Micah

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. ...

It was a real treat to see John Scofield at the intimate Bach Dynamite and Dancing Society. And a special treat to celebrate Micah’s birthday with some delicious cupcakes overlooking the ocean. Scofield and his quartet played a wide variety of tunes. A Cole Porter song was memorable as were some of his original compositions. Some of his trademark funky grooves were included. For Half Moon Bay, we also had unusually clear skies (no fog!) and a calm ocean. ...

The forecast showed a cold front, rain, and dropping snow levels. Not a promising outlook for a backpacking trip. So Micah and I changed plans to car camping instead, and visiting Yosemite nonetheless. Stormy weather brings interesting clouds. And we saw a rare rainbow in Yosemite Valley, below the peaks. On one hike, we saw a bobcat and also came across a herd of stags with many points. You can’t truly understand biblical tales unless you’ve heard thunder explode through a mountain valley, which we did one night amidst a tremendous downpour. Our tent held firm and we were warm and dry. During the days, we only had sprinkles. ...

Our favorite jazz venue is the Bach Dynamite and Dancing Society. To keep the flame burning, we sponsored a recent show by David Sánchez and his quintet. We started our Sunday adventure on the fabulous deck, overlooking the Pacific. The ocean was calm and silver-toned, with occasional slow waves crashing into the shore. Together with our guests – Micah, Glenn and Liz, and Judi and Nick – we had a cornucopia of snacks to enjoy. We were in good spirits. ...

On a beautiful sunny Sunday, I had the pleasure of taking Kayla and Micah to the San Jose Jazz Festival. The festival is held over three days in downtown San Jose. There are three main outdoor stages in the plaza, and many nearby indoor stages. We arrived around 1:30 pm and set ourselves up on the lawn with a good view of the main stage but plenty of shade. ...