I'm jetlagged as all hell, and currently cruising at about 10 feet above floor level. All without the help of drugs.
Unreal, basically. Amazing, wonderful, fantastic, and other superlatives that I think Lama beat me to. I was so amazed at how old friendships picked up where they left off a year ago, and new ones were quickly formed. The music this year was simply stunning. One thing that benefited us all, I think, was having three nights of performance with some great management by people such as Jeff. And wow - I thought we were overburdened with talent last year, but this was something else. Sherelle, Jack Neilson (sp?), Brian Thomas, Christina Fris-Neilsen (sp?). Good lord, where were you all hiding until now??? And everyone was fantastic in their own way, each bringing something new and interesting to the occasion. And the Ethel Mermans with their passport smiles had me gasping for breath. Highlights? Many. A few that stuck out for me were getting to play with some truly talented people. I feel blessed to have been able to do so. Things that stick in my mind are:- "Edith and the Kingpin" with Sherelle and Paz "Sex Kills" with Paz "Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" with Les Ross and Christina Above all, playing a kicking version of Woodstock with Kate Bennett, Jeff Bisch and Chuck E to finish off the last night of performance was amazing. What a way to draw to a close. Monday night was cool too: at the tapas bar in NYC with Patrick, Alison E, Hennning, Christina, Les and Patrick's sister and a friend of Alison's. Great time. Alison, I'll explain about the underwear sometime. On another note, I had so much Jonifest synchronicity on the way home - it was amazing. There was the guy from Belfast in the bar at JFK. He'd heard of Kate Bennett from his brother in the US. The bass player a few rows back from me on the plane: he also had heard of Kate, and his father had played with Jaco in the early eighties. Like, ommagawd! The german guy sitting next to me, who had bought two Joni albums in their original packaging on vinyl in a NYC thrift store. The cost? $3. I pointed all these people at www.jmdl.com, so there may be some new arrivals. I'll be accepting an ambassadorship fee :) My photos are up on www.hatstand.org/gallery. Click into the Northeast Jonifest section, then onto "Chris' photos". I've merely uploaded them at the moment - I'll rotate, comment them and resize them soon, but they're there at least. Arrgh. Bed. Now. Offers of company accepted. (Visa, Mastercard welcome, 5% surcharge on orders under $10.) --Chris
