Gadjo Project

Why Daylight Savings Time?

minorswing — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 01:48:14 GMT

I wish we didn't have to change our clocks back and forth every year. Instead of falling back and springing forward, wouldn't it be better to have a natural transition to darkness? Perhaps the short dark days wouldn't seem so strange if we just left our watches and clocks alone. I love the fall, but I find the one-hour jump to be a bit jarring and disorienting. Anyone else feel this way?

Swing Night at Top of the Mark

minorswing — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 19:34:42 GMT

Hey y'all, it's Thursday again and that means a night of stunning panoramic views and live swingin' music provided by real human beings playing instruments. Bring your leather-soled shoes and your favorite dance partner, 'cause they have a nice little dance floor in the middle of the room. For all of you non-dancers, grab one of the prime seats along the window and enjoy the view. The Top of the Mark also makes some fine drinks. Sure, you pay a few dollars more than your average trendy San Francisco bar, but at least at the Inter-Continental they make the drinks right. It's one of the few places where I'll actually order a Mojito or a French 75 because they know how to make them correctly. The service is great, too! Perhaps I'll see some of you tonight at the Top!

American Food Is Dangerous: Part One

minorswing — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 19:38:02 GMT

I am sorry, my American Friends, that the vast majority of foods available to you are so deadly. Yes, I know there are those of you out there that take the extra step to eat healthy fruits, grains, meats, and vegetables from safe and reputable sources. This message is not directed at those of you already in the know. I've lost about forty pounds in the last several months eating the most delicious French cuisine this side of the Atlantic. For example: French fries every day, dipped in gobs of real mayonnaise, moules mariniere, steak tartare, pain au chocolat, creme brulee, moelleux au chocolat, and I've been cooking with lots and lots of butter, and eating plenty of fresh baguettes. I love pomme frites and rice too much to ever adopt the low-carb fad diets. After all those fries, and my last physical, my doctor gave me a clean bill of health. How is this possible? It's actually quite simple. I've been eating Parisian-sized portions, and doing a lot of what the petite French girls do. Walk. A lot. They eat whatever they want, including large stacks of pomme frites accompanied by the normal daily infusions of mayonnaise. My friend Sophie described it this way: Eat whatever you want, but do enough walking to burn it all off. Simple math, she said. Addition, and subtraction. I love it! I've also cut out corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup from my diet completely. No American sodas. No American Heinz ketchup. And most importantly, no American Salad Dressings. Even low-fat salad dressings are chock full of corn syrup. I used to rail against the evils of corn syrup, especially when I gained weight working a desk job and consuming at least one American soft drink a day. Now I can actually rationalize eliminating it from my diet. In France, sugar is used in place of corn syrup because it's cheaper. The big scam is that the American Government has been subsidizing the corn industry for years, and many businesses that used to use sugar have switched over completely to corn syrup. There are two simple reasons why: 1) Corn syrup, in the United States of America, is cheaper than sugar. 2) Less can sweeten more It's just business, folks... You however, the American food consumer, suffer the consequences of these business decisions. High rates of adult-onset diabetes, childhood and adult obesity, and a laundry list of serious, debilitating health problems have a direct correlation to rises in the daily intake of corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. Take care of yourselves, and always check the labels on your packaged food. There's a silent killer out there. Use caution, my friends. Link to Janet Helm's article, "Studies point to high fructose corn syrup as a culprit in obesity", on Active.com: http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=12423&category=eat_right&num=0

Bon Voyage Party Ideas

minorswing — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 02:01:20 GMT

So, where should we have this soiree? Lucid? Tunnel Top? Vesuvio? All three? I'm going to keep the acceptable territory to Nob Hill, Tenderloin, and North Beachia. What do y'all think? Time frame is end of October, probably before or after Halloween on a weekday night. Late Monday or Tuesday night work for me. In other news, I've been able to retain some musicians from the original Gadjo Project (Paris) band: Check it out: http://gadjoproject.com/france/index.html

