Kristos Eastlake

Yes, that's right: Zamani Flamanco is back at it! . . . er, back at performing full-length flamenco shows, that is. We've had a little hiatus while Zanbaka and Dani were "sangria-and-churro-ing" their way across southern Spain, but as of last Sunday night, we're officially back in business!

And a festive return it was: Kristos Eastlake is a new Mediterranean/Greek restaurant in Seattle just east of Lake Union and has become Zamani Flamenco's latest "home" for regular public shows. As anyone who has already been to Kristos will surely confirm, the space is big, wide open, and very blue. It's also, as it turns out, got a nice sound--evidently people up in the loft could hear and see the show just as well as those sitting front and center.

But enough about the venue! Let's talk about us! And let me begin by saying this: we've been working our butts off since Dani and Zanbaka's return in order to get two full sets together and polished. In accordance with my particular mania, I insisted that we work up way too much material (I'm a big fan of the "better too much music than not enough" approach). On Sunday that meant that we ended up playing until something like 11:00--and still has songs left over!

Much exhausting fun though that was, however, we're going to shoot for an earlier (and perhaps a tad more "compact") show the next time around. All this does mean, though, that we'll have new stuff to roll out from show to show and won't have to recycle the same sets from one month to the next.

And speaking of future shows, Chris (the owner) has already booked us for another date. I still have to confirm with the rest of the group, but our tentative plan is to be out there again on the 12th of July at 8:00. Details and gratuitous amounts of publicity will follow shortly. (As with the June show, our plan is to keep the July date cover-free.)

But how, you must certainly be wondering, did the actual performance go? "Well" is the pithiest (if not particularly the most informative) answer. I should also note that this show was a lot different than shows we've done in the past--and in a good way. We've been working with a singer, Marta Sivertsen, more and more lately and had the welcome addition of her services on Sunday. Guitar and dance makes for a good performance, but there's just no replacing a strong singer--and strong Marta definitely is!

Dani and Zanbaka were also in excellent form. Since we've reassembled (and rearranged) a lot of material that we hadn't played together for three months, there was a little bit of ad hoc arrangement going on--an early verse or falseta here, an altered footwork there. We're all still pretty good at reading each other, though, so if someone dropped a phrase or a step, the rest of us were able to catch right on, generally without missing a beat (both literally and figuratively).

Guitar-wise, I definitely feel like I'm getting more comfortable giving performances. In fact, prior to the show's start, I was feeling (subjectively) pretty calm. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean that my fingers weren't a little stupid to start off with. As my wife (a physical therapist in training) would say, the problem is all in my autonomic nervous system, my "fight or flight" response. I suspect a more apt name for it is the "uncooperative finger response"--and if that's supposed to help me fight or flee in any way, I'll be damned if I know how.

Oddly enough, the "uncooperative finger response" manifested itself Sunday night in a near complete inability to arpeggiate. Rasgueado, alzapua, chording--no problems with any of that, but p-i-m-a-m-i was just kicking my ass. Go figure.

Luckily, all (or most, anyway) of this wore off after about three songs. By the fourth or fifth song I felt like I was pretty much playing up to my ability. Which isn't to say everything was perfect from there on out, but at least I was spared the onerous vexation of not being able to pull off something as pedestrian as a double arpeggio.

Solo-wise, I played my Granaina, as I've done before, but I also debuted a Petenera--one I've been working on for a month or two but have yet to play in public. (We didn't record the show, but I have a YouTube up of the Petenera in question (recorded in the safety of my dining room) here.) As it was my first time bringing this piece out in front of an audience, I was a bit concerned about what nerves might do--both to my fingers and to my memory--but, much to my pleasant surprise, the piece came off just as I would have hoped.

Which is to say I let myself get completely buried in the music, my fingers did what they were supposed to do, and the rest just followed. At one point I briefly tuned in to the room and noticed that everything else in the restaurant had gone quiet and that everyone had stopped talking. I took this as a good sign. (NB: When I say "everyone," I mean everyone except for a particular longtime band friend who, to the best of my knowledge, never stops talking, but that's why we love her.)

Well, there's more to tell, I'm sure--and hopefully some pics to post soon--but that's all I have for now. If you're in the area, please do come out and see us in July--Kristos is a great venue and has a truly tasty dinner menu.

And until then, as always: go play!

~A

Shows & Pics!

A quick check of my blogroll brings this alarming fact to my attention: it's been like three weeks since my last post! Another quick glance reminds me that my last two posts have centered around carpet in a near-obsessive (okay, fine, certifiably-obsessive) sort of way. So let me start off by assuring you this: no, I haven't spent the last three weeks in some sort of floor-covering induced psychosis treatment facility. Quite to the contrary, I've been working up new sets and a new show with my recently returned (from Spain, nonetheless!) dancers Zanbaka and Daniela. Thus, in the spirit of moving us all past the woes of pernicious floor covering: here are some show updates!

First, my cuadro Zamani Flamenco will be putting on its first full-length show of 2009 on Sunday, the 14th of June, at Kristos Eastlake in Seattle. As I mention above, my dancers have recently returned from being abroad for a few months and we're all (as you might imagine) eager to get back into the thick of things. With some luck (and--more importantly--a good turnout) we hope to turn this venu into a monthly gig. The food at Kristos (Greek and other Mediterranean fare) really is darn good and there's no cover, so if you're in town, please do stop by. You can find specifics about the show on the ZF calendar.

Next: I've finally got pics from the last couple gigs I've played. The first set is from the University of Washington Bothell's Intercultural night; the second set is from the VA Puget Sound's Volunteer recognition luncheon.

From our performance at the Intercultural Night:

The only explanation I have for this shot is that there must have been something alarming going on outside the window. A zombie attack, perhaps. (We were doing a sound check, by the way, not the actual performance.)

And here I am playing the infamous D^{sus2add6add11} chord:

This shot is of Marta, Rachel Sprague and I at the VA Puget Sound's Volunteer Recognition luncheon:

And just because I'm a glutton for mockery, here's a shot of me with my Dickensian urchin gloves:

Yes, I know they're silly, but they're great for trying to play with cold hands! Go ahead: mock away--you know you want to!

Or better yet: go play--that's a better use of your time!

~A