Micah

At the Bach Dynamite and Dancing Society, founder Pete Douglas is remembered each week by putting his pipes and cap on the windowsill for the duration of the jazz concert. Pete had an intense love for jazz, strong and pure, and I’m sure he’d be pleased that his club keeps on swinging under the leadership of his daughter, Barbara. Micah, Victoria and I came out to hear Isaiah Collier with his trio. Isaiah is a devotee of John Coltrane, and plays his sax ferociously, filling the hall with a relentless intensity. The music was loud, wild, fast, and expressive—exploring all a saxophone can do. He started with some standards including Bye Bye Blackbird and Naima. And then later moved into his originals. I particularly liked a moving piece written in memory of Ahmaud Arbery. ...

Hitting the trail Our quest for the perfect lake in California’s Sierra Nevada continued this year with backpacking in the Desolation Wilderness. This year Micah Jacob and I were joined by a special guest: nephew Jack. We planned a four day trip: From the Wright Lake trailhead to Maude Lake Then over the Rockbound Pass at nearly 9000 feet, to Lake Schmidell A day hike, return to camp at Lake Schmidell Return 9 miles to Wright Lake ...

Ravi Coltrane played two long sets at the opening of his residency at SF Jazz, each filled with extended, soaring solos. The first set featured the “electric band” which was electric by virtue of using a synthesizer to enable the keyboard player to cover the bass line. The second set involved his long-standing Coltraxx quartet, with piano, drums, and bass. The two drummers were the highlight of the date; both were very intense. Also, the Alice Coltrane compositions they featured were particularly strong. ...

The power was out, yet the music lit up the night as Delfayo Marsalis led a joyful set at the Bach Dynamite and Dancing Society in Half Moon Bay. Getting there was half the fun, as California was in the midst of a major winter storm, with high winds and strong rain. And when Micah and I arrived, we learned that there was a power outage from the storm, so the set would be played acoustically by battery-powered camper lights. You can see the lights in the photo. ...

For New Year’s Eve and our Anniversary Eve as well, Audrey and I took Micah and Victoria to the Kennedy Center to hear vocalist Jazzmeia Horn and her Noble Force. The musical energy started high and stayed high, with Jazzmeia leading a full big band horn section with 5 saxes, 4 trombones and 4 trumpets through a series of her own compositions. “Strive” and “Freedom” were particularly powerful. (Listen to Freedom on Spotify.) ...