Mitch Marcus Quintet + Erik Jekabson Quintet @ Rockit Room

minorswing — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 01:37:16 GMT

LIVE JAZZ TONIGHT!!! SUNDAY OCTOBER 8th 8:30 PM TWO AMAZING BAY AREA JAZZ BANDS!!! Mitch Marcus Quintet http://www.mitchmarcusmusic.com ** and ** Erik Jekabson Quintet http://www.erikjekabson.com Live at: The Rockit Room 406 Clement Street (between 5th and 6th Avenue) San Francisco, CA http://www.rock-it-room.com/location/index.html $5 cover

Gadjo Project Sextet at Catalyst Cocktails, Friday 10/06

minorswing — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 20:54:54 GMT

Back by popular demand, the Gadjo Project Sextet will perform another set of uptempo swing and bebop at the First Friday of the Month Jazz Happy Hour at Catalyst Cocktails, located conveniently at 312 Harriet Street (@ Bryant, across from the SF Hall of Justice). http://gadjoproject.com/index.html The lineup will feature Erik Jekabson (trumpet), Dan Heffez (tenor saxophone), Kate Pittard (vocals & alto saxophone), Eric Vogler (upright bass), Ulf Bjorkbom (drums), and me on guitar. Groups like this don't come along often, and we hope to capture the magic and chemistry of the various Gadjo Project concerts that you've all come to know over the years. See you at the Catalyst, and like they say at La Chope des Puces: "N'Oubliez Pas Les Musiciens"

Marcus Shelby Trio at Cafe Claude

minorswing — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 18:56:52 GMT

So last night I was eating dinner at my favorite hangout Cafe Claude and in walk Howard Wiley and Marcus Shelby. After quickly setting up their equipment, they go on to play the most outstanding set of well-improvised, superbly-performed jazz I have heard in a long time. Let's just say that the music was undeniably incredible. I can only imagine what those lucky people felt back in the day as they watched and listened to Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Charles Mingus play small bars. A big thanks to the Marcus Shelby Trio for the great music last night at Claude. It was a night of brilliant improvisations that I will never forget. Formidable!

Tuesday Nights at Club Deluxe

minorswing — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 20:09:35 GMT

I've been going to The Word Party at Club Deluxe the past couple of weeks and I gotta say, it's a lot of fun. Take some jazz musicians, some poets, and mix the two groups together to create some unbelievable art. Dan Heffez, who plays tenor saxophone with the Gadjo Project Sextet, plays at Deluxe every Tuesday night with his group NOVA Jazz. In between the jazz sets, there's poetry readings that often include free improvisations by the musicians in attendance. I haven't played jazz piano in 3 years, but since they already have a guitar player (who kicks ass), I decided to hop on the keys a few times these past two Tuesdays. Check it out for yourself. I plan on showing up next Tuesday night. I hope to see y'all there. Here's the official website for The Word Party: http://thewordparty.com/

Merci, Zizou!

minorswing — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 00:08:28 GMT

I was doing a google search on Marco Materazzi and came up with some links you might be interested in checking out: http://www.deadspin.com/sports/soccer/marco-materazzi-is-apparently-a-total-moron-186498.php http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006310771,00.html What ever happened to "Say No To Racism"? Did Marco stand by that huge anti-racism banner before the game?

