|
|
Miguelito's Photo Diary/BlogJuly 31, 2005 - August 5, 2005
Flamenco in Baghdad August 5, 2005 My guitarist friend Gil Mendez writes: 
August 5, 2005 (photo courtesy of Gil Mendez, Lt. Commander, US Navy) Andalucía Restaurant August 4, 2005 I met dancer Julia Cristina about a month ago at Cafe Citron. (Actually I knew of her previously when she was taking classes with various teachers over the years.) Anyway, that night at Citron I invited her onstage for Sevillanas and was impressed by her dancing. So I decided to give her a call to see if she would be willing to perform a few times at the Andalucía before she goes back to school in California at the end of the summer. (Checkout her website.) We didn't get a chance to really rehearse, but you know me. I'm used to walking onstage and finding out what a dancer is going to dance just a moment before she performs. I started with a guitar solo then Julia came onstage for Sevillanas. Then I did another solo and she came back onstage and did a Guajiras (La Tati's choreography). It went very well and we had a lot of people in the audience including a flamenco friend from way back. 
Julia dancing Sevillanas. August 4, 2005 8:20pm (photo by Rebecca) 
August 4, 2005 8:22pm (photo by Rebecca) 
August 4, 2005 8:22pm (photo by Rebecca) 
Julia in Guajiras. August 4, 2005 8:34pm (photo by Rebecca) After the show, a lady walked up and congratulated us on our performance. It was dancer Stephanie Neira whom I met more than ten years ago when I was the guitarist for Danza del Río in Vienna, Virginia. 
Stephanie Neira and Julia Cristina. August 4, 2005 8:40pm (photo by Rebecca) Stephanie is old friends of Julia's aunt and her uncle Charlie Moeser who is a flamenco guitarist based in Richmond. But now Stephanie teaches and performs occasionally in the San Francisco area. Of course, we invited Stephanie to do some Sevillanas. 
August 4, 2005 8:44pm Julia brought a large group of friends. From left: Julia, Sissi, Saro, Ursula, Jen, Sayyat and Ara. 
August 4, 2005 8:53pm As you may already know, the Andalucía only has dance shows on the first and third Thursdays of each month. So the next show will be on August 18th and fortunately Julia has agreed to perform again on that date. She might even bring a flamenco dancer friend from school with her that night. Call 301-770-1880 to make your reservation. Night off with Miguelito August 3, 2005 No flamenco action tonight--it's always good to get away from something when you spend nearly all your time doing it. So here are some random non-flamenco photos and thoughts. Yeah it was Restaurant Week here in DC and normally we would've had the show at Cafe Bonaparte this evening (Wednesday) but due to the overwhelming dinner reservations, the show got rescheduled for next Wednesday August 10th. Result: I actually had the night off for a change! As luck would have it, a friend called me last night while I was at Las Tapas. She had an extra ticket for a preview screening of a foreign film at the E St Theatre in downtown DC for Wednesday night. It was a Norwegian movie (my friend is from Norway) called Saraband. A Sarabande is a slow movement from a typical Baroque dance suite. :-) The soundtrack actually featured a Sarabande which I immediately recognized as J.S. Bach's Cello Suite #5. The reason is not so much because I'm a classically-trained musician but more so because I actually transcribed and performed the lute version (BWV 995) of it for my senior guitar recital in college. 
The long line for the movie. Hey it was free! August 3, 2005 6:41pm Afterwards we grabbed a bite in Dupont Circle and then said goodnight and I decided to walk home through Georgetown all the way to Rosslyn. Of course, I went down Connecticut Ave passing by Cafe Citron and Lucky Bar on the way just to see if any friends were hanging out. 
Club Five, Sesto Senso, Andalu and 18th St Lounge on Connecticut Ave. August 3, 2005 11:30pm 
Lucky Bar and 1223. August 3, 2005 11:30pm Eventually, I ended up at Agua Ardiente on 24th and M St where Torcuato was playing. 
