2006 rosslyn jazz festival

I caught more of it on the radio than in person, but the Rosslyn Jazz festival last Saturday 9 September was definitely a draw. Gateway Park, barely large enough to be called a park, was filled to capacity. (Hint: we need more public space and parkland in this town...) Performers included Hiromi, The Larry Coryell, Victor Bailey & Lenny White Trio, Vanessa Rubin, and Nicholas Payton.

A couple thoughts came to mind as I was sitting in the little plot of mulch I could find. I'm not sure I can explain why, but jazz festivals seem to draw a consistently diverse crowd. One could tell there were people from many cultures and walks of life there -- not just the usual yuppie crowd that seems to dominate most other Arlington events. I know that jazz is uniquely American and is enjoyed overseas, but it's like it some sort of glue music that ties all sorts of different music and cultures together: classical european roots, african beats, latin rhythms, and even some asian influence every once in a while.

The other thing on my mind was food -- New-Orleans and southern style -- big surprise, right? I saw person after person walk by with barbeque, slaw dogs, and no kidding, shrimp and grits. I try to be healthy, but I have such a weakness for southern food. I think it all started in college when I was introduced to the culture of grits and fried green tomatoes...

I tried to take some pictures, but it was so crowded that I couldn't get access to the views I wanted. Plus I don't have a telephoto lens yet, so capturing a shot of the performers in detail wasn't an option. If anything the couple of pictures I could get illustrates the need for more free public performance space :)

goodbye television

Up until now, the only TV I've owned is a 13-inch Sony Trinitron WEGA I picked up after college. The screen on my laptop is bigger than my television screen. As of this weekend, I am retiring my TV in preparing to move on up to my deluxe apartment in the sky. Ok, it's not a deluxe apartment and it's not in the sky, but I will be joining the one percent of American households that do not own at least one television. This should be an interesting experiment -- I really wonder how long I can go without it. This coming from me, who is referencing the opening theme to the Jeffersons.

Before I bid farewell to television and blogging about corny TV shows, I wanted to share a clip of the opening titles for one of the pilot episodes of Three's Company.



Hard to believe the show made it on the air with an opening like this. What's up with the doobie-doo in the theme music? There's no one singing to us "come and knock on our door"! Where are the the curly letters M and Y on the show title? Did the actors not have any direction on what to do other than to stare awkwardly into the camera? And why do the Ropers look so annoyed?



Ah...much better! Next time I am in Los Angeles, I'm totally going to the Los Angeles Zoo to get a picture of the white wall in the opening shot. By the way, did you ever notice that Jack, Janet, and {Chrissy, Cindy, Terry} didn't have a television in apartment 201?

planet arlington

I had a chance to stop in at the Planet Arlington World Music Festival last weekend at the Netherlands Carillon and check out Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul. Ivers plays the fiddle in a celtic folk style while the band lends afro-latin influences on their instruments and vocals. The fiddle work itself was amazing. Combined with cool post-rain air and good company, it was a great way to spend a Saturday evening. Oh, and the emcee was DC public radio legend Kojo Nnamdi!


Planet Arlington Stage, overlooking the National Mall


Backstage, facing out towards the Netherlands Carillon

photos from the metro

I was a little hesitant about taking pictures in the Metro as I know everyone is touchy about suspicious people in transportation systems, but I tried to shoot some semi-creative, but non-sensitive photos anyway. Riding in the last car of the train, I was able to press my camera lens right up against the glass on the rear emergency exit door. Playing with the aperture and shutter speed, here's what I ended up with...











I think it's a tad bright/overexposed (works for some of them, not for others), but next time I ride the Metro, I'll give it another shot.

34 years of bob barker

Thirty-four years ago today, Bob Barker hosted his first episode of the Price is Right. Thanks to youtube, I found a clip of the opening of the first Barker episode. Give it a play and see if you notice anything strange...

Yeah, the audience looks sorta bored. Maybe it's because Johnny told the contestants to "stand up" instead to "come on down." Perhaps it's because the audience wasn't warmed up. Most likely, the audience didn't know what the heck they were in for -- an American institution.