Jazz!

The Boquete International Jazz Festival started Thursday night. This is a big name for a not-so-big event but big enough.

We didn't make it Thursday night and, from what we heard, missed a great band.

We did go Friday night and it was impressive.

John Day's band from Canada via North Carolina was the headliner. We know his brother, a neighbor in Panama. The brother is the best musician in Chiriqui and told us John Day was light years better than him...he was right!

I am mystified how anyone gets as good as these guys get.

The drummer, who looked over 50, never played the same drum lick twice...that's somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 different licks. Not only prolific in creativity but ROCK SOLID on the groove!

The guitar player was so advanced, I only recognized about 2 of chords he played all night. He played straight ahead jazz style guitar. The last song was a 12 bar blues number and he deftly switched to blues guitar, a completely different way of playing and fingering the fret board. I am sure that if they broke out in hard rock, he would have been right there too!

The truly inspiring thing was the "groove" they laid down. Tight, succinct, compelling and clean clean clean!

Then, the melody or improvisation was laid on top of that. WOW! Stunning!

Now on to Saturday night.

Remember...Panama giveth and taketh away.

The advertised headliner was a young English guy who sang old standards like Frank Sinatra or Tony Benet.

But a lass, no English guy.

As is the way of festivals, because they are low paying gigs, he canceled. The replacement act should have been restricted to playing for tips in the park.

We left after 2 songs. Big disappointment.

More free jazz in the park today but I am stuck at home while Yella is singing at a memorial service for her friends.

Now for the play...

We did a complete run through yesterday...no lines provided if they were forgotten...and of course, lines were forgotten.

I must say it went well. I would have bet against this a week ago.

I forgot about 4 of my standard "I-always-forget-these-lines" lines but somehow we recovered. And, I was able to help my fellow actors get through a couple of their babbles...that felt good.

Today we "actors" have the day off. That means only about 3 or 4 hours of reading lines without the director around.

The tech team is setting up the lights, sound and staging today. This includes Yella who is running the lights.

We aren't sure how that happened. She was supposed to put together the music...a big job because each scene (13 of them) breaks with music and/or sound effects. How this morphed into doing the lights, we are not sure!

She is not happy about working until 10 or 11 tonight.

I can't believe how much work goes into one of these plays!

All in all, about 25 people. 6 actors, director, assistant director, producer, stage manager, 2 stage boys, costume prep, lighting tech, sound tech, 2 stage hands and 6 line readers.

I am passed my anger at doing all the work that I loath, memorizing. I memorized a staggering 90 minutes of material. I REALLY don't want to do that again!

Now, they will get what they get. All the prep is done, we're in the final hours.

I am grateful for all my training in the past...leading seminars, speaking, personal growth work and playing live music. At least I have been on stage before. A couple of the actors have not. They are massively freaked out now. My hat is off to them.

Only 2 more rehearsals left...dress rehearsals. Then the show must go on!

I hope I don't F$#$@!!! it up.