. I wondered recently if this was due to Facebook -- sad, I know, but could it be true that Facebook had actually invigorated my social life? On many occasions, I have gone out and met "friends" from Facebook at a dance club or concert, and it's a real ice-breaker. "You look so familiar -- wait, are we 'friends'?" "Yes, that's right, from Facebook." It's happened a lot.

However, that's not the only thing. I joined Team in Training in January 2008, and made some really good friends. I remember having that awkward feeling, however, at times, like I was back in high school and not really a member of any group. But I've learned as an adult and as a journalist to put that aside and converse with strangers pretty easily. I guess once the glue starts forming around a group, that's where I have always neglected my duties as a friend and found myself outside or barely integrated. The interesting thing is that I did make some friendships that lasted from 2008 until now, and that when I came back to Team in Training in 2009 I really felt like I belonged. And I wasn't alone -- I often overheard conversations about how people had joined TNT in search of new friendships, and had found them.

Then there's the dance classes taught by my friends Sidney Weaverling and Ryan Mead. These two have so much talent both as teachers of Cuban salsa and as magnets for genuinely nice people. We took a road trip to L.A. in December and I got to know a lot more about them -- and we seemed pretty compatible, travel-wise.

Executive summary:

How to make more friends when you've been a homebody all your life

1. Join Facebook (and become my fan), then actually go out occasionally to an event mentioned there
2. Join Team in Training
3. Take a dance class with Sidney and Ryan
4. Try to be nicer
5. Pass notes in the bathroom
6. Always carry snacks, ibuprofen and tampons

Today's Original Song: I Wanna Work For You

2009-06-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf3WYChvaM4

I Wanna Work For You
(c) 2009 by Alexa Weber Morales

I wanna know where the meeting is
Take me to your leader
I'll tell her everything she wants to hear
I'll make the coffee sweeter

Ain't nobody else who can do the job I do
I wanna wear a suit, I wanna work for you

My resume never used to fail
Now every door is slammed harder
I guess you think I know too much
But hey, I'll make you look smarter

Ain't nobody else who can do the job I do
I wanna wear a suit, I wanna work for you
Ain't nobody else who can do the job I do
I wanna wear a suit, I wanna work for you

I used to watch the sailboats on my lunch break
I used to wonder if someday I'd catch my wave
But everyone was right and I was so wrong
Who was I to think that you would buy this song?

I got laid off and I became a troubadour
I sang with the baby on my hip
Please take me back, put me behind the Levolors
I can't buy breakfast with my wit

Won't you allow me to do your PowerPoint
I'm quite happy flying coach
I'll bring you 8 am Croissanwiches
I'll stay late without reproach

Ain't nobody else who can do the job I do
I wanna wear a suit, I wanna work for you

Ain't nobody else who can do the job I do
I wanna be a suit, I wanna work for you

Ain't nobody else who can do the job I do
I wanna count your beans, I wanna work for you

Farewell to TYT; Tomorrow Night in Jack London Square

2009-05-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, has the first half of 2009 gone by quickly or what? Whether you've been barely surviving or joyously thriving (I've done a little of both), I hope you're learning new tricks and really seeing the glory that is all around you.

We had a lot of fun opening for Average White Band at the Castroville Artichoke Festival. Who knew that AWB was British? I liked the samba feel that ran beneath many of their funky new tunes. They also clearly had a more comprehensive show rider than we did -- we had a little awning over a patch of dirt, they had an air-conditioned tent with catered food, coffee and alcohol. I snuck in and got me a little mug of that stuff I can't resist ... coffee. It may be 3 pm on a dusty hot day dancing among hay bales in front of a giant festival stage, but show me a tureen of coffee and I have the same reaction many do when they see an ice-cold beer: I didn't realize I wanted coffee, but now that you mention it...

Also, I love me a big giant stage that I can boogie across for miles, and that's exactly what I and my fellow singers (Terrie Odabi and Keith Hames) did. In retrospect, this has turned out to be an important gig for us, because after nine years, Keith has announced he's shutting down his San Jose-based funk band TYT and going on to new things.

I've been playing with them since late 2007, and we've had a lot of glamorous (matching Dream Girls dresses) and memorable (wedding with all-you-can-eat-oysters and a pool with an artificial beach and waterfall) and sometimes downright bizarre gigs (a meeting of dog trainers, performing in front of a giant backdrop that read "The Nutritional Concerns of Breeding Bitches"). We have one more gig together at the Monterey Blues Festival. If you're in town, be sure to check out the soulful, good-natured sound of Mr. Hames.

Closer to home, I'm playing solo piano/voice tomorrow night at La Furia Chalaca, a Peruvian seafood restaurant on the corner of Broadway and 4th in Oakland, in Jack London Square. Come on down!

Keeping Up Appearances

2009-05-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of sadly funny little gig stories, stories I am often afraid to share because I figure it both shows what a small shot I am and potentially burns a bridge with some crappy, abusive venue, booker or audience I might need to re-woo in the future. On the other hand, despite being a relatively unimportant musician, I know for a fact that even rather important musicians do bad gigs with astonishing frequency. One day it's Carnegie Hall, next it's an Elk's Lodge, next it's a funeral, next it's a world tour with an egomaniac who stiffs you on the last month's pay, next it's a cavernous auto dealership without air conditioning and a single customer wearing prominent hearing aids.

On some level, if I ever do get a bit more successful, all my stories will add up to your usual struggle to "make it" -- and by "make it" I merely mean make as much money musically as I did as a magazine editor.

But I do find so much joy being on stage that it usually wipes out the negatives, at least temporarily. And when you overcome a particular challenge -- sound being run by crack-addicted chimps, or surly transvestite audience members, or a passive-aggressive pianist -- during the gig, you feel triumphant. It's those times you had 'em in the palm of your hand but then lost 'em that hurts more, I think.

