MIGUEL & ME: the story of a late bloomer and her violin May 17, 2012

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When I want something, I try to do something about it.

So when I was asked what musical instrument do I want to rock out in my next life, I said the violin.

And so as not to waste time, I got meself one and baptized it Miguel.

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So while teaching some kids from the community in Zambales how to make their own documentary,

these kids were also teaching me how to play the violin.

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JULIAN AT 5 years old
(found this image on the internet, ain’t he a cutie

JULIAN at 12

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Julian Duque was my first teacher. He was actually the one who let me experience how it is to hold a violin. It was during this moment that I felt this connection with the instrument. Naks! He was also the one who gave in to our request for a concerto. He played so well he made our hearts swell, haha rhyme! But really, he is fun to watch and a joy to listen to. This kid has so much to offer… There’s so much inside of him and he’s just bursting with all this energy that is affecting everybody who watches him. This boy is gonna go places, with a gift like his, I want to be just like him in my next life

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This is Miguel, yep he’s got the same name as my violin  He was the one who taught me how to do the musical scales properly. He also taught me the 4th variation of  twinkle, twinkle little star, the first piece that I learned. I asked him when can I do the vibrato, he said anytime Haha, easy for him to say, he started playing the violin at the age of 3!!!

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This is now my regular teacher, Remed, he is actually more strict compared to them. Some say he’s the bad boy of the group, must be the bangs but to me he is an effective teacher. I mean, I can now properly play the violin, aruruteynkyu to him, and I’m actually on my 8th piece already, so he must be doing something right  I told him I prefer faster pieces to play but he told me that I need to go through the musical scales first and that I need to do it correctly. Yes sir-ee!

I just watched his solo performance last weekend at Casa and boy was he a delightful surprise! I didn’t know he was that good! He gave a heart-wrenching performance, everybody in the theater felt his passion and emotion. I am a proud student, bravo teacher Remed!!!

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These kids (kids because I’m much older than them!) all started out in Casa San Miguel and is part of the Pundaquit Virtuosi. They were all trained by no other than the world-renowned violinist, Coke Bolipata. Now, they play alongside him and in fact headed to Europe (Paris-Rome-Venice) this June  for a concerto. Halukatdat!

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I watched them perform at Casa San Miguel’s theater hall and I was just in awe. Every note they played tugged my heartstrings. It was also my first time to watch Sir Coke perform and I just wanted to cry. I hear what he’s been saying about art exponents in music. During a conversation before their performance, he mentioned that we will hear some movements of impressionism & pointillism and I really saw it painted by his violin…

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I feel that it’s never too late to learn something new…

So here I am at 35 trying to learn how to play the violin from these child prodigies.

Hopefully in my next life, I will be as great as them, but for now I will rock out my version of Twinkle, twinkle…

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*** performance video of the virtuosi to follow

http://theartofeveryday.wordpress.com/2012/03/20/what-a-weekend-casa-san-miguel/

SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW April 3, 2012

LOVIN’ THIS VERSION

ASTIG  JAMMING!!!!

If not now, when? May 27, 2011

 

 

If I’m not doing what I’m doing now

I would love to sing songs like her, play funny-looking instruments,

be in a band, perform in somebodys living room

have intimate concertos

. . .

Maybe in the next life

 

{PHOTO¤SYNTHESIS} PERFORMANCE… November 1, 2010

 

Our special guests

Ambassador Rora Tolentino and colleagues from the Philippine Embassy

 

 

Now, it is 

Time to ROCK & RULE!!!

 

 

aruruMERCI BEAUCOUP!!!

 

(L-R: Plug, Smaela, JK, Pierre, Mighty Maya, Tisba)

 

My deepest gratitude to all the people that help made {PHOTO¤SYNTHESIS} a success. Aruruteynkyu to friends and family who came to support us. To our Ambassador and special guests from the Embassy, to the wonderful people of Les Lumieres, to Smaela and the musicians I collaborated with and of course to my A

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I was very happy with how it all turned out… What I love about this project is the collaboration,  it’s not only about the output but it’s also about the process… I am very interested in how different musicians/artists can give their own interpretation on the subject. The performance was totally different from the one I presented at Cité des Arts but both were truly distinct and interesting.

