Short miscellaneous edits!
UYGHUR JAZZ
Abdurehim Heyit (dutar) and Ahram (ghejek) playing with an American/Dutch Jazz group, the Mike Del Ferro trio in a collaborative performance at the Muqam Arts compound in Urumqi – May 2007. lights by my friend Miradel, shot with my little point-&-shoot from the audience.
Incidentally, after the performance, I stayed a bit and went to say hello and introduce myself. – Turns out that Scott, the drummer seen here is not only from my old neighborhood in the East Bay, but is pals with my best friend’s ladyfriend (for whom the video birthday card further down this page was made!). The associations that do come through that wormhole!…I tell you…..
A music video of Abdurehim Heyit doing his thing (in a VERY dapper powder blue suit, I might add) is posted HERE
TEAM LAO WAI
On May 12th, myself and several other foreigners were rounded up to ‘represent’ and participate in this sports meet at he Agricultural University on the other side of town. Most of us agreed based on the promise of free, snappy, brand spankin new track suits & sneakers…. During the day we met some other friendly Urumqi lao-wais for the first time on our rag-tag fake olympic team, including the members of a Filipino rock band employed by the Urumqi Sheraton (who knew?).
In the sprint I was in, you can see the humbling moment when I realize I’m just not the unequivocally speedy dude I used to be…. age…sigh…. Now how did that pudgy Korean guy (with a limp even!) rocket ahead of us all like that?
The other events unfolded with a little stuttering disorder, so most of us split after lunch to attend our usual Saturday ultimate-frisbee game elsewhere…though you can see that a couple of foreign potty-mouthed derelicts took to harnessing the classic comical power of the (overly abundant) helium balloon first!
SULTAN AND BANANA
A crude 30 second stop motion K and I made with food we’d planned to include in our dinner – but didn’t. So with it, we made a video birthday card for “SB” to send….and share with you here.
made at home in Urumqi 2007.Feb.24