The more you play, however, the more you put the bad behind you and realize that most gigs won't be great, or even very good. I recently read something in runner's world: The more you race, the less emotionally fraught each race becomes. That echoes what a music teacher once said to me: The more you gig, the less potentially traumatic each gig becomes. The bad stuff gets filed in your litany of bad gig situations. Musicians love to share their horror stories (see "Bad Gigs" by Tuck Andress).

Then there are audiences. We play to ethnic groups of all kinds. You never know when you might make some politically incorrect blunder, such as asking a Mormon about his secret garment or offering pork jerkey to a Nation of Islam adherent. Some audiences are prim. Others are wild, drunk, drugged, demanding -- you name it. "Tough crowd," really does sum it up sometimes. Maybe Miles Davis was on to something, playing with his back to the audience.

Case in point: Recently I played latin jazz for a Peruvian event which involved the national masters soccer team, in town for a tournament. While the show wasn't awful, it was a case of being told one thing but finding the reality of the gig to be quite different. I had not come prepared to do a salsa show, and had been contracted to do background latin jazz. We did our first set and received polite applause. I stepped off stage and was introduced to the various soccer players, all in their matching track suits. One of them looked at me with a hungry gleam in his eye. I figured this wasn't a lost cause.

We began the second set, and things got a little harder. After a few songs, someone yelled "Queremos salsa!" from the bar. Another singer was present, and he got up to pinch hit some old salsa favorites. Good naturedly, I announced before getting off stage that I'd love to dance with someone. I stepped down and swayed expectantly. No one approached. A nice looking guy sauntered by me; suavely, I caught his eye. "Want to dance?" I murmured in Spanish. "No, I'm working," he replied, scurrying away like a crab.

In a move that probably looked exactly like my tipsy mother working a cocktail party, I sashayed towards the event host, who had flirted with me earlier. "Care to dance?" I asked. He, too, had demanded salsa. Now no one was dancing. He looked at me, then looked at the retired soccer players sitting nearby on barstools. "Does anyone want to dance with her?" he asked. I felt like a defective mail-order bride. The man who had surveyed me favorably earlier glared at me with what now seemed like unadulterated malevolence. He remained silent. After an awkward pause, the host began to dance with me until the song ended.

Despite the interruptions, we played a few more songs, until I was asked to let a young man get up and rap to some tracks he had. In hindsight, I should have said, sure, we'll play our last song and then he can get onstage. Instead, ever accommodating, I relinquished the stage without so much as a goodbye.

The rapper was good, but once he had the mic in hand he became drunk with power. Two songs, then three went by. I didn't mind the break, but I began to realize that this had not ended well -- and it's nice to end a gig well. Leave 'em wanting more, but at least make it clear that you finished on your own terms, with a crowd-pleaser. By the time the rapper was done -- six tracks later -- my band mates were done as well. Unfortunately there was no rousing closer -- nor, really, could there have been a good way to follow the rapper's energetic, patriotic set, which was faithfully documented by his buddy on video camera and involved artful draping of the Peruvian flag.

As I loaded my gear out, the sound man approached me and mentioned an interest in having me sing on some hip hop tracks. I told him my fee. He smiled and sipped a beer as we spoke. He also frequently rested his eyes on my chest, leading me to wonder if the recording project was indeed his primary motivation for chit-chat. On the way home I shared a postmortem with my percussionist and thought about lessons learned.

But I want to end this post with a bang, not a whimper -- and make it clear that I'm not complaining, truly I'm not. Would I do it all over again? Absolutely! Viva Peru!

The Male Mind: More Insight From My Bro

2009-05-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

ME: So how is [rapper we know] doing?

BRO: Ah, you know, he spends all his time checking his MySpace, corresponding with girls who send him pictures of their vaginas.

ME: Ha ha! Oh, that reminds me of a song I wanted to write. I was going to ask you for some advice on it.

BRO: If "pictures of vaginas" just reminded you of the song, I can pretty much guarantee you shouldn't write it.

ME: Wait, wait, let me remember the idea. Oh yeah, you know how you say "Let me be your baby?" when you're in love?

BRO: "Let me be your baby?" No, you mean when you're a baby?

ME: No, you know, "I wanna be your baby."

BRO: Who says that?

ME: Lovers, don't they?

BRO: I don't think so.

ME: Baby this, baby that, you know. Anyway, the song was going to play on it, "Let me be your fetus, I want to be a cute little zygote."

BRO: [silence]

ME: "Feed me, IV me."

BRO: "IV me?"

ME: Yeah, stick an IV in me.

BRO: Not a good song.

ME: I was trying to be over the top, you know, make fun of how we infantilize ourselves when we are in love. That and all these bizarre fetishes that are out there.

BRO: Speaking of pictures of vaginas, did you know no guy can resist taking a picture of his johnson?

ME: What? I guess we are done talking about my song.

BRO: Forget the song. I'm talking about something that separates women and men. For men, it is an irresistable urge that cannot be denied.

ME: Have you done this recently? What does your wife think?

BRO: It's been a while. But if a man sees a camera lying around, he must pick it up and take a picture of his penis with it, for the other person to find.

ME: Oh, you mean someone ELSE's camera. Like a random person? Have you done this?

BRO: All men do it. It's innate. I mean, I haven't corroborated this with any other man that I know but I'm pretty sure that it's universal.

ME: I did not know that.

BRO: Ask your husband.

ME: I'm pretty sure he's never done that, but sure, I will. Thanks for the info, bro.

BRO: That's what I'm here for.

Last-Minute Gig Tonight at Club Anton, Jack London Square

2009-05-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

This gig just came in, but I'm looking forward to it -- I enjoy playing with these musicians so much. Joining me from 6 to 9 pm tonight at Club Anton (428 3rd Street @ Broadway), are 2008 Grammy-nominee Omar Ledezma on percussion/vox, Jonathan Alford (Avance, Machete) on keys and David Pinto (musical director, Susana Baca) on bass! Club Anton is a recently remodeled addition to Oakland's Jack London Square, owned by former Peruvian soccer pro Carlos Anton. I went there earlier this year to see Cuban salsa vocalist Pepito Gomez and had the time of my life.

