One month later…

Business is great, people are fantastic, life is wonderful! The sunny weather and the smiles on near every face have kept me in good spirits as the SAM family rolls into its 5th week of class for this session.  The students have been working their butts off to learn the ins and outs of contemporary harmonic ideas, developing original songwriting skills, learning to play music as a group of talented individuals, and continuing to inspire each other every day. I’ve been lucky to have the time and the focus to work on my own music as well. In fact, this past month has marked a few milestones for me:

One, starting down the road to getting my trumpet chops up… more to come with that development…

and Two, playing keyboards on a weekend tour to Kolkata with the Ed Degenaro Band.

The shows, presented by Calcutta Classical Guitar Society, were a whirlwind of sound, energy, groove and of attitude.  Ed’s music is dynamic and full of life, which I think was a welcome addition to the typical live music scene in town.

Our first day, we flew in and were escorted to the Park Hotel, a five star establishment with really nice amenities. We met the press and promptly travelled to the venue, Vidyamandir, for sound check. This is typically all-afternoon process in India (as I can recall from past experiences). The show wasn’t supposed to be a show, it was billed as a workshop led by SAM faculty. However, after our introductory few songs, the only questions we seemed to field were, hey can you play another one? So, that was that. Maybe a little more audience participation would have given me a better idea of what the young folks are into around town; it did seem like the crowd was thrilled to have us there.

The next day was open to exploring the city, and although I ended up lounging around the cushy hotel for most of the day (lunch buffet, cold water jacuzzi et al), our promoter, tour guide, and new best friend in town Varun took the band down to the classical music corner of the city.  Men were welding brass instruments and carving violins on the floors of open storefronts, and we were welcomed into their worlds, where we got to play sarods, percussion instruments, even a pocket trumpet (a random treat for me).

The town is packed with people, no surprise, but really, rush hour in Kolkata is an exaggerated experience, even in comparison to the Chennai traffic I have seen. The trolleys, the buildings, the environment looks like 1960 has survived through 50 years of erosion, with new brands and technologies slapped on top of decaying paint jobs.

The evening performance was at a pub inside the hotel where we stayed, and it was packed to the rafters with mostly young people (mostly dudes, go figure) on their feet enjoying the music. That night, we pushed the decibel level more than I am usually accustomed to, but that night I learned more about what its like to make music using intuition and relying on the faith that the front of house is rockin’. Wow, what an experience. Ed’s band stretched original rock, reggae and funk songs to extreme levels, and every night we develop virtually a new arrangement in the moment.

On Sunday, after an uneventful morning and afternoon, we returned to Vidyamandir for the main event of the weekend, the big show.  This was the culmination of my adjustment to playing keyboards in front of a live audience, and by this point, everything seemed to fall into place. Magic happened, and of course just as quickly as it came, the show was over and thus ended my 3-day tour as keyboard player for a rock band! For our upcoming dates in India, James Carson will be taking over role of keys player, as I shift into the role of vocalist and trumpeter.

We hop on a flight this Thursday for round two of the Ed Degenaro Group India Tour 2011! Stay tuned…

Euro trip and Return to Swarnabhoomi

Via a 3-day layover in Belgium, I have fled NYC to return to teach at the Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music outside of Chennai, India! Let me start this post by sharing a bit about the loveliness of my trip to Brussels.

I met Conor at Central Station, close to the centrally located and historically charming Bedford Hotel, immersing us in the city center.  Brussels is a city of many cultures diverging into a French aesthetic, not unlike Paris, but on a smaller scale. Walking down Rue Anspach feels oddly like Houston St. or SoMa in San Francisco. In the twisted streets tucked between the main boulevards, Conor and I just soaked up the café culture, lounging over espressos for hours and lingering in several adjacent areas around Grand Place. We were tourists in all essence, and we had a great time aimlessly wandering and indulging in the city’s offerings.

We found in the area of Saint-Géry an abundance of street art, in the style of Roy Lichtenstein, among many other styles of graffiti art.  We found young people, old people, and many friendly faces.  We had the first experience of sun warming our skin since we stood atop a mountain in Northern California in January. It was rejuvenating to say the least.  I fell in love with Brussels, a city designed for lovers to stroll in the park and take life in slo-mo.

Last Saturday, with a heavy heart, Conor and I said goodbye until July and I lugged myself and my effects to the Brussels airport. The flight from Brussels to Chennai, I had a pleasant surprise: the companionship of one bass faculty, Steve Zerlin. He was routed through Brussels as well, and armed with his laptop, we whittled the hours away looking through his photo albums of his trip through India after we parted at the end of last semester. His travels took him to Trivandrum (the very south of the sub-continent), Kodaikanal (the cool mountainous region of South India), and even Aizawl in the north east region of Mizoram (and in a few weeks I will get to visit this very town).

Our flight landed just before midnight. Disembarking, feeling that wretched heat and innundated with that familiar smell, wasn’t as jarring as it had been last October. I think Steve and I both felt like we had never left.

Almost the moment I returned to the campus at Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, I was reminded exactly of why I returned to SAM.  There is a distinct fire in the heart of the students, a yearning to soak up as much music as possible. There is a thirst, a drive to elevate to higher levels. And I’m infected with that groove…

I sense a sea change in my mode of operation. All these years, I dont think I ever understood Thomas Edison’s meaning of: “Genius: one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” As a younger woman, I had never resonated with that notion, and never related to it.

Returning to India couldn’t have come at a better time in my development as a musician and a human being.  I brought my trumpet, my ideas, and my passion for sharing my musical knowledge and my voice with others. Here at SAM, everyone is a student and everyone is an instructor. I can’t wait to share just what becomes of these 10 weeks.

Brooklyn!

Greetings! I’m back to my homebase after a trip around the world. I don’t know quite why I’ve kept my travel stories so shrouded in secrecy… I suppose I needed the time to reflect and to explore on my own. But for anyone who is interested in what I’ve been up to, here’s a brief recap.

Two months in India (you can read about that in the past blog entries). One month in Mexico, dodging blizzards, touring the country and making new friends and musical compatriots. 1 1/2 weeks in California. Showing off the old stomping grounds to drummer extraordinaire and my partner in crime Conor Elmes, before we embark on a 3 week trip across the country.  Highlights: Los Angeles, the Grand Canyon, Santa Fe, New Orleans, all the strange little towns and truck stops along the way, and the culmination up in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.  Did we bring a camera? No. Even after all the pressure from our families and friends. But that’s how we roll, I suppose. Here’s one off my 1.3 Megapixel flip phone though.

Before I leave again to journey ’round the world, please come to experience my new tunes, conceived in India, performed in Mexico and California, and ready to be debuted on the East Coast! Join us at:

Natalie John Quartet

live at Bar 4, Brooklyn.

Thursday, March 31st.

featuring Dominic Fallacaro, keys. Chris Tordini, bass. Stuart Bidwell, drums.

444 7th ave. (between 15th and 16th sts. in South Park Slope) Brooklyn, NY 11215

We play one set at 8pm, and are followed by the infinitely funky Aabaraki, and poignantly hilarious Jason Greer. Hope to see you there!