Category: Jazz Or Bust Tour

(June 5, 2012) SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — I’m writing this diary entry in a cabin/house nestled on a wooded hill (up the road from a wigwam that serves as the home of an advant-garde composer and tree surgeon) on the shores of the Potomac River.

Pause.

Now that you’ve had a chance to let that sink in, let me just say that THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT.

I started the day in State College, PA, where I made this little video:

Then I traveled by Greyhound from State College to Harrisburg PA. I knew it was coming, so I was able to take a photo of the Susquehanna Statue Of Liberty this time around:

Harrisburg’s snack shop has some very interesting framed art and quotations above the microwaves, including this:

And then I saw this, for which I can offer no explanation:

From Harrisburg I went to Baltimore MD. One of the cool things about bus travel is the diversity of the riders. For example, the woman pictured at left.

I sat behind the same two guys for most of the trip and eventually wrote a poem — “leaving York” — based on part of their conversation.

From Baltimore I went to Hagerstown, MD. I went in a van because Greyhound buses no longer go to Hagerstown. According to one of the drivers, Hagerstown actually passed legislation to keep Greyhound out because, in his words, “people acted the fool in Hagerstown.” I’m not sure if he meant the passengers or the elected officials. In any case, I think my van trip was not actually supposed to be covered by my Greyhound Discovery Pass, but it all worked out anyway and I didn’t have to pay the exorbitant fee that the van was charging.

I got into Hagerstown around 9 p.m. and was met by Sarah, wife of drummer Jeff Cosgrove. She took me to their home in Shepherdstown and immediately saved my life with a vegan pizza, salad and — WIN! — Virgil’s root beer.

Jeff and Sarah are amazing people. We had a great conversation before Jeff took me over to his friend Justin’s house, where I’m staying. Justin is a carpenter and adventurer and extremely welcoming.

Tomorrow I’m going to try to talk to the wigwam guy. I’m also going to interview Jeff and then do a poetry reading later in the day. Details about the reading are here.

If you can, please kick in a few bucks to support the tour. There are thank-you gifts! You can also become a member.

(June 4, 2012) STATE COLLEGE, PA — You never know who or what you’ll find right around the corner. For instance, the mothership — or is it a water tower? — pictured above, which grabbed me visually when I saw it today.

Or, more relevantly for this tour, the editor of the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz and the author of What To Listen For In Jazz, who turned out to live three blocks away from the house where I’m staying in State College, PA. My host told me that Barry Kernfeld lived nearby and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk with him. I called him out of the blue last night and told him who I was and what I was doing. He wasn’t sure he’d be an interesting subject for an interview, but I said let’s go for it. I’m so glad I followed my instincts, because he turned out to be one of the most interesting people I’ve spoken with on The Jazz Session. You’ll hear our conversation on Monday, June 11.

I spent the afternoon producing Thursday’s show. Not to sound like a broken record, but it’s an interview with another of the most interesting people I’ve ever met, guitarist and visionary Vernon Reid. We had a wide-ranging conversation about everything from Spectrum Road (Vernon’s new record with Jack Bruce, John Medeski and Cindy Blackman-Santana) to the development of improvisation in rock music and the dangers of influence. While you’re waiting for Thursday to arrive so you can listen to the interview, please do yourself a favor and check out The Field Negro Guide To Arts & Culture, the podcast Vernon Reid co-hosts with comedian W. Kamau Bell. It’s one of my favorites. As Vernon said in our interview, it’s a show “about everything and everything else.”

I was supposed to interview cellist TJ Borden in the afternoon, but travel delays prevented that from happening.

Then it was family time. I went to the library with my kids and then out for ice cream. Here are a few photos, starting with my son John photo-bombing a picture I was trying to take of his brother:

Bernie relaxing and reading about (surprise!) baseball.

Sitting on John’s lap while he reads to me.

Tomorrow I’m spending the morning with saxophonist Rick Hirsch, then leaving in the early afternoon for Shepherdstown, WV. I’m doing a poetry reading in nearby Martinsburg on Wednesday, June 6. I hope to see you there!

