Catching Up

Well, this was the week I didn't make down to my annual trip to the South By Southwest Music Conference and Showcase in Austin, Texas due to complications. Although nothing can compensate for the missed interviews, networking, showcases, panels, parties....but I did manage to catch amazing sets by Gil Scott Heron (who did a hilarious standup comedy routine in addition to his great soulful songs!) and Malian gnobi master Bassekou Kouyate who plays a wicked spiked lute that sounds like a banjo. An enthusiastic Taj Mahal was cheering Kouyate on from the audience until he was called up on stage to deliver a soulful blues. The world is so small and the connections are deep! Brazilian music icon Gilberto Gil was also performing in the Bay Area with his son Bern and cellist Jacques Morlenbaum. SXSW? There's always next year.