August 3, 2005 11:50pm Sitting at a table was a group of local flamencos including Anna Menendez, Marta Chico Martin, Soheila and Edwin Aparicio. Hung out for a short while and got a ride home sometime after 1:00am. Of course, I immediately went to my computer and saw my niece online (it was only around 10pm for her cuz she's in California)  August 4, 2005 1:36am Having been a regular user of the Internet for more about ten years, you'd think I be able to figure out shorthand for online chats. But Kyra taught me a new one:  August 4, 2005 1:36am My desktop wallpaper is from a photo I took in Maine. I added some special effects to make it look cool. If you like it, download it here (about 450K). 
August 4, 2005 1:45am Starting tonight I'm trying out a new show schedule at the Andalucia Restaurant. I'll be playing guitar every Thursday of course, but the dance shows will only be on the first and third Thursdays (August 4th and 18th). And I'll try to have a different dancer each time. So if you wanna checkout the up and coming talent from amongst the student dancers that I know, stop by the Andalucia. Call 301-770-1880 to make reservations or just show up and hang out at the bar. Las Tapas August 2, 2005 When I arrived (early as usual) with my sound equipment, the manager asked me, "So who's dancing tonight?" As usual, I never really know. Not that I don't care but the dancers in the area are confident enough in my ability as a flamenco guitarist that they can depend on me to accompany just about any substitute they send. So normally the dancers don't tell me anything. :-) Anyway, after setting up the sound and lights, I went out for my usual walk to Starbucks by the waterfront and got myself a grande green iced tea (it was a hot day) and chilled out for awhile on the comfy couches in the back. It's kind of my way to clear my mind and relax so I can come back in time for the show mentally focused. I didn't warm up though (bad bad bad) so I walked in at 7:20pm (the show is at 7:45pm) with the intent of at least playing some scales to loosen-up, but Antonella, the bartender, said Sara was looking for me. So I went I upstairs to the dressing room to say hello. After talking biz with her for a few minutes she showed me her new flamenco dresses. Checkout the pic below. Nice, huh? 
Sara Jerez. August 2, 2005 8:49pm The other dancer turned out to be Shahram Tehranian. BTW, he and I will be performing at El Manantial on Wednesday August 17th. 
Shahram and Linette. August 2, 2005 8:50pm For the first set, we opened as usual with Sevillanas, then Sara performed Guajiras followed by Shahram in a soleá por bulerías. We closed the show with bulerías. 
August 2, 2005 8:59pm (photo by Linette) 
August 2, 2005 9:01pm (photo by Linette) Dancer Ginette Perea called me to ask if the show had started yet (it was like 10 minutes to showtime) so I told her to hurry up and get here. 
Sara performing soleá. August 2, 2005 9:05pm (photo by Ginette) 
August 2, 2005 9:10pm (photo by Ginette) Of course, we invited Ginette to join us onstage for Sevillanas (sorry no pics) before ending the show as usual with a fin de fiesta bulerías. 
Fin de fiesta bulerías. August 2, 2005 9:15pm (photo by Ginette) 
August 2, 2005 9:16pm (photo by Ginette) Ginette brought her friend Lisa. The two of them are going to Jerez next week so they brought the book Top 10 Andalucia and Costa Del Sol Oh...here's the requisite food pic by yours truly. :-) 
Chocolate mousse. August 2, 2005 10:02pm Ginette's turn to do a food pic. :-)  August 2, 2005 10:02pm (photo by Ginette)  August 2, 2005 10:02pm I'm going to make Ginette promise she'll take some food pics for me while she's in Andalucía. :-) 
Lisa and Ginette by the entrance to Las Tapas. August 2, 2005 10:43pm Lisa studies classical Spanish dance and flamenco with Carmen de Vicente. The last time I performed with Carmen's group was five years ago and both Lisa and Ginette were in that show although I didn't know Ginette back then. 