If you’d like to support the “Jazz Or Bust” tour, please visit http://thejazzsession.com/tour. Thank you.

(June 3, 2012) WILMINGTON, DE to STATE COLLEGE, PA — I started the day in Wilmington with my friends Matt and Jill (above), who were kind enough to drive me to Philly so I could catch my bus to State College. Before leaving Wilmington, I recorded the intro to Monday’s show. I don’t drink, but you sure can’t tell from the intro. That’s what happens when I get out of bed and hit record without eating or showering.

In Philly we checked out the amazing Reading Terminal Market, where I bought a vegan meatball hoagie for breakfast. Hey, when in Philly…

My bus first took me to Harrisburg, which was a larger city than I expected. But generic in the way so many downtowns are these days. Very few buildings with character, at least in the brief glimpse I had. I did dig the big bridge that leads to the capital building, though. That’s a photo of the Harrisburg train and bus station to the left.

Leaving Harrisburg, we drove along the mighty Susquehannah River for quite a while. I looked out my window and noticed … the Statue of Liberty? Yup, there’s a replica of Lady Liberty in the Dauphin Narrows. Because why not?

Pennsylvania sure is gorgeous. I’ve been coming to rural PA for years and years and it never fails to make me smile. The hills, the trees, the pastures — it’s all so pastoral and lovely.

I made it to State College without incident and even a bit early, then walked to the lovely house I’m staying in while I’m here. It belongs to a friend of a friend of a friend of vocalist Amy Cervini, who was kind enough to help me set up this part of my tour. Upon arriving I learned that Barry Kernfeld, former editor of the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, lives almost next door. I’m going to chat with him in the morning and then interview cellist TJ Borden, who’s performing in town tomorrow night.

Most importantly, of course, I got to spend time with my two wonderful sons, Bernie and John, who live here in State College. You may know them from the beginning and end of each episode of The Jazz Session. We played some basketball and football and had fun on a playground before a huge thunderstorm hit the area.

Tomorrow will be a combination of tour business and family time. On Tuesday, I’m going to spend time with saxophonist Rick Hirsch, who lives here in town. He’s also a member of The Jazz Session. Cool, right?

By the way, if you want to support the tour, visit thejazzsession.com/tour to learn how you can do that. I’ll leave you with Daisy, who lives in the house where I’m staying:

(June 2, 2012) WILMINGTON, DE — I spent the day in Wilmington, Delaware. This is my first time in Delaware and the little bit I’ve seen has been lovely.

I started the day by walking through Arden, a planned community founded in 1900 to serve as an artists colony. I went there to interview guitarist and singer Judith Kay, who’ll be on Monday’s episode of The Jazz Session. It was a fun interview in a gorgeous setting.

My friends Jill and Matt and I then went to the Bellefonte Cafe, a charming spot run by Donna Rego, a former artist rep for Virgin Records who worked with the Smashing Pumpkins and many others. The food was wonderful — I had the vegan sandwich with avocado, sprouts, cucumber, tomato, onion and garlic olive oil. Yum! Jill and Matt, who perform together as Hot Breakfast (“Delaware’s Premier Acoustic Dork-Rock Power Duo!) play there often and pack the place. If you’re in the area, check them out.

While at the cafe, I met photographer Kevin Vincent, who took photo “B” here. Vote for him, OK?

Speaking of Jill, I’d be shirking my duty as your official “Jazz Or Bust” tour correspondent if I didn’t mention this:

Inside this container (at right) is a piece of pie Jill’s mom made her for her 30th birthday. Jill is now 41. That is not a typo. In fact, Jill no longer celebrates her own birthday. She has parties for the pie.

I spent the afternoon booking more interviews for the tour, including John D’earth, Donald Brown, Robert Jospe and a few more. Between the interviews and the poetry readings, things are really shaping up nicely. It’s exciting!

(Aside: Nighttime is always a challenge when life is uncertain. At least it is for me. Last night was the first time I was really struck by the weight of not having a home to return to. I lay there thinking that this tour is happening no matter what. I won’t be sleeping in a bed I can call my own for quite some time. That’s mostly thrilling, but there’s definitely a part of me that wants the security of a place to go back to.)