I believe the cost is $5, but I could be wrong. I also believe it's a fundraiser for the Peruvian national soccer team (seleccion nacional peruana), but I could be wrong about that too. One thing I know, we will be playing a nice mix of latin jazz, Brazilian, salsa and originals!

Club Anton
428 3rd Street @ Broadway
Oakland, CA 94607
510.463.0165
http://www.clubanton.com
Price: $5

Alexa's Tips for Multitasking Musician Moms: Management Team

2009-05-18T18:55:00.001-07:00

This YouTube video shows how I have assembled the finest management team in music history: A pair of bright young guns who are hungry for success and won't take no for an answer (is that ever true!). I owe it all to them, breaking down doors, defending my honor, stashing my earnings in places I'll never find, twisting bookers' arms and -- if that doesn't work -- pooping on their lawns.

Men vs. Women and Their Little Goals

2009-05-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

BRO: So what’s new?

ME: Nothing much. Where are you?

BRO: I’m in WalMart, buying a baby trailer for the bike.

ME: Oh, well, don’t talk to me while you’re doing that, it’s rude.

BRO: It’s OK, I have my in-ear on.

ME: It’s still rude.

BRO: No, I just look like a crazy person gesticulating to myself.

ME: Fine.

BRO: Anything new?

ME: Well, I just finished the triathlon.

BRO: Oh. [pause] How’d that go?

ME: Pretty good. But it was hard. Next time I need to push a little more on the training.

BRO: You know, that endurance stuff doesn’t appeal to me.

ME: It doesn’t have to.

BRO: I mean, I’m going to run a marathon, but I don’t like triathlons.

ME: Oh you are, are you?

BRO: Yes. I owe it to myself to finish a marathon, since I crapped out when I trained with you.

ME: You know, that time you got lost in the woods and I had to call Park Headquarters for a search party, you did end up running more than 26 miles, I'm sure.

BRO: Yeah, I know. Anyway, I don't like triathlons.

ME: Well, that’s how I feel now about the half-Ironman distance. Although I could change my mind. But being out on the course for 8 hours just doesn’t appeal to me.

BRO: Have you watched the Ironman recently? My buddy and I have watched that for years. It’s in Hawaii, in the triple-digit heat, with no wind? No thanks.

ME: Yeah, and basically more than 15 hours for an amateur athlete to complete.

BRO: We used to say we were going to do that someday.

ME: Yeah right. Men are so ridiculous. You say you’re going to do an Ironman someday, while sitting in a pile of empties, eating pork rinds and smoking a cigarette.

BRO: I don’t smoke.

ME: The point is, men are ridiculous.

BRO: Men like to puff themselves up. We like to say extreme things. You women have your little goals, and then you go along checking them off one by –

ME: They’re not so little, bro.

BRO: Yeah, whatever. Men tell everyone, “I’m gonna make a million dollars by age 30.” And then they go to their job at 7-11 and forget to buy a lottery ticket. ’Cause that’s how men roll.

In Which Alexa Finally Blogs About the Triathlon

2009-05-11T08:56:00.001-07:00

Yes, I did it! I raised over my fundraising goal -- $2600 total -- and completed my second annual Olympic-distance triathlon with Team in Training. This all happened May 3. It's now May 11. Frankly, that's not a bad delay. Somehow it feels like an eternity has passed since the race. I have been going through my usual "now what?" phase in which instead of congratulating myself on completing what I set out to do I immediately begin thinking about what I should do next and how far behind I am on whatever it is. Although there has been a considerable amount of resting going on too, while I exercise my cranial worry and self-instrospection muscles.

The whole reason I decided to do Team in Training again after last year's great experience was because a nice woman/motivational speaker in my running group convinced me too. She told me I should join up despite the economy and my rocky finances, because fundraising was a form of "acting in abundance." Bless her soul, she quit the group after a few weeks (I still like you, if you're reading this), so for a while I was fond of saying she tricked me into joining.

Ultimately, I did raise the money, though it was harder this year and I had to make a large charge on my American Express to cover my minimum goal before all the donations came in. That charge will theoretically be reimbursed to me in a few weeks, which is a good thing as I don't have any money with which to pay the stupid AmEx bill.

We packed the family up and got down to Lake San Antonio (3.5 hours south of the Bay Area) Friday around noon -- much earlier than last year. The kids were excited. We pitched our tent as far away from my team as possible. I didn't want to make enemies with the loud kids and snoring we have going on. Then I rode my bike down to the lake and did our coach's designated workout with the group: 20 minutes swimming on the course in the wetsuit, followed by a bike ride back up steep Lynch Hill (about a mile) and a 10 minute run.

The next day, coach wanted us to do a 20-minute run. I did that too, although I worried it might be too much. I told an athlete on another team what he had us do. "What, does he have you running repeats on Lynch Hill?" he asked sarcastically. Last year, I rested for two days before the race. This year, I exercised, although admittedly it wasn't much.

Also, my husband wasn't too happy to be there. Basically, I was dealing with three kids, not two. I've been married a long time, however, so it's not the first time nor will it be the last that my spouse and I aren't in sync. And I know, I am not blameless when it comes to our relationship. But I slept OK, surprisingly. Woke up a bit sore. Packed up and got down to the race area. The previous day I had watched the elites as they did their transitions, and that proved quite helpful. I set myself up. Started feeling incredibly nervous. Over and over, I worried that I hadn't trained hard enough this year. Also, my quads felt a bit sore. I don't feel sore that often these days. Not a good sign.

The race began with the college men and then women. It's so exciting to watch them take off, swimming out in an inverted V with the leader closely followed by her rivals. Then at the very back are the stragglers. There's always one who looks like he or she didn't prepare, or perhaps has never learned to swim. I'm not sure what that's about. Do they complete the swim course, or just dog paddle back to shore? Meanwhile, the top competitors finish the 0.9 mile swim in 17 minutes or so (23 or so for women).

