Saturday, September 19, 2009

Amsterdam 2009, Day 8-20

What an amazing time this has been in Amsterdam. Highlights (but not limited to!): playing and hanging with Michael Moore and Michael Vatcher, playing/recording with Anne La Berge, hanging with Mary Oliver, Trevor Grahl, Susanna Von Canon, Han Bennink, Carolyn Munz, Taylan Susam, Dana Jessen, Mike Straus, Sean Winters, John Dikeman, Johnny Chang, Alex Nowitz, Vivian Wenli Lin...eating at De Waaghals, The Golden Temple, Bolhoed and other great restaurants with vegan options...walking, looking, listening...a beautiful and productive time, even with the bad cold the last few days.

But the biggest thanks go to the generous spirit of Nico Bes and all at STEIM, to chats with Takuro Mizuta Lippit about work, use of the space, housing, life, music, embodiment and improvisation. And a huge continued thanks to David Borgo, for getting me over here last year: a dream made real. A great time again this year, not long enough. (Also note: I should be posting my project blog soon at STEIM on my spectral spatialization patch for improvising with trumpet...)


Jeff Kaiser, Michael Moore, Michael Vatcher @ STEIM from STEIM Amsterdam on Vimeo.


Michael Vatcher and Michael Moore
Michael Vatcher and Michael Moore
(CLICK on any image to enlarge.)

Vatcher, Kaiser, Moore
Vatcher, Kaiser, Moore

Vatcher and Moore
Vatcher and Moore

Vatcher
Vatcher

Moore
Moore

Kaiser (non)
Kaiser (non)

IMG_2351


IMG_2355


IMG_2356
Sint Olofskapel

IMG_2357


IMG_2363
?

IMG_2366
???

IMG_2368
What about people?

IMG_2373
Saw this while looking for tea. Two excellent tea shops in town, Geel's and Wijs and Zonen. I'd give Geels the nod, better selection, price and quality for my taste.
A shopping mall...!
A shopping mall...!

Two men wrapped in cellophane.
Two men wrapped in cellophane. In Leidseplein, of course.

The blue light is the moon...
The blue light is the moon...

Yolande Harris...Now Stripe Time...On tropical rain, dolphins echolocation and the pink noise of pleasure yachts in turquoise sea. A lecture / performance with live manipulations of field recording and video. Now Stripe Time. On tropical rain, dolphins echolocation and the pink noise of pleasure yachts in turquoise sea. A lecture / performance with live manipulations of field recording and video.
At DNK Smart Projects, Yolande Harris...Now Stripe Time...On tropical rain, dolphins echolocation and the pink noise of pleasure yachts in turquoise sea. A lecture / performance with live manipulations of field recording and video. Now Stripe Time. On tropical rain, dolphins echolocation and the pink noise of pleasure yachts in turquoise sea. A lecture / performance with live manipulations of field recording and video. And...

Seamus Cater, Fritz Welch and Viljam Nybacka...The Folk Music, the Whale and the Sea...Seamus Cater - Rhodes, harmonicas, vocals...Fritz Welch - Percussion, vocals...Viljam Nybacka - Percussion, Ukulele, vocals...With songs and music, three musicians deal with the history of whaling in the 18th and 19th century sense, expanding this to include folk music and the sea. Using firsthand musical / anecdotal texts and writings of A.L. Lloyd, Herman Melville and Bas Jan Ader, DNK's Seamus Cater is joined by Fritz Welch (Human Sacrifice / Peeesseye) and Viljam Nybacka (Brown vs Brown / .man).
Seamus Cater, Fritz Welch and Viljam Nybacka...The Folk Music, the Whale and the Sea...Seamus Cater - Rhodes, harmonicas, vocals...Fritz Welch - Percussion, vocals...Viljam Nybacka - Percussion, Ukulele, vocals...With songs and music, three musicians deal with the history of whaling in the 18th and 19th century sense, expanding this to include folk music and the sea. Using firsthand musical / anecdotal texts and writings of A.L. Lloyd, Herman Melville and Bas Jan Ader, DNK's Seamus Cater is joined by Fritz Welch (Human Sacrifice / Peeesseye) and Viljam Nybacka (Brown vs Brown / .man).

This was a mesmerizing, engaging set that even while being pretty downtempo totally held my attention.

Viljam Nybacka
Viljam Nybacka

Seamus Cater
Seamus Cater

Fritz Welch
Fritz Welch



The walk home from DNK
The walk home from DNK

Three kopstoot
I love regional schnapps, so when Jodi Gilber mentioned oude genever I had to try it. Pictured: Three kopstoot. I also tried jonge, which is also delicious...

Johnny Chang, Taylan Susam and me...having oude genever
Johnny Chang, Taylan Susam and me...having oude genever

BIMHUIS
BIMHUIS

Guus Janssen and Miriam Overlach
Guus Janssen and Miriam Overlach

Overlach
Overlach

Cor Fuhler, Axel Dörner, Clare Cooper
Cor Fuhler, Axel Dörner, Clare Cooper

At a famous Oude Genever pub on Begijnensteeg...
At a famous Oude Genever pub on Begijnensteeg...

Unfortunately,  I was still recovering from a cold so I stuck with tea, while Moore had an ouce genever
Unfortunately, I was still recovering from a cold so I stuck with tea, while Moore had an oude genever

Begijnhof
Begijnhof

Begihnhof
Begihnhof

Scottish Reformed Church
Scottish Reformed Church at Begijnhof

Scottish Reformed Church, frequented by Van Gogh
Scottish Reformed Church, frequented by Van Gogh

Moore and armor
Moore and armor

Armor
Armor

I found this interesting....hoisting a grand piano with a crane
I found this interesting....hoisting a grand piano with a crane










De Waaghal's!
De Waaghal's!

Farewell, Amsterdam
Farewell, Amsterdam

Slacktone! Winston, Amsterdam, 9-12-2009

Slacktone, Hell Yeah!
Slacktone

Michael Moore and I went and saw Slacktone at Winston in Amsterdam on September 12. Sam Bolle is an old friend from Ventura's Instrumental Music. I met Dusty Watson through him some years back when Sam and Dusty were Dick Dale's rhythm section. (A gig that Sam stills holds.) I met Dave Wronski at The Lava Lounge in LA at a Slacktone gig....anyway, these guys are smoking, playing with combination of abandon, passion and great technical skill that makes their shows a blast. Highly recommended...

Dave, Sam, Dusty, Jeff
Dinner with Dave, Sam, Dusty, Jeff

Dave, Sam, Dusty: Show me the jet-lag look...
Dave, Sam, Dusty: A portrait in jet lag

Slacktone setting up
Slacktone setting up

setting up
setting up

cooking
cooking

Dave
Dave

Sam
Sam

Dusty plays fast...
Dusty plays fast...

faster...
faster...

even faster...
even faster...

fastest
fastest

Fastest double-pick?