Open Letter to a Daughter

Do you remember

- Being held, while Amazing Grace was sung softly to you
- Taking your first step, frustrated the second and third step did not agree with you
- Your first falling snow, and your glorious statement, exclaiming, “This is the best day ever!”
- Being sick all night, restless, and wishing for sleep that did not come till late morning
- Girl Scout Summer Camp – your first time away from home, excited and scared
- Your dance recital; so confident and graceful in your moves
- Your heart broken, your world shattered by the actions of a sick, careless monster
- The love that surrounded you, binding and comforting you
- Your second time away from home, in an attempt to make you well
- The night we very nearly lost you

I remember

- Holding you, so little and fragile, singing you to sleep with my awful but willing voice
- Watching you take your first few steps, such determination within you
- Looking at you in amazement, how something as elemental as snow seemed the world to you
- Staying up with you all night, without any worry, feeling more confident as a parent
- Crying as your bus left for summer camp; a part of you moving beyond my comfort
- My little dancer, full of artistic energy and beauty
- Being angry at the world, questioning my faith in humanity
- Affirming my commitment to you, loving you unconditionally
- Handing over responsibility, releasing you, hoping to restore sanity in our lives
- The night I very nearly lost you

I cannot tell you why things are the way they are – Life can be so beautiful and cruel, with days in between, concentrated in their urgency. But this is a first step in our lives…We have many more to live. I will wait patiently, with prayer and faithful hope, for my sweet daughter. You truly mean the world to me, and remain forever the beat of my heart.

Chicken Don’t Scratch

Minions,

A beatnik poem of sorts…My homage to the Chicken; in all her scrumptious glory. Enhoy -

Chicken walkin down the road – seein all the peoples heavy load. Money east, money west – but Chicken’s cashin in on her breast.

Jive talkin Chicken, startin up some stuff – Rooster sees her funky strut. He don’t like it, he’s the top cock - she ain’t sure of all that, cause her legs turn the clock.

Back on the left, frontin the right – Chickens thigh holdin on tight. Might be dark, but sure nuff is tasty - lonely is the man who is too hasty.

What a sight to behold – Chickens wing flutterin so bold. She can’t fly, that’s too right – but her flappin’s like two ton o’ dynamite.

I love you Chicken, don’t you see – How lovely you are to me. Someday soon, or sooner – I’m gonna wrap you in my arms, and forget about the tuna.

Talk To the Drummer

Minions,

Recently a friend asked me to provide a list of who I thought were the greatest drummers of all time…….wuh huh?! What an impossible undertaking! Who’s even qualified to make such a list, and how objective could it really be? But it did get me thinking…There are several artists your average music lover has never heard of, and they tend to be the ones, in my arrogantly humble opinion, that should be considered among the greatest musicians.

So, with the understanding that this would be MY list, I decided to give it a go – with a slight adjustment: Here are 10 of my favorite jazz & fusion drummers.
(See what I just did there?)

Perhaps still a bit subjective, yes - but safer!

Please to enhoy –

Philly Joe Jones - One of the first pure bebop drummers. Performed with all the jazz greats in the 50's & 60's. Aggressive swing style, with a melodic, musical approach; often imitated. Favorite recording: Two base hit from the album Milestones (Miles Davis)

Art Blakey - Like Jones, one of the original, important bebop drummers. Incorporated afro-cuban rhythms in his drumming style. Was also crucial as a band leader, building and nurturing younger musicians. Favorite recording: It's only a paper moon from the album The Big Beat (The Jazz Messengers)

Max Roach - Another bebop drummer with musical sensibilities integrated in his drumming. Beautiful brushwork, and simple, tasteful swing style. Also key in nurturing young artists, and fronting his own band. Favorite recording: If I Love Again from the album Study in Brown (Clifford Brown)

Billy Cobham - Brilliant post-bebop drummer, and one of the first to fuse jazz stylings with rock. Also a master clinician, with technically amazing drumming skills. Favorite recording: Arroyo from the album Observations & Reflections
(Billy Cobham's Glass Menagerie)

Tony Williams - An amazing hard-bop drummer, performed with Miles Davis in the 60's. Like Cobham, began to fuse jazz with other musical styles. A true pioneer in early fusion, has inspired many of the current, great fusion drummers. Favorite recording: Proto-Cosmos from the album Believe It

Steve Gadd - The guru. Began a "percussion renaissance"; was the catalyst for drummers to begin receiving credibility as true musicians. Favorite recording: Fawlty Tenors from the album Steps: Smokin in the Pit

Vinnie Colauita - Arguably the most versatile, best all-around drummer. My favorite of all drummers. Mind-blowing technique. Could go on and on. Favorite recording: Goe from the album Live at the Baked Potato (with Greg Mathison, Abe Laboriel, Michael Landau)

Dave Weckl - Tremendously versatile, master drummer. Began recording in the 80's for everyone, eventually forming his own jazz/fusion band. Highly regarded in the music world. Favorite recording: Step It from the album Step It (Bill Connors)

Steve Smith - Berklee trained, would go on to play with Journey for several years, and eventually lead his own fusion group, Vital Information. Well versed in all musical styles; a true artist of world music. Favorite recording: Night Dive from the album Easier Done Than Said (Vital Information)

Simon Phillips - In demand British session drummer, worked for a wide variety of artists and eventually developing into a highly respected fusion artist. Has worn many hats: bandleader, songwriter, drum clinician. Favorite recording: Another Lifetime from the album Another Lifetime

Ibrahim Gregorio Fontanillas Sr.

