A Musical Weekend

I really wouldn't mind having a weekend like this every week.

It all started when I told my new Italian friend Kurz he could crash on my couch over the weekend while he's in town for some job interviews.
One fine Saturday morning, I was cramming at home for a report when Kurz knocked on my door. He just arrived from a longish trip in Thailand and had just been 'abused' by a terrible service from Air India (3 hours delay and generally uncomfortable flight). We chatted for a bit and then the little drama began. Kurz suddenly realized that he lost his waistbag, containing some important stuff and some not-so-important stuff, but above all... his passport. The next couple of hours were spent frantically looking for that bag and finally Kurz could sit down and take a breather when the limousine bus people told him that his bag had been found and that he could go and pick it up in a few hours.

Later in the afternoon, for a party due in 2 hours, I began cooking. Kurz got up from his nap and started chatting again with me. He told me before that he plays a few musical instruments and suddenly he pulled out his flute. An instrument that he just started playing since 3 weeks prior. He started playing with it. Very beautiful. And then he said... "Hey, you've got a guitar, can I play with it a bit?" And thus he began playing with my folk guitar.
It was one of those very leisurely days when two people were doing two things they love the most, me cooking in the kitchen while being entertained with live beautiful music by a soulful musician, who loves playing musical instruments more than anything in the world.

7 PM - my guests arrived: Beating Drum Loose (the honored taiko drummer who introduced the wonderful world of taiko drumming to me), the cool-always-sarcastically-funny Mr. Morita, my kidnapped buddy (and soon-to-be-Mrs.Morita) Pepperwag, Mrs.Hida-who-has-travelled-the-world-3-times-and-back, and her animated-wonder-guitarist husband Marco.

The night started off really pleasantly, everybody chatted with everyone and caught up with each others' lives. Until suddenly I realize that I had 5 musicians in my living room... what are we waiting for, it's time to pull out our gears and made some music!!
Boy, that was so much fun. We started playing up the storm and sang along, from enka to classic, from folk to pop, from Carpenters to the Beatles. That wrapped the night very nicely.

Sunday morning came, I got up at 8 to get ready for my taiko practice. At taiko practice I pleasantly discovered that sensei has opened up a new opportunity for us to start studying Japanese fue (finger flute). For an hour prior to the drumming class we spent learning on how to hold the fue right, and how to blow it propperly. It was no easy task, you blow out so much oxygen out of yourself that your head becomes very dizzy. That was such a nice treat, though, to be able to pick up a new instrument and start playing it. This also makes me seriously consider picking up a sakuhachi, another type of Japanese flute, made of bamboo.

Later in the day I promised to see Kurz for lunch and because he wanted to introduce me to some musician friends of his.
We met up at home and then we walked to Sendagaya to visit a violin shop that Kurz's friend owned. What a charming little violin shop Il Violino Magico was!


It felt like you're walking into a world that is dettached from the world outside. Everywhere you look in the shop, you can see violins, violas, cellos, bows. The interior felt very Italy, and all of the staff were very friendly. For the ample time I was there, the shop was never short of customers, each one of them tried and played with some instruments, playing up some tunes. It was like in a dream to be surrounded by such beautiful music.
Later on we were invited to join Tomo-san (the owner) and some other musicians upstairs where they have the music classroom and a lounge where people who know Tomo would hang out at. And if not playing music, they're talking about music or life and philosophy in general. Kurz, Tomo, and Masuda-san then joined force and started fiddling up a storm with the violins, violas, and cellos. Started with Prelude from Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 (J.S.Bach) to some other pieces that I wish I know what their titles are.
It was such a shame when I had to bow out from the musical world to go back to my other life and attempt to finish a research report that I promised my client.

After 4 hours to tend to my other life, I called up Kurz to see what the musical gang was up to. They invited me to join them for drinks in Higashi Nakano. I went to join them there and we walked up to a little charming Afghan joint up on Yamate-dori. We were surprised to find that the place was closed for the evening because a live performance that was being held at the restaurant. Since the restaurant manager is my long time friend, I asked to see her. When Ayako saw my face, she quickly signaled me to come in with my friends through the kitchen. She said, "Go ahead in, it's almost finished, but I think you don't want to miss this."
Such a very nice surprise. Another long-time friend Jorge Diaz and his flamenco band mates were having a live performance. We walked right in the middle of "Guantanamera", then a few more flamenco piece, after that Gypsy King's Volare and finally we left when they were doing another flamenco tune.

What a very wholesome musical weekend. Truly, truly, I don't mind having this kind of weekend every week!! :)