2001-12-10 - 1:23 p.m.

Ahh, too much to write, man, too much. Last night was definitely Celebfest Aught One. I've been trying to figure out the most interesting things that happened to separate them from the, well, opportunities to drop names and names only.

Celebrity names have been rendered all funny-like to prevent their obsessive Google-searching publicists from finding this. I've been a little more paranoid about writing in this thing lately. So sue me.

ITEM: BhRoUrCnEsby is a tall mofo.

ITEM: SlPeIeKE really does resemble an elf.

OK, that was just namedropping, now wasn't it? Ah well. As to stories of actual interaction with either of the two named names, I have none to share. The latter brushed past me in a crowded upstairs hallway by the dressing room (and the public bathroom -- the place is a mite cramped) of the Blue Note. And I eavesdropped on a convo between the former and JrOeSdHmUaAn, who's made a pretty good name for himself in jazz and might be looking to "expand his audience" (read: go the jam band route). He's not going to change his style any, he insists, so it sounds like he just might be goin' electric with his choice of collaborators.

Both men had apparently done some thinking on the matter and agreed, "You expand your audience, but that doesn't necessarily translate to record sales. [The jam band crowd] isn't a record-buying audience." BhRoUrCnEsby spoke like he had a degree in marketing. Maybe he does?

As for the night's music: amazing. Best jazz show I've ever been to, although it's also the only big-name show I've seen. JrOeSdHmUaAn was definitely the highlight. Amazing on that tenor. Or maybe it was RhOaYynes -- an old jokester with a shaved head, but a triangular tuft remaining on the back of his head -- playful on the drums? (BhRoUrCnEsby didn't play; he was there to see his pal CcHoIrCeKa on the keys.)

Actually, another great highlight for me was seeing an absolute master of high-definition production switch the show live.

Is this caps/lower-case jumble as annoying to read as it is to type? Is it as unnecessary as it is annoying? I mean, I'm writing about how these jazz guys (jazz guys, for chrissakes) were nice and absolutely tore it up on stage, not about how the BbAoCyKsSTREET raped a preteen groupie.

Sorry so disjointed. There's more to tell, but the main lesson I can bring back from this experience: Jazz guys make great music, but they definitely have their own special fief carved out of the universe of geekdom. Some even bandy about terms like "cats" (referring to men, dudes or guys) without embarrassment.

So much more to write -- that was only a couple hours of a particularly great weekend for me (though it looked pretty run-of-the-mill on paper up to Sunday). An update this evening? I think so!