Gadjo Project USA: Final Public Performance

minorswing — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 01:26:14 GMT

The day has finally arrived. Gadjo Project, a group which has crossed vast oceans and undergone drastic changes in style and instrumentation, will play it's final public performance in the United States of America. Born-again Parisian and guitarist/manager Justin Cheung, who brought Le Projet Gadjo to the American mainland in 2003, is returning to his adopted homeland and taking the show on the road, so to speak. Join us for one final blowout show at Catalyst Cocktails on September 1st (6:30-8:30pm). We will be joined by three exciting guest performers: Kate Pittard on vocals and alto saxophone, Jack Fields on rhythm guitar, and Dan Heffez on tenor sax. We may also be joined by Gadjo Project alumnus Theo Paige on bebop violin. http://www.catalystcocktails.com

Marcus Shelby Trio at Cafe Claude 8/17

minorswing — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 20:55:01 GMT

How's about a Thursday night supper club at Cafe Claude? The menu is reasonably priced, their food is top-notch, and their service is unparalleled in San Francisco. I wouldn't pass up Steak Tartare, Saint-Emilion, and the Marcus Shelby Trio, and neither should you. See you Thursday night around 7pm. Don't forget to order the Molleux au Chocolat for dessert. It's served nice and gooey with a side of Creme Anglaise. Mmm...

La Boulange on Columbus Avenue

minorswing — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 06:42:17 GMT

Not only do they have great pastries, salads and coffees, but John and I play acoustic jazz there every morning before work. Try their pain au chocolat, their egg/salmon frittata, and their French sodas too. Perrier + grenadine = mmmm... I'm through with all the overrated Italian clip joints in North Beach. They never treat locals with any respect because they know that they can profit from one-time tourist traffic. I'm starting an online Ask The Locals guide which will omit certain clip joints, including: Caffe Trieste. Who needs their daily cup of disrespect from The House of Swill? Caffe Puccini. The manager is a jerk. Rename it Caffe Disrespect. Thank goodness for La Boulange, an oasis for us North Beach locals.

A Night in North Beachia

minorswing — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 09:59:44 GMT

The only thing I like better than living in North Beach is living in a place that has roof access and a great view of the city. The light is doing something strange but beautiful tonight. No photograph could possibly capture it. Well, I have nothing else to add right now. Time to head back up. Bon week-end.

In Walked Me

minorswing — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 03:28:36 GMT

I'm alive! Thanks to everyone who wrote or called or otherwise kept in touch with me during my absence from Tribe.net. It's been more than half a year since I've submitted a blog entry, and I apologize to those of you who tried to get in touch with me via tribe and didn't get my usual quick response. What I did was unforgivable, but still I beg you to forgive me even if just a little bit. So, where was I? I was around, but I wasn't really myself. Major depression? Yeah, it majorly sucked. I experienced a good number of the classic symptoms. Social withdrawal. Feelings of worthlessness. Anyways, you get the picture. It got pretty ugly, but I gutted through it, working my ass off everyday over at Apple. Unfortunately, drowning oneself in work doesn't alleviate depression, especially around the holidays. I really didn't understand William Styron's memoir "Darkness Visible" when I first read it in high school, because I had never experienced depression first-hand, but now I can fully relate to the pain and misery he described in his book. Luckily, I pulled through. Things are looking up and good things have been happening in my life recently. I just wanted to let you all know that I'm okay.

Gadjo Project @ Catalyst Cocktails, November 4th

minorswing — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 19:13:15 GMT

Time flies. We'll be back again at Catalyst for the usual First Friday of the Month happy hour set from 6:30-8:30pm. See ya there! :)

Arturo Sandoval @ Yoshi's, 25-30 October

minorswing — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 09:46:01 GMT

Yes, you read it right. Arturo Sandoval, probably my favorite living jazz trumpet player, is coming to Yoshi's next week! He's going to be playing the Clifford Brown 75th Birthday Celebration with Benny Golson, Randy Brecker, Jeremy Pelt, Valery Ponomarev & The Mulgrew Miller Trio starting Tuesday, October 25th. I am at a loss for words, and will probably be at a good number of the shows. Tickets are still available. If you're interested in purchasing a ticket, call the Yoshi's box office at (510) 238-9200. If you're in the city and need a ride, call me at (415) 286-2299.

