Damo

Damo Suzuki with Orphy Robinson and Friends: Ansuman Biswas (Percussion, Hang), John Edwards (Bass), Orphy Robinson (Vibraphon), Mark Sanders (Drums) and Beibei Wang (Percussion, Ethnic Sounds)
https://thejazzcafelondon.com

“3 months before/after, no London arrangement, please”

This is an agreement, 8, 9 months before this offer comes from Lev the booker of the venue. This is fully new venue to me. Name “Jazz Café” makes me a little misunderstanding.

Lev had already idea that point, give Orphy Robinson to arrange sound carriers as curator. (Regally, every show curate by local prompter.)

In Camden where gold searchers find all kind of goods it may hip, may kitsch, trendy or however. It’ a (tourist) shopping mile, every young London visitors spend their time, easily change their budget become some fancy goods.

Sound check is randomly, not everyone was at the venue, all sound carriers seems to be know each other well, all Orphy’s friends.

Many times E-da joined Network performance if there is chance while on the road when he supports me as a driver, but he stayed out tonight, he wanted as an observer tonight. He was meaning very interesting formation, so he likes to see it. For example young Chinese lady Beibei plays “water”, water as percussion, water as element, first time ever I performed with this very natural music instrument,

Many years ago, often I used water sound (from CD) of river as opening to Network performance to develop flow.
Also contra bass joining tonight. Well come change.

Strangely many visitors came this venue for first time and they liked this space, even some was saying never expected such nice venue like this.

After lady of the venue asked me what is opinion about this venue as performer. I said the green room is a bit small. But, anything sound system, atmosphere, stage everything is fine…surely music it’s self.

Live Documentation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h04t9dnjpMQ

Damo Suzuki with YETTI, Ian Humes, Bob Neely, Dan Joyce and Mark Boniface of the punk band Harker.
https://www.komedia.co.uk/brighton/

Even I have work visa for UK, it took long at immigration always.
The officer at the immigration was checking everything, where is the venue, which is the agent, calling here and there, question one after another.
After long control, I found E-da at the exit, delay for around one hour.
Surprisingly, not that bad situation on motorway.

Stansted Airport is north of London. I didn’t have any solution to land at Gatwick, even much near to Brighton. Strangely, I found no flight from Cologne to Gatwick. Is it depending on season? I found flight only to Stansted and Heathrow. Flight to Heathrow tickets are all gone when I book this flight.

Stansted to Brighton took around 3 hours.

Weather is near dark, heavy cloud cover on the motorway, seems to be very next moment sky may open for rain.

E-da kindly offered me to stay at his flat in Howe. We stopped at fish shop to prepare lunch and dinner after the show. Fish shop was my intense too smell fishy. (I expect sea smell, not fish smell at fish shop. It has to be smell of sea.)
E-da didn’t say anything about of his new girlfriend even we had quite often E-mail exchange, visiting him since December. His girlfriend Kina with her school duty son. How is possible his son is here, not visiting school? She is a self-educating mother, against school mandatory. Occasionally, they’re visiting other countries too. Against school education system or not is everybody else’s decision. I’d boycott to continue school when I was kid, so I’m more near to Kina’s side.

Kina is in a way confident, other hand I can see many question marks upon her head. She is a sympathetic person.

E-da and Kina both disappeared into kitchen, her son lives in an another world, playing his Game Boy. Probably Kina prepared something already before I come, food came like interval in good flow.

Food was yummy and natural as they use wheat instead rice. This kind of touched food I had very long time ago at vegan Café, on pedestrian paradise, alternative part of Tokyo, short time slip.

Due to early flight, woke up 4:00 am (3:00 am in UK), after lunch, my eyelid get heavier, natural result…nap for 2 hours.

