It was an amazing year. Teaching at Berklee has been super and I’m looking forward to the Spring semester, when I teach my first class, a Jazz Styles Lab. (This semester I had private students only. They were fantastic!)

This year also saw the release of “The Pirkei Avot Project, Vol. 1″, my CD of music composed to excerpts from an ancient collection of rabbinical wisdom. Thanks to the generosity of many, the project was partially fueled through RocketHub, a crowdfunding site that brings people together to support projects they believe in.

And with a new CD put out on one’s own label comes…boxes. Boxes of CDs. HUNDREDS of them.

At last count, I have released five CDs as a leader or a co-leader. Four of these five CDs are sitting in my closet, begging to be played on someone’s stereo. These CDs are:

amanda monaco 4 (2003 – with Jason Gillenwater, Fraser Hollins, Jeff Davis)
Intention (2006 – with Jason Gillenwater, Fraser Hollins, Jeff Davis)
I Think I’ll Keep You (2009 – with Michael Attias, Sean Conly, Satoshi Takeishi)
The Pirkei Avot Project, Vol. 1 (2011 – with Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, Daphna Mor, Sean Conly, Satoshi Takeishi)

And since ’tis the season for giving gifts, I’ve decided that I will sell these CDs at very special prices, autograph them, wrap them in festive paper, and mail them to you. Buy one CD for $8, two for $14, three for $18, four for $20. I accept PayPal at amanda@amandamonaco.com and also checks mailed to:

PO Box 1695
Long Island City NY 11101

Thank you for continuing to give me the opportunity to share my music with you. May your holiday season be joyous, filled with laughter, love, and peace.

The CD design is by Harriet Goren, who along with being an incredible artist (she hand-painted the cover design) is one of my favorite prayer leaders at my synagogue, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, during the Yamim Noraim (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). She has a beautiful voice that moves the spirit closer to that place of discovery and awareness. She also has two very cute cats, one of which is perfectly content to lie on his back on the floor while you vigorously rub his belly with your foot.

The CD was mastered by Brian Quill of Flavorlab. He made the CD sound live; I felt like I was in the room listening to the musicians. It sounds good on headphones, stereo speakers, computer speakers AND in the car (which is what I consider a great success as most jazz CDs sound terrible in the car!)

As of now the CD is only available through me – you can send a check for $18 to: PO Box 1695, Long Island City NY 11101 or use PayPal (the email address is amanda@amandamonaco.com). However, it will be available through CD Baby in about a month or so. (I thought that I had taken care of this already…oops.) Or you can buy it at the CD RELEASE PARTY…

…ON SEPTEMBER 17 AT 92Y TRIBECA IN NYC!!!! The timing couldn’t be more perfect, as Ayelet Rose Gottlieb (the vocalist on the CD) will be in town from her home in London. 92Y Tribeca is a gorgeous space, and we are SUPER excited to be playing there. So, if you’re in the NYC area, or want to be in the NYC area for our concert, you can order the tickets ahead of time by clicking HERE. Or you can surprise us and show up the night of the show. Doors open at 8, show starts at 9. There will be two sets that include all of the music from the CD as well as some new Pirkei Avot music.

I’ll never forget the first time I discovered the Pirkei Avot. I was sitting in shul at Shabbat services, was flipping through the prayerbook, and found it, just sitting there in the back of the book. There were sayings such as:

If I am not for me, who will be?
And if I am for myself alone, then what am I?
And if not now, when?”
I:14

There were also sayings of a different sort:

More flesh, more worms
More possessions, more worries
II:8

Soon after discovering this treasure trove of wise sayings, I found a more modern reading of it by Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro, where you find interpretations of verses that give a more universal meaning:

Everything we are is a gift.
Everything we have is given.
Know whence all things come
and be not dismayed at their passing.
III:8

I was so inspired that I wrote some music to eight different verses. My dear friend Ayelet Rose Gottlieb helped me with fitting the Hebrew and Aramaic text to the music. We rehearsed the band: Daphna Mor (recorders and ney, a Middle Eastern flute); Sean Conly (bass); Satoshi Takeishi (floor percussion). Daphna couldn’t make the gig we had booked, so we rehearsed with clarinetist Quinsin Nachoff. (See my previous entry, Rehearsing on the Floor).