This year, I was starting an hour earlier than last year, as I'd managed to get into the first TNT women's wave, which also included women under 24 years old. I was happy to be with younger, more competitive people, as I hoped it would give me an edge in the run by inspiring me to work harder than last year's walkers and kibbutzers. The downside was I knew no one in my starting wave.

We pulled up to the start and warmed up in the water for five minutes. I felt great -- my wetsuit was really loose around my neck and shoulders. The water temperature was in the high 60s. Warmup ended, we stood at the starting line -- I stood in the back, on the inside "lane" -- and the starting horn went off. We jumped in. To my surprise, I did not get winded in the first five minutes. In fact, I never felt the struggle of "going aerobic" as I did last year.

I stroked out, quickly finding my rhythm, and pretended I was Michael Phelps. Rounding the first buoy, I began the straightaway. I was still with other swimmers -- this too was different from last year, when I found myself alone almost immediately as all the other swimmers passed me. I was absolutely enjoying myself. There is no feeling I like better than being in the middle of a giant lake, swimming. Eventually, to my surprise, I felt less splashing around me and thought, "great, it's opening up, and I'm passing some swimmers." After a minute or three I looked up and realized that I had swum out into the middle of the buoys, off course. I had to take a diagonal course back to rejoin the other swimmers. I wondered how much time that had cost me. As I rounded the second buoy, beginning my return journey, my watch read 20 minutes. I began thinking that I should not get upset if I didn't beat last year's time -- there was a whole race to do, and this was just the first part. Sure enough, when I finally stood up on shore, I saw that I had swum one minute slower than last year -- although I felt a million times better. Then I began running up the hill, yanking off my wetsuit. My legs felt like jelly.

After a quick transition to the bike, I took it easy on the first hill. The ride is so gorgeous. I was digging being out there with faster bikers, and glued myself to a woman 10 years younger than me (everyone's age is marked on their left calf). She passed me on the uphills, I passed her on the downhills. I clocked myself at 38 miles per hour -- my fastest ever -- going downhill. At the 13-mile halfway point I wasn't sure how well I was doing. But then three-quarters of the way, I began envisioning myself running across the finish line, ecstatic because I had come in five or 10 minutes faster than last year. I had to snap myself out of it: "Come on Alexa, it's not time to celebrate yet -- the race isn't over till it's over."

At the top of the hill, just before the mile down Lynch Road, I had a broad smile. I was so happy to be done with the bike. Again, I felt great. I knew I was within a minute of last year's time. Spectators yelled out "Great smile!" I love the spectators. I flew down the hill and did my fastest transition yet, thanks to observing the elites: 1:40 to change shoes and grab my hat, number and water bottle. I began running. My water bottle was hot. I ate a Cliff Shot, swigged water -- then tossed it away, even though the bottle cost $14. It has a giant red cow's nipple made out of some strange rubber, though, which I and my husband have never liked, so I figured I'd get a new one.

Now things got ugly. My vastus medialis, a little muscle on the inside leg above the knee, began to cramp on both legs. I'd only run a mile of the 10K course. Last year I started to cramp on the last hill. Now I was cramping at the outset. I stretched and swore loudly like a sailor, causing several people to turn and look at me. I ran, walked, ran, shuffled, drank electrolytes, stretched. I knew my run was going to go badly. But after another mile it was clear that walking was worse, as it seemed to make me overstride and cramp more. So I stuck with the shuffle.

The good thing about the run was this: Mentally, aside from the cramp, I was much more focused. I think all the running I've done in the last year has helped in this respect. In the end, I made it to the last hill. They called my name as I crossed the mat at the top of the hill -- "Alexa Morales, from Oakland" -- and I picked up my speed. I pushed myself down the hill, passing five or more runners. A woman in front of me was a bounder, and I couldn't catch her. The finish chute seemed to go on forever. I reached out for high-fives to keep myself motivated and slapped hands almost all the way. I crossed the line, held my hands high in victory, then stopped. I felt totally overwhelmed. My family was nowhere to be seen. Another athlete I knew gave me a hug.

I wandered to the TNT booth, checked in and got my finisher's pin, then saw the medical tent. I started crying behind my sunglasses. There were strawberries on the ground outside the med tent, and I remembered there were more inside. I went in. Strawberries were gone, but there were bananas. I picked one up and asked for ice. They brought me two packs for my cramping muscles. I sat there feeling sorry for myself. I had finished in 3:33, two minutes slower than last year. But then I looked over and saw one of our young runners being rehydrated via IV, crying. Another guy was on a respirator. Things could be way worse, I thought. Our TNT manager came over and patted me on the head, which nearly caused me to lose it. A gesture like that sometimes touches me so much.

After a few minutes, I felt better. A man sitting next to me suggested some exercises to strengthen that pesky vastus muscle. Eventually I left the tent, spent an hour unsuccessfully locating my family, packed up my transition area and rode the shuttle back up the hill. My husband and boys were sitting in the car, waiting for me. They'd been there for hours and were none too happy about it. I quickly changed clothes and we joined the massive traffic jam to leave the park. All I could think of was In-n-Out Burger in Salinas. After a half hour, my husband asked how the race had gone, and I started babbling about the entire experience.

We drove past scenery that was breathtakingly green, with painterly clouds and folded hills everywhere. The odyssey was over! The burger joint was packed in Salinas, but worth the wait. Several hours later, we arrived home and were surprised at how much we felt like we'd been on a long vacation.

I can't wait to do it all again.

Some Truths

2009-05-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

Random observations:

People who are critical of others will probably eventually be critical of you.

You can't avoid everyone you might ever disagree with. How do you know the warning signs for a relationship that's going to get really toxic?

You can't negotiate with someone if you have everything to lose and they have nothing.

Corollary: In a partnership you must have near equal risk or one of you can screw the other too easily.

When someone complains about a problem they always have with others, they are probably going to eventually have that problem with you.

