In America, the New Year is at a very strategic place, namely half-way through the school year. That means there's been a little bit of relaxing vacation time, and therefore time to think about the great and not-so-great events of the past year and our grand hopes for the year to come. New Years Resolutions abound, self-reflection ensues, followed by a strange mixture of optimism and fear.
We don't get that here in Istanbul. I worked today, New Year's Eve, and it turns out people work tomorrow too. In fact, we don't have a semester vacation until the very end of January. We're still right in the thick of things, making it a little harder to find a clear mind and enough time for some serious heavy-duty reflection.
When we in the English department exchanged gifts, we each shared a one word wish for 2011 (someone had already chosen peace and health, so I, put on the spot, went with "fun"*). Many people chose health or wealth, making me wonder if their Turkish connotations are similar.
Anyway, if you have a moment to add a comment, please be so kind as to share a one word New Year's wish with my other readers. I'm curious to know what you all want. And while we're at it, think of a one-word New Year's Resolution as well - mine's "patience." Thanks!
I should say before I sign off, when I say I "worked" today, I use the word in the loosest sense. Today was a half day, and there were no lessons, just a dance party, a raffle, and a concert. All I had to do was watch and mull over how dumb it was to forget my camera (I'm going to borrow some photos another teacher took, so hold your horses folks). Plus it was casual day, so everyone dressed in jeans - but it was announced in Turkish so I came dressed as always, suit and tie. I wore the shirt my "secret Santa" gave me, but later untucked it and yanked the tie off to fit in more with the other casually-dressed teachers. Some of my students took the initiative to dress sloppily, while others, largely the girls, wore the jewelery and dazzling clothing they'd always wanted to. Having to wear a uniform to school each day must be a real drag.
I can't believe I forgot my camera.
*P.S. I think it's definitely a symptom of my generation to rate "fun" so high on the priority list. Sometimes I think it's strange that we live in a world where one of the worst things to be is bored. It's even strange to me that boredom exists at all; it's not natural.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
My Favorite Albums Of 2010
Here it is, the collection of music that stands out above the mediocre music that was created this year. The Onion's A.V. Club makes a list of the top non-2010 albums that they discovered this year, which would be a much more impressive list, but I have no idea how to figure out which music I bought this year, so it'll have to wait until next year.
Before I get started, I want to congratulate the amazing dancers who won the dance finals on Tuesday. My 4th graders kicked tail again and stole the crowd, and I got to see a few of my students who I'd missed before dance as well. It was really a moving moment for me to see these kids trying so hard and looking so happy as their parents, teachers, and friends patted their backs and gave them hugs and kisses at the end.
Okay, here goes:
Top 10 Albums Of 2010
1) The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
This album, almost entirely solo voice and guitar with the one exception of a song with piano, is some wonderful country-style music sung by a gritty down-to-earth voice and charismatic guitar playing. Sweet and witty lyrics that make you feel like you can take on the world with happiness appear in "King Of Spain," though not the lyrics aren't always on the ball ("I said, 'Driver, please don't go that fucking way!'"). On the whole, though, this CD is very fun to listen to and is definitely worth owning.
2) Owen Pallet - Heartland
Formerly recording under the stage name "Final Fantasy," this talented composer's newest record is a very unique listen, what with the combination of heavy strings, a pristine voice, a Czech woodwinds section, and a collection of electronic instruments right down to the drumset. The string arrangements and his perfectly tuned voice singing the quirky yet repetitive chordal harmonies make this CD a worthwhile listen in an example of creative composition.
3) Dave Holland - Pathways
This was a dark year for new jazz records (with the possible exception of Jason Moran's Ten which was a little too avant-garde for me), but Dave Holland was one of the few who put out a new record that's actually an improvement over his last few releases. Recorded live at Birdland (an awful New York venue), the record showcases Holland's new octet replacing the stale quintet that had been so influential in the last decade of modern jazz. The new additions, Antonio Hart on alto sax, Gary Smulyan on baritone sax, and Alex Sipiagin on trumpet make the old tricks sound fresh. While tenor and soprano saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Nate Smith don't bring any real growth to the table, trombonist Robyn Eubanks and vibraphonist Steve Nelson sound invigorated, and Holland's bass playing is bouncy and joyful. For me this record is kept together by Smulyan's baritone playing that gives the octet a "little big band" feel, reminding me of Holland's big band records that have been my favorites for some time.
