KQED's The California Report Reviews my CD, Azucar de Amor

Wow! The amazing power of PR!!:) Andy Gilbert reviewed my new CD, Azucar de Amor, on KQED public radio last Friday and the response has been overwhelming. People from all over have been contacting me to let me know they heard the review, and even more people flocking to both CDBaby.com and Amazon.com, not to mention iTunes, to purchase not only the new CD, but also the first one I recorded--Birds in Flight. This has been an amazing experience--and also very rewarding. If you would like to hear the review you can go to:
http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R806271630/c

Andy has been such a great support of what I'm doing since I took this giant leap of faith almost three years ago. He not only said very nice things about the music I am performing, but also about my voice. And to top it all off he gave Murray Low wonderful compliments about his stellar arranging abilities with the Sephardic music. Murray deserves this and so much more. He is so talented, not only as a pianist but as an arranger, musical director and educator. I'm so glad he's starting to get the attention he deserves.

Today I perform a Jazz Vespers concert at the High Street Presbyterian Church. What a perfect time to thank the higher powers for these wonderful gifts that I have been given! I do believe there is something bigger than all of us that watches over, protects and guides us. As long as I trust in that power I will be fine. And right now I need to do a lot of trusting!! Moving to a new city and then getting laid off from my teaching gig in Campbell! Now I've got to see if I can replace that teaching gig with another one up here. I'm dusting off my resume and starting to contact places up here and hoping--trusting!!--that something will appear before the school year starts. I also really want to start putting effort into creating my Creativity Workshops and find a space where I can do them. Lots of possibilities, lots of unknowns and LOTS of excitement all at the same time!

Performing This Week

It's been a few weeks since my last gig but it feels like forever! I'm really excited to perform again this coming Friday at Stanford and on Sunday at the High Street Presbyterian Church. Both performances are based on uplifting spirits. At Stanford Hospital the Bing Concert Series is a way to ease the pain of people that are in the hospital as well as their loved ones who go there to visit them. As well, the staff have a wonderful outlet to relax and forget about their difficult and challenging jobs for a bit. Stanford really does such a great service to everyone who enters their hospital doors. It is good to see how much they appreciate the power of music as a healing tool. They even have roving musicians who visit people in their rooms to serenade them. I feel very lucky to be included in this series and love the ability to perform in front of such deserving people. The concert is from 12:30-1:30pm in the Stanford Hospital atrium. Admission is free.

The High Street concert will be mixed with a Sunday afternoon service. The theme for this service is Tolerance. I also feel honored to be a part of this service. Yes, I'm Jewish but the message of peace and tolerance transcends all religions and brings us all closer together. I am thrilled to get to be a part of that message, even if only for an hour-long service. The service/Jazz Vespers will be held at the High Street Presbyterian Church from 5-6pm. Admission is free.

I am also beginning to ramp up my Sephardic Music Project. I am thinking of calling it the Sephardic Music Experience and am trying to create a concert series that will showcase this music all over the Bay Area. I really hope I can pull this all together in the timeframe I am hoping for. I met with a marketing consultant yesterday in San Francisco and he motivated, inspired and charged me up for this project. He was wonderful in reinforcing that my idea is a good one and entirely plausible. I'm also hoping that through these concerts I can generate enough interest in the music to get donations for a recording. But first things first! I need to put together this concert series and find enough venues that will support it. Wish me luck!! :)

Oakland, California

I must say that this move is probably one of the best things I've done for myself in a long time. I already know this is the right place for me. There are so many more things that go on up here than in the South Bay and it's up to me to tap into all of the resources available to me. The woman who is my "land mistress"!! :) has been living in Oakland for a very long time and has been an invaluable source of information and guidance for me as I maneuver my way through the newness of this city life. My dog Tito has also been good for me as we need to take walks everyday. Each day we set out on a new path in order to explore more of my new neighborhood. I'm having so much fun discovering new things.

Last night I went down to the Lake Merritt Dance place and took a salsa class--SO much fun. And it felt really good to be dancing again--it's been way too long. I am planning on taking classes there on a weekly basis and then also going to the Allegro Ballroom on Sunday nights. Salsa at least twice a week--Wow!!! And then of course I want to get more involved with the music scene up here. I am planning on tapping into La Pena's vast resources as well as the JazzSchool. Whereas these places were always available to me before, now they are a stone's throw away and so I have no more excuses to procrastinate (or at least less excuse!)

I love my new place! I only have a couple more boxes to empty and everything seems to be finding its place here. The animals have all been adjusting amazingly well and it's been a lot of fun decorating and organizing my very own place. In actuality this is really the first time I have lived in a place that is all my own. I've always shared my space with my children but now this is a place that has my own personal signature all over it and no one else's. It's been fun discovering my own voice within these new walls. Even the artwork I have been putting on the walls tell a new story. Yes, a new story, a new beginning, a fresh start! All of that along with all the other things I have already achieved create a rich, vibrant and exciting existence in my life.

Living Bi-Residentially!!

I'm now sleeping in my new place in Oakland. I really love it and will love it even more once I have unpacked everything. But I'm also still driving down to San Jose to finish closing up the house. I still have some stuff there, repairs are being made, painting is getting done, the hardwood floors refinished. So I'm still not quite done with the South Bay.