After an afternoon of getting things done, Jill and Matt and I had dinner then went to an amazing arcade and bar called 1984. If you’re ever in Wilmington, go. They were playing 80s music on the speakers, showing Cannonball Run on the TV and the place was filled with video games and pinball machines — all for 25 cents.

Jill (above) got the high score on the Hurricane pinball machine. I played Joust, Galaga, Frogger, TRON, Centipede and quite a few others, plus several games of pinball. WIN.

The other thing I did? Laundry. Here is every piece of clothing I have on the trip, with the exception of the shorts and shirt I wore while doing the laundry:

Tomorrow I travel to State College, PA, to visit my kids and interview cellist TJ Borden. Then it’s on to Shepherdstown, WV. I’ll be reading poetry there on June 6 and also interviewing drummer Jeff Cosgrove.

(June 1, 2012) NEW YORK CITY and WILMINGTON, DE — Day 1 of the tour has reminded me how cool people are.

I started the day in Brooklyn with a final run to the post office, hoping that a few items I needed would come in time for me to take them with me. That didn’t happen. I told the clerks that from now on my friend would be collecting the mail and they all wished me well. For the record, the Sunset Park post office at 61st and 5th is staffed by wonderful people. They know me and what I’m doing and are always willing to go the extra mile.

Leaving the post office I kept swiping my MetroCard at the turnstile again and again and again. After 20 or so times it was still saying to swipe again, so I tried the next turnstile and it said “just used.” I have an unlimited card but I can use it just once every 18 minutes. But the guy behind me swiped me through, costing himself money. So cool.

Had a last lunch at Soy and Sake with a friend before boarding the 2 p.m. Greyhound to Wilmington, the first stop on the tour.

Got to Wilmington just about on time and with no trouble. Next was getting to my friend’s house using the DART bus. I got some change for the fare and asked the driver of the bus I thought I should be taking if I had the right bus. She said to take one that parked up ahead, but it left just as I started walking toward it. “Hop on, we’ll catch it!” said Shirl, the driver I was talking to. I hopped on and off we sped to catch the other bus. And catch it we did after a few blocks. Thank you!

Then it was a 15-minute bus ride, watching the map on my spacephone the entire way so I’d know where to get off. A short walk later and I arrived at my friend Jill’s house. She sings with the Industrial Jazz Group (interview) and with the band Hot Breakfast. When I arrived at her house, I found an Ace Frehley doll waiting on my bed. There’s no way Jill could have known this, but KISS was my favorite band as a kid because they were my older cousin Todd’s favorite band. I had two 8-tracks as a kid: KISS’s greatest hits and an album of Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops playing pop tunes.

Tonight I’m going to put together my poetry sets for my upcoming readings. Tomorrow, I’m interviewing guitarist Judith Kay here in Wilmington.

(May 31, 2012) NEW YORK CITY — I’m now officially homeless.

For the first time in my life (at least since very early childhood), I no longer have a house key. The last two keys in my possession are to my storage unit and my PO box. I guess I’d better actually do this tour, because this is my house now:

Today was a day of running last-minute errands. I had a bunch of CDs to send to contest winners in four different countries and twice that many US states. I also sent a batch of poetry books to Shepherdstown, West Virginia, for my first reading on the tour, which takes place June 6 (details here). I needed to get a few last-minute travel items, too, including this glorious Hello Kitty laptop sleeve:

I also made my last stop at what has become my daily destination in Brooklyn’s Windsor Terrace neighborhood, the amazing Terrace Bagels. And I stopped at the Station Cafe in Brooklyn and met the owner, Steve. There’s a photo of Steve on the wall behind the counter that reads: “Steve and the customers are always right!”

The final piece of business to attend to before leaving tomorrow is to make today’s show, featuring vocalist (and my friend) Nicky Schrire. You’ll find it soon at The Jazz Session site.

Tomorrow morning I’m heading out of town. In true Jason Crane fashion, I’m still not sure if I’ll head to Philly or Wilmington (DE). But I’ll be sleeping in Wilmington, in any case.

(May 30, 2012) NEW YORK CITY — I leave on my “