We didn’t know anything about Paul Cornish when we picked up tickets to see his Trio at SFJazz one Thursday evening. He was playing in the Joe Henderson Lab, which often features rising stars and has a view of the streets of San Francisco through plate glass windows. We were up fror a night of jazz and gave it a shot. And we were amply rewarded with a great set. Cornish has very interesting compositions that frequently shift gears and slip into unexpected places. The tunes often had simple elements at their core – a great rhythm or an attractive melody. These were the onramp for the journey that followed. The bassist Jermaine Paul played virtuoso solos. And drummer Jonathan Pinson could play with very quiet intensity, like Brian Blade, but also let it rip. ...
Backpacking in the Sierras is an important tradition for me and the boys. So I was glad that Micah and I landed a last minute permit for Yosemite this August. As the sign indicates, our destimations were May Lake (2.7 miles) and Glen Aulen (10.6 miles), and in total, we walked about 18 miles in 3 days. May Lake is short hike in, but steep. And yet it has panoramic high sierra views. Micah found us a great campsite about 200 feet above the lake and we settled into our hammocks to relax. As the evening unfolded, the light on the mountain ranges grew better and better, eventually peaking in an amazing sunset. ...
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. ...