The recording went very well. We did the whole thing in one day at LoFish Studios in midtown Manhattan, mixed the whole thing a few weeks later. Sent it to the record company everyone was convinced would put the record out. It was not to be, for it was “too pretty”.

So life went on, and the CD was forgotten. I would play the tunes with Deathblow now and again, and we did have a gig one time when Ayelet was back for a visit (and other gigs with her bands).

When I was in Israel, Ayelet and I spoke of the CD and how we would really like to release it to the world. It seemed timely with all the madness going on to have a little sanity in the form of music. Only problem is, we’re in a recession. (Jazz is always in a recession, but that’s another conversation for another time.)

We made a plan that I would get the CD out by September. Ayelet will be in the States doing some other gigs, so we agreed to book a tour the week of September 18. But how to get the CD out?

Enter crowdfunding.

Musicians (and neighbors) of mine (Anthony Cekay, Christian Coleman) had both launched successful crowdfunding campaigns for their musical projects. Anthony’s was in the form of live concerts streamed over the internet; Christian’s was the release of his debut CD. They introduced me to the guys at RocketHub and we got together to discuss the possibility of crowdfunding the Pirkei Avot Project.

I hate money. I hate that I need it to get my music out there, because I love sharing my music with everyone and wish that financial restrictions didn’t get in the way. This is why I love crowdfunding, because it’s not about asking for a hand-out; it gives me the opportunity to give back to the people who fund the project, and the project gets out there. It’s a win-win situation for everyone, and it also gets everyone involved – a group effort, which gives it way more meaning than if I were to simply release it and see what happens. I also created some fun, personal rewards for people who “fuel” the project, which I’m excited about.

It’s also a limited time frame for crowd-funding: only until June 15. Won’t you be a part of it with me?

http://rockethub.com/projects/1643-spreading-the-wisdom-of-the-jewish-sages

]]> http://www.amandamonaco.com/news/?feed=rss2&p=233 0 http://www.amandamonaco.com/news/?p=225 http://www.amandamonaco.com/news/?p=225#comments Mon, 09 May 2011 18:15:55 +0000 Amanda Monaco http://www.amandamonaco.com/news/?p=225 In early April, I visited my dear friend Ayelet Rose Gottlieb in Israel. She’s a great vocalist and composer and we collaborated on the music I composed to texts from the Pirkei Avot (a collection of rabbinic wisdom compiled in the 3rd century – really good stuff). Initially I was simply going to visit her, but she booked us a few gigs and so it turned into a mini-t0ur!

Our first show was a house concert in Jerusalem. Bob Trachtenberg is an American who made aliyah with his family and has been in Israel for quite some time. He’s also a big music fan and hosts performances in his living room for about 40 people. Ayelet put together a band with Israeli musicians and we played some of her tunes, some of the Pirkei Avot pieces, and some jazz standards.

Two days later, we played a concert at the Beit Jamal Monastery (just outside of Jerusalem) and it was wonderful.

trio with Shai and Daniel

with Ayelet

After that I was a tourist and not much else. Went to the Old City with Ayelet’s mother, whose ancestors are from there and she had much to tell me about its history as we walked around and saw everything. It was amazing to see all of these things and places I had always known about, like the Western Wall and the tomb of Jesus, among other things. Ayelet and I walked around a lot, got together with her friends in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, had a really fun time.

Ayelet had to teach a bunch of students on my last full day there, so I hopped on a bus and took a day trip to Masada:

Not sure why I didn’t realize how massive the ruins would be, but it took me over two hours to see everything! (The story of Masada is intense, too; click here to read about it.)

Made it home after a very, very long plane ride (about 12 hours) and jumped right back into work. (More on that later…)

(Of course, being that there was a miscommunication at the last Cornelia Street Café gig and one of the members of Deathblow didn’t show up, they’re all joking with me that they’ll see me tomorrow for the exact set we’re not playing, thus feeding the neurotic soul that inhabits my body. Oy.)

Another nice aspect of the gig is that I can stay and listen to Sebastian Noelle‘s band play the second set. Sebastian and I have worked together for a while now in various large ensembles such as Joe Phillips’ Numinous + and he’s part of the Long Island City Jazz Alliance (the organization I started to bring together jazz musicians in Long Island City, Astoria, Sunnyside, and other nearby neighborhoods in the borough of Queens). It’s going to be a night of guitar, which is never a bad thing, and a really nice hang, too.

