Week18

Hi everyone, work continues to go well but the weather has turned bad. The last few days have seen rain, rain and more rain. And rain is forecast for the next 7 days. My father arrived in LA last week but he swears it is nothing to do with him!

Last Wednesday we went to a jazz concert at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, starring David Benoit, Norman Brown and special guest star Dave Koz. David and Norman both did separate sets, with saxophonist Dave Koz popping up now & again and compering the show for the evening. All three musicians are Grammy award winners, additionally Dave Koz also co-hosts the weekday morning show on the local smooth jazz radio station between 6am - 9am. So Dave appeared after having been up early that morning, finished the show that night at 10:45pm and then was on-air again at 6am the next morning. What a hero!

Last year the Sunday Times did a feature on internet shopping, for which they included my name in the paper along with comments about customs charges and import duties. Another article is now being prepared on internet shopping, this time from both a male and female perspective, and on Thursday I was interviewed about my experiences by a Sunday Times journalist, via telephone.

Yesterday we went to Santa Anita Park for a day at the races. The fact that it poured down with rain all day didn't dampen the mood much, nor did the losses betting, as free jazz concerts were being held all day. The setting of the race course was stunning beneath the San Gabriel Mountains, but alas the weather prevented much of a view of them. In the paddock area stands a statue of Sea Biscuit, whose story has recently been told in the Oscar-nominated movie. The betting was poor, with my father and I only having one winner each from the nine-race card, so fingers-crossed for the lottery on Wednesday night which has now rolled-over again and is up to $28 million.

One of the main reasons I wanted to go to the races yesterday was that Paul Jackson Jr. was appearing in concert. He is one of the most in-demand session guitarists, appearing on cd's by a 'who's who' of soul, jazz & R'n'B as well as a successful recording artist in his own right. I met him and his parents last December when he gave a free concert in Beverly Hills, so knowing that I was to meet him again I had had one of my photographs from Beverly Hills enlarged and I got him to sign it yesterday. His family loved the photograph so much his sister took a photo of me & Paul holding the autographed picture. Check out the photo here.

A real bonus of yesterday was seeing an up and coming young saxophonist by the name of Jeanette Harris. She was a really talented player, produced a great 'smooth jazz' sound and drew a very appreciative audience.

See photos of Jeanette here and Santa Anita Park here.

I've also updated my list of concerts that I've attended over the years, which you can view here.