Tactile Memories & Oodles of Noodles
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
 | | Alex - 1958 |
Living in my Kistsilano home, I am surrounded by framed
photographs of family and of magazine assignments from my past. There are
exquisite objects from Mexico that Rosemary and I purchased. I could state that
I live surrounded by memories.
But there is more to this, particularly with the digital
trends of this century. I have extensive metal filing cabinets full of my
photographic output which began in Austin, Texas in my boarding school St.
Edward’s High School. I purchased a Pentacon-F SLR.
Those taking photographs with their phones or with digital
cameras and relying on technology that is not all that stable, might not have
the memories I have when they are as old as I am (82).
My memories are tactile. I wish I could coin that expression
as I think it is an important one that came suddenly to me today as I was bed
rotting with my Niño and Niña cats.
How many people have in possession (a touchable one) of the
first jazz album they ever bought? How many have a decent turntable (a linear tracking Sony) and a sound
system that can play the record without and skips and scratches?
I do!
I bought this album, used, at a record store in downtown
Austin in 1958. In those days you could take the record into a booth to listen
to it before you decided on buying it. I did because it had one song that
seemed interesting – Oodles of Noodles.
It seemed that I was afraid that someone would steal my
record (it was recorded in 1957) because I can clearly see my name on the back
cover and also includes that I was in the Brother Vincent De Paul dorm for
freshmen.
There is not available YouTube recording of my fave song
for the 1967 album but a 1996 version is pretty close. The link is below. Oodles of Noodles - Herbie Mann
My Rosemary's Rosemary
Monday, April 14, 2025
 | | Salvia rosemarinus 14 April 2025 |
Often other languages define things, places and in this case
seasons with more insight.
Del lat.
vulg. prima vera, y este del lat. primum 'primero' y ver 'primavera'. RAE
(Diccionario de La Real Academia)
In Spanish spring is primavera which literarily means "to see
first”. In my Kitsilano garden now is the time to be surprised at every turn as
I walk and notice little flowers in bloom like anemones and primulas. I have
even spotted some buds in two of my roses. They just might open in a week.
But the biggest surprise for me involves a plant that
botanically is called Salvia rosmarinus. I was never aware or had ever noticed
that it has little blue flowers. There is a fine but sad story about the
rosemary in my garden.
My Rosemary gave our youngest daughter Hilary a small
rosemary. All these years later is has grown to a large plant. Hilary no longer
wants to deal with a garden and offered me to have it. I had to break the pot
and put the plant is a canvas and bring it home from Burnaby. I planted it
about two weeks ago and it never suffered being transplanted.
What can I possibly write here about a plant, a rosemary
plant given to Hilary that is now back in the garden that used to be Rosemary
and my garden? It seems somehow a symmetrical situation of a rosemary that is
back to the fold. Another revelation for me is that I did not know that rosemary was a salvia.
Unlike Bach We Drove to St. Anselm's to Listen to Buxtehude
 | | Matthew Udry - 12 April 2025 |
Saint Anselm’s Anglican Church, 5210 University Blvd, brings
to Vancouver programs of outstanding baroque music in a venue with lovely sound
and for the suggested $20 entrance fee you get a sumptuous repast. That is
incredible.
More incredible is that in 2023 and 2024 violinist Marc
Destrubé played all 6 Bach Suites for solo violin at St. Anselm’s. This sort of
event is extremely rare. Few violinists are able to tackle those Bach
compositions.
In any other city thousands would have been in attendance.
Why weren’t they? I have a secret to reveal. With the death of journalism in
Vancouver you must sign up to email lists and then you will know about these.
My graphic designer friend Graham Walker attended the
concert this past Saturday 12 of April which began at 3 pm.
We were not in the least surprised at the excellence of the
group. But at the same time we were astounded to find a young man, Sam Ivory,
who played that most difficult instrument superbly. The instrument? The baroque
trumpet.
The concert was conducted and organized by prominent
Vancouver violinist (also a teacher) Chloe Meyers.
For anybody reading this far be advised that on June 21st,
1pm violinist Marc Destrubé will be performing in a concert billed as a “Summer
Strawberry Special”. When I was a magazine and newspaper photographer and writer one of my obligations was to take sharp photographs. Since I am now an amateur "music critic" I can do as I please. I love shooting what I call my swirls. On my digital Fuji X-E3 I use an attachment nicely called a Lensbaby. I had a particularly fun time shooting cellist Mathhew Udry as the large windows stage right at the altar reflected ever so nicely on his instrument. While Early Music Vancouver supports these concerts I cannot understand why none of its executives were in attendance. In past concerts that has been the situation. On the other hand most of the young musicians at the concert are all studying in the music program of the University of British Columbia.
Mario Vargas Llosa - 28 de marzo de 1936 - 13 de abril de 2025
Sunday, April 13, 2025
 | | Mario Vargas Llosa - al volver enfermo de Piura, 1990 |
Porque he
vivido en Vancouver desde 1975 y Canadá es un país anglocéntrico paré de leer
en castellano.
En 1990 leí
una nota en Esquire sobre Mario Vargas Llosa que se había declarado como
candidato para la presidencia peruana.
Se me
ocurrió que quería entrevistar y fotografiar al autor. Le mandé varios faxes.
No no me contestó hasta que empecé mi comunicación con, “Por amor a San Martín
de Porres…”. En su carta me citó verle en su casa en Miraflores en tres meses.
Yo conseguí la representación de una revista llamada “Books in Canada.”
Fue cuando
me fui a la universidad the British Columbia y saqué todas sus novelas en
Castellano que aprendí a sentirme cómodo de leer en mi lengua nativa ya que soy argentino. Comencé con La conversación en la Catedral, y terminé con Historia
de Mayta. También leí La guerra del fin del mundo y para ambientarme leí,
también en castellano, O Sertöes de Euclides da Cunha.
Más o menos
listo, partí para Lima. Mi sorpresa fue que le caí bien a su esposa que me dijo
que igual que el fotógrafo de Esquire yo tenía una cámara grande que tomaba
Polaroids. Me invitaron a quedarme un fin de semana.
Mi
entrevista y sesión fotográfica fue amena. Me confesó Vargas Llosa que su
novela favorita era La guerra del fin del mundo (algo que afirmó durante muchos
años).
Le
pregunté por qué La conversación en La Catedral era tan difícil de leer. Me
contó, “Alex, considero que el lector, al leer lo complejo, participa con el autor
en la creación de la novela. Mi influencia fue el autor William Faulkner y su
cuento corto The Bear.”
En mis
varias lecturas de ese cuento nunca he podido
entenderlo por completo.
Viajé a
Callao y tomé fotos en la Escuela Militar de Leoncio Prado. Vargas Llosa
estudió allí y basó sus experiencias en su novela la ciudad y los perros.
Aprendí
pronto que a los autores nunca se les pregunta sobre los elementos
autobiográficos de sus novelas. Le indiqué a Vargas Llosa que había localizado
la heladería mencionada en La Historia de Mayta. Me miró con mala cara.
Tengo dato
interesante del porqué Vargas Llosa perdió y ganó Fujimori. Vargas Llosa había
ido, durante mi estadía a Piura y allí le cayó mal un ceviche. La noche en la
cual le habían invitado a hablar en el Centro Japonés Peruano, y Fujimori también
iba a estar presente, me dijo, “Alex, me siento enfermo, vé tú.”
Aunque no
me pagaron muy bien, los de la revista canadiense, percibí lindos dólares
estadounidenses ya que el Chicago Sun Times usó mi fotografíá.
La revista Condé
Nast Traveler me había contratado fotografiar los lugares de las novelas de
Vargas Llosa y yo iba a escribir la nota. Perdieron el interés cuando el autor
perdió. Mi obra favorita de Vargas Llosa es un obituario que escribió tan pronto supo de la muerte de Cortázar. La leí en una nueva edición de los cuentos completos de Julio Cortázar. Se llama La Trompeta de Deyá. Los dos autores se hicieron amigos en Europa en los años 50 cuando eran traductores El obituario es un maravilloso ejemplo en como una persona de derecha puede escribir algo tan lindo sobre una de izquierda. Aquí enlace a La Trompeta de Deyá La Ciudad y los Perros La Ciudad y los Perros II Alejandro Mayta MarioVargas Llosa en su casa ¿Cuando empezó a joderse todo Zabalita?
|