4) How To Dress Well - Love Remains
After Pathways the list drops off considerably, starting with this bizarre basement-pop collection of sounds. If it weren't for the cheap production of this music, this would probably be my #1 album of the year. The music is brilliant, innovative; challenging yet easy to identify with - witty yet down to earth - dense yet catchy. The big pitfall of this record is its dismal recording quality. It's riddled with peaking and the mix is so muddy you can barely tell which sounds are which. I can tell this is the intention of the artist - it peaks at consistent moments in the songs to add emphasis - but it's an artistic choice that makes this record nearly unlistenable for me. If it weren't for how special the music is, I'd want my money back. If it weren't for the production value, I'd be head over heals.
5) Brad Mehldau - Highway Rider
This two disc set is much better than most of the monotonous piano trio work that pianist Mehldau has produced as of late - mostly because this isn't a trio. In addition to enlisting the saxophone expertise of Berkeley native Joshua Redman, a string orchestra accompanies the jazz combo. This has a double effect. Sometimes it can be overly dramatic and a little cheesy, while sometimes - as in the beautiful song "Don't Be Sad" - it can make your skin crawl and your eyes water. I think Mehldau composed the music like this on purpose; he's trying to make a commentary on the West. For example, most of the songs are extra long and have multiple endings that would make the listener think we've moved on to a new track (the ones that break this rule have no ending at all). In fact, the record itself goes on and on, and, while developing somewhat, listening to the whole thing through isn't as gratifying an experience as listening to the best song, "Don't Be Sad." I believe this to be intentional and artistic, but not overly enjoyable.
6) Sage Francis - Li(f)e
Granted I haven't heard Kanye West's newest creation, I still this Sage Francis in the songs "Little Houdini" and "Best Of Times" is really onto something in the world of hip-hop/rap. This mixture of spoken word with rap and country and longer song forms are like nothing else I've yet heard. And "Little Houdini" is such a well-formed and well-performed song that it alone would make it on my top ten. Unfortunately, Sage Francis isn't nearly as charismatic when he does an old-fashioned inside-the-beat rap; he's mostly special when he floats in and out of the beat in a way that makes you wonder how he gets the rhymes to line up at all, an amazing feat. However this is something that only occurs on a couple tracks, and half the record is just filler. Sage Francis is also quite the funny lyricist ("I dance so slow it looks like a photo!").
7) Robert Randolf - We Walk This Road
This collection of traditional blues songs is made special mostly by its expert performance. Randolf himself is an amazing slide guitarist, and the record shows off his talents as well as the three voices (Randolf's included) of the lead singers. The presentation of the music makes the impression that Randolf, like any blues guitarist, holds immense respect for the traditions of his art, but unlike most blues guitarists Randolf shows that devotion by infusing traditional musics with modern style. This has mixed results. In "Traveling Shoes" it works perfectly; when he tries to play Prince it fails spectacularly.
8) The Absolute Ensemble - Absolute Zawinul
This album took a couple of listens to sound special. At first it sounded like a collection of melody-less, formless, single-chord grooves. While that's essentially true, there are all sorts of layers that come out, especially when I realized the role of keyboardist Joe Zawinul. This record is touted as Zawinul's last studio recording before he passed away in 2007 and it features arrangements of his pieces for a strange 14-piece orchestra, including strings, woodwinds, and two African singers. But it's Zawinul's keyboard playing that makes this recording special. Every note he hits is beautiful, every improvised moment he has is right on the mark. And perhaps the reason it's so hard to hear it the first time is that his keyboard sounds are made to blend in so well with the rest of the orchestra.
9) Hot Chip - One Life Stand
10) Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
These last two aren't really worth reviewing. I could've just as easily put Massive Attack's Heligoland or LCD Soundsystem's This is Happening or Sufjan Stevens's Age of Adz in the 9 and 10 spots. They're all just a mush of artists creating unexciting music with one or two tracks that are worth keeping around. You'll see when I get my list of top tracks of 2010 - that's going to be a much more gratifying list to read.
As a gift for making it this far in the post: check out this weird opera/bounty hunter story in the New York Times.
Before I get started, I want to congratulate the amazing dancers who won the dance finals on Tuesday. My 4th graders kicked tail again and stole the crowd, and I got to see a few of my students who I'd missed before dance as well. It was really a moving moment for me to see these kids trying so hard and looking so happy as their parents, teachers, and friends patted their backs and gave them hugs and kisses at the end.
