Mom in Madrid
Below is Mom´s take on Madrid after visiting me for two weeks.
¨Madrid has a way of instantly feeling like home. I guess that's partly due to it's easy accessibility(Metro takes you everywhere... fast, clean and cheap), a complete feeling of personal safety and a nightlife that's as easy and pleasing as your living room. Very easy city to manuever and when you get tired, you pop into one of thousands of restuarants, bars, spots and have a caña, a small beer, and then go your merry way.
Meredith was the perfect travel partner... always ready and willing to see what was around the next corner: shoes, the Reine Sofia Modern Art Museum, Toledo, Segovia, Retiro Park, Keith Haring exhibition and jazz.
Although I had researched the music scene before I left, I was unable to uncover much. Then during the four-story walkup in my hostal, I saw a huge poster announcing the 22nd Madrid Jazz Festival.
Luck has a way of hiding itself until it needs to come out to play. And play, it did. We saw four events with musicians I've always wanted to see but rarely come to the South. First night, Joe Zawinul (Weather report) and band with a 14 piece Big Band Köln. The biggest sound... very exciting.
The next weekend: Friday night, New Orleans Allstars that ended their set with a trumpet solo of "Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?" (and yes, I do.) Then Saturday night (the highlight of my visit), we saw one of the great standup bassists, Marc Johnson, play with Niño Josele, a world famous flamenco guitarist that was unfamiliar to us, and a drummer. THEY PLAYED BILL EVANS! Imagine, a flamenco guitarist comes lone to the stage and plays subtly, softly a Miles Davis/Bill Evans tune but adds all the bravado and thrill of the Flamenco. Three shouting encores followed the set. Awesome. Never to be forgotten. Then lastly, Sunday night we saw Bill Frisell (guitarist) with Jenny Scheinman, an Amazing violinist. This night they chose to play 10 John Lennon songs. I really felt priviledged to be there among such greats... and to hear such amazing, creative music.
The other lasting memory I will take from my trip is my evenings with Mere. We would go out, eat a little something, and then go to our favorite hangout and sit and talk and laugh for hours. This was the perfect ending to every day in Madrid.¨
¨Madrid has a way of instantly feeling like home. I guess that's partly due to it's easy accessibility(Metro takes you everywhere... fast, clean and cheap), a complete feeling of personal safety and a nightlife that's as easy and pleasing as your living room. Very easy city to manuever and when you get tired, you pop into one of thousands of restuarants, bars, spots and have a caña, a small beer, and then go your merry way.
Meredith was the perfect travel partner... always ready and willing to see what was around the next corner: shoes, the Reine Sofia Modern Art Museum, Toledo, Segovia, Retiro Park, Keith Haring exhibition and jazz.
Although I had researched the music scene before I left, I was unable to uncover much. Then during the four-story walkup in my hostal, I saw a huge poster announcing the 22nd Madrid Jazz Festival.
Luck has a way of hiding itself until it needs to come out to play. And play, it did. We saw four events with musicians I've always wanted to see but rarely come to the South. First night, Joe Zawinul (Weather report) and band with a 14 piece Big Band Köln. The biggest sound... very exciting.
The next weekend: Friday night, New Orleans Allstars that ended their set with a trumpet solo of "Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?" (and yes, I do.) Then Saturday night (the highlight of my visit), we saw one of the great standup bassists, Marc Johnson, play with Niño Josele, a world famous flamenco guitarist that was unfamiliar to us, and a drummer. THEY PLAYED BILL EVANS! Imagine, a flamenco guitarist comes lone to the stage and plays subtly, softly a Miles Davis/Bill Evans tune but adds all the bravado and thrill of the Flamenco. Three shouting encores followed the set. Awesome. Never to be forgotten. Then lastly, Sunday night we saw Bill Frisell (guitarist) with Jenny Scheinman, an Amazing violinist. This night they chose to play 10 John Lennon songs. I really felt priviledged to be there among such greats... and to hear such amazing, creative music.
The other lasting memory I will take from my trip is my evenings with Mere. We would go out, eat a little something, and then go to our favorite hangout and sit and talk and laugh for hours. This was the perfect ending to every day in Madrid.¨
posted by Meredith Veto at 10:22 PM
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