A Glimpse of Smiles Across the Miles

Mark Sherman - Tim Horner Quartet via The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad

Posted by Miles , Monday, June 21, 2010 12:42 AM

The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad

Excerpts from the website: http://exchanges.state.gov/cultural/rhythm.html

"Rhythm Road artists are the new generation of musical ambassadors, reaching beyond concert halls to interact with other musicians and the general public. Their direct engagement with foreign audiences via workshops, master classes and jam sessions presents a positive image of the U.S. and provides a greater understanding of our society. The U.S. artists themselves deepen their knowledge of other cultures, enhance their creativity, and feel the pride of representing their country.

2010 Rhythm Road Tour Groups

More than 130 quartets from across the U.S. applied for the 2010 Tour. Three judges selected 10 ensembles from among 35 who were invited to audition in New York City. These talented groups will travel to more than 40 countries between March and November 2010:

1.The Student Loan (Bluegrass - Oregon)

2.Turning Pointe (Gospel - Georgia)

3.Johnny Rodgers Band (Rock/Jazz - New York)

4.Mark Sherman-Tim Horner Quartet (Jazz - New Jersey)

5.Nasar Abadey and Supernova (Jazz Fusion - Maryland)

6.Little Joe McLerran Quartet (Blues - Oklahoma)

7.Oscar Williams and Perfected Praise Gospel (Gospel - Missouri)

8.Chen Lo and the Liberation Family (Hip-Hop - New York)

9.Paul Beaudry and Pathways (Jazz - New York)

10.Charlie Porter Quartet (Jazz - New York)"

The Quartet's Background

Mark Sherman-Tim Horner Quartet (New York, NY) has performed internationally for the last five years, with numerous tours through Europe, the United States, and Canada. Its members, each with strong teaching credentials, bring a deeply-rooted post-bop jazz approach to original and standard compositions which carry on the art form with a high level of invigorating musicianship. Their music is relentless, energetic, and brimming with improvisation. John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, and Michael Brecker influence this ensemble, whose musicians strive to achieve the mastery of harmony and organized sound."

~ http://jalc.org/TheRoad/bands/2010/sherman_horner.asp

I was so fortunate that I got to watch the American Jazz Concert here in the my own home city - Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines on the 19th of June 2010 - having received a free ticket (courtesy of a friend, thanks to Nep) which entitled me to get a seat among the VIPs. I had a very awesome date with them for an hour and a half.

It was my first time ever to watch the quartet performed and I must say, all four members amazed and enthralled my being. BRAVO!!! They were really great and definitely passionate about their craft. I witnessed how their music transported them to a romantic, lively and emotional world. They were adorable jazz ambassadors, indeed.

These were some of the songs they played:

Sandy

Palisade

Moon River

Dahil Sa'yo

Smile Said The Drum

Museum Piece

Hardship

Most of these songs were from the original compositions of Jim Ridl (piano), Tim Horner (drums and percussion) and Mark Sherman (vibes).

I recalled Mark Sherman's words as he introduced Tim Horner's song entitled 'Museum Piece'. He said that Mr. Horner composed it at a certain museum while he was accompanying his wife who was doing a sculpture piece at that time; his wife, by the way, is also an acknowledged sculptor. Isn't that sweet? I can only guess that he was immensely in love with his wife while he was watching her doing her master piece and because he can hardly contain his loving feeling, he rather wrote a song for her while she was so indulged with her own art. Oh, how lovely!!! So romantic!!! Weeeh!!

The quartet also played one of the most popular classic Filipino love songs, 'Dahil Sa'yo', as personally chosen by Jim Ridl. They even played the chorus one more time after Tim Horner asked us - the crowd - to sing along with their harmoniously sounding intruments.

Something to know about this song:

"Dahil Sa Iyo" is a song by Miguel "Mike" Velarde, Jr. It was written in 1938 for the movie Bituing Marikit and sung by the "King of the Philippine Movies" Rogelio de la Rosa. A version with English-Tagalog lyrics, recorded in 1964, was a hit in the United States and continues to be popular in Filipino communities on American soil.

The quartet closed their show with Mark Sherman's own composition, 'Hardships'. Before they played the song, Mr. Sherman explained that they were missing their families already. They had been on the road as U.S. Jazz Ambassadors for a month by now which means that they had not seen their respective families for the same period of time, too. And he said, he especially misses his little girl so much but because they were on an equally important task at the moment, they had to struggle to overcome such hardships. The quartet played the song as they all remembered their own hardships while being away from their loved ones.