Is it worth it to see if you can work around that inevitable fact?

If you think the worst will happen, that in itself doesn't mean the worst will happen. However, if the worst does happen, you won't feel better that you predicted it.

The first 25 years are the hardest. In any endeavor.

How do you know when to quit?

Some people will risk everything they have for something they can't have.

This one is from my 8-year-old son, today: Nothing is truly free, and everything dies or crumbles, even bridges.

Niiiiiice.

Team in Training Update

2009-04-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

This update is from last week:

April 18, 2009. We finished our 11th week of training at Lake Del Valle in Livermore, long one of my family's favorite places to hike and swim with the dogs. This time despite it being 8 am, brutal for a musician, the water was in the low 60 degrees, unlike our first open water experience, where it had been 10 degrees colder. In a wetsuit, it felt positively balmy. I swam about 40 minutes, and during the last half managed to find some rhythm. Afterwards I did my usual lamenting about being slow and got some more tips from other swimmers. One thing I can't duplicate is that many of the swimmers started in High School. Parents, put your kids on swim team so when they decide to take up triathlons in their 30s they're ready!

However, I kicked ass on the bike. Another woman and I paired up and rode 13 miles out on Mines Road. Beautiful! It was great to accomplish a 26-mile bike ride with a modicum of speed, and I knew it would be our last chance to get that distance in before we began tapering (reducing intensity/mileage to conserve energy for the race).

After we had a great honoree picnic in which several cancer survivors and family members spoke about their experiences, and the meaning of our support. The pain of cancer lingers, but it's deep. Cancer is not a disease you eliminate quickly, it's a process. These people and their families have been so challenged. It's depressing and scary. You want to look away. You want not to think about mortality. You want to crack a joke, lighten the mood, not catch what they caught.

But it's just as human to want to find meaning. To know that you survived cancer, beat it, only to go on to better things. Or to know that you got a few years you wouldn't have had before new chemotherapies were invented, and you use those years to do the very thing you have always known you were meant to do. Or that after coming back from the brink of death you met the woman of your dreams, a woman whose heart beats with enough strength for the two of you and everyone you know.

At the honoree picnic, I realized that these were stories of true love. Sometimes love seems fictional. The stuff of movies and pop songs and department stores. Yet there it was, catching unexpectedly in our throats. We can't live without you.

Team in Training: Bad Transition Area, Good Swim

2009-04-21T23:03:00.001-07:00

Team in Training: Swimming in Lake Del Valle

2009-04-21T23:02:00.001-07:00

Team in Training: Swimming in Lake Del Valle

2009-04-21T23:01:00.003-07:00

Team in Training: How to Get to Inspiration Point

2009-04-21T23:01:00.001-07:00

Team in Training: Running at Inspiration Point

2009-04-21T23:00:00.001-07:00

Donations by Midnight Please! Dollars Against Blood Cancer!

2009-04-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

I read somewhere that the ladder of career success goes like this: student, employee, independent contractor, business owner, entrepreneur, philanthropist. I had never thought of that order, and in the past I'd only seen entrepreneur as the ultimate goal -- which I personally didn't find very inspiring. But philanthropist? Who doesn't want to be a philanthropist? Well, aside from the misanthropes. I think I'll skip the entrepreneur step and just jump straight into philanthropy! Won't you join me?

I've raised $1300 to cure cancer! Can you donate by midnight? On Monday I must personally provide the outstanding amount of my goal, though I can still fundraise (my triathlon is on May 3). It's been hard this year, but your generosity astounds! Any amount helps! http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/wildtri09/awebermorales

I've also got a special offer running through May: All sales of my 2 CDs on CDBaby (ONLY CDBaby, not other retailers) will go 100% after shipping and handling to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! Buy now! (No promotional code needed, just buy them, and I'll deposit the money into the LLS fundraising site.) http://budurl.com/eq6s

To a Mother Concerned About File-Sharing

2009-04-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

The editors of Musicianswages.com have invited musicians and bloggers to answer a mother's question to them about her teenage son's propensity for online file-sharing:

I have a teenage son who tells me his pirating music is no big deal. Since he is a musician himself, I point out to him that someday that’s going to be his money people are stealing. But he remains unphased.

He tells me the record sales make money for the record label, not the artist. He says that the artists make all their money from touring and live concerts. He thinks the pirated music promotes the concerts and therefore helps the artist make more money. I still don’t allow pirating in my house.

But tell me what you think - as artists out there having your work “shared,” are you just glad to have it being enjoyed, or does it bother you? Admittedly, he is stealing music that is recorded by major record labels, so maybe its different than the independent musician working for his living. But I’d still like to hear what you think.

First off, the concept of exposure is completely bogus and overused as an excuse to exploit artists. Your son needs to drop that argument out of his arsenal.

Beyond that, I think sharing music isn't black and white. Aside from concerns of legal and computer safety (Limewire's a great way to pick up a virus), the occasional use of file-sharing sites doesn't strike me as awful. When I buy an MP3 off iTunes, it annoys me that digital rights protections prevent me from sharing that tune via email with two or three musicians who might need to hear it for an upcoming gig. I think making a reasonable number of copies of music you have purchased is OK. Unless, of course, we are talking about my music.

If we are talking about my music, aside from the MP3s I have made available for free on my website, I would like you to purchase it. Inconsistent? Slightly. But honest. Look, I have no control over what you do in your home, with your computer. But I realized things were changing when, at a gig, a fan stood in line to buy a CD from me. "Which one should I get?" she asked, looking at both my indie releases. Her friend was standing there with her. "I'll get one, and you get the other, and we'll burn them for each other," she announced to her friend, right in front of me. I was a bit shocked and not sure what to say. I can't recall if I reminded them that I earn my living by selling my recordings.

But it bothered me (and it wasn't the first time the words "burn a copy" had come up at a gig). I asked around for a good comeback, and this is what someone suggested: "Every time a fan burns a copy of my CDs, it burns a hole in my pocket."

