No luck on recording this weekend. Reality imposed as often happens.

Pola'd been ill for a couple week but continued to do her 4.48 phsycosis show every night. Last week she fainted and fell flat on her face. She got her chin stiched up in the emergency ward, but she also bruised her jaw and broke some teeth. This week we've scheduled the dental surgery she'll need to relieve the pain. After that she'll need rest & some reconstructive dental surgery. Hopefully she'll get her energy back soon, but it's been a long haul for the both of us.

In the meantime managed to squeeze in a jam with Fred and Zac. Fred studies Jazz at the Royal academy of music. Piano's his primary instrument, but he's also proficient on Upright Bass and Drums as far as I can tell. Perhaps there are other instruments he can add to his quiver. With guys like Fred you can never tell. His drum kit consisted of a pandeiro some tibetan bells, a triangle and one of those brazillian dessicated nut pods all played with a pair of brushes. Fantastic. An education. I'll try to get more time in with Fred in the coming weeks -- i've a sense he may offer some sense of direction to the duo material Zac and I've been working.

Had a visit from Jana, Pola's producer for the Sarah Kane. Jana accompanied Pola in the ambulance after her fall and stayed with her above and beyond the call of duty. He brought soft indian food cooked with plenty of spices & love. (Yes it is possible to feel love in food!) Despite getting a rather hectic first impression of him at the beginning of the 'phsycosis' run, this time I saw that I was dealing with a thoughtfull and very ambitious man. Ambition is common in producers. Depth isn't. Hope he will go far. Will implement his advice on tumeric and hot milk for Pola - apparently a powerfull natural antiseptic.

Gearing up for a recording session with Zac on Saturday. We've been working a different angle these days. Not random improvisation. Not structured exploration of a tune. Something in between. The new focus is on melody. We played some spirituals -- those tunes were originally sung without any harmonic support & that's how we tried to play. A challenge for the two of us, who tend to use harmony as support and as a springboard for improvisation. Focus on melody leaves a lot of empty space in the music & forces us both to play the edge -- listening, producing sound... breathing the music. Playing that way left me feeling buzzed up in a way I'd never felt before.