Back and excited

Been pretty solidly offline for a couple of days…

Just got in from recording “The Jim Poems” for a CD. It came out remarkably well considering the environment and our equipment (recorded live, vocals and 5-string electric bass, to a digital 4-track). Minimal post production to be done…should have it available as a chapbook CD combo for the Java Hut premiere on Sept. 24, and for the NYC premiere at Bar 13 on October 9.

YAY! Exciting — my first CD, which I once swore I’d never do; I’m kinda opposed to spoken word CDs as I feel that they “freeze” performances. The number of poets I’ve heard covering work they only know through CD scares me, because I generally feel that what I’m hearing is impersonations of the original poets. I like it when someone can take a poem off page and make it their own without losing the original intent.

Of course, that would imply that the original poem was well-written enough to stand up to such interpretation.

Anyway, adding the music feels different to me — not sure how; perhaps because Faro and I developed the performances together as a single piece of art, not as an “accompaniment” to the poems I wrote. It seems natural to me to try and capture it.

PSYCHED.

I’ll be catching up on mail really soon, I promise.

EDIT: Are any of you jazz heads out there familiar with a movie called “Riffs?” I’ve not seen it, can’t find if anywhere online. Faro’s seen it once, and is looking for a tune from the movie — a really amazing bass duet featuring a Jamaaladeen Tacuma type funk player and a melodic, Jaco-esque partner. The movie was NOT a documentary and the actual players weren’t in the movie. He has the tune on a CD someone made for him with no identifying info.

Thanks in advance…