Juneau Our cruising vacation with 20 family members and friends started in Juneau. The weather on our first day was sunny with the purest blue sky. This is rare in rainy, misty Junenau. And on the boat, we were very lucky to have zero rain for all six days. The Mendenhall Glacier is just outside Juneau, and we enjoyed a great hike to a waterfall. The Alaska state museum was also a good stop. And there’s plenty of shopping for trinkets in downtown Juneau (but don’t blink or you’ll miss it). ...
On our first morning aboard the “Wilderness Legacy,” a 5:30 am intercom announcement broke our sleep. In pajamas, fleece jackets, and sneakers, we hustled to the bow. We were in an enormous, panoramic bay. And humpback whales were spouting in every direction, from near to far. They rose, blew spray high into the air, and then showed us their tails as they dove. The boat slowed to a crawl and we watched for an hour. Magic! ...
Menlo Park got the blues on Thursday night, as the magnificent Christone “Kingfish” Ingram led his band through a 1.5 hour set. Kingfish brought three guitars and worked them for every possible nuance of tone and expression, from quiet-clean to screaming-shredding. He also has a fine voice and is a strong composer. Tunes ranged from blues to funk to soul. In the middle of the show, he made his way to the pit at the front of the stage and played for about 15 minutes in the middle of the crowd, bringing the blues amidst the tech bros of Silicon Valley. We were entranced. ...
I love the summer delight of cruising over to the Stanford Campus for the evening concerts at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, a jazz camp for kids. I particularly like concerts in the Campbell Recital Hall, an intimate space with ideal acoustics On this particular evening, we celebrated Jacob’s birthday by making homemade gluten-free pizzas, perfect tomatos with basil, and grilled veggies. Delicious! Monday night is usually not the best for music, but this night of two guitars was exceptional. We did not have tickets in advance to this sold-out show, but took our chances on rush tickets. And we got in. ...
On a beautiful summer evening in San Francisco, Micah and I visited SFJazz for a “late father’s day” session. Daniel Villareal, a drummer, was leading his band in the intimate Joe Henderson room. Villareal plays with a rock-steady, hypnotic, driving pulse. Nothing too fancy, yet very engaging. He was joined by Brazilian-American vibraphonist Victor Vieira-Branco and upright bassist John Moran. Victor was very intense and vibraphone worked really well in a trio format and in a small room. ...