I perform rather often in Brighton, probably next to London in UK.
Still so, I perform in this venue for first time.
I’ve been knowing promoter James, arranged my performance already once, when he was a teenager, just he started to book artists. He looks so different, is bigger, and looks a different person. He had his father in Gillingham who also arranged my performance once while ago. He’ll be here James told me. It’s shame, I couldn’t recognize him if it’s he when I see him after long time. Sure, I excused. It’s huge exercise to remember all those people I met on the road, even just by face, even by name, my capacity is limited and some are melt away. Worse that my sight getting weak on it.
E-da joined us as usual and Kina played toy-saxophone, she was eye catching almost naked on the stage.

Review: https://www.theargus.co.uk/leisure/critic/15822088.review-damo-suzuki-komedia-brighton-january-10/

https://brightonsfinest.com/music/live-music/damo-suzuki-komedia-10th-january-2018/2018/

 

Damo Suzuki with Stearica : Francesco Carlucci (Guitar, Electronics), Davide Compagnoni (Drums,Electronics), Luca Paiardi (Bass) and Guests Scott McCloud (Voice, Guitar), Franz Goria (Voice)
https://www.facebook.com/magazzinosulpotorino/

Early morning flight kept me whole day tired.
Better try not make like this anymore.
Wake up at 3:00am, I need long preparation time( ha,) not for make up! I have to take regular medicines, average they effects me around 2 hours after took medicines.
Therefore I had to wake up early get ready from home around 5:00 am.
To airport takes around 20 minutes at traffic situation like this morning…early Saturday morning, not many traffic.

This time I booked flight only with a hand baggage, just short stay for one night, I don’t bring any merchandising, it’s Stearica’s 20 years anniversary. If I bring them it sound strange, I feel.
Stearica and I had a short tour a couple of years ago so we knew each other. All these stories may appear later in our conversation. They arranged an apartment at silent area of Torino near to Po, the river flow through the city.

The venue is opposite river another part of city, busy also attractive spot for locals and tourists. Nice to see friends again. Everybody of the trio looks fine. This is first time the trio and I perform with guest sound carrier. After sound check we had dinner together at restaurant , just few minutes to walk at old square, foods are off course Italian (I guess as far as I remember I never had anything else while I’m in Italy, did !?). While ago I tasted first time Bagna Cauda in Japan, since then I wanted to try this at its origin. It’s warm sauce with anchovy, garlic and olive oil, dip fresh vegetable in this sauce. It’s yummy good start. Unfortunately this was sold out, I have to come next day.

This prefecture Piemont is famous for gourmet. Plenty of pastas and truffles. I was whole day thinking about Baga Cauda, so disappointment is huge, you know, with empty feeling I ordered … sound a bit of junk food …Fritto Misto Alle Pigmontese, another famous dish in Piemont. Fried food is almost everybody’s taste, I’m sure. Chocolate and Schnitzel, everybody likes all over the world, if they ever tried.

Next day, a very beautiful morning.
I sat at the café just few steps down from my apartment.
Still performance last night is not left yet in my brain.
Espresso and 2 x chocolate croissants helped me well (my standard breakfast while on the road).The guy in café work hard, he is alone at work in this wonderful Sunday morning, he has table on the street too, he is serving alone, still he keeps smiles. It’s kind of Italian atmosphere here.
Last night Luca drove me back to my apartment.
And he will pick me up bring to Airport in Milan.
Luca, the bass player of Stearica, is disable and action radius on roll chair.
He is a strong person still even his handicap not only working at architect office or plays bass, he is an extreme sport man. He has a project with other disable friend to explore the world with extreme sport. Here is his website of the project. http://www.viaggioitalia.org

It’s really nice, he may help to be strong for people with handicap.
once I had experienced, many roll chair music fans are at a concert with Starica and I done few years ago, all these people in roll chair were excite and glad to see Luca on the stage. They had brightly eyes.
On the way to the airport he was exciting tell me of his experience and I was amused to listen to his motivating stories.
He drove safely to Airport.

It’s really nice, he may help to be strong for people with handicap.
once I had experienced, many roll chair music fans are at a concert with Starica and I done few years ago, all these people in roll chair were excite and glad to see Luca on the stage. They had brightly eyes.
On the way to the airport he was exciting tell me of his experience and I was amused to listen to his motivating stories.
He drove safely to Airport.