Additional information I found from the website of U.S. Embassy about the quartet:

Jim Ridl (piano) creates and performs original compositions and arrangements deeply rooted in jazz, classical, Americana and global styles. Craft and expression go hand-in-hand in his creative process. Ridl’s melodious lyrics and intense rhythms are influenced by numerous artistic elements including literature, musicians and composers of all styles, personal voyages and the unique drama found within nature and the universe. Ridl has played, recorded, and toured with jazz guitarist Pat Martino. He has also performed with saxophonist Dave Liebman, drummer Ignacio Berroa, and saxophonist Steve Wilson.

Tom DiCarlo (bass) is a jazz musician who has developed an organic, vibrant, and deep musical style. Personal experience, daily life, and a wide variety of music influence DiCarlo’s sound. DiCarlo has worked with musicians such as Claudio Roditi and Norman Simmons and has recorded and released the recording Thank You Uncle Edward. DiCarlo began playing the electric bass when he was 14 and the double bass at 16. An avid educator, DiCarlo has taught music theory and bass at Lafayette College in Easton, and offers private double bass and electric bass instruction.

Tim Horner (drums and percussion) has mastered a wide variety of instruments including drums, percussion, viola, and piano. Elvin Jones, Mel Lewis, and Billy Hart have influenced Horner’s traditional and nuanced, yet dynamic, modern jazz style. Originally from Virginia, Horner, now a New Jersey resident, started playing the drums and violin/viola at age ten. He has played with Hank Jones, Miroslav Vitous, Rufus Reid, and Pepper Adams, and spent 11 years with The Maria Schneider Orchestra. Horner has recorded approximately 300 recordings as a sideman, and he is currently writing music for his first recording as a leader.

Mark Sherman (vibes) is a New York City native who plays the vibraphone, piano, drums, and percussion. He began playing the vibes at age 17 and has since developed an original post-bop and classic standard sound inspired by great music masters. He has worked with renowned musicians such as Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Joe Lovano, and Michael Brecker. Sherman has performed on over 100 albums as a studio musician and released a number of his own recordings over the last three decades including Live at The Bird’s Eye, One Step Closer, and Family First. Sherman started studying music at The High-School of Music and Art in New York City, and continued his studies at The Juilliard School of Music.

I look forward to watching more concerts such as this one. A lovely serenade from the world's greatest! Again, Bravo!!!!! Thanks to the efforts of the U.S. Embassy to bring Jazz Environment closer to the hearts of Filipinos via their Rhytm Road Program. Godbless.

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GLIMPSES THROUGH THE RAIN - My First Ever Written Book

Posted by Miles , Friday, May 28, 2010 5:10 PM

I thank my friend, Audrey Rose, who got me hooked up into blogging. She showed me how to do it. I never realized I have the inclination until I got a first-hand glimpse of it. With just a few taps on my keyboard soon, I discovered my own little world through it.

Thinking of what to blog, which picture to post, how to relay the messages in written form. Man, I never thought blogging would be this much of a fun and not to mention so much challenging! Oh, and reading comments from various readers also made my heart felt so stuffed. The experience was really amazing!

But one time, I got lost. Not a word could be formulated in my head. I had no clue what to blog about. I didn't have the energy to compose an article, either. What to write, what to write? Gosh! Was this the end of my uprising star as a blogger? I hope not. But my head was still empty. The person whom I hoped I could talk to and confide with, was unfortunately unavailable and I understood the shared reasons. So, I turned off my notebook and went straight at doing other things except blogging. One, two, three days had passed and I still didn't have any topic to write about, for my blogsite. Then suddenly, I woke up one morning with an idea in my mind, almost stuck as a glued piece of paper on a cardboard. A Book. What if I write a book, instead? Sure? Why not? I can always try, can't I? I had never felt enthusiasm revitalized my body like that in years, since my college years actually. It was like I had a thesis to work on. And so there goes myself and my notebook again. I tapped and tapped the keyboard. First I had to create characters, three at least, there should be one woman and two men in it, but no, I didn't want my story to be just a typical love-triangle kind of story. So, Mitch, Lei and Mart were born. I typed a few words, sentences followed which led to several paragraphs almost spontaneously. Words, thoughts, they just popped through my head like bubbles in thin air, I even had to type faster, afraid that I may not be able to catch them all, that they may fade from my memory right away. I hardly stopped. I loved writing it.

