RIP wonderful MTT

 We used to love watching Michael Tilson Thomas conduct the SF Symphony and the music world grieves his death this past week. MTT founded the New World Symphony and he was also a composer and most certainly a "man about town". A loss on so many levels, locally and nationally.

Brahms and Schumann

 Yesterday I met Amy for a lovely two hours at Herbst Theatre for a free concert. Of course we donate happily to support the SF Civic Symphony. It was a relaxing afternoon of beautiful music ~ the conductor always gives the back stories on the composers; those are always interesting . Big audience with lots of young people, I'm happy to report. Young = 25, not five, thankfully.

confession

 I've never REALLY watched the Grammys before. Who knows why, not I. But the Blogmaid urged me to give them a try, mostly because I love Trevor Noah, and so I did last Sunday night. What fun! Then I spent a good deal of time on Monday doing searches online and reliving all the gossip and glamour. and listening to some of the songs again. Hooray!

Paganiniana

 Another free (with donation jars galore) concert at Herbst Theatre yesterday. This venue is beautiful and located right across the street from City Hall (top photo) and please note the blue skies. Yay!  SF Civic Music Association played five Paganini pieces including the famous Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Paganini Theme to end this excellent program. I met Amy and Ginger there and we three had a delightful afternoon of music. 

no rain today!

 Annabelle will be disappointed that I'm getting out and about today because there is already blue sky. The grey square above my kitty's neck is the dining room window highlighting yesterday's very grey sky. Ginger and I came back here to sit in front of the fire and listen to Creedence Clearwater oldies provided by my close friend Alexa. "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?" Oh, yes. And here's "A Bad Moon Rising."

back to Sunday

 This is the beautiful Herbst Theatre where I went to a concert with Amy and Ginger on Sunday afternoon. Here is the SF Civic Symphony ~ all volunteer musicians and the concert was free. They played Bernstein, Still, Barber and Copland pieces and it was a lovely interlude in our lives. A good and enthusiastic crowd of music lovers...lovely, really. 

teach your children well

 I just asked Alexa to play some David Lee Crosby this morning. Another legend died and we mourn again and say RIP and remember his many musical contributions. 

SFMO in the chapel

 The chapel at Mission Dolores is small and beautiful and last night Pat, Neti and I (the three widows) enjoyed the San Francisco Mandolin Orchestra there. An eclectic program including Beethoven's Violin Sonata and Glenn Miller's Moonlight Serenade. Delightful. 

music for climate change

 Yes, I agree that it is a stretch, but Luckey invited me to this 11am concert Live! From Vienna and San Francisco: A Musical Call for Climate Action! yesterday at the SF Conservatory of Music where I had never been. It was a fine experience despite the usual technical difficulties with the Vienna hook-up. Vax cards were required and I was pleased about that. Classical and hip hop and a pleasant Friday.

impossible to believe

 Today is Bob Dylan's 80th birthday. Such a genius poet and song writer. One of my favorites is this song from Wonder Boys movie in 2000. SHEEEESH, did you say 80? 

IT'S NOT DARK YET

Not Dark Yet

Song by Bob Dylan

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Shadows are fallin' and I've been here all day
It's too hot to sleep and time is runnin' away
Feel like my soul has turned into steel
I've still got the scars that the sun didn't heal
There's not even room enough to be anywhere
It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there

Well, my sense of humanity has gone down the drain
Behind every beautiful thing there's been some kind of pain
She wrote me a letter and she wrote it so kind
She put down in writin' what was in her mind
I just don't see why I should even care
It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there

Well, I've been to London and I been to gay Paris
I've followed the river and I got to the sea
I've been down on the bottom of the world full of lies
I ain't lookin' for nothin' in anyone's eyes
Sometimes my burden is more than I can bear
It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there

I was born here and I'll die here against my will
I know it looks like I'm movin' but I'm standin' still
Every nerve in my body is so naked and numb
I can't even remember what it was I came here to get away from
Don't even hear the murmur of a prayer
It's not dark yet but it's gettin' there

a musical morning

First (and not shown) Pat and Neti and I went to the Clay Theater to see a
talented assortment of Broadway singers on film. Interesting and not perfect,
but a happy activity. Then, walking to Pat's place off Fillmore we ran into
this big Mexican wedding at St. Dominic's. These GREAT costumes were
made in Mexico and beautifully detailed. I wonder if the bride and groom
honeymooned using the car that was in the parking lot. This mariachi band
plays all over the Bay Area and the leader is a young and woman. Very cool.

jazz Columbian style

The great Great Plotniks swooped me up and took me to the SF Jazz Center
last night. What a glorious treat. Dinner first at The Grove and then we
had unusual behind stage seats to see Monsieur Perine, a group of seven
musicians from Columbia. It was especially fun to look down and watch
the drummers below us and then look out at the audience, most of whom
knew the words to EVERY song. "Diversity is our strength," Ms. Pelosi
said recently and watching all the people of every race and age singing
and dancing to this eclectic and energetic music was beyond wonderful.

cats galore

The Black Cat

John Kemp's wife was in Disneyland with some grands so he invited me
to the Black Cat to hear some jazz. I got the best deal, even though I don't
have an ear for music. We had dinner and early music and left at 8pm
and it was fun, something sort of out of the 50's.

