Our next door neighbors Joe and Juline hosted their 20th Annual House Concert, Jazz by the Bay (window). Their window is called the bay window not because it’s a bay window. It’s not. It has an amazing view of the bay!
Back in 1994 esteemed bassist, Bill Douglass, lamented to his friend Joe Paulino, that he wished he had a place where he could just play the music that he wanted to play, music he enjoyed personally. Joe volunteered his living room, and the annual Jazz by the Bay (window) was born.
For 20 years now, Bill has brought together a variety of top-shelf local players offering standards, original compositions and improvisational forays – all presented in the relaxed setting of Joe and Juline’s lovely living room.
This year we were treated to the Hemispheres:
- Paul McCandless & Dave Tidball on reeds,
- Bill Douglass on acoustic bass and bamboo flutes, and
- Ian Dogole on “every hand percussion instrument known to humanity, as well as a few yet to be discovered”.
Joe and Juline are fascinating people with fascinating friends. Juline, a mixed media artist, will be exhibiting her work at Intersections 6, FiberDIMENSIONS and Beyond, at the Presidio of San Francisco in the Herbst International Exhibition Hall from December 19 – January 12. You can see a sample of her work at this link. I saw her home studio for the first time this weekend. Sooo cool!
Joe is also an artist in his own right. Check out his voice over work at this link. He’s also an amazing jazz pianist with a complete recording studio in their home. I especially loved the floor of the bathroom near the recording studio: the floor is made from 45s! One entire wall of the studio is lined from floor to ceiling with his extensive LP collection.
Well, it was a lovely Sunday afternoon! I was entranced by the percussion instruments! I had never seen those east and west African drums. And Ian’s playing was fluid and artistically expressive. The reeds were, at times, played in ways I’ve never heard before as well. And their home was packed, probably close to 100 people! Totally cool ‘hood’!