Jazz at Specs, 10/19

minorswing — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 09:46:24 GMT

John Bilicska (mandolin), Craig Maul (alto clarinet) and yours truly played a fantastic set of music Wednesday night at Specs, that small little neighborhood bar behind Pearl's. Blue Bossa. Body and Soul. My Funny Valentine. The Girl From Ipanema. Night and Day. Autumn Leaves. All fair game... :) The crowd was into it. We were having fun too, all smiles. We even got comped a round of drinks. Thanks, Specs! :) After recounting my positive experiences in Paris and venting about feeling unwanted and unappreciated here, it was nice to feel the love at the local watering hole.

Nuits de Saint-Germain-des-Pres

minorswing — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 19:19:19 GMT

It’s a quarter ‘till midnight and we’re back on for the second set in a few minutes. I’ve already downed my third glass of Saint-Emilion. Jacques glances at his watch and quickly finishes his Pernod. Esther walks onto the stage nodding and smiling at all the band members, then looks to me to count off “It don’t mean a thing,” her first number of the evening. She’s wearing an authentic 20’s flapper dress which looks perfect on her petite five-foot-two frame. She takes a deep breath and, just as she brushes her hair back, I start the count.

Gadjo Project @ Catalyst Cocktails, October 7th

minorswing — Sun, 02 Oct 2005 21:49:52 GMT

Who's excited to see the second Gadjo Project show at Catalyst Cocktails featuring our talented vocalist Tara Pierce? I sure am. The usual suspects will be there: Greg Brubaker on tenor saxophone, Adam Gay on double bass, Hareesh Kapoor on viola, and myself on electric and acoustic guitars. Last time we played Catalyst Cocktails, the turnout was fantastic and thanks to Joanna, we were even promoted on KCSM Jazz, 91.1 on your FM dial. So come join us for a night of great music and delicious cocktails. The bar also offers a full kitchen, so bring your friends and your appetite too. The live jazz music starts at 6:30 and goes till 8:30 PM. Catalyst Cocktails is located at 312 Harriet Street (off Bryant) across from the San Francisco Hall of Justice. The closest intersection is Bryant at 6th. Full bar. Full kitchen. Absolutely no cover charge! 21+ See y'all there! http://www.catalystcocktails.com http://www.gadjoproject.com

The Autobiography of Justin X

minorswing — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 20:19:28 GMT

Who knows? I might be worth reading about someday, many years from now. I'm writing down some personal reflections and anecdotes so that someday I can write my story down with as little embellishment as possible. Will I include stories about getting my daily cup of disrespect from the House of Swill (also known as Caffe Trieste) in North Beach? Hmm... maybe I will. Will I include the time that I called a short RATP agent "Petit Napoleon!" after he took my Carte Orange and fined me thirty-five Euro at the Pere Lachaise Metro for not having a photo on my transit card? Yeah, definitely. As a somewhat seasoned writer, I'm flirting with both fiction and non-fiction these days and loving it. I'm writing and directing my first feature film. I can only describe it as a romantic comedy-slash-buddy-movie like Swingers, but with attractive Asian male actors who speak perfect English and get more than just-a-handshake by the beautiful girls at end of the movie. Virile Asian men having sex with hotties on film? In America? Are you kidding? Thankfully no. Yes, my work is clearly not the typical racist Hollywood film where the Asian man is marginalized and the pretty girl hooks up with the always-non-Asian male superhero. Here's to infiltrating America's literary, music, and film "media circles" BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY! Bwahahahah! :)

Au Revoir, Paris!