Okay, here goes:
Top 10 Albums Of 2010
1) The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt
This album, almost entirely solo voice and guitar with the one exception of a song with piano, is some wonderful country-style music sung by a gritty down-to-earth voice and charismatic guitar playing. Sweet and witty lyrics that make you feel like you can take on the world with happiness appear in "King Of Spain," though not the lyrics aren't always on the ball ("I said, 'Driver, please don't go that fucking way!'"). On the whole, though, this CD is very fun to listen to and is definitely worth owning.
2) Owen Pallet - Heartland
Formerly recording under the stage name "Final Fantasy," this talented composer's newest record is a very unique listen, what with the combination of heavy strings, a pristine voice, a Czech woodwinds section, and a collection of electronic instruments right down to the drumset. The string arrangements and his perfectly tuned voice singing the quirky yet repetitive chordal harmonies make this CD a worthwhile listen in an example of creative composition.
3) Dave Holland - Pathways
This was a dark year for new jazz records (with the possible exception of Jason Moran's Ten which was a little too avant-garde for me), but Dave Holland was one of the few who put out a new record that's actually an improvement over his last few releases. Recorded live at Birdland (an awful New York venue), the record showcases Holland's new octet replacing the stale quintet that had been so influential in the last decade of modern jazz. The new additions, Antonio Hart on alto sax, Gary Smulyan on baritone sax, and Alex Sipiagin on trumpet make the old tricks sound fresh. While tenor and soprano saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Nate Smith don't bring any real growth to the table, trombonist Robyn Eubanks and vibraphonist Steve Nelson sound invigorated, and Holland's bass playing is bouncy and joyful. For me this record is kept together by Smulyan's baritone playing that gives the octet a "little big band" feel, reminding me of Holland's big band records that have been my favorites for some time.
4) How To Dress Well - Love Remains
After Pathways the list drops off considerably, starting with this bizarre basement-pop collection of sounds. If it weren't for the cheap production of this music, this would probably be my #1 album of the year. The music is brilliant, innovative; challenging yet easy to identify with - witty yet down to earth - dense yet catchy. The big pitfall of this record is its dismal recording quality. It's riddled with peaking and the mix is so muddy you can barely tell which sounds are which. I can tell this is the intention of the artist - it peaks at consistent moments in the songs to add emphasis - but it's an artistic choice that makes this record nearly unlistenable for me. If it weren't for how special the music is, I'd want my money back. If it weren't for the production value, I'd be head over heals.
5) Brad Mehldau - Highway Rider
This two disc set is much better than most of the monotonous piano trio work that pianist Mehldau has produced as of late - mostly because this isn't a trio. In addition to enlisting the saxophone expertise of Berkeley native Joshua Redman, a string orchestra accompanies the jazz combo. This has a double effect. Sometimes it can be overly dramatic and a little cheesy, while sometimes - as in the beautiful song "Don't Be Sad" - it can make your skin crawl and your eyes water. I think Mehldau composed the music like this on purpose; he's trying to make a commentary on the West. For example, most of the songs are extra long and have multiple endings that would make the listener think we've moved on to a new track (the ones that break this rule have no ending at all). In fact, the record itself goes on and on, and, while developing somewhat, listening to the whole thing through isn't as gratifying an experience as listening to the best song, "Don't Be Sad." I believe this to be intentional and artistic, but not overly enjoyable.
6) Sage Francis - Li(f)e
Granted I haven't heard Kanye West's newest creation, I still this Sage Francis in the songs "Little Houdini" and "Best Of Times" is really onto something in the world of hip-hop/rap. This mixture of spoken word with rap and country and longer song forms are like nothing else I've yet heard. And "Little Houdini" is such a well-formed and well-performed song that it alone would make it on my top ten. Unfortunately, Sage Francis isn't nearly as charismatic when he does an old-fashioned inside-the-beat rap; he's mostly special when he floats in and out of the beat in a way that makes you wonder how he gets the rhymes to line up at all, an amazing feat. However this is something that only occurs on a couple tracks, and half the record is just filler. Sage Francis is also quite the funny lyricist ("I dance so slow it looks like a photo!").
7) Robert Randolf - We Walk This Road
This collection of traditional blues songs is made special mostly by its expert performance. Randolf himself is an amazing slide guitarist, and the record shows off his talents as well as the three voices (Randolf's included) of the lead singers. The presentation of the music makes the impression that Randolf, like any blues guitarist, holds immense respect for the traditions of his art, but unlike most blues guitarists Randolf shows that devotion by infusing traditional musics with modern style. This has mixed results. In "Traveling Shoes" it works perfectly; when he tries to play Prince it fails spectacularly.