Ginette and Miguelito. August 2, 2005 10:45pm (photo by Lisa) Normally Ginette and Lisa would probably listen to flamenco CD's in the car, but they asked me to play and I couldn't say no. :-) 
August 2, 2005 10:49pm (photo by Ginette) That clip on the soundhole is for the lavalier microphone. I use an Audio-Technica Pro7A which my friend Pat D'Aprile tells me has now been discontinued and replaced with a model that costs twice as much. :-( 
August 2, 2005 10:56pm (photo by Ginette) 
Nice shot of my left hand. Notice the double-jointed index finger perfectly barring three strings. :-) It's my version of an F dominant seventh chord with a muy flamenco added minor second dissonance on the first string. August 2, 2005 11:03pm (photo by Ginette) 
August 2, 2005 11:06pm (photo by Ginette) 
Gently putting "my baby" away for the evening. Goodnight! :-) August 2, 2005 11:07pm (photo by Ginette) Las Tapas features live flamenco shows Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. Call 703-836-4000. Cafe Citron August 1, 2005 It was packed for a Monday night. For the first set, the audience was OK--only a small group near the front was really paying attention. But for the second set, when there was even more people, nearly the whole club was watching the show and cheered us on. It was a good feeling. :-) It's 8:56am on Tuesday as I type these words. Just got a call to meet my Mom somewhere for a birthday breakfast. I'll add more commentary when I get back. In the meantime, enjoy! 
Miguelito and Gerard Moreno playing a rumba. August 1, 2005 8:11pm (photo by Keith) 
Mariya performing Guajiras. August 1, 2005 8:17pm (photo by Keith) 
August 1, 2005 8:21pm (photo by Keith) 
August 1, 2005 8:22pm (photo by Keith) 
August 1, 2005 8:24pm (photo by Keith) 
August 1, 2005 8:25pm (photo by Keith) [Photo removed for privacy]
Mariya and Keith. August 1, 2005 9:08pm For the second set, we invited onstage just about all of our friends who knew how to dance Sevillanas. I even asked my friend Sarika but she hasn't gotten that far yet in her flamenco classes. It's OK. I'll get her to dance onstage someday soon. :-) 
Mariya and Nicole Totah. August 1, 2005 10:00pm (photo by Keith) 
August 1, 2005 10:00pm (photo by Keith) [Photo removed for privacy]
August 1, 2005 10:01pm (photo by Keith) 
Ceci. August 1, 2005 10:02pm (photo by Keith) 
Soheila. August 1, 2005 10:02pm (photo by Keith) 
Another rumba. August 1, 2005 10:03pm (photo by Keith) 
August 1, 2005 10:05pm (photo by Keith) 
August 1, 2005 10:07pm (photo by Keith) 
Mariya performing a soleá. August 1, 2005 10:11pm (photo by Keith) There were more photo ops throughout the night, but my camera battery died. :-( Fortunately, a friend had her camera. Here are some the pics: 
Mariya. August 1, 2005 
Miguelito. August 1, 2005 
Gerard. August 1, 2005 [Photo removed for privacy]
Courtney, Steve and Miguelito. August 1, 2005 
Miguelito and Keith. August 1, 2005 
Mariya. August 1, 2005 [Photo removed for privacy]
[Photo removed for privacy]
Cafe Citron features live flamenco every Monday night at around 8:00pm and 9:00pm. Call 202-530-8844 to make reservations. Sunday with Miguelito July 31, 2005 I was at home when my guitarist friend Marty Dow called this morning (Sunday). He wanted to know if I was going to Joy of Motion to play for Estela's dance class this afternoon. It was 11:30am and I didn't have any plans yet so I said yes. After getting dressed etc I was hungry and got some lunch which made me arrive about half an hour later for class than I had planned. It's sort of OK cuz the class is working primarily with pre-recorded music anyway so the presence of a guitarist wasn't crucial. I was there say hello to some of my dancer friends and also to play along with Marty and give him a few tips here and there. He's making the commitment to learn accompaniment the only way you can: by getting experience with dancers. 