minorswing — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 22:55:29 GMT

Well, I'm back in San Francisco after almost a month in Paris. The funny thing is, I wanted to stay longer, and actually submitted a request via e-mail to my travel agency STA Travel in Berkeley. Having not received a reply on the date of my scheduled departure, and not being able to finesse American Airlines into changing my e-ticket, I hopped the flight home Monday morning. Well almost. The plane took off from Charles De Gaulle International Airport on time, and after a pleasant nine hours, we arrived on-time at Miami International. I was supposed to have a one-hour layover in Miami, but it turned into an overnighter, as ground congestion kept us sitting on the tarmac for over an hour. So I hung out at the Wyndmer Inn near the Miami airport and watched a little Monday Night Football with other folks (mostly business people) travellin' through. Then for the first time in a long time, I woke up at 5:00 AM and hopped the shuttle to the airport just to remove my shoes and submit myself to a friendly and brief "interrogation" by the TSA. Thank goodness for Homeland Security. Well I got back home, took the BART to SF/Embarcadero, called my sister, my mom, and some friends, and hung out at Caffe Trieste for awhile. Translation: "I got my usual cup of disrespect from rude employees of the House of Swill". My good friend Greg Brubaker offered to let me store my luggage at his place in North Beach so that I could move around easier, so I did that and then took the 3:30 ferry from SF to Vallejo. My mom was in Vallejo to pick me up and take me to my car, which was stored in a local garage. I immediately headed back to the city, where I was warmly welcomed back by Zack and the Trieste crew, Sally the art student, BJ Papa, Kenji and Amy, and my buddies over at Enrico's Sidewalk Cafe. Nine o'clock came around and I headed over to check out BJ Papa's last Tuesday night jam session at The Condor. It was great, and sounded even better after I was able to relax over a plate of crawfish etoufee and a nice bottle of vin rouge, appelation Margaux even! Kenji, Amy, Howard Wiley, and BJ came by to help me with a glass of wine each. Yum :) Around 10:30, Kenji and Amy got me to head over to Enrico's with them for a drink, so I walked the block down to Broadway at Kearny. Lo and behold, my old buddies George Cole, Vic Wong, and Julian Smedley are playing at Enrico's. As an homage to Django's band of the late 1930's, they named their quartet The Hot Club of Berkeley. Good stuff! I started getting antsy for some reason after the beer, and wanted to head back over to the Condor to hear the end of BJ's set. Kenji and Amy relented and agreed to head over with me. While I was heading out the door, my phone rung. I check the screen at it reads "Incoming Call: Peilin Ngo". My heart skipped a beat. I was going to have a greyhound or a beer at The Condor, but I ended up just ordering a Diet Coke while Kenji and Amy encouraged me to drive safely down to Santa Cruz to see my favorite girl. Well, around 1:15 PM, I arrive in Santa Cruz without my student ID to pass the security checkpoint. Damn. But then I have an idea. I'll park downtown and take the SC Metro up to campus. So I park my car behind Taqueria Vallarta and head to the Metro Center only to find a sign that reads: "NO BUSES". :( So anyways, I end up taking a cab up to campus, where I get hassled for ID anyways. Luckily I have an International Student ID Card, issued by STA Travel, that I used to get a student rate on my flight to France. When I get up to College Ten, Peilin and her roommate Constance are still awake, and the smile on my face couldn't be bigger. It was so nice to see her after the long summer break. Well, I'm home. It's nice, and I had a nice day today hanging out at UC Santa Cruz and chatting it up with students who like my guitar playing. I even got to stop by to see my violinist and Gadjo Project co-founder Theo Paige, who was dead tired, but still able to manage a quick jam session with Peilin and me at his folks' house. Au revoir, Paris! I had a great time, and will see you again soon! Beaucoup d'bisous! :-*