Minions,

Tomorrow is my father’s 74th birthday so I wanted to write something truly poignant. I’ve had some difficulty because the love I have for him is obviously more internal and (stubbornly) biased. So, I offer this very short “history” of my father. Hopefully you’ll read this, and even relate a little bit.

Please to enhoy -

The interesting thing about my father is that my brothers and sisters all feel slightly different about how we grew up around him; he was certainly dynamic. Sometimes hard, sometimes aloof, sometimes playful, he was everything to everybody but very much his own person. We never saw any part of him that was weak...Perhaps that was an unwritten requirement of his generation. But we never doubted his love for us. For me, my father was very close to a superhero. He seemed super human - Incredibly strong. Gifted, with what the "greatest generation" considered necessary: learn everything, rely on your own abilities. He was mechanic, carpenter, plumber, electrician, and Daddy - all at once. No wasted movements, just pure desire to complete the mission.

One of my greatest memories of him occurred when I was in grammar school:

One day during recess, I was plopped onto one of the swings at our playground; not really swinging but sitting, and lonely. Suddenly, I felt a gentle push from behind. My first thought was that it was another student. I turned around to see my father behind me, a confident smile on his face, pushing my swing higher and higher. I had no idea where he came from, or how he was able to find me among the mass of other students on the playground. We said nothing, just him, me and our swing. I can still feel how I felt then: overwhelming comfort - pride in my very own superman. The bell ending recess rang. He then left, waving goodbye, that smile still pasted on his face, and my love for him, embedded in my heart.

Perhaps my father appearing out of nowhere, with nothing but love for his son, tenderly attending to me, was the catalyst for who I am today. I’d like to think so. Regardless, the tremendous thing about him is that in his mind this simple act had little to do with being a parent. For him, it was his own childhood innocence that moved me…

Feliz Cumpleanos, Daddy - Te amo mucho.

Residency in Percussionola

That's right, Minions: Percussionola. That's where I'd like to live. And please, "drum jams" are NOT allowed. I'm invoking a city ordinance...No drum circles within a 1,000 mile radius.

So I had the pleasure of volunteering at the Exodus* program in Dallas. Along with a few other volunteers, our primary responsibility is to simply spend time with children, whose mothers are re-entering society...Having been incarcerated, but also having a genuine willingness to do better, to be better; to commit themselves to a new life filled with gracious hope.

We played, read, ran, wrestled. Aided by my percussive bag of tricks, my contribution was the giver of musical instruments. Funny, it seems children flock to percussion more than any other instrument. Maybe it's the physical aspect of picking something up and hitting it with child-like abandon. (that was profound) It's not that they were totally immersed with what I brought: A couple of tambourines, shakers, vibra-slap (they loved that one) cowbell, triangle...But they were engaged, if only for a few minutes. Not a bad introduction to Greg, the odd-boy percussionist. "He's weird, but I like his bag of music!"

In the past, I hadn't volunteered my time for much of anything. But my "resolution" this year was to serve more, in whatever capacity I was capable of. So, much like what Exodus represents, I'm trying to be better at being better. At least it did my heart some good. I cannot imagine what these children, or their mothers, have been through. It's really none of my business. But I can do this, once a week, playing with the kiddos - living in Percussionola with child-like abandon.

Ripe With Consternation

Minions,

Over the last month I’ve had time to reflect on what I feel is crucial in my life right now: Family, friends, music, perhaps a soul mate sometime soon. And though I’ve tried to build towards something greater, I seemed to have gotten lost in the flux; cloudy, grey, unclear. I was blocked somehow from moving forward.

But I heard something a few days ago, and it’s helped me to remember, to focus on what truly is important:

“Take your stinking paws off me, you damn, dirty ape!"

Let me be clear, I have no quarrel with simians as a whole; indeed I respect their persistence at expressing themselves, as well as their more lucrative skill at excrement tossing. It’s just that, I want them so much to be like ‘Curious George’…Perhaps a little on the stupid side, but cute as hell, with no discernable feces-hurling inclinations. But I don’t think having them wear diapers reflects some sort of human closeness. It’s really just wrong. And what right do monkeys have wearing Baby Gap clothing?! Shouldn’t we be doling those up for actual baby humans?

Monkeys are filthy creatures, no matter how closely they cling to us on the evolutionary tree. And I’d truly hoped to live in a world where we both might co-exist freely. But they just don’t get it and I’m threadbare with patience.

I can only say, whatever trials I’m experiencing, whatever character flaws I must continue to improve upon - at least I bathe myself fairly regularly.

So I guess that’s something...

Introduction to Greg - Harsh Taskmaster and Lover of Things

Greetings Minions,

This is my introduction of hopefully many interesting thoughts, short stories, band-happenings, and several other sundry items, all laced with idiocy and personal charm.

So - Please to enhoy: Greg's Personal Rants!