A rare self-portrait of yours truly at Joy of Motion. July 31, 2005 3:19pm Estela's performance class is working on a choreography for Guajiras. 
Nikki seemed to be enjoying herself as the class ran through the choreography several times. July 31, 2005 3:19pm 
July 31, 2005 3:19pm 
July 31, 2005 3:19pm 
July 31, 2005 3:22pm The class technically ends at 3:00pm but there was nothing scheduled in this studio afterwards, so the students took advantage of the opportunity to stay and practice some more. I was impressed by their drive and enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Marty and I quietly snuck out to Starbucks get some coffee. I went to bed late last night and I needed some caffeine to wake back up--I needed it cuz my plan was to go to DC Dance Collective to continue my "Sunday dance class marathon" up until 7:00pm! 
July 31, 2005 3:31pm Marty hung out for awhile enjoying our coffee (I got a caramel macchiato with an extra shot of espresso) and I lost track of time. So I ended up getting to Anna's dance class a half-hour late. Yeah I know, I have this rep of being on-time for all my gigs. But bear in mind though, I was volunteering my services and Anna wasn't expecting me to drop by. Funny thing is that when I walked into the studio, Anna said "Can I buy you a Coke?" I said yes, but there was I catch: I was supposed to take her money, buy myself a Coke and get her one too. When I got back, she asked me if I got something for myself, and I said "Yeah, a Coke but I already tanked up on caffeine at Starbucks before I got here," and she laughed. It's sort of an inside joke cuz I normally get caffeinated before my Tuesday gig at Las Tapas. It's not that crucial anymore, but when Edwin and Anna became the Tuesday night regulars at Las Tapas a few years ago, I had to prepare myself because they have faster footwork than anyone I've had personal experience working with. I found that when I had a Red Bull or a double-espresso right before the show, I was able to keep up with their footwork speed with my accompaniment. Over the past few years, my hands have developed the speed and stamina to keep up. But with my sometimes irregular sleep schedule, I still caffeinate for professional reasons. Dance accompaniment requires a lot of concentration, plus it wouldn't be cool to be caught dozing off in the middle of dance class. :-) I always try to be discreet about taking pics during class cuz I know that some students are nervous enough as it is under their teacher's scrutinizing eye that they don't need to know I'm taking pics which will be published for all the world to see. But Julia caught me as you can tell by her knowing smile in the pic below. Damn! :-)  July 31, 2005 6:27pm Of course I'm not taking pics for nothing. I'm documenting my flamenco-filled life to inspire others and also to keep the people informed of the DC Flamenco scene and promote shows and classes so that those of us who do it for a living can continue to do so.  July 31, 2005 6:27pm When I do stop by Anna's classes on Sundays occasionally, I try to stay for the full three hours (two 90-minute classes). Yeah it's a long haul, but it is a LOT of fun for me and I'm sure the students feel the same way. They do pay me by buying me drinks after class. But that's not what it's about. I just go to have fun.  July 31, 2005 6:31pm 
Another self-portrait of yours truly. July 31, 2005 6:43pm  July 31, 2005 6:43pm Most of the students had to go home right after class, but Anna was kind enough to buy me a beer and hang out for a short while. (Thanks Anna!) Afterwards, I was starving again. Since coming back from Maine, I've had this constant craving for seafood so I went to this Thai place next to Tenleytown metro where coincidentally some non-flamenco musician friends of mine were performing.  July 31, 2005 8:15pm And sure enough, they had on the menu what I hoping for: soft shell crab! Yum! 
Lightly-battered soft shell crab in chili-garlic sauce. July 31, 2005 8:36pm Hey if you're coming to Cafe Citron tonight, I'll hold the second show until 9:30pm cuz some of my flamenco friends promised they would show up after dance class.
Photos taken with the Olympus Stylus 300 Digital Camera
Text and original images ©1996-2013 by . Please do not republish content from this website, including text and photos, in whole or part without prior written permission. |
|
and some website printouts to ask me for suggestions about the flamenco scene down there.
