I was wrong! My day didn't end with laundry or cooking. I got a phone call from my father, who invited me to come and eat cheese fondue - he was just coming back from a hike on a swiss mountain, 4000 meter or 13123.32 foot high, with two of my brothers. So I went home, ate lots of fluid cheese and looked at pictures of the day they'd had - try to think of the bluest the sky can be, and the whitest the mountains, add some sweat, homemade sandwiches and cool mammut outdoor wear, and there you go!
Every word of this is true!
For dessert we had some Ben and Jerry's, which is all the rage here now, so no, we're not lost in our little swiss ways. Don't you worry!
2010/09/29
A Day In The Life
I'm in the library of the jazz school right now and doing something illegal, or frowned upon, or taboo! I'm writing. All around me, saxophones are blown, drums are being worked on, people are singing or humming or tapping or clicking. It's a maddening atmosphere. The air is full of promise, so many talented people, some playing all day long, or so it seems, some quickly pouring coffee down their throats before getting back to their mini-practise-labs.
This morning, in the train, I put a 15/8meter beat on my laptop, practised crossfading rhythms on my way to the bus, and in the bus listened to two songs by Avishai Cohen, at school I practised for a while, got carried away, and forgot a meeting with a teacher. Later, in a arctic-cold room, I listened to another teacher talking about some new assignment, we'll have to do five reharmonizations of tunes, play them, solo over them and record them. In ten minutes, I'll go practise some more, then I'll have my piano lesson, will look at the 15/8-beat again, listen to some more Avishai Cohen, maybe do some arranging on the computer on the train, and will be home at about 5pm. Then I'll listen to John Coltrane: Coltrane and Cannonball, will briefly write about it for another assignment. At 7pm sharp, I'll stop working, and slowly my feet will touch ground again: I'll have to do laundry, do some cooking and cleaning, and maybe later I'll see the Paraglider who is playing a gig tonight.
That's just for today, but days are rather similar. I'm often wondering not only about other people's lives, but also about their day-to-day routine, I mean: how exactly does a day go for a police man? Or a social worker?
This morning, in the train, I put a 15/8meter beat on my laptop, practised crossfading rhythms on my way to the bus, and in the bus listened to two songs by Avishai Cohen, at school I practised for a while, got carried away, and forgot a meeting with a teacher. Later, in a arctic-cold room, I listened to another teacher talking about some new assignment, we'll have to do five reharmonizations of tunes, play them, solo over them and record them. In ten minutes, I'll go practise some more, then I'll have my piano lesson, will look at the 15/8-beat again, listen to some more Avishai Cohen, maybe do some arranging on the computer on the train, and will be home at about 5pm. Then I'll listen to John Coltrane: Coltrane and Cannonball, will briefly write about it for another assignment. At 7pm sharp, I'll stop working, and slowly my feet will touch ground again: I'll have to do laundry, do some cooking and cleaning, and maybe later I'll see the Paraglider who is playing a gig tonight.
That's just for today, but days are rather similar. I'm often wondering not only about other people's lives, but also about their day-to-day routine, I mean: how exactly does a day go for a police man? Or a social worker?
2010/09/13
Let's Build A Jazz Metropolis
Reading the paper today I found out two things. One: Switzerland is going to be "full" in 2020: people will have to cram themselves in small spaces, by military order buildings everywhere will receive ten floors more, no one except the highest political ranks will be allowed to eat meat (cows take away lots of space, and their empty barns will prove to be very useful), which will lead to a once again changed beauty ideal: the richest will be the only ones fat ergo fat bellies will once again be sexy.
Seriously, it's going to be a problem, but what a luxury problem: swiss people aren't used to live in high buildings, they need their little garden to put the garden gnomes in - looking for an appartment during the last few weeks I've found out how much this is true! I just couldn't live in a skyscraper (okay: 15 floors!), standing on the balcony makes me dizzy, and there are just too many people around... man, we really live in a little world of our own!
And the second thing I learned today: according to a an us survey, ten million people all over the world would like to immigrate to Switzerland. Wow! It brought me to think: musicians all over the world love to play in Switzerland, because of the good and warm food and the hotel beds. Apparently, jazz musicians in America aren't used to such a service. Well, okay! Everyone of you jazz musicians, come here! We'll choose a secluded valley somewhere, build an autarkic city, have our concert halls, make cheese and sausages, and maybe even create our own traditional costume? Won't we all live happily everafter?
Would be much easier for the government, too: everyone of them supervised with just one helicopter flight- They could even drop foodbags and social security cards all at once!
But look: it's not all perfect!
