Couple of good DVD's

Poor Ken is sometimes bewildered when my selections pop out of the Netflix queue, like THE MAN WITHOUT A PAST. It's a Finnish film about a guy with amnesia. It turned out to be a good movie, very satisfying. Click here to see what Roger Ebert had to say about it.

We also saw PIECES OF APRIL, a low budget indy film. I wondered whether to see it when the previews showed its dysfunctional family. How many books and movies like that can we stand? But this was interesting and funny and the end was very, very touching. Click here to read more.

Monterey Jazz Festival

This was our 13th year at the MJF and it continues to amaze. The music is great, the food booths have lots of tasty stuff, and the people watching is the best of all. As if this was not enough, we got to spend time in Carmel with our wonderful friends Jon and Patty.


Buddy Guy, the blues guitar legend, likes to walk out in the crowd. I like this photo, both for him and the crowd's reaction. He sang Drowning on Dry Land, a song with terrific lyrics that cracked up the audience:

You know my mother told me the story
About that li'l dog that couldn't see too well
He was crossing a railroad track one day
When the train cut off a part of his tail
He turned around but never looked up
Just to peep over the rail
And she said he lost his whole head
Trying to find a little piece of tail

Hey, don't lose your head!

Some other great lines came from Marian McPartland who at 84 is slow finding her words but as quick as ever with her sense of humor. As her first piece ended, she dedicated it to the arthritis foundation. She played duets with other pianists, much like she does on her Piano Jazz radio show. Jason Moran wanted to play Take the A Train and she quipped "Lawrence Welk used to call that take a train." She couldn't remember Bill Charlap's last name so she said "Get out here, Bill. Tell me your last name and put me out of my misery". He came out and introduced himself as Bill Clinton. So it went. So rather than feeling sad to see her showing her age, we were having a whole lot of fun.

Bill Charlap (see May 23) played a great set Saturday night. I am SO impressed with him, I consider him one of the best jazz pianists now performing.

Friday night there were a couple of "new" bands and there were actually people in their 20's in the audience! Bad Plus was beyond out there. The pianist comes from a classical background, the drum and bass come from rock, and together they play jazz. Huh? It took a little listening, but I like them!

The MJF supports jazz education. On Sunday afternoon, competition winning bands are featured. Below is a photo I found of the quartet we saw that featured the Le Boeuf brothers from Santa Cruz. They have astonishing technique, great sophistication, and are a pleasure to hear. I was so impressed with their communication, a big deal in jazz and sometimes missing with the young hot shots. I hope they continue to perform and love the music for many, many years.



Their web site is www.deuceswildjazz.com

USS Gordon coincidence

Ken's parents were Americans who were in Japan when World War II broke out. It took a while after the war ended for them to get visas and transportation to return to the United States. Above is a picture of Ken as a baby being held by his dad, coming back from Japan on the USS Gordon in 1947.

My friend Bernice is Chinese American and grew up in San Francisco. I knew that her dad was a US soldier during WW2 and that he had gone back to China to marry her mother after the war. I was at her house a while ago and saw the picture below. She said it had been among her dad's things when he died. It was a postcard of the USS Gordon, the boat that her parents took back to the USA in 1947.

Collateral

I don't normally like violent movies, but I liked Collateral. Tom Cruise is a great bad guy. Jamie Foxx is even better as a cab driver and unlikely hero. Very interesting plot and characters. The look of the film is dark, nighttime LA. Wow!

Trip to the Owens Valley

Over Labor Day, Ken and I drove up to Bishop, a California town on my favorite highway US395. The Owens valley runs east of the Sierra escarpment, so there are spectacular views of the mountains. Not only that, the people in Bishop sure know how to eat. Good restaurants were Whiskey Creek, Schat's Bakery, Los Amigos and others.

Since I had visited last year, a new visitor center had opened at Manzanar, the Japanese American internment camp used during World War II. I realized when I got home that I had taken no pictures there -- that goes to show how caught up I was in the exhibits. Very well done. I am also pleased to say that the JACL (Japanese American Civic League) has come out against the prisoners being held in Guantanamo without charges -- they know first hand how racist hysteria and lack of due process can combine to make America forget what it stands for.

Last year when I was in this area, I kept thinking how much Ken would like it. He did.

Click here to see more photos.

Click here to see last year's road trip.