With youth comes ambition...

Damn. I used to be so much more ambitious when I was younger.

(Currently at my apartment listening to the recordings of "Jealously")

In 2006? I discovered a bunch of music in my grandfather basement as we were in the process of moving him and my grandmother into an assisted living facility. My grandpa was a serious musician/artists/photographer...etc. Well, really a serious musician. Jazz Musician. Trumpet.

My mother also had a strong sensitivity to music, but never had the opportunity to develop it on an instrument. She channeled it in other ways; Record collecting, DJing, dating rock stars, being a talented hairstylist (if that counts as artistic).

Anyway...so I found this music, right?

Most of the collection consisted of jazz lead sheets, and a few notebooks, but between the sheets (hehe) I found a folder with a handwritten eulogy of sorts. Saying something like.."I wrote this piece in 1941 for my brother, Buddy's big band...etc" He was Nineteen years old...Yeah, and I was also nineteen at the time. IT was calling me. Oh yes.

Out of curiosity, I assembled a small group of friends amongst the scene in which to play and record this little ditty...Afterwards, Id give it to him as a gift...a token my love. Oh yes.

Never having recorded or produced anything in a studio; I had every damn musician by the balls, doing what I wanted, recording how sought acceptable, and in the end they were all paid very well. It came out great, and the ol' goat nearly cried his eyes out after hearing three seconds of the piece. I later found out the song was never recorded or performed. It was a project in which he spent countless hours on, and received hardly any feedback. I mean....the parts were hand written for 11 musicians! His handwriting was beautiful. Amazing.

I don't know... I guess I'm just remembering what my life was like before I went from Gypsy queen to classical musician. I was involved in so many projects, local musicians, studying music from all parts of the world, and doing it with tremendously awesome, talented people. It was a fun time in that ol' West Philadelphia.

Ok, Now I'm gonna just write a list. For my Psychological, organizational, existential mirror sort of reasons of what I came from and how I've evolved through my musical groups and experiences. Starting with my first real marimba gigs.

-Studied Jazz Vibes with Tony Miceli in HS
-Went to hairdressing school
-Playing with semi famous Canadian bands: DoMakeSayThink/Broken Social Scene/ Feist
-Recording marimba with local bands who wanted marimba
-First Improvisational gig offered because they lacked musicians for a performance with Neil Feather of Baltimore, MD. Blew my mind, but wouldn't say it was my best performance
-Moved to West Philadelphia at 19 years old. Worked at local hair salons and took classes at a local community college.
-Continued playing with improvisers in Philly/NYC Really got into the scene. "New Music". Performed at The Stone in NYC a few times with NYC composer Matthew Welch (a prodigy of Anthony Braxton)
- Wrote and performed my first string quartet based on pygmy music of Central Africa. Performed In Philly/NYC (the stone)
- Began studying Ewe drumming weekly and intensively for almost three years
- Continued improvising, but later took lessons with Khan Jamal in Germantown, where I studied "free jazz" in the most ghetto part of G-town. What a character!
- Began playing filling in for Gregg Mervine's West Philadelphia Orchestra, where I learned how to play Balkan music. It was a Balkan/Gypsy inspired brass band. Played snare and tapan.
-Also played Bahian Brazilian folk songs with similar members in The Old Goats. Learned how to play pandeiro, and other various brazilian percussion instruments.
- Began taking lessons with a friend at The Curtis Institute of Music with a student named Patricia Franceshy in order to fulfill my community college "music lesson" requirement, she then suggested I audition to music schools that she recommended.
- I did, and didn't get into the school we originally wanted, but was accepted at Temple University with a little scholarship. For some reason, I didn't accept.
- Began talking to my ex-boyfriend's college mentor in Columbus, Ohio. He convinced me to fly out for a lesson in which I did. He didn't play percussion, but had played Oboe and had graduated from Curtis in 1956. Was a great lesson. He then tried to persuade me to move to Iowa to study and continue a relationship with one of his students. I declined, and eventually moved to Columbus, where I stayed for one year and studied Marimba, Philosophy, Visual Art, and Poetry as a "live in" student.
-After finagling an audition at The University of Miami, with Svet Stoyanov, he recommended I study the rest of the percussion instruments with his friend in Cleveland, Ohio. Which I did for 6 months. Through him, I met and played for Ji Hye Jung, who had recently accepted a job at the University of Kansas. She invited me to come study with her there.
-In Aug of 2010, I moved to Lawrence, KS.

...And That is where I reside today.

Living in Kansas and Starting Over

Well. Gee. Its been awhile, how the hell are ya?

My first semester at the University of Kansas has ended with the next one starting up in two days.

Well. It was amazing and extremely difficult in all sorts of ways and demons. The initial bug up my ass was the fact that I had to re-take my State Board exams--which translates to a practical cosmetology exam--which translates to "shit, I haven't taken that in over five years"! A few days before the exam my apartment was infested with bugs that bit me, in my bed, in my sleep, but later checked out as Springwigs? Whatever...After three sleepless nights I decided to move into a recent acquaintance's apartment the night before the exam. His name was Cheng. We spent that entire evening reviewing materials and gluing nails on a plastic mannequin.

Nonetheless, I failed the exam by one point. A point having to do with the improper display of a band aid application to a mannequin's forehead.

Lost my job, my clients and waited almost two full months until I was able to return to work. Legally

In the meantime, I unleashed the business cards my mother had printed for me and advertised haircuts as "house calls". Don't worry, It was G rated, thanks.
.... all while maintaining a full load of classes, and strict practicing regimen.

It was a good experience overall. Especially working with Ji Hye in lessons and percussion ensemble. It's really a blessing to be learning from her, as it keeps me focused on the future.

There was so much more that happened, studio-family relationships, being on my own for the first time, maintaining sanity in the Midwest, and getting all As and one B this semester! YEAH! Almost Aced it!

Chinese got better daily with a little help from my friends. Met some interesting people and made new friends. Its all good.

I'm exhausted right now, and didn't even feel like writing about all this, but I felt that I couldn't mention any current emotions without mentioning the big move.

So I'm here. Alive, and ticking.