Papa Malick Faye, Walter Thompson....more

Grad school is turning out to be everything and more that I hoped for. Seminars this week were the best yet, building on an already excellent track record. In addition, Papa Malick Faye was visiting lecturer at the class I TA. Amazing, 900 years of continuous family history as musicians. Truly a wonderful class. I danced in front of the whole class of around 200 people, at the encouragement of the Professor, my friend Jason Robinson. Needless to say: I should not dance. Fellow CSEP PhD student Ben Power said of my participation, That is the closest thing to dancing that I've seen without actually being dancing. Thanks.



Also: On Tuesday, the founder of Soundpainting, Walter Thompson, came and gave a demo to the undergrad conducting class here at UCSD. I volunteered to play in the group (with Mark Dresser, Phil Skaller, and others) and had a blast. An incredibly intricate system that allows for loose or precise control over an improvising ensemble. (Thanks, Phil, for the photo!)


Walter Thompson, Jeff Kaiser