Ninine Garcia Quintet @ Baiser Sale 23 Septembre

minorswing — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 18:20:54 GMT

Just when I thought my trip couldn't get any better, I run into Ninine Garcia and his son Rocky on the Metro on our way to Chatelet. He recognizes me from La Chope and we start joking around, en Francais of course. Apparently, they're headed down to Baiser Sale to play a show with Ninine's quintet (3 guitars, drums, and bass). I'm on my way to Saint-Michel but instantly change my plans. So we head on over to Baiser Sale where a bunch of Manouche and Gadje recognize me from when we met before at Les Nuits des Manouches. We have a few drinks and joke around about various musicians. Eventually, I got in upstairs for the show and someone apparently saved me a seat up front! The concert was fantastic! Ninine's original compositions stole the show. He's a creative genius and a jazz guitar master. I had a blast. Then I took a cab home and slept till 3pm. Heh. Enough time for me to shower, throw on some clothes, and get to La Chope des Puces. So the concert at La Chope is finished and I've walked down the street towards Chateau Rouge. I'm still in Clignancourt though, I think, at an internet station. I'm either leaving on Monday or the first week of October sometime. It'll be a bit sad leaving Paris, but I'm looking forward to seeing Peilin again.

Jazz Rap: Keepin' it Real in Pigalle

minorswing — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 18:04:02 GMT

I've been kickin't it with some hip-hop fellas who go by the name of H2S. We met on the Metro when they asked me to break out the guitar and play. So I did, and they spit out dope rhymes over the Jazz Manouche rhythms. This elderly guy even got in the spirit and joined in. Soon our Metro car was packed with people hootin' and hollerin'... Good fun.. It was so much fun that I overshot my Metro stop by seven stations and ended up in Chatillon. Oops. The Paris Metro closed and I took a cab back to Saint-Michel. So we met up again, this time in Pigalle in front of the McDonalds. I was late and so were they. We headed down a street known for guitar shops and seedy bars. We pushed through the riff-raff and ended up at this underground hip-hop bar where they sometimes performed. I laid down the tracks for my friends and we went to work. And it was off-the-hook. Some peeps even stopped in off the street to see what the fuss was about. The bartender was cool. He said that our collaboration was a perfect match, because their French hip-hop lyrics related well to the Tzigane music, another form of rebel music. So it went well and I plan on playing some shows with my new friends when I next return to Paris.

Tchavolo Schmitt @ L'Europeen 16-17 Septembre

minorswing — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 11:38:57 GMT

Tchavolo was incredible. Special guest stars included David Reinhardt (both days) and Florin Niculescu (on Friday). All the concerts were outstanding. I hope that next year, we will see the return of Les Nuits des Manouches. It was fun hanging out with David, Costel, Florin, Mayo, and documentary filmmaker Sophie, who brought her camera in on Friday to capture some of the bar-side interactions between Gadje like me and Les Manouches! :)

Mayo Hubert stole my guitar

minorswing — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 15:25:23 GMT

Before I left for Paris, I bought a brand new 2005 Martin CF-1 Archtop. Then I got to Paris and had my Dell'Arte Anouman stolen by Christophe "Mayo" Hubert, a rhythm guitarist for Tchavolo Schmitt. He promised to pay me, but never did. I didn't feel right without a guitar, so I bought a 1950's era Di Mauro "grande-bouche" guitar from a great shop, Oldie's Guitars. Then I went back to Place de Clichy to meet up with Mayo after the show. Surprisingly the weasel showed up. I went to collect payment from Mayo at his hotel and we jammed (un petit boeuf) for a bit. He gave me the thumbs-up for my right-hand technique. Fun fun, until he promised to pay me later. I said "No Way!" and demanded my Dell'Arte back. He turned on the gypsy charm, but I didn't trust him. He wrote down where he was going to play next. Then I told him "Donnez-moi la guitare!!". He still resisted and took off down the street with MY Anouman in MY gig bag. MY Anouman!! Today I went back to Oldie's, returned the Di Mauro, and bought a Maurice Dupont guitar. The second-best Dupont model available. I shouldn't have had to replace my guitar, but what could I do? The damn gypsy stole mine. Grrrr... anyways... I wanted a grande-bouche (pictured) but they only had the oval hole. I don't mind a bit. All I care about is the tone. My new baby's got Brazilian rosewood back and sides, and a beautiful tone. Wait until you hear her sing! :)