Days had passed and voila! Glimpses Through The Rain was created. My first ever written book. Well, how'd you know? Could this be true? Is it for real? Am I just dreaming or what? Yes, I have dreamed of writing a story when I was just a girl. I think everybody did at some point in his/her life. But I have never imagined that I could actually write and finish a book in my lifetime. God, Thank you for the talent and skill! I am so humbled by the fact that writing a book was never easy, this I personally realized and admit. I prayed a lot just to ask for ideas, more words and thoughts to proceed with the chapters. I did my share of research through the net. The books I've read in the past had tremendously helped. I thank the special people around me, who in more ways than one, have graciously inspired me while working on it. And oh my, the feedbacks were wonderful, too. I love them!

So, please do read my first book. And be generous enough to let me hear feedbacks from you. I'll definitely write some more.

Thank you so much to my avid readers. muah!

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RepairPal Equals Car Care Confidence

Posted by Miles , Friday, May 14, 2010 6:59 AM

Have you ever wondered if it is possible to receive a quality service or repair while getting a fair deal at the same time? Well, the great news is that it is indeed possible. In fact, that has already been realized and been proven by one company with a team of expert technicians who have vastly contributed in outlining all of the information you would need in regards to a service or repair based on a mountain of parts prices and labor time. RepairPal. The one and only company which equates its brand to Car Care Confidence. What's even wonderful is that RepairPal is capable of sending you a printable version of your RepairPrice Estimate to your provided personal email address! Awesome, isn't it? If you have previously received a price estimate for a particular job from another party, we dare you to compare it to a RepairPrice Estimate and we assure you that what you'll be getting from RepairPal is really of a fair deal!

A Warning Indicator is The Check Engine Light or simply CEL which is different from the Maintenance or Service Light. Make sure you don't confuse CEL with it. These lights illuminate when a routine service is due. Usually, they are being triggered by mileage or sometimes by consumed gallons of gasoline and at other times by some type of vehicle-use measurement.

Are you at the stage of discerning over which brand or model of a car to purchase? Which vehicle best suits you and/or your family in accord to your lifestyle? Well, have no fear. Worry no more. RepairPal is here to help you make the wisest decision. Toyota Camry is one best example. With RepairPal you are guaranteed with a Car-Care-Confidence all the time.

Let's talk about Chicago - The Windy City because of its bone-chilling gusts! or The City of Big Shoulders because of its numerous hulky skyscrapers. It is also a fact that climates or seasons affect the vehicles and we are all aware that there are four seasons in Chicago which means that they'd have varying effects on your vehicles. There are more than 2.8 million people living in Chicago and thus, this city does not apprehend in giving out tickets for mere traffic violations. Records show that over 3 million tickets are given out each year which simply implies that a ticket is usually issued per citizen in that city. Given this statistisc, it would rather be wise to check beforehand on Chicago Auto Repair Shops and Mechanics.

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How Certain Message Of Concerns Tend To Annoy Me

Posted by Miles , Wednesday, May 12, 2010 10:05 PM

HEAR ME OUT

I am the fourth child in a family of 4 girls and 1 boy with myself being the youngest among the girls. I was raised by a conservative Catholic family where most of the Filipino Traditions (with Spanish-like influence for a culture, I could fairly say) still take part in our day to day encounters within the members of the family and outwardly to those part of the social community. Turning 31 this month. Single. Never dated a guy at all for "that" mere purpose alone. Both by choice and by circumstances. Yes! You read 'em all right. And not one angst you could see on my face for being in such a state. I am pretty much accustomed to how I have moved, how my life has left its trails onto the past 3 decades of life and living. I am simply saying that I am happy. Period.

However, recently, I have been finding myself getting acquainted with lots of people, friends from grade school, high school and even from the university, well a handful of co-workers and family-friends too, who impulsively throw me a bunch of questions, unaware from within themselves that those questions had become so redundant and sober to my sense of hearing by this time.

"How are you?", "Are you working?", "Are you married now?", "But are you dating someone? or have you at least dated anybody before?", "How come?", "Well, stop storing up a bulk of 'greens' in your pockets and go spend sometime meeting people; socialize, will you!", "You're clock's ticking, girl!"