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The handmade single edition photo collages are still on display at Les Lumieres until November 24 so you can still check it out. The artworks are on sale, just contact me at jj_rockandrule@yahoo.com for purchases

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LES LUMIERES

18 Avenue Georges Clemenceau

train ride from Gare du Nord and then short bus ride

The making of {PHOTO¤SYNTHESIS} October 29, 2010

 

THE CHARACTERS:

I accidentally met Smaela at the reception area of Cité des Arts. After that fateful meeting, I received news from her after seeing my portfolio that they are interested to exhibit my works at Les Lumieres, a cultural art space in Montmorency. We had several meetings and discussions and then  {PHOTO¤SYNTHESIS}  was born…

With Smaela’s help, I was able to meet different musicians for the musical performance … I first met Maya aka Mighty Maya, who was really interested to do this collaboration. He plays the guitar and is into noise effects, which definitely added texture to the whole sound…

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Then I visited Nicolas aka Plug at his home studio to listen to his music and compositions. He plays different instruments and played bass for the show.

 

 

 He mentioned another musician that he jammed with who was good in improvisation and plays lead guitar, his name was Pierre Soon.

 

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We all met up at Gare du Nord to take a train to Montmorency for our first meeting and rehearsal. It is there where I also met Baptiste aka Tisba who is the artistic director of the space and who also happens to be a musician. Good thing I was able to convince him to play trumpet which gave another dimension to the whole jam.

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The musician line-up is complete so it’s now time for the exhibit set-up. I only had a few weeks to put up the show and so we decided to display my past works of handmade photo collages…

 

THE SET-UP:

 

with my ever supportive A

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My video installation will be shown at the exhibit opening. I  re-edited the piece and added new interviews of Emmanuel Lavaud -France, Michelline Torres – Brazil & Kidlat de Guia – Philippines. I also decided to put  French subtitles on the interviews since it was done in English and made a new credit roll…

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REHEARSALS, in french REPETITION!!!

We would commute back and forth from Paris to Montmorency to rehearse…

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my handmade shaker/percussion (chewing gum & film canister with rice)

 

Now it’s time to ROCK and RULE!!!

 

 

* images of the performance, COMING SOON…

{ PHOTO¤SYNTHESIS } a multi-media exhibit October 11, 2010

 

 

{PHOTO.SYNTHèSE}
- Processus de conversion de différentes énergies vers une autre forme d’existence.
- Synthèse d’éléments sous l’effet d’une énergie positive.
- Création d’une harmonie dans la confrontation de plusieurs réalités.

Photo collage et Vidéo montage, projet passé et à venir, accompagné de musique “live” improvisée.

L’artiste Philippine vidéaste et documentariste JAZEL KRISTIN synthétise une vision de ses “univers parallèles” confrontés à certaines vérités universelles sur ce qui nous consomme.

 

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It is funny how I got to do this show, will save that story for next time though but it was a very nice suprise indeed. What’s really funny is just when I was feeling down in the dumps THIS opportunity came along I am still actually finalizing things for the performance at the exhibit opening BUT I feel it in my bones that it will all turn out just gooooood, just like what life is now :)

Donc, I hope you can come to the opening, it’s just 15 minutes away from Paris in a place called Montmorency. You can take the metro and a bus to Les Lumieres, please be there by 7pm for the performance of a lifetime I promise you, we will all have a blast!!!

MAKE LOVE NOT CRAP September 5, 2010

 

It is a dream to watch Tori Amos perform. My first cd ever was her album Under the Pink. If I’m going to have a kid, I want to name her Tallulah  (from her Boys for Pele album). Delirium is one of my favorite Endless in Neil Gaimain’s Sandman, it is said that the character is loosely based on her. I am also planning to dye my hair in different colors like Delirium, but okay that is not anymore connected to redheaded Tori

Anyways, this is what welcomed me at the metro station one night coming home…

 

I was shrieking with delight and jumping up and down (inside my head) ;p

The next day, I immediately went to Fnac to buy a ticket… I don’t care if it was 50 euros and I don’t care if I have to watch it alone.  I will watch her even if I will have my own show/performance the day after the concert. Finally, I will get to see the Cornflake girl LIVE!!!

 

 

The concert will be held at the famous Olympia, I don’t know why but I ended up taking metro Odeon instead of Opera.  The confusion is brought to me by the letter O-oh Walked back and forth and around, creating little earthquakes along the way. Where the hell is Olympia?! I finally found out (by asking a girl in a café) that I got off the wrong stop. Oh mon dieu! Crucify me!

 

 

I left my atelier an hour before the show. I was just huffing and puffing going to venus and back. Good thing I decided not to wear heels! It was 8:15 pm when I finally found the place, the show began at 8! What if they won’t let me in? I got past the guards and was escorted to my seat, WHEW, wait there’s somebody else performing. Oh no don’t tell me I caught the wrong band!

 

Ahaha thank god it was just the front act

 

 

Then the Strange Little Girl appeared

 

 

Hearing her heavenly voice sent chills down my spine.

