Last weekend I adjucidated the Rock and Jazz ADMTA festival held at the University of Texas. I had not judged in several years and it was nice to see the overall level had risen. Students were for the most part well prepared and interested in playing. I hope to do more in the future.
I returned to LA mid-September and saw my friends Robin and Jim Patterson, and heard my former student/friend Rob Thies on Palos Verdes. Rob won the Prokovief competition several years ago and is a freelance musician in LA. Robin has a private piano studio in Hermosa Beach 3 blocks from the pier. It was a wonderful time.
I return to Orange County and San Diego October 11th. I will follow some leads and see my cousin in La Mesa.
November 21-30 I will return to Tokyo to shoot a personal narrative based on my experience. I will return to Minami-Senju and the New Azuma Hotel, a hostel that is very cheap. There are single rooms, and it is 2 blocks from Kozukappara, or Boulevard of Bones, where the skulls were lined after executions during the Edo period. It is a stark contrast to the rest of Tokyo, and the glitzy image the West has.
The Debussy film continues to progress, and I will give an update and a trailer soon.