8) The Absolute Ensemble - Absolute Zawinul
This album took a couple of listens to sound special. At first it sounded like a collection of melody-less, formless, single-chord grooves. While that's essentially true, there are all sorts of layers that come out, especially when I realized the role of keyboardist Joe Zawinul. This record is touted as Zawinul's last studio recording before he passed away in 2007 and it features arrangements of his pieces for a strange 14-piece orchestra, including strings, woodwinds, and two African singers. But it's Zawinul's keyboard playing that makes this recording special. Every note he hits is beautiful, every improvised moment he has is right on the mark. And perhaps the reason it's so hard to hear it the first time is that his keyboard sounds are made to blend in so well with the rest of the orchestra.
9) Hot Chip - One Life Stand
10) Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
These last two aren't really worth reviewing. I could've just as easily put Massive Attack's Heligoland or LCD Soundsystem's This is Happening or Sufjan Stevens's Age of Adz in the 9 and 10 spots. They're all just a mush of artists creating unexciting music with one or two tracks that are worth keeping around. You'll see when I get my list of top tracks of 2010 - that's going to be a much more gratifying list to read.
As a gift for making it this far in the post: check out this weird opera/bounty hunter story in the New York Times.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Holiday Season
Besides the horribly long parents meetings I've been in all week and the illness that the stress has been bringing on me, this week has been fairly good, especially the weekend. Namely I got to do some major-league celebrating.
On Friday Hazal came over and we made potato pancakes, just as we were supposed to before the snow ruined our plans. Unfortunately I have no pictures, but we lit a candle and I sang a prayer and we ate. Plus I think I got her to fall in love with my cat, which I hope her to do more of because then maybe she can keep him after I leave. I'm only about 75% kidding here. We were both very tired and spent most of the time listening to music.
Taksim dressed up for the holidays (I've found that many Turkish people don't know the difference between Christmas and New Years)
Then on Christmas Day, Can's mother was celebrating the opening of her new acupuncture clinic, so I went into the city to Kadıköy to celebrate with them. I was supposed to stay the night, but I'm feeling a little too under the weather. I got to meet his father, who's in the military, and congratulate his mother on the opening. It looks nice - apparently Can and his sister have been fixing the place up all week, which would explain why Can was so tired. We both went to bed earlier than planned that night.
Can and Damla on one of the patient beds
Every time I see the Bosporus I feel like I've made a good decision to live here, my only regret being that I can't be closer to it more often. Today as I made my way to the ferry from Taksim, I was actually giddy with excitement, peering around the corners of the side streets in search of the body of water. Here was my first look:
It was, sadly, a little disappointing - it was grayer than I remembered, and a little smaller as well. It's that time of year, I suppose, when the blue fades from the water and a winter haze sets in over the city. When the Bosporus is gray, it feels like all of Istanbul has lost its color.
Seagulls followed the ferry as it made its way from Beşiktaş to Kadıköy
But stepping onto the ferry and boating alongside Dolmabahçe Palace, being actually on the Bosporus, the beauty floated back in with the orange glow of the sunset.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The Best You Can Isn't Always Good Enough
Note: Gratuitous generalizations to come shortly.
There's a lot about America I'm critical of, as my readers probably know, but one thing I love about it is the philosophy that if you work hard enough anything is possible. It's a wonderful thing to believe, that no matter what you're born with it's within your power as a human being to achieve whatever you want. It's also a cornerstone of my teaching philosophy; I make it clear that I value the hardworking student far more than the student who's naturally good at English but slacks off.
As the Radiohead song goes, "You can try the best you can, you can try the best you can. The best is good enough." (P.S. I know they're not American)
But today I saw a perfect example of how, while this is a good belief to embrace, it's important to realize the world doesn't follow it like a law of science. At lunchtime the results of yesterday's dance competition were posted, announcing who had made the finals (taking place on December 28). The 4th graders I had been raving about yesterday dominated the 4th grade class - only one 4th grader from another classroom will be represented in the championship dance-off. But one of my students, a quiet but curious 5th grader, was in tears because her team had failed to advance. I remember after seeing their dance that they had some good ideas and obviously cared a lot about their presentation, but they just weren't great dancers. That was all there was to it.
Did she fail because the others worked harder than she did? I don't believe it for a second.
And this is the biggest problem with this charming belief in self-ability: When we (Americans) sees a person who hasn't met success, we're inclined to believe it's largely their own fault. They didn't work hard enough; it was their choice. This is especially true with respect to poverty. In our economic system we believe that a poor person could, theoretically, improve their situation through hard work and perseverance. This is simply not true.
