It’s about starting over . com

It was great! I loved every second of it and all I can say is, I want more!

This was my first house concert, that is, my first without Ray. We did a few back when we performed together, but I had never really done an official one by myself. Well, I guess you can’t say that this was really by myself–I had so many friends performing with me!

Judi and Lynn started the evening out with a 45 minute set of loves songs. I always love it when they perform. They’re secure in their partnership (musically and otherwise) and in their material so it’s like having a nice conversation with friends, or listening to them tell a few short stories. Lovely.

Then it was my turn after the break. It was completely informal…no introductions, no nothing. I just sat down and started playing! The audience of around 40 people were 100% attentive and they were there for a reason–to listen and to support and that’s exactly what they did. They seemed to have two states: quite and attentive or applauding. I was a bit concerned that they might not be fully involved in what I was doing at one point, maybe not listening to the lyrics or riding the ups and downs of each song’s emotions with me but that concern vanished when I spoke about one of the songs and they literally took part in the conversation. Oh yes, they were, both individually and as a group, 100% with me.

I did about twenty minutes by myself, and then Et Al joined me for the rest of the set. Lynn Lewis even joined in for a few songs adding his wonderful flat picking guitar and bass vocals. We were supposed to do 45 minutes, but they wanted us to just keep going so we did. By the time I called a halt, we had done almost an hour and a half!

Picture courtesy of Dena Maltinsky. From left to right are Dvir Cafri, Lynn Lewis, myself and Rahel Jaskow. Not in this pic are Tammy and John Worely. (click to enlarge)

I feel like a child who has had her first taste of ice cream and can’t wait to have more!

Thank you to Judi Lewis for getting this going. Thank you to Angela for opening her beautiful home to us. Thank you to Phillipa for organizing it, and thank you to everyone who came and made up such a wonderful audience. Most especially, thank you to my fellow Et Al-ers (including Tammy Worley who isn’t in the above picture, and Lynn Lewis who joins us from time to time).

Next home concert: June 17th, at the home of Susie Spira in Tivon. Watch for details!

Tonight, I’ll be giving my first living-room concert! I’m really jazzed about it, a bit nervous, but mostly, very, very happy. Luckily, I won’t be performing alone. I’ll be surrounded by friends and fellow musicians both on “stage,” and in the audience.

When I was a teenager, everyone who knew me could ID me from a distance because I was always accompanied by two things: My beautiful,  beloved, smiling Samoyed, Zsa Zsa, and my guitar. I would play anywhere and everywhere and didn’t really need an excuse. I was never nervous about it and anyone who came to visit knew that they would become captive audience whether they liked it or not. No one ever complained…at least, not to me. Evidently, playing and singing, if you’re not terrible at it, is a social ticket to almost anywhere.

During the marriage years, I did what so many women do–I put my passions on the back burner, or I should say, on the way-back burner, and eventually stopped playing and singing all together. It was only after my second divorce that I began seeking personal pleasure in life and that pulled me straight back to my biggest love and passion: Music.

But something had been lost during all those years. Lost and beaten out of me. That something was self confidence. Even now, after all I’ve been through and after all my successes, I still have very little. When I go to perform in front of others, the little bit I have flies right out the window. My hands get shaky and my vocal technique gets forgotten. So this performance tonight is extremely important to me.

Tonight, I’ll be sitting in someone’s living room in the heart of Jerusalem, The Holy City. The concert was organized by some of my very good friends and supporters. It’s a fundraiser meant to help me defray the cost of my upcoming move to Boston. I’m guessing that if I were to croak instead of sing, it wouldn’t make much of a difference–they would still all support my efforts. They might not come to another performance, but their support would still be there. So tonight, I’m going to be holding the image of the Joanna who used to play all the time at the drop of a hat, and see if I can’t recapture that feeling. That wonderful, relaxed feeling of making good music for people who enjoy it and doing it just by being myself.

Judi and Lynn Lewis will be performing first, and then it’ll be me alone. After a few covers and originals, the members of Et Al will join me. It should be nothing but great fun. Wish me luck!

This is a continuation of my last post in which I announced that I will speak with the dean of my school to report that oh-so-unpleasant experience with one of my teachers. I did make the appointment. But luckily, the first available appointment was for a couple of days away. In the interim, I had a bit of time to think, take a few breaths, and to reconsider the whole situation. I haven’t changed any of my thoughts on the subject, but I felt that I should at least try to ask my questions of the teacher before taking it to the dean. So I canceled my appointment with the dean and sent an email off to the teacher requesting a short meeting with him at a time that would be convenient.

Silence.

I sent him a text message asking if it would be alright to call him, or if he could please let me know when it would be convenient to meet.

Silence.

I re-sent the original email saying that I was resending because I had not heard back from him and requesting that he be in touch. Yes, he does have my phone number and email address.

Silence. Grrr….

A full week has now gone by and I have literally heard nothing from him. Hmmm….

The Jerk Tax

I’ve mentioned before that a very close friend of mine has a thing she refers to as “The Jerk Tax.” When someone has wronged, she speaks politely with them and gives them the opportunity to right their wrong. If she doesn’t get satisfaction, she tries again. I think three is her upper limit (I’ll make it mine) for a response. If her efforts have no affect, she proceeds to impose The Jerk Tax–this usually consists of a formal complaint to the appropriate authorities. I love her approach and have used it on several occasions.

What’s the plan?

I’ve decided to wait another day to hear back from my teacher. If I hear nothing, The Jerk Tax will be imposed! I will make an appointment with the dean and ask my questions of him and through this gentle approach, will lodge an informal, formal complaint. If necessary, I will make it a formal, formal complaint.

Hopefully, the teacher will be in touch sometime today. In the past, I have had a large amount of respect for this person, both as a musician and as a teacher. By sometime next week, I’ll be able to let everyone know if I still feel that respect.

Wish me luck!