Peak cherry blossoms were waiting for us when we arrived this year in Washington, DC. After a few days of rain, we awoke to a glorious Sunday morning. Audrey and I hopped on the city bikes (with helmets, of course), and rode 30 minutes to the National Mall. We were greeted by peak crowds, all trying to get to Tidal Basin that surrounds the Jefferson Memorial. ...
We tuned in to Jake Shimabukuru via streaming on Friday night, and to our surprise, we liked his music and entertaining style so much that we bought tickets for Sunday night. After a fun French dinner of crepes and French onion soup at Chez Maman West, we strolled over to SFJazz to catch the show. Jake performed a wide range of music from Flamenco-style to a rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody and While my Guitar Gently Weeps. His take was lighthearted yet virtuosic. Overall, good fun. ...
We’ve enjoyed Maria Schneider several times now, but this is the first time we’ve heard the Orchestra in San Francisco. The compositions were lush and original, and ranged across many of her albums. We were glad to have time to catch a quick meal of Thai food beforehand with Micah and Victoria. “Sputnik” was my favorite tune this time, with the encore “Walking by Flashlight” a close second. Audrey ordered a copy of the book of poems that inspired many compositions, 100 Postcards to Jim Harrison. ...
“I’ll take you there” sings Mavis Staples, famously, and she did – it was a soulful, happy place. The minimalist backup band, guitar-bass-drums, was outstanding – filling the space with energy. We especially loved Rick Holstrom, a blues guitar player. He made his Telecaster sing in every way it should, extracting a series of tasty, and thrilling tones. The church is still in Mavis Staples; we felt we were in a wonderful Sunday gospel service, with Mavis ever urging our spirits higher. The surprise song of the set was the Talking Heads cover, Slippery People ( “What’s a matter with him? He’s alright.”" ) It fit perfectly. “Friendship” was also a touching song. ...
Dance we must, as the motown groove of San Francisco favorite “Pride and Joy” is undeniable! And dance we did, all night long, with our friends Mike and Fong. The packed house brought out every 55 year old in Menlo Park California who isn’t afraid to boogie. When they band closed with “Shout!” it was quite entertaining to look around and see everyone (including us) complaining that we can’t “get a little bit softer now; get a little bit lower now”—our knees hurt! ...