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LEARNING CHINESE, etc. Upon completing my final college homework assignment—a 12-page paper on German composer Franz Schubert—last week, I dove immediately into a number of new projects... Composing. I've been presented with an amazing opportunity. A major jazz artist was commissioned to write a piece for a contemporary classical ensemble. He's asked me to be his compositional assistant. So, I've been sifting through old scores and orchestration textbooks to get ready. Very cool. On top of that, I've started a piece for saxophone and wind quintet. If all goes well, I'll be performing it with musicians in China this October. Album. I've just recorded an album. And it's good, real good. Can't wait to release it. Ahead of me still is the mixing and mastering, design, cover art, representation, duplication, distribution. Lots more on this soon. Listening. I hate to say it, but sometimes school gets in the way of a well-rounded music education. I'm making up for lost time. Listening to: Schoenberg's small chamber music, Wayne Shorter, Mozart's late piano concertos (again), Cannonball Adderley, and a full symphonic cycle of Joseph Haydn. Walking Manhattan. Next week I'm walking the entire length of Manhattan Island. From W 225th St in the Bronx to Bowling Green station at the southern tip of the island. 6 hours, 265 blocks, 13.5 miles. Stopping for Slurpees at the 7-Eleven at 23rd and Park. Traveling. This summer I'll be in the following cities: Denton, TX. Florence, Italy. Ljubljana, Slovenia (and possibly cities in Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia). Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Edmonton, AB, Canada. Do you live in any of these places? It'll be great to see you.... Learning Chinese. More than any other project, I've been anxious to get back into Chinese. I took Mandarin lessons in Shanghai last summer, but haven't really had time since then to practice. Last week I started studying the four basic language skills—reading, listening, speaking, writing—for two hours a day. I've bought a book and tape series called the "New Practical Chinese Reader." It's from the Chinese government, and made for Westerners just like me. I'm on Book 2. For my speaking, I have the lovely Liu Liu to practice with. Her English is better than my Chinese, but not for long (haha!). As for writing, I'm using www.skritter.com. It's a smart (and surprisingly fun) website that uses spaced repetition to reinforce your knowledge of Chinese characters. Apparently I can write 185 of them; fluency begins at 3,000. Guess I have a long road ahead of me. Laundry. 'Cause, you know. -murrayjames 05/17/09 |