Oaxaca-The Year After: What a band!

The here and now... and what and why

Complacency is a trap. At least that’s what I was thinking when I up and left the comfort of a Yankee prep school gig, where I taught music, amongst other things, for 28 years. There was also that life long career as a composer, musician and artist.

First, it was a year in St. Thomas, USVI, working as a reporter and shooting photography and then, a year in San Agustin Etla, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Time passed.
More time passed and a year back in the Athens of America followed by a hasty return to Oaxaca where it is all happening.
A couple of years in San Sebastian Etla and now, just down the road in San Pablo Etla. Life is good.

Click on an image to see it larger.
For additional photography please visit my flickr page.
You can find my music on Jango (World & latin - Worldbeat) and at iTunes and most online stores.
¡Soy consciente de todas las tradiciones del Internet!
If you are coming to Oaxaca, please contact me for tours or advice.

Friday, November 4, 2011

What a band!

In order to find the dancers in Vista Hermosa, we had to stop and be very quiet and just listen. Down in the valley there were two other bands playing and for quite awhile we couldn't hear these guys, but once we were over the crest of the hills, the others died out behind us and we just followed our ears.

And what a band they were. Four tubas!!!!

One with a bejeweled mouthpiece.

Fast infectious beats that one just had to start moving to. Some of these guys were killer players, I mean, they could really play. Every now and then one of them would just start soloing over everything and really wailing. Fantastic! And remember, they had been playing for twelve hours already. As a musician, I can't even imagine it. These guys have such stamina and they were not holding back at all, just blasting it out over the mountains and valleys.
What a great look. Not too cool, eh?