In addition, this creates a sense of ownership replacing where generosity would be. If we have money, we're inclined to believe we've earned it, so we're less willing to give to charities - it's our money that we worked for and therefore deserve. Why give to someone who doesn't work as hard as us? Why do they deserve it?
I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank goodness for religion, because otherwise it'd be very difficult to find generosity built anywhere into this capitalist mindset.
With the finals coming up on Tuesday, a lot of hardworking dancers are going to be left crying after finding that their best wasn't good enough. Because as much as I'd like to be in control of my future success, flipping it on with hard work or off with laziness, the world simply doesn't work that way.
It's amazing how obvious that statement seems, but still I find myself instinctually forgetting it in everyday life.
There's a lot about America I'm critical of, as my readers probably know, but one thing I love about it is the philosophy that if you work hard enough anything is possible. It's a wonderful thing to believe, that no matter what you're born with it's within your power as a human being to achieve whatever you want. It's also a cornerstone of my teaching philosophy; I make it clear that I value the hardworking student far more than the student who's naturally good at English but slacks off.
As the Radiohead song goes, "You can try the best you can, you can try the best you can. The best is good enough." (P.S. I know they're not American)
But today I saw a perfect example of how, while this is a good belief to embrace, it's important to realize the world doesn't follow it like a law of science. At lunchtime the results of yesterday's dance competition were posted, announcing who had made the finals (taking place on December 28). The 4th graders I had been raving about yesterday dominated the 4th grade class - only one 4th grader from another classroom will be represented in the championship dance-off. But one of my students, a quiet but curious 5th grader, was in tears because her team had failed to advance. I remember after seeing their dance that they had some good ideas and obviously cared a lot about their presentation, but they just weren't great dancers. That was all there was to it.
Did she fail because the others worked harder than she did? I don't believe it for a second.
And this is the biggest problem with this charming belief in self-ability: When we (Americans) sees a person who hasn't met success, we're inclined to believe it's largely their own fault. They didn't work hard enough; it was their choice. This is especially true with respect to poverty. In our economic system we believe that a poor person could, theoretically, improve their situation through hard work and perseverance. This is simply not true.
In addition, this creates a sense of ownership replacing where generosity would be. If we have money, we're inclined to believe we've earned it, so we're less willing to give to charities - it's our money that we worked for and therefore deserve. Why give to someone who doesn't work as hard as us? Why do they deserve it?
I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank goodness for religion, because otherwise it'd be very difficult to find generosity built anywhere into this capitalist mindset.
With the finals coming up on Tuesday, a lot of hardworking dancers are going to be left crying after finding that their best wasn't good enough. Because as much as I'd like to be in control of my future success, flipping it on with hard work or off with laziness, the world simply doesn't work that way.
It's amazing how obvious that statement seems, but still I find myself instinctually forgetting it in everyday life.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
End Of The Veli Toplantesi Of Doom
My body and mind are ravaged, but I've managed to make it through in one piece. I have met with most of the parents of my 190-some students. I have accomplished something.
Today at lunchtime there was a dance competition between the troupes of the 3rd-5th grades. I love seeing my students in different settings, as with the basketball players, because it helps me to understand what helps them learn and what excites them about life. Today I was thrilled by how my fourth graders danced. There were two groups, one girls and one boys, and when the boys danced I recognized the song I heard played every time I come into their classroom, "Beggin'" as performed by Madcon. They kicked a$$. One of them was a natural breakdancer. After the performances the class teacher gave each of them a big kiss of each cheek. It was really a lot of fun!
Right after lunch I had my fourth graders, and we basically talked about dancing the whole time. They'd earned a period to calm down after performing so well. They told me they had made the finals, so soon enough I'll get to see them compete against my 6th graders. Best of luck to all of them!
Today at lunchtime there was a dance competition between the troupes of the 3rd-5th grades. I love seeing my students in different settings, as with the basketball players, because it helps me to understand what helps them learn and what excites them about life. Today I was thrilled by how my fourth graders danced. There were two groups, one girls and one boys, and when the boys danced I recognized the song I heard played every time I come into their classroom, "Beggin'" as performed by Madcon. They kicked a$$. One of them was a natural breakdancer. After the performances the class teacher gave each of them a big kiss of each cheek. It was really a lot of fun!
Right after lunch I had my fourth graders, and we basically talked about dancing the whole time. They'd earned a period to calm down after performing so well. They told me they had made the finals, so soon enough I'll get to see them compete against my 6th graders. Best of luck to all of them!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
