I had rehearsal for the poetry performance tonight. It's gonna be really good. I love the opportunity to interpret someone else's work. Kind of like hearing my friend, Kelly, sing a verse of one of my tunes the other night at Hotel Cafe; it really opens the work to see someone else live inside it. And it's such a freeing space to live a moment in someone else's words. And it's joyful to find that resonance within your life and someone else's text. I mean, we all get that watching a great movie, reading a book, hearing the perfect song. But so many things lately have made me really appreciate actors and the deep exploration of that craft. And my man Ricardo is a master writer.

Then for the rest of the evening at home alone I practiced Jazz standards, playing, singing, improvising....trying to find myself in those tunes. And part of that I know is an immediate escape because I've been wanting to say yes to more of my friends when they want to hire me for a random party. I figure if I'm doing someone else's material, I won't be annoyed not being the focus of the event. (I don't know how people do the background thing all the time. I think my shit matters, and I get mad if you if you don't listen, for you, because you're missing out. Yeah, I said it. But why would anyone dedicate their lives to making art, if s/he didn't think it was useful? Even art for art sake is useful and people who say they don't take it serious have got to be lying. I can make myself laugh at home. But I love to make you laugh. Levity is seriously necessary.... Blah blah blah!) So, back to the point. After doing the Kenny Burrell tribute at Royce--and really the rehearsal where it was just me singing with Kenny and the Orchestra--I decided I wanted to really work up a jazz repertoire. Unfortunately, I got slammed with a sad heart and then tremendous amounts of design work, plus wonderful opportunities to perform my work in a bunch of solo shows and with my gang of Leimert Park poets.

And, man, the poetry experience has been out of this world. It's such a great community of artists and magic ensues from the stories we tell, to the adventures we encounter--the most fun for me being joining the mariachi group at La Cabana, after the Beyond Baroque reading.

Then there's getting to know the newer places to play. I really enjoyed the show at Portfolio in Long Beach back in February. It's great to find a new place to stretch out. I'm still trying to create more regular gigs, but my mind's been so full of ideas and commitments that I'm usually 3 days late on phone calls.

But I am getting out and encountering some of the most beautiful and creative people. I feel so grateful for that. I'm consistently meeting new souls to improvise with. And that inspires me even while the world is so mad. We create love in our little spaces to inspire us to take it to a larger theater. Don't they use that term "theater of war"? That's no place for acting, carrying out someone else's ideas. Hmm... "Theater of peace?" Yeah, we can play with that. But in the end each actor makes his own decision and we can turn down the bogus script if it's not going to feed our soul and what we judge as the collective soul. I don't know about "the secret" and positive thinking. But I do know that if God is with the least of us, the impoverished, the victims, that all encompassing energy is thinking about the negative, helping it with compassion and understanding.

Did you protest this weekend?

Did you love this weekend?

I was sad and became very happy.

Yep, a songwriter spouting off about the yin and yang. I love my late night stream of consciousness. Kind of a reminder to be conscious during the day. Ooh so serious.... Ha.

Hope to see you soon.

Love,

J