I agree that at an indie level (and as musicians) we aren't really in the record business, we're in the performing business. However, music recordings have become so commoditized that fans often forget what may have gone into a quality production. Of course, spending $25,000 or $50,000 doesn't turn a so-so musician into a great one, and no amount of money will purchase soul and creativity. One hopes that the details of arranging, session musicians, and professional engineering, editing, mixing and mastering don't go unnoticed, however.

Copyright protection has waxed and waned over the course of history. We have relatively high compliance with anti-piracy laws in our country, but many others don't. Personally I fall slightly more on the side of the copyright holders than the freedom seekers (as in free software). However, I've benefited from the contributions of both.

I've also travelled to other countries and been showered with gifts of pirated, poor-quality CDs and DVDs made by filming movie screens. I agree the rules seem different when we're talking about major labels. It feels like taking pens and stationery home from the office. But if it were me being pirated -- unless I was very, very rich -- I'd feel differently.

Ultimately, I think it should come down to the publishing concept of fair use (as opposed to commercial use). I can print a paragraph or two from a book I am reviewing in a magazine. I cannot print an entire chapter without permission from the publisher and author. I can make a few copies of music I purchase. I cannot enable that commercially available music to be shared by millions. (I can also go to the library and check out the album.) That seems fair.

Latin Jazz Meets Cuban Circle Dancing, Saturday April 25!

2009-04-16T12:38:00.000-07:00

Join the Alexa Weber Morales Band with special guests Sidney Weaverling and Ryan Mead of Rueda Con Ritmo for our third show of an ongoing series.

The fun starts Saturday, April 26 at 8 pm at Senzala, a delicious, spacious Brazilian eatery and cultural center located at 250 E. Java Dr. in Sunnyvale, Calif. Tickets are $12 and include a Cuban circle dance class, two sets by the Alexa Weber Morales Band, and an Afro-Cuban dance performance by Rueda Con Ritmo! Senzala is an all-ages venue and children are welcome.

Senzala is fast becoming a hot-spot for Latin American and Brazilian dance and music events, and has expanded their event schedule to a new night: Thursdays! Peninsula residents are urged to spread the word that affordable, high-energy and family-friendly fun is now in the neighborhood!

ABOUT RUEDA CON RITMO

Ryan and Sidney have made it their life's work to explore, perform and educate in the field of Afro-Cuban music. But why collaborate with a band when there's so much Cuban music on CD?

"I definitely prefer to dance to live music. There's such great potential for interaction and synergy between the musicians and the dancers," says Ryan. "I've experienced this as both a dancer and a musician -- the two groups feed off of each other, and the energy really grows."

"Listening to latin dance music, particularly the contemporary Cuban dance music called Timba, is very inspiring for both of us. The music is fresh and vibrant and the arrangements are truly masterful," explains Sidney.

"Many Timba songs are like musical stories. They take you on a journey. Some of my favorite songs begin with the flavor of an older style such as Cuban Son or Rumba and build the energy gradually until the musicians have riled the dancers into a frenetic ectasy with a more contemorary Timba sound, mixing Salsa, Hip Hop, Reggaeton, Jazz, Funk and R&B. The music gives us so much inspiration as choreographers. It allows us to take the audience on a visual journey so that they can see how each of the musical styles might be interpreted physically. Hopefully then the audience members will be inspired to get up and dance, too!"

ABOUT THE ALEXA WEBER MORALES BAND

Since 2004, multilingual singer-songwriter Alexa Weber Morales has made six studio recordings, including her two solo albums, Jazzmérica and Vagabundeo. The latter, named “one of the greatest Bay Area recordings in recent times” by Latin Beat magazine, made top-20 airplay nationwide and received acclaim from around the world. Rio de Janeiro–based producer Arnaldo DeSouteiro (João Gilberto, Luiz Bonfá) calls her original compositions “rhythmically captivating and entrancing.” A June 2008 DownBeat review of Vagabundeo enthuses, “Her large-scale skill and talent encourages her all-inclusive dreams” and praises her “gorgeous articulation, flowing time sense and warm tone.”

Murray Low is a 30-year veteran pianist on the Bay Area jazz scene. Though he is a tireless performer, recording artist, and arranger, he is best known for his work with Pete Escovedo (since 1994); Grammy-nominated John Santos and the Machete Ensemble (since 2000); and Andy Narell, the pioneering steel pan player. His multifaceted career has also included international performances with Tito Puente, Bob Mintzer, Sheila E, Benny Golson, John Patitucci, George Duke, and many others.

Born in Uruguay in 1960, Edgardo Cambon moved to Europe in 1982 where he toured and performed with well known Swedish group, "Latin Lover." In Amsterdam, Holland, he began studying the difficult coordination of drumming and singing simultaneously, performing with the local bands "Evolution 2000", "Rubén Salas Orquestra", "Salsa Charanga" and his own group "Bululú". Traveling to Cuba, he studied with master drummers Jose Luis "Changuito" Quintana, Justo Pelladito and Vizcaino Guillot and has participated in the Havana Jazz Festival and the Benny Moré Festival. He has taught at several University of California campuses and given workshops throughout the US, South America and Europe.

A Banner Day! Wanna Banner?

2009-04-14T17:51:00.001-07:00

If you'd like a banner, well, hey, here's one, courtesy of JazzWest.com! Click banner to see/download full-size image. Feel free to post it wherever, ASAP! Peace out!

Only Three Weeks Left To Go!

2009-04-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how quickly this year's TNT experience has gone by, yet when I think back to all the wonderful moments we have had as a team working toward this triathlon goal I realize how much we have accomplished.

A few weeks ago we swam for 45 minutes in the 51-degree San Francisco Bay at 8 am, then ran an hour to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The next day, we ran the Rhodes Race 5K at Lake Merritt, where I was the 4th woman and 3rd in my age group. While my time was virtually the same as last year (24:56), my pace was much more consistent, so I think I am learning how to be a more efficient runner rather than starting out too fast, dying in the middle and kicking it at the end.