Seriously, it's going to be a problem, but what a luxury problem: swiss people aren't used to live in high buildings, they need their little garden to put the garden gnomes in - looking for an appartment during the last few weeks I've found out how much this is true! I just couldn't live in a skyscraper (okay: 15 floors!), standing on the balcony makes me dizzy, and there are just too many people around... man, we really live in a little world of our own!
And the second thing I learned today: according to a an us survey, ten million people all over the world would like to immigrate to Switzerland. Wow! It brought me to think: musicians all over the world love to play in Switzerland, because of the good and warm food and the hotel beds. Apparently, jazz musicians in America aren't used to such a service. Well, okay! Everyone of you jazz musicians, come here! We'll choose a secluded valley somewhere, build an autarkic city, have our concert halls, make cheese and sausages, and maybe even create our own traditional costume? Won't we all live happily everafter?
Would be much easier for the government, too: everyone of them supervised with just one helicopter flight- They could even drop foodbags and social security cards all at once!
But look: it's not all perfect!
2010/09/04
How Small The Worlds
I'm going to risk a few generalizing statements today. Playing with people studying at another jazz school than I last week, and talking about plans for the (professional) future, I realized once again how strongly jazz musicians are influenced by their upbringing, meaning their educational environment. I guess it's human to orientate yourself, wherever you are, to the leading ideas.
In my jazz school there is a rather international vibe. A lot of the teachers have studied in Berklee, or Graz, and we have many masterclasses by jazz stars such as Mark Turner, Eric Harland, or Esperanza Spalding. The best students talk about their plans to study abroad after the bachelor's degree. There is idealism in every corner. People are talking about getting better, about bands, and cd projects, and getting reassured by the teachers who have led very interesting lifes. Discussions about money, about the future and about a job are very rare.
In the other jazz school, the leading subject seems to be different - I've found a more down-to-earth approach. Of course people talk about getting better and their cd projects, too. But a lot of the people put an end to their jazz studies after the bachelor. One statement that I've heard more than once is that with a master's degree in performance you don't have a profession, and with a master's in composition you'll just end up writing for carnival groups (called Guggenmusik in Switzerland). If you want to be a teacher, you will study pedagogy, but if not, you'd better try to find a job that guarantees some financial stability and practice your instrument on your own. I have never heard statements like these in my jazz school.
There are a lot of other differences. For example, a subject I will elaborate on a later date, in the city I live in there is a large jazz scene. Newcomers can play in lots of restaurants or small bars, gig that are neither paid well nor attended by many people, but still, there is often more than one jazz concert a night. In the city I study in there are much fewer jazz locations, jazz concerts concentrate in one bar, open from wednesday to saturday.
I'm often astonished how quickly a rather self-orientated, self-sufficient subscene can build itself, and how quickly you find yourself believing that in there, you'll find the truth - not knowing that just a hundred kilometres away, there is a very similar subscene holding on to a totally different set of truths.
I guess I'm in a good position - studying there and living here!
In my jazz school there is a rather international vibe. A lot of the teachers have studied in Berklee, or Graz, and we have many masterclasses by jazz stars such as Mark Turner, Eric Harland, or Esperanza Spalding. The best students talk about their plans to study abroad after the bachelor's degree. There is idealism in every corner. People are talking about getting better, about bands, and cd projects, and getting reassured by the teachers who have led very interesting lifes. Discussions about money, about the future and about a job are very rare.
In the other jazz school, the leading subject seems to be different - I've found a more down-to-earth approach. Of course people talk about getting better and their cd projects, too. But a lot of the people put an end to their jazz studies after the bachelor. One statement that I've heard more than once is that with a master's degree in performance you don't have a profession, and with a master's in composition you'll just end up writing for carnival groups (called Guggenmusik in Switzerland). If you want to be a teacher, you will study pedagogy, but if not, you'd better try to find a job that guarantees some financial stability and practice your instrument on your own. I have never heard statements like these in my jazz school.
There are a lot of other differences. For example, a subject I will elaborate on a later date, in the city I live in there is a large jazz scene. Newcomers can play in lots of restaurants or small bars, gig that are neither paid well nor attended by many people, but still, there is often more than one jazz concert a night. In the city I study in there are much fewer jazz locations, jazz concerts concentrate in one bar, open from wednesday to saturday.
I'm often astonished how quickly a rather self-orientated, self-sufficient subscene can build itself, and how quickly you find yourself believing that in there, you'll find the truth - not knowing that just a hundred kilometres away, there is a very similar subscene holding on to a totally different set of truths.
I guess I'm in a good position - studying there and living here!
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