It's so ironic to me spending so many weeks packing boxes only to arrive at the other end of the journey and have to unpack them all over again. It's like a never ending circle of chaos!! But I'm happy in my new place. I really love the location and close proximity to shops and restaurants. This is what I had been dreaming of; to be able to walk out my door and easily access all sorts of different places. I know this is good for me--this big move. I must admit, however, that before we got the U-Haul van on Saturday I started to have an anxiety attack!! It's been a very long time since I felt so scared and panicked. But I'm okay now and am very clear about how good this move to Oakland will be for me. And just to seal the deal, as I was getting ready for bed last night I heard someone practicing their conga drums across the street from me. MAybe some people would have been perturbed at the extra noise in the neighborhood, but I was excited and started dancing around my new place.

The development of the Sephardic Music Project has begun. I am gathering up a cadre of arrangers to help create an interesting assortment of sounds and rhythms to compliment the music. I am getting really excited about working on this new/old material and evolving it into something that can be accessible to the general public. Now all we have to do is book some concerts in the late fall/winter to showcase the music and what we're doing with it. This is going to be another fun ride!

Fresh Start, Fresh Life

It's odd to begin again in so many ways after so many years. Am I too old to do this? Or does change welcome you at any age? I have been packing for weeks and selling off most of my furniture to anyone willing to come and get it. Craigslist.org is amazing in aiding me to cleanse myself of so many material objects. I am learning to let go of "things" that no longer serve a purpose in my life. Simplicity is what I search for and hopefully will be able to hold onto in my new place.

This Saturday is moving day. I'm a bit nervous about living in a new city and having to learn where everything is. But I am also very excited at the prospect of exploring new territory and discovering new things. I really love my new place and think I can make a nice home for myself, my dog and two cats. I know it will be most difficult for the animals with this huge transition, but we'll get through it. My mantra: change is good, change is good!! I just feel there will be many more opportunities for me in the East Bay than down here. And I also feel that it will spark more creativity within me as I am confronted with new experiences.

Lots of exciting musical happenings in the works. But in the meantime, no gigs until the end of June. I think I'll be going into some serious withdrawals by then. I pretty much planned it that way, though, so I could get myself settled into my new place with as little stress as possible. Then I'll be ready to sing my heart out! AND it will be so much fun to perform in my new city-Oakland-at the High Street Presbyterian Church. And then off to Mexico to the Jazz Festival in San Cristobal. What a fun time that will be!

Moving to Oakland

The house is about 2/3 packed up at this point. What an incredible undertaking to pack a full house after living here for 9 years. It's definitely been a great cleansing of both the soul and all the clutter I've accumulated over the years. Yesterday I had a garage sale and half of the house was out on my driveway and lawns. After it was over it didn't look as though I had sold hardly anything! But in actuality I got rid of a lot of stuff. Now today I pack up my car and take the rest down to Goodwill and donate it to charity. Hopefully the things I donate will land in the hands of people who will truly appreciate and need those items.

Saturday I performed in a "Battle of the Bands" type competition that was sponsored by Burger King--"Tu Ciudad, Tu Musica". What a funny thing to do, but fun nevertheless. I was invited by the event organizer to compete. We were the only latin jazz group. There were 5 bands "competing"; us--the latin jazz group consisting of myself, Murray Low, Mary Fettig, David Belove and David Flores, a merengue group, a latin rock group, another 70's sounding latin rock group, and a latin hip-hop group. Needless to say the hip-hoppers won the competition. But no matter. It was a fun experience and a great way to expose my music to a new audience. People seemed to really enjoy the music and I made a really good contact for booking in Chicago. Every experience is a great opportunity to learn more and meet new people and this was definitely one of those moments for me.

So two weeks left of teaching the children at the school where I work and then I pack up a U-Haul van and move myself up to Oakland. I am going to be living in an apartment/house near Piedmont and am very excited about the change. My new landlady--whose name is Cat!!--is a really great person and her house is beautiful. It is going to be such an adventure learning about my new surroundings and acclimating myself to the new environment. The prospect has me both scared and thrilled simultaneously. I'm really hoping that this change will spark more creativity in me and help me to connect more to the musical community of the Bay Area. Life is an adventure and I love it!!

Change Is Good

I'm in the process of packing up my house. This is a truly daunting task for me as I have lived here for a little over 9 years and have accumulated too many things. I constantly find myself reminiscing about this or that as I go through drawers, cupboards, closets, etc. My goal is to simplify my life and possessions and to clean out/throw away the things I no longer need or use. If I think clearly enough about this there really isn't a whole lot that I NEED to keep. But I am sentimental and so this cleansing process is somewhat painful for me. My oldest son Pat is also struggling with my readying to move. This is his safe haven and he doesn't want to lose his comfort zone. But I think the change will do us both some good. And besides, wherever I live he is always welcome!

My goal is to have everything packed up by the end of this month. I need to rent my house out and then find a place for myself in either the East Bay or in San Francisco. I really think I would like living in SF but for the parking challenges. I have been combing through craigslist.org trying to find the ideal location that allows for dogs and cats, has parking, is safe, and is located in an area with easy walking access to stores, cafes, etc. I know this is a tall order, but there are definitely some possibilities out there. Now the question is when to commit to a new place and how much I will be able to afford.

Change. I need change. I need to be in a place where the atmosphere is more vibrant and the music pulses with a stronger beat than here in San Jose. I need/want/desire/hope to be nearer to fellow musicians with whom I can work and play. And hopefully a change will spark more creativity within me. I feel that living in San Jose has begun to make me complacent and I hate feeling like this. But staying in the Bay Area for now is important for my career--at least for now...