Last weekend, for our big brick workout we rode our bikes 15 miles in Danville, through verdant hills past red farmhouses off Camino Tassajara. Then we ran 15 minutes. Then repeat. I had planned to do three of these in a row, but coach Paul told me quality was better than quantity, and to push myself hard on the second rep. I did, and I was totally spent!

I appreciate the support of everyone thus far. Now it's near the deadline for fundraising -- please make your donations soon and help me spread the word! My race is looming... May 3 here we come!

You can make a donation online and receive your tax receipt immediately via email. Please click here and make a donation now!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/wildtri09/awebermorales

Thank you and race on!

Good news from WEMU in Michigan

2009-04-09T10:34:00.000-07:00

Linda Yohn, Music Director for WEMU in Ann Arbor, Michigan, reports they have achieved their spring fundraising goal of $135,000.00 in pledges. She explained how they did it in a recent letter to latin jazz musicians:

As everyone knows, we are in challenging times and Michigan is the hardest hit with the nation's highest unemployment figures and the dicey situation for the automobile companies. But, despite the situation, WEMU listeners stepped up to keep us on the air pumping out great jazz, blues, Latin and roots music along with in-depth local news.

Perhaps the announcement that the Ann Arbor News will only deliver on Thursdays and Sundays starting in July had something to do with it. Perhaps the fact that the Detroit Free Press and News are down to three days a week of delivery influenced our listeners decision to give to support our excellent and inclusive local news.

We also think our message of uplifting, real, soulful, touching music to help people cope with tough times had something to do with the success. Perhaps our move to program our music more progressively and aggressively has something to do with it. The record reps know the sound we're working on, and I think it is the right direction for WEMU.

A final message we conveyed to listeners was that we are a real "community station". We reinforced that message by taking daytime music shows (me, Michael Jewett, Jeremy Baldwin and Dr. Arwulf along with a few morning news/talk shows) down to the lobby of the historic Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor for a 9 day remote broadcast. This was tons of work, but it was worth it. Rather than sit in our studios and wail "woe is me, the economy", we put our Sunday best on and went out in strength and unity. People ran in to the lobby and dropped pledges off. They came by for coffee and donuts with us. Local businesses volunteered to answer phones. It was totally chaotic with Michigan Theater events going on at the same time as our broadcast, but we got through it. We ARE "the little station that can".

Emotional Singing: I'll Take You There

2009-04-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

In part one, I spoke about the technical things that I listen to in a singer's voice. They're nearly valueless without meaning, however. And a beautiful voice, while as irresistible to our ears as birdsong is to birds, isn't as powerful as one packed with emotional content. Here are some expressive things I listen to in a singer, not necessarily in order:

1. Emotion. We start with the lyric, most of the time. A good one evokes all sorts of back stories, allowing us, like an actor, to imagine myriad scenarios that might have led to the singing of this song in this moment. Sometimes the lyric isn't great. I often have changed a single word that bothered me, or dropped a verse or chorus I didn't feel, especially when singing religious music. The strength of a lyric depends not on erudition but emotional potential. For years I listened mainly to singers' voices, and almost never to lyrics. I came around. I adore the technical beauty of singing so much, but ultimately success arrived when I embraced the emotional side of it. That said, pure emotion without musical technique isn't entirely effective either.

2. Wisdom. There are no shortcuts. One must sing with the wisdom one has earned. A virgin isn't convincing as a siren, not usually anyway.

3. Humor. If you can find some humor, share it. Some singers are naturally effervescent, others serious. Even the saddest ones, who break your heart with every note, find something to laugh at. And the best moment to hit the audience with a message is after they've loosened up with a laugh. Madeline Eastman is damn funny, sometimes in song, sometimes between songs.

4. Energy. Whatever your natural energy level is, make sure it matches the song's intention. It can be fun to transmogrify a rollicking tune by doing it with a quiet intensity, or vice versa. I love to watch those Judy Garland TV specials. She seems drunk to me. She was so expressive, so irrepressible in her gestures, that apparently some TV executives said she made audiences uncomfortable. But that was her, inescapably her. See below, truth and creativity.

5. Wit. Some singers take a word or phrase you've never noticed before, say in a standard, and infuse it with a whole new meaning or double entendre. That's nice.

6. Sensuality. I could have called this sexuality, as perhaps it's mainly seen in pop music. But sensuality is more than that, it's the physical expressiveness, the body and sense intelligence, that a performer brings to a song. Some acting classes, or even religious and cultural philosophies, talk about learning to listen to where emotions register in the body. Do you feel it on the top of your head? In the middle of your forehead (third eye), or behind your eyes (seeing red, as in anger)? The heart, the chest, the back (a heavy load), the arms (strength), the stomach (butterflies, desire), the groin, the gut, the butt... Hmmm. Does one feel emotion below the torso? Hands are expressive. For dancers, all of the body is. I wonder as I write ... feet make us dance. Legs make us leap, or run away or toward something. I guess the answer is yes.

7. Knowledge and truth. Singing is not the same as lecturing. But one's knowledge can be an ingredient in what an audience hears. When you know yourself well, or you know the message of the song well, you testify. You tell your truth.

8. Assurance. Years ago in an acting for singers class our teacher had us stand up alone on stage in front of the rest of the class, doing nothing. She asked us how we felt. "Nervous," or "awkward" or "uncomfortable" we answered. Then she had us stand there and count all the floor boards in front and behind us. With this task as our purpose, we all reported no more discomfort. When you have fully understood the purpose of singing each song by creating an emotional context for it, your assurance will be obvious -- and comforting -- to the audience. It's not just emotional assurance either. On FaceBook, the luscious and witty singer-songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway posted a 1979 video of Carmen McCrae singing "I'm Glad There Is You." McCrae owns the song in so many ways, from the lyric to her modal phrases which reveal her deep jazz skill. The confidence is beautiful.

