We left Los Angeles wed at 10pm en route to Nandi, Fiji. The flight was smooth, Dana, Elliot, and I got solid sleep, and Jason was up arranging a tune. We were met by two great representatives from the embassy who really made us feel welcome. We went straight through customs and headed to our second flight to Suva. After a quick 30 min flight we were met by Jeff and Kavi from the US embassy. We drove from Nasori to the Capital of Suva. The radio was a mix of Bob Marley, Shakira, and some local reggae and country styles.
The drive was beautiful, palm trees, lush tree covered mountains, and fields with Cows and Bulls. The main languages are Fijian, English, and Hindi. We passed churches and Hindu temples. After checking in to our hotel, Dana and I strolled through downtown. We checked out local shops and one of the markets. After negotiating some enthusiastic salespeople and sharing some beatbox we made our way to the local music store, Dragon Music. There we met the owner Ken and local singer/guitarist Will. Ken is providing the sound for the gig tonight and had been to NY years ago. Will invited us to check out his band at a local jazz spot traps where we were invited to sit in. Now I am back in the hotel and getting ready for the gig.
Dana and I met up with Monak and Jeff and hit up a really nice Indian spot! My veggie self was very happy! I had the Punjabi Thali and that was all good! Then Monak, Dana, and I hit the walk along the sea and snuck a quick look at the venue. We then continued along the water and headed to the fresh fruit and vegetable market.
Wow that was amazing. Piles of ginger, pineapples, eggplants, the colors and smells were fantastic. We walked through and headed back to the hotel. A local man then approached us. He showed us an ID that said city council; he was warm and vibed with us. We were excited to connect with him. He then passed us some local artifacts, swordsticks and a mask. I had been thinking of getting a mask. It felt like a really special gift. Dana pulled out a CD of our music and bam, a moment of cultural exchange.
Well the cynics who are reading this are probably already onto where this is going. He then asked us form money and it got awkward. We dropped some money and it was all good. It never feels good to get hustled and it is always a little damaging to the sense of openness you can have. At the same time it is a wake up call to the universal struggle. It reminded me of cats in NYC who sell CD’s by giving you one and then asking for a donation. The human dynamics of generosity and of survival are all around the world. Well hey I got a mask and he’s got some cash.
We just came from the show! It was at the civic center in Suva. People were so welcoming and gave us great energy. We were rocking out with Dana blowing the soul, Jason ripping the keys, and Elliot pounding the beat. Dana jumped into the audience and serenaded them as we brought the tempo faster and faster!!!!! We connected with the audience and had two people come up and give words to freestyle off.
At intermission the Melanga singers came out and just blessed us with songs and dances that represented a diverse range of Pacific cultures. They were tight, with beautiful vocals, chants, stomp, and tight choreography. Tura came out and tore it up, taking off his shirt diving on the stage, and letting himself free. They had a deep connection to their music and really connected with the audience. I felt privileged to hear and experience their performance. They reminded me of the joy of music and the way men and women can sing and dance to create the perfect balance of strength and beauty. At the end of our set people came up and danced with us on stage. Oh, earlier in the night I got initiated into the Kava (a root ground with water and drank in a wooden bowl with specific claps) drinking ritual. It gave me a sweet feeling and got me open for the show! The Melanga singers offered a song to us at the end of the night. It was a cook island chant about advice from parents to kids. It was beautiful and really touched me. I felt a pure joy coming from them and that hit me. Fiji welcomed us and this was a night I will never forget.
The next day we did a workshop with local musicians and youth. We had gone out and jammed the night before at Traps. Dana and I sat in with a great band called Jericho. They were pretty much a cover band, but wow Will the singer could blow and the drummer was really tight. We had a great jam with them and met a lot of people who ended up coming to the workshop along with members of the Melanga singers and other folks from the concert. I facilitated the start of the workshop with some exercises to find out who was in the room. We found out where people were from and what instruments they played.
We then did some rhythm games and I taught a beatbox basics. I also gave some Hip Hop history. It was really interesting to see how little people knew about the origins of Hip Hop. No one knew about Kool Herc or even the Bronx. After a little shyness, everyone got to beatbox and a few folks really tore it up. We did some group beatboxing with members of Melanga harmonizing with vocal beats and scratches. Then the whole band improvised and one of the Melanga singers sang with us. We took questions and Dana, Jason, and Elliot talked about their musical history, training, passions, and special tricks. We ended with a jam session with a young singer from New Zealand named Megan. The workshop was a great feeling and it felt good to connect directly.
Vietnam was a whirlwind experience of nature, pollution, exotic food and drink, and great audiences. We started the trip in Ho Chi Min city. Our time was spent learning to cross the streets. Engaging traffic moves somewhere between a trust exercise, Frogger, and a dance piece. The streets are filled with hundreds of motor scooters. The air was thick with pollution
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We played at the Ho Chi Minh Opera house and had the historical honor of being the last group to play before renovation. The concert went off with Dana and I jumping into the crowd and getting folks on stage to dance and vibe out! We turned the Opera House into a club for the night!
We played with a great local Jazz musician Tran Manh Tuan, and also jammed at his club in Ho Chi Minh city. In Denang we had one day of beach time by the China Sea. It was good to breathe the ocean air and recharge from the pollution. From there we traveled to Haifan which was a very laid back place with a beautiful park. Jason and I went for a late night walk and marveled at the unique street culture. There were people cooking and sharing food in groups right on the sidewalk. At the town square we found the old folks doing their nigh time exercises. We joined in doing some qigong. Then we were approached by some local guys who showed us some Kung Fu forms.
In Hanoi we did a workshop for young musicians. It was challenging at first because of the language barrier. We soon realized that it was actually their eagerness to get up and jam. There were piano players, drummers, and horn players. We had a great jam with Dana, Elliot, and Jason passing on their knowledge and helping to assign parts and arrange the jam. I flowed over the jam and afterwards broke into some beatbox. The drummers got really excited and I went into beatbox workshop mode! They translated their drum skills to their mouth with the quickness! After a great show in Hanoi we were ready to go as the pollution and traffic was getting the best of us! In Hanoi we encountered the infamous Snake Wine? Did I drink some?
Nah, I am a vegetarian
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