Full band rehearsals began last Wednesday afternoon and the music, even with all of my practicing in advance and with rhythm sectionals the week before, was incredibly challenging. It was also really exciting: lots of odd-time signatures on funky grooves, blistering fast sixteenth-note lines, and a lot of wah-wah pedal. (I had to buy a new wah-wah pedal for the recording as my old Crybaby just wasn’t up to the task. Now I have a Fulltone Clyde Deluxe with three different settings and more if I feel like tweaking it further. Yowza!)

I really wanted to make sure I could play this music to the best of my ability. It’s some of the most difficult music (if not the most difficult music) I’ve ever played, and we only had one day in the studio. So I cleared my schedule so that all I had going on from Wednesday through Sunday was this music…

…until I came down with the worst cold/cough I’ve had in YEARS. So what was going to be all Fred Ho music all the time turned into intense rehearsals followed by intense sleeping and lots of waking up in the middle of the night coughing like crazy so there wasn’t a single good night’s sleep to be had (and, to be honest, there hasn’t been one yet; hopefully tonight.)

But it all worked out. It was SO MUCH FUN playing this music! I’m really looking forward to when we perform this music in November at a few different venues in NYC. I’ll keep you posted, of course, as it’s going to be HUGE, a big multi-media, multi-disciplinary art blowout.

All you need for a recording: music, pencil, lip gloss.

Domaine is a little slice of Paris in LIC, just steps from the Vernon-Jackson stop on the 7 train (like my husband likes to say: “you walk up the stairs from the train, trip on the last step and fall into the bar.”) and about as cozy as it gets. You walk in and there’s a place to hang your coat and hat, then you can settle into a table near the door or hang out at one of the tables or at the bar in the back, where the band is located.

Most nights, the great Ciprian is pouring the vino, something he knows quite a bit about, and even when the band isn’t playing, you can be assured that the jazz will still be playing on the stereo. (Never have I heard “A Love Supreme” played in a bar before, but I’ve heard it several times at Domaine.) Cip is one of those big jazz fans that you wish you could send around the world to share the love of the music. He is so enthusiastic about it and reminds me that the only reason more people don’t love jazz is simply because they don’t have access to it like we do in NYC. We of the LIC Jazz Alliance are thrilled that we moved the session to Domaine for many reasons, and one of those reasons is so that we can be around Cip. We think you’ll agree.

Do come and play if you’re a musician, or come and listen if you’re not. Either way, it’s a great place to hear music in an intimate space. See you there! There’s a piano (that’s in tune, even), amps and a drum set.

Domaine Bar a Vins
50-04 Vernon Blvd.
Long Island City NY 11101
http://www.domainewinebar.com

http://www.licja.org

So yes, here we are: a new month, a new year, a new decade. January is always an inspiration for me, another slate wiped clean, another “chance to give it a go”, so to speak. And this year I’m trying something new, thanks to my friend C.C. Chapman (podcasting wizard, author, and content creator – check him out!) Instead of making resolutions this year, I’ve chosen three words to set the tone for this year: PLAY, CREATE, and PROMOTE. C.C. first heard of this technique from blogger Chris Brogan, and I think it’s fabulous. (You can read about their three words on their respective websites.)

I’m really enjoying this idea of three words for the year instead of resolutions. I always feel like I start the new year with this big ideas of what I’m going to do, and they ultimately get pushed aside, and next thing I know it’s December and I think, “what happened?!?!?”

So this year, it’s all about PLAYING, CREATING, and PROMOTING. What does that mean? Well, it means a lot of things: playing more music, but also playing more in life, i.e., being playful, and not getting uptight about the littlest things. Creating means composing more, but it also means creating space for friends and family, and for being well-rounded. Promoting means getting my music out there, but it also means promoting others who deserve attention, promoting good habits, etc. And being that these are three little words, there is so much potential for them.

What are your three words for 2011? I would love to hear about them.

Photo by Jesse Winter - Check him out!

On Tuesday, October 12, the Long Island City Jazz Alliance began what we hope will be a weekly event: our first jam session in the neighborhood. The venue is LIC Bar, a local watering hole with tin ceilings, dark wood paneling and a big backyard where outdoor concerts and barbecue take place in the warmer months.

I’ve never hosted a jam session before, so I did what jazz musicians do: I improvised. I had a sign-up sheet (but forgot the pen, so a silly little pocket pen filled in) for musicians. The house band (myself, Sam Trapchak on bass, Christian Coleman on drums) played three tunes to start things off, then started inviting musicians up from the sign-up sheet and the music kept going until 11:15. We had a great crowd of musicians show up, both from the neighborhood and from Brooklyn, and an attentive listening audience that seemed to be enjoying the evening’s activities thoroughly.

There was only one bassist that showed up, though, so Sam Trapchak was playing all night for the most part. His last stretch was about 1 hr. 45 min. straight; when asked if he needed a break, he smiled and said, “I’m fine, but could you get me a beer? That would be great.” I have taken to saying that without a doubt, Sam is the hardest working man in show business for the 21st century; there’s no question. Not only does he play and play, but he does it all with a super positive attitude and sounds amazing.

Last week’s session (October 19) was rare in that not a single tenor saxophonist showed up. If you’ve ever been to a jazz jam session, you probably know that they usually consist of about 20 tenor saxophonists and a few rhythm section players. Then about 3-4 of them get up at a time to play, and will easily take 10-minute solos each, over the same tune, be it a blues or rhythm changes.

(For the non-musicians, rhythm changes are the chords that make up the song “I Got Rhythm”, or, if you’re a Flinstones fan, the Flinstones theme song. So imagine the Flintstones theme going on for about 45 minutes and you get the idea…)

But alas, last Tuesday, no tenor players were to be found (though I saw some people smiling because of it). Anthony Cekay brought his soprano sax, and there were a few alto players, some trombonists, one other guitarist besides me, one other bassist, and a ton of drummers. We still had a great time, it was a great audience, friends and new faces alike were there.

We’d love to see you there, too! LIC Bar is located at 45-58 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City NY 11101. If you’re in the area, do stop by and say hello, it’s always a really nice time! The owner is giving us a limited amount of time to “prove ourselves”, so we are only on if we can do just that. So far it seems that we’re doing well, but I know they hope that we do better…so we keep plugging away.

This week we’ll be at it again, October 26, 8-11:30 p.m. It would have been my father’s 62nd birthday that day, and he loved jazz, so he’ll definitely be on my mind as I lead the session. He would drive or take the train to NYC from CT after work to catch one of my gigs if it was a major event (like when I played the JVC Jazz Festival in 2004), so if he were still alive, I’m sure he would have joined us for this session. I’d like to think he’ll be there in spirit somewhere…

Dad, Guitar, and me

Andrea, Me, and my sister Jen

Sometimes you just have to stop working and go visit an old friend.

Andrea and I have known each other since nursery school, when we lived a few streets away from each other on the West Side of a small town in Wallingford, CT (aka “the town that time forgot”). When our families decided to move to a new development on the East Side of town, we became next-door neighbors for 13 years, until I went off to college (we were a year apart).

We have tons of memories. The one we don’t remember is that when we were 3/4 years old, there was a step that led into the living room, and when Andrea was standing at the top of the step, I would push her down. Then she would stand up and smack me hard across the face. Apparently we did this with some regularity.

Andrea went to Catholic School for K-8th grade and I to public school, so our interactions were limited to after-school and weekend activities which included playing with the countless toys and old costumes in my basement, riding bikes, pool parties in the summer and feeding socks to her Doberman, Cindy, the dog that would eat ANYTHING.

We went to high school together and she was a cheerleader, and I played French horn in the marching band. We had a terrible football team, but we kept going.

When we both moved to NYC in the mid-90s, Andrea was the friend I could always call at the very last minute and say, “hey, let’s go for a drink!” and she was always game.

Andrea’s married with two adorable kids now, and we hadn’t visited in a long while, so I got on a train last Saturday and headed for CT, where we had an early dinner and caught up on life stuff.

It’s really nice to have old friends, and Andrea is my oldest friend in the world, almost like a sister, really. I’m truly blessed to have old friends like Andrea in my life.