I'm up early and ready to go to Philadelphia. Carlini writes that it is still
chilly but they are expecting a sunny weekend. My cat Annabelle is
sensing that her world will change and that the young women next door
will be coming in to feed her. She is pesky and loving this morning.

Expect brief iPad-only updates from Philly. Excited.

A Chanticleer Christmas

St. Ignatius on Fulton (aka St. Iggy)

The Chanticleers 

This was my glorious xmas gift from Richard Carlini. Men in tuxedos

singing in Latin and English. Strong, clear voices. The church was

darkened at the beginning and the singers came down the main aisle

carrying candles harmonizing beautifully the glory of the holiday season. 

The big church was packed and they sang for almost two solid hours. 

A night to remember...

mostly mandolins in the mish

Mission Dolores Chapel

The three cranky widows (Neti, Pat and I) went to see the SF Mandolin
Orchestra last night at Mission Dolores and here is the delightful chapel
where I had never been before. That was a treat as was much of the music,
although I do miss drums and cymbals and the more visual actions of a
symphony. The wooden pews were not exactly a treat either. But I'm so
glad we went and then dinner afterwards at American Chow on Church St.
Soon I will go and tour Mission Dolores, something I should have done
years (decades) ago. That's a promise...

Dia de los Muertos Concert

Music, color, costumes, dancing ~ what a delight. Dancing Jen and I had
such a fine time at the sold-out SF Symphony yesterday. Jacomo Barios
conducted and spoke mostly in Spanish. He was so enthusiastic and so
was the audience, lots of families and small children who behaved perfectly.
After the intermission the Villalobos Brothers joined the symphony
and what a show they put on! This was just what I needed yesterday,
thank you DJ.

My hordes of faithful readers will remember that last year I went to the
Dia del Muerto gathering and parade near our home. I didn't go last Friday
night because I just couldn't, but next year I will attend and present
Husbando to the Land of the Remembered.

The Day of The Dvorak

Yesterday Ginger and I went to the Symphony and the joint was alive
with colorful and fun exhibits. We had reasonable front row balcony
seats to see and hear Prokofiev (Cello Sinfonia) and Dvorak (Symphony
#8). The latter was beyond exuberant and the whole afternoon a huge
success. I had some happy memories too of when Husbando and I
had season tickets. He had a great appreciation and ear for music.

Happy 262nd Birthday

Marsha had secured very inexpensive tickets to the New Century Chamber
Orchestra at the Herbst last night. She is a good influence for me. Her
friend Danny accompanied us and we had a delightful evening celebrating
Mozart's birthday. The pianist you can barely see (Menahem Pressler) is
94 years old and plays beautifully. It was a glorious event and I stayed
wide awake ~ Marsha loves to drive (!) and provided me with door-
to-door service.

one fine day

It was a treat just for me. I bought an expensive cheap balcony seat for
yesterday's Carole King Musical at the Orpheum Theatre and for almost
three hours I was awash in music and memories. Not just Carole ~ also The
Drifters, Shirelles, Righteous Brothers. Such fun. The sort-of-story of
Carole's life, but mostly it was about the music, more than 25 songs and
today I will play my old Tapestry CD and enjoy it all over again.

last night ~ all dessert

chocolate pie

across the street from the SF Jazz Center

start with salad at South

Mary Stallings - so wonderful

For the tediously happy holidays I gave Husbando an evening at the one
year old Jazz Center on Franklin. We took the glamorous #49 Van Ness
bus and then had a fine dinner (fried chicken for him and oxtails for me)
at South, the restaurant inside the Center. The concert started at 7:30 and
it was one of our favorite jazz singers from our good old bar hopping days.
Mary Stallings may move a little slower, but to our ears her voice was
even better and her diction absolutely perfect. She was accompanied by
Eric Reed, a superb piano player who was one of those child prodigies
at age two. Our front row balcony seats were only $25 each (imagine)
and then we took Lyft home for $12. Who says SF is expensive? Well,
of course dinner was costly, but we deserved it, and really, it was such
a memorable evening. We will return! Oh, the concert was sold out, how
very special is that?