9. Creativity. I love it when I hear something I've never heard before. We're social animals, so we're wired to ape each other, but occasionally someone does something extraordinarily different. They're often ostracized for it. Then when they die we say how great they were. However, originality isn't for everyone. Indeed, it may not be the most profitable course. An audience facing an original artist isn't sure what to think. An audience facing a star or someone covering their hits doesn't have to think. Even in tiny musical niches, there are originals and copies, influencers and influencees. Sometimes it's debatable. It can be annoying when you've just seen someone you think is fabulous and your cynical friend says, "Oh, he's just a second-rate version of so-and-so."

10. Soul. Mavis Staples is the first name that comes to mind, mainly because of the title of this essay. Soul is love, pain, honesty, injustice, dirt, salt, sugar and carbon. It's something extra and forbidden and inspiring. You can't fake it. You can only feel it.

11. Freedom. Certain performers are so free that we can't help but be drawn to them. Rhiannon. Kellye Gray. Bobby McFerrin. Frank Sinatra. Judy Garland. Sammy Davis Jr. Bjork. Sometimes they seem to be mere vessels for beautiful, expressive voices, and one wonders if they think much at all about the points I've listed above. Cecilia Bartoli, or Pavarotti. Freedom without mastery can be a train wreck. Mastery without freedom isn't much better.

My Brilliant Illegal Invention

2009-04-07T11:46:00.001-07:00

After the 5K this Sunday, various athletes were showing me their Garmin satellite watches, which show pace, past performance, mileage, heart rate, etc. You can set them to beep at certain points, or to compare your current race performance to a past performance so that you can set a new personal record. I got to thinking that essentially it's a pace setter, which is an illegal advantage in a professional race. You can't have a person on the sidelines who is helping you maintain a specific pace. So why should you have a watch that does it?

For years people have written split times on their arms so they can gauge their pace (e.g. 7:35/15:10/22:45 to show how long each mile should take). Now you can buy audio programs for your iPod that contain motivational speaking as well as music to train to (although these are banned in racing). Imagine if your watch not only held your pace and performance information, but it spoke to you in the voice of your coach, giving you advice designed for specific transitions in the race? With wireless bluetooth you could have an invisible ear bud.

We all eat and hydrate along the way in long-distance races. What if the watch activated transdermal caffeine exposure at certain points?

Everyone tells me how fun these watches are. You start to race yourself at the track. But you also can get dependent on them. Pretty soon you feel dejected if you don't have the heart rate monitor and the pace information right there.

You don't need any of it, of course. It's a low-tech sport. But if you want to market my idea...

Strange Dream

2009-04-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

I had a dream this morning. I was out riding my bike at dusk. I approached my house and saw my dog barking at a disheveled homeless woman who was just coming out of my front gate, carrying stuff she'd stolen from our house. I decided to pursue her on my bike. Suddenly we were in an urban alley and I pulled out my camera to get a picture of her face and she attacked me. It was a struggle between the two of us for my camera and my bicycle. I lost both. I ran into a building and was dashing through endless corridors trying to find help or escape from her, not sure which. I made it to a top floor and burst through a door and there in an attic-like space I planned to hide out, until I realized the lumps on the floor were dozens of men sleeping under blankets. They woke up one by one and were leering at me dangerously so I ran back out and made my way down to the first floor, where I found a loading dock. A van was backed up and dark-suited people were loading packages of drugs and guns into it. Just then I woke up!

Today's Rhodes Race 5K for LLS

2009-04-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

Today I ran the Rhodes Race 5K at Lake Merritt in Oakland for the second year. Matt and Claire are the inspiring, super nice and funny couple who launched this race last year to raise money for their perennial cause, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Claire is, in addition to being a blazing-fast runner, a dynamo at organizing such things. There were age group medals, post-race baggies and three tents promoting various causes. There was also a larger group, proof that even in a down economy people will come to be a part of what you have built. I am truly impressed because dealing with bureaucracy and paperwork is one of my absolute peeves (I can't seem to drag myself to the post office even), and I know this event required permits galore.

While I wasn't able to beat my time last year, I did more or less adhere to it: My official time was 24:56, or 7 seconds slower than last year.

Anyway, the cool thing about it was that I started fast, but probably not too fast, and then settled in a 8-minute/mile pace and stayed there. I was talking to myself in my head the whole time, telling myself to loosen my shoulders, pick up my feet, quick feet, quick turnover, stay focused, look we're halfway done, etc. The last mile made me want to puke but I didn't do what I have done recently a lot, which is to give up 3/4 of the way through and slow down drastically, then kick it in at the end.

Once that was over, it was fun chatting with all the people I now know through last year's and this year's Team in Training experiences, as well as through other races.

The most moving moment came when one of our honorees, Ben, ran across the finish line. He's only just off chemo, a little boy with straw-blond hair and cherub cheeks who has been going to the hospital for blood draws and spinal taps and chemo and steroids to treat leukemia for the last three years. Only a week before, his dad told me, he wouldn't have been able to do this, but today he biked nearly three miles and ran up the last hill to the finish line. He looks perfectly healthy. But his parents and older brother have been through hell, almost losing him three times, according to his dad. The steroids he takes give him "'roid rage" -- they dose him with "the same quantity Jose Canseco would take, in his tiny body." Apparently leukemia doesn't like steroids, for reasons unknown.

I thought of my healthy boys and felt so blessed. There, but for the grace of God ... I also prayed Ben would be one of the lucky ones whose chances for health are all the better thanks to research funded in part by LLS. My grandmother lost her life to leukemia as a young mother. When LLS was founded in 1949, a diagnosis of leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma was almost always fatal. Today, survival rates have doubled and tripled for some blood cancers. Now, 88 percent of children with the most common form of leukemia will be cured.

I am slowly making my way toward raising $2500 for LLS for the second year in a row (last year I raised over $3000). But I don't have much time left -- only until the end of this month! You can make a donation online and receive your tax receipt immediately via email. Please click here and make a donation now!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/wildtri09/awebermorales

Thank you and race on!