Golly! You just don't have any idea how many times I have heard those intruiging queries since the start of the present year to the point that I have already memorized them by heart and noticed that they're always thrown in the like sequence plus the follow-up statement, "You know what? I know of a bachelor who's also not dating anyone, perhaps you should meet him." Suddenly, my age has taken the 'center-stage of conversations and I've been placed on a 'hot seat'. I even thought of making a recording of my own response to those questions so I may just have it replayed over and over whenever people ask me of the same. Geez! I am not bothered at all that I am still single at this time and age but it is the very event when people utter redundant questions which harasses me.

It is becoming obvious to me as if people were just expected to conform to the social norms like that of growing up, going to school, graduating from college, getting employed, meeting people and being in a loving/romantic relationship and then by the age of 30 should already have been married and have at least a kid or two. Voila! What a fairy-tale-like story! Aaah! The timeline, yes! It is as if people should carefully look into the timeline of their lives and how to cautiously and consciously live within the grounds of those "age-range" alone; otherwise, you would find yourself deemed as either lonely or somewhat in trouble.

Oh my! Can't people see it? Can't they feel how those queries are beginning to sound annoying rather than statements of empathy or sympathy? I know they were and still are concerned and they only care about me though they instead sound or sounded as if offering me pity. Honestly I do appreciate their thoughtfulness; I really do. But oh how I dread hearing those questions again and again. Enough, please. I am ok. Very much ok. I am blissfully ok. Take that. And don't worry, because when my time comes to walk down the aisle, I can just imagine it will surely be broadcasted to the people surrounding me beyond my control. But for the time-being, please let me be. I really wish you'd all see me as a Joyful Single Gal who is having a blast of her present life. I had my reasons and I even had a "colorful" past. I live by my own principles. I am loved, I am in love, I live, I travel and I enjoy. I am indeed SINGLE. But I just want to get this message through: My being single does not make me any less of a person. Modesty aside, how many married couples have I met so far who could bravely say that the lives they're having are better off than the lives of those who are yet 'singles'? Think about it.

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MY VIEWPOINT TO ELECTIONS 2010

Posted by Miles , Tuesday, May 11, 2010 7:00 AM

PHILIPPINE ELECTIONS

NATIONAL AND LOCAL

10 MAY 2010

This year's national and local elections must have been the most interesting electoral processes I have ever witnessed by far. It was not my first time to participate in one of the very essential events in the lives of all Filipinos such as 'elections' but this year caught me awed - I got excited in being able to cast a vote just as most of the first time voters felt. And this time, I voted really wisely by delicately choosing a prospect among the many candidates who sought for a seat in the government. I guess this year embarked grand changes in our country's history which made me feel so proud being a Filipino myself.

Changes? Yes, changes, indeed! Our elections processes used to have been performed by having the voters manually write all the names of the candidates they wished to position on certain seats for public service. Then, the voters folded the paper which contained their votes and then slipped it inside the ballot box. Once all of the required signatures had been affixed, a drop of an indelible ink was put onto their right index finger that thus signified they were done in voting and could never again cast a vote during the said elections. Voting-precincts were closed at 6:00 in the evening, under normal circumstances, and all of those votes were manually counted by the designated board of elections inspectors by presenting a tally on a chalkboard plus the duplicated tally in paper form. All tallied votes per precinct were submitted to a central-station which consolidated all of the votes in certain districts and regions. Usually it took a week or more than a week to finally conclude and declare those who won for national electorate positions.

But this year's elections had been something new for everybody. Alas! from manual vote-counting to automated counting of votes. What used to be 5 or 6 precincts were now clustered into just 1 precinct which was assigned with one Smartmatic Voting Machine. What used to be just manual writing of names of the candidates was now a mere shading of circles associated to the names of the candidates. Once the voters were done in shading, the paper which contained their votes also contained a barcode that was machine-readable. All of the signing and using of an indelible ink were still part of the voting processes though. The voting machine first verified the legality of the paper containing all of the data/information, then a confirmation was given by this message, "Congratulations! Your vote has been registered." All of those registered votes were stored in Simcards pre-inserted in a Smartmatic Voting Machines. All those sims could automatically transmit all of the information to a centralized retrieving unit. And Voila! A tally of votes could be identified and disclosed immediately although with certain human and machine-related untoward errors, the final results may yet take about 2 to 3 days. See what I mean? Things have been made easier for all of us, thanks to the wonders of technology. Although since we were all neophytes to these changes, I could not deny that I personally witnessed how most of us got frustrated or dismayed with how the processes went on. Some complained how populated a precinct was (obviously, because 5-6 precincts were housed in one room and that meant at least about a thousand voters) which resulted to a 3-hour voters-queue for other areas; others got irritated at how often the voting machines shut off, bugged-down, and to certain extent never functioned at all: the major reason why everything went slow in terms of voting; I saw more than a couple of people walked out, decided to go back home without having casted a vote yet out of mere impatience.

I went to the voter's precinct at 8:00 AM, got served a voter's paper at 9:50AM and had done voting at 9:58AM. The sun's rays were excruciatingly burning our skins while we were out in the field, sweating, waiting in line for our turn to get into the precinct to vote, but well, I could sincerely say, it was all worth it!! Patience does have a price - the chance to air out my own sentiments as a citizen by casting my vote; MY VOTE DOES COUNT! Although the candidates I have voted may have not won their sought after posts, but I was one proud person for being able to earn the right to be called a FILIPINO. As they all say, one does not have the right to complain about what wrong was going on in their country if one does not participate in choosing the country's public servants at all.

I SALUTE ALL OF THE TEACHERS WHO COMPRISED THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS INSPECTORS NATIONWIDE. I saw how they struggled to squeeze in a short break for having lunch and restroom break; and how they selflessly willed to last the very unpleasant precinct-environment: no A/C, no electric fan, irritated voters; also, they courageously faced all the threats involved in holding the 'elections' in their respective precincts. GODBLESS YOU! GODBLESS THE PHILIPPINES!

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Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)

Posted by Miles , Friday, May 7, 2010 9:14 PM

Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)

Bangkok, Thailand

I would like to share with you about my trip to Wat Arun and what I have learned about it.

I went to visit Wat Arun, otherwise known as Temple of Dawn, in the company of my sister and one of her generous and courteous students who gave us a tour around the temple's vicinity. Upon arrival at the site, we right away noticed that the temple of dawn consists of a massive elongated prang (technically known as Khmer-style tower) and which is even surrounded by four smaller prangs. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, this massive elongated prang stands as high as 104 meters. The said prang is decorated by bits of porcelain which had previously been used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China, which embarks the reign of RAMA III.

We got curious of what was instored for us atop the temple and so we decided to climb up to reach the peak and I thought it was the hard part of our trip but I was wrong. Going down the steepy stairs was even harder that I even felt my bones wobbled. I don't have fear of heights but if ever I did, it must have started on that very instant - going down those steepy ancient steps. I saw many old ones and korean visitors who cried out for help, literally, asking for a rescue for them to be able to go down as it wasn't expected to have such a tremendous effect on all of our knees. =)

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The Giant Swing and Wat Suthat

Posted by Miles , 2:37 PM

The Giant Swing and Wat Suthat

Bangkok, Thailand

Together with my sister, we went to see the famous giant swing in Bangkok, Thailand on the 10th day of December 2009. A very tall structure situated right in the middle of the roads accessible to public vehicles. Adjacent to the Giant Swing structure is the Wat Suthat. We went inside the Wat Suthat and took off our shoes when we entered the Thai people's known sacred place of worship.

A GLIMPSE TO THEIR HISTORY

RAMA I, the founder of the Chakri Dynasty, reigned between 1782 and 1809 period. He ordered the construction of Wat Suthat just right after his coronation. RAMA I walked barefoot while bringing the temple's main Buddha bronze image to Bangkok through the river from Sukothai and was said to have been exhausted all throughout the procession as he staggered his way into the temple Suthat afterwards. A seven-day festivity was then ordered and declared by RAMA I upon the arrival of the bronze image at the temple.

Wat Suthat was continued by RAMA II during his reign (1809 to 1824) but was completed during the reign of RAMA III (1824-1851).

The Giant Swing was designed under the reign of RAMA II for the sole purpose of celebrating and thanking the god Shiva for the bountiful rice harvest and for still future blessings. The rice minister in the company of Brahman court astrologers would normally lead the parade across the city walls to Wat Suthat's vicinity. Groups of men would then ride the swing on the arcs as high as 82 feet afloating the air while holding a bag of silver coins with their teeth. But because of a notably recorded injuries and deaths incidences, the dangerous swing ceremony were discontinued although the thanksgiving ceremony was still observed in the middle of December of the year 1932 after the rice harvest. The huge teak arch in red color presently found in the middle of the road is all that remains of an original giant swing.

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