Summer2007

back at it again. after an eventful summer spent soaking up the sun, reading more than i ever though myself capable of (granted only for the first few weeks ofsummer) and definitely visiting more music--mostly jazz--venues than i ever thought i could handle, let alone enjoy. but i enjoyed every minute of it, and in the end my despair at not finding a job came to a head when i found 2--almost 3, over the course of 3 days, and had to choose the one that i'm in right now. it's a publishing assistant position which means i assist all departments--from editorial to publicity and sales--although i think my focus is editorial, but i suppose ill find that out soon enough. so far, so good. our company is based in munich, germany (maybe they'll fly me out there sometime? i'm not asking yet. . .) so the office here is small, real small. but people are great and overall i think it'll be great. . . so in order to get the hang of things i'm reading some of the books we've published. . oh, did i mention we're an arts publisher, which means we publish books on art, architecture, photography, design. . . . check us out: www.prestel.com. . . so i'm in the middle of After the Revolution: How Women Changed Contemporary Art--interesting book that covers about ten female artists who came of age (as artists,that is) after the feminist revolution. . . . so far definitely interesting, if sometimes disturbing. Abramovic is one artist whose name is stuck in my mind, does some really disturbing stuff . . .
But enough of work. I just finished reading Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, my first Murakami book (and probably my last). it was good, in the end, just not the sort of book I'd devote that much time to, again. . . i guess i'm not particularly partial to all the gimmicks that he pulls with this fantastical story, i guess it has its place in world literature but it seems to me messages are more effectively communicated through the real rather than the unreal, but who am i to say. . .I also read the nobel-laureate Coetzee for the first time this summer (Disgrace is the book), and very much enjoyed. Stays grounded in the world of real people with real issues and he does a brilliant job of capturing and conveying intense moments of human emotion . . . loneliness, in particular. If I remember right (it's been some time, now) the book is about a South African professor who sleeps with his underage freshman student, and a scandal ensues that forces him to confront his inner demons and also the real issues in his life--his relationship (or lack of any) with his daughter and the people that surround him.
will get to some of the other books in my next postings.
as for music, i think i've gone a bit over the top with the jewish avant-garde stuff. somehow, it turns out i prefer traditional jazz, or maybe it's just that i appreciate real mastery of music--something one finds more with the likes of David Amram, for example, than with the avant garde. So yeah, I really enjoyed Amram--sublime. And, I enjoy these Israeli jazz musicians who seem to be dominating (well that's probably an exaggeration, whatever) the jazz scene in New York City. Omer Klein, who I'm seeing tomorrow at Small's, and who I've seen there before, is really top notch. So is Avishai Cohen and his sister and that whole crew. . .Of course Brubeck was incredible (and out of doors at Lincoln Center!). . . and though I only came towards the end, Andy Statman (also Lincoln Center out of doors--and in the rain, to boot!) was incredible. . .
Surprisingly enough I saw very few movies. Funny because I do love film. . . but I think it's good, summer is no time to spend indoors at the movies, would much prefer to leave that for winter. I did see Two Days in Paris, which was nice though not at all memorable. I also saw Ratatouille, which was highly amusing.
And that, my friends, is some of how I spent my summer. Who knows, perhaps I am talking to myself. Not so terrible, if so, I guess.
To be continued.