drawing

this is a drawing i did last week

La Luminara!

This evening, Friday July 16th, 2006 was a very special illuminated evening in Pisa, Italy. In fact, the most wonderful Pisan night of the year! It's the celebration of the city's patron saint: la festa di San Ranieri. The event is called "LA LUMINARA" - it's a folk festival which dates back to 1688. We mingled amongst 70,000 wax candles, which were all put in glasses and hung on the wooden frames of houses along the Arno River, and even sent floating along the Arno River. People wandered along Ponte di Mezzo and along the Lungarno enjoying pizza, pisa, and CECINA, a lovely garbanzo bean thin pizza-ish food.

Tomorrow, Saturday June 17th, the four main "rione" or areas of Pisa will be competing in a Regatta boat race along the Arno. The Palio will conclude with a winner who gets the "paliotto" prize. Accompanying this event will be loads of Pisans dressed in traditional medieval outfits parading around.

Then on July 2nd, there is an annual meeting on the main bridge for a "reverse tug-of-war". There are two teams of ten men and they push and push and push until one team pushes the other team off. A local Pisan woman told me that historically, they played until one team fell of the bridge into the river, but it's since been modified.

Lucky Lucca

A whirlwind few hours through Lucca, a little Italian town surrounded by its comfy defensive walls and mini moat. Mini me. Here in Tuscany, they say "sei un miccio," (say oon mee-cho) which means "you're a donkey" or more amusingly "you're an ass." Say with a smile and you're bound to quickly make new Tuscan friends. Puccini was born in Lucca and it's a half hour train ride from Pisa Centrale (Peezuh Chen-trah-lay).

Last night I had a brilliant soup called "ribollito", a special farmer recipe using the vegetables and bread from the day before. It's a delicious mush which my 99 year old bubula (Grandma Debby, of the album cover) would love too.

The main drag of Lucca is called Via Fillungo and leads to Piazza Anfiteatro, an arena of pastel buildings that curve and schmooze. In fact, it's a Roman amphitheater dating from the 2nd century. (Lillian, that LA lady, adds: "it's the Grove without Rick Caruso's fountain").

To the north of Lucca, in the Garfagnana region is the Ponte del Diavolo (the devil's bridge). Ghouls, goblins and ancient etruscans dig it. Me too.

recording

This morning at home I was listening to Rino Gaetano and Caparezza, Battisti and Vasco, hints of Italy with sparkles of slop. In the studio, we've been recording basic tracks to analog 2" using a studer a80 mkIV at 15ips with dolby sr. really pleasing sounds and harmonies. feels good to play, good to hear, play and record buttons. A strat here, a grand piano there, a birdie flies by, chirps on tape and flies on through the skies and sounds.