I cannot believe I am finally watching TORI. AMOS .LIVE!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

She sang song after song, some I don’t really recognize ;p but it was just a delight to watch her groove back and forth playing two pianos mannnnn!!!  The set up was minimal - no orchestra or back up musicians, just her powerful voice and notes filling up the room. She performed around 20 songs (I think), we sang along with her and got up on our feet towards the end. BRAVO!!!

 

 

I read somewhere that performing for her is like making love, she and her piano becomes one.  She was truly having wild fun straddling the bench while playing two keyboards!  She surely knows how to touch her instruments!!! She moans and she wails when she sings. She stomps and do little high kicks. She speaks to us in English because she said her French is crap. She can be angry and sexy then just funny.  An intense orgy/performance indeed and I sure am glad to be part of it ;p

 

BWAHAHAHA

now hand me my Leather!!!

 

 

19 JUILLET 2010

TORI AMOS at Olympia

I Consume therefore I am was the day after (JULY 20)

 

 

Today, god is a DJ August 9, 2010

 

 

I love this feeling…

sitting in a café, sipping capuccino, writing and watching the world go by…

 

 

 

 

Attend, I hear some live reggae music just outside.

 

 

Ah ouais, today is the day that god is a dj! 

 

 

C’est fete de la musique!!!

 

 

It’s the day when the street becomes a big stage . . .

 

 

and where everybody becomes one in the dance floor…

BREAK IT DOWN!!!

 

 

* Fete de la Musique – June 21

 

the AFTERMATH July 21, 2010

I.AM.HAPPY.

 

I’m on a natural high!

I was closed to breaking down few hours before the show. Super stressed out! I had to re-render the video several times until it was finally right… but as soon as the jamming started, it was all gooooooood.  Everything turned out really well!!!!!!!

 

JE.SUIS.masaya.sobra…

 

arurumerci tout le monde

 

 

 

 

i CONSUME therefore i am . . .

JAZEL KRISTIN (Philippines) concept, direction, montage

BELO (Haiti) chant et guitare

WASSIM ISA QASSIS (Palestine) oud, buzouq, percussions

FLAVIA MEIRELES (Brésil) danse performance

WATARU MIYAKAWA (Japon) composition de musique alto

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JAZEL KRISTIN est une documentariste et artiste multimédia des Philippines. Elle expose en France, aux Philippines et à Hong Kong et est actuellement en résidence à la Cité internationale des Arts grâce au programme de la Mairie de Paris. Jazel a été éminemment consumée par ce projet.

BELO, jeune chanteur et musicien Haitien est le lauréat du Prix Découvertes RFI 2006. Auteur, compositeur, interprète, son style musical est très marqué par le reggae, mele aussi des influences soul et se veut ouvert aux autres musiques de la Caraibe. Deux opus déjà à son actif: Lakou Trankil (2005) et Référence (2008).

WASSIM ISA QASSIS – Palestinian musician and composer. Plays several instruments such as Oud, Buzouq and percussions. Experienced several musical experiments and performances, and composed music for several local and international films.

FLAVIA MEIRELES is a dancer and choreographer based in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Her work is situated between contemporary dance, performance and visual arts. She collaborates with Brazilian choreographers and visual artists amongst them Marcela Levi, Gustavo Ciriaco and Micheline Torres. Her recent work, NO NAME, ALL-PURPOSE won the FUNARTE (National Foundation of Arts) Dance Prize Klauss Vianna 2008 in Brazil and a residency at Centre International de Exchanges d’Artistes Récollets (Paris, 2010)

WATARU MIYAKAWA Né en 1975, étudie la composition avec Georges Boeuf et Régis Campo au CRR de Marseille, et au CNSMD de Lyon avec Robert Pascal, Denis Lorrain et François Roux. Boursier du Gouvernement Français et de la Fondation Internationale Nadia et Lili Boulanger, il est également l’auteur d’une thèse de Doctorat sur l’oeuvre de Toru Takemitsu.

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(images by NAOMI)

canned thoughts … July 20, 2010

 

 

7 hours to go before my final soundcheck and technical rehearsal before I CONSUME THEREFORE I AM…

 

I.AM.PSCYHED!

 

This is only the beginning of everything…

 

Sensing my frustration and stress at the beginning of all these, A asked me if it was worth pushing through. He said he feels me being consumed by it all and that maybe I should focus on other personal projects and shift my creative angst onto something else… I thought about this really hard and I felt that I have to continue what I started, that this is all part of the process… because in the end, it all comes together. It’s all good. It’s all worth the pain.

So, I say LEZDUDIZ !!!  LET’s DO THIS!!!

 

JE CONSOMME DONC JE SUIS…

20H30, Cité des Arts, 18 rue de l’hotel de ville

metro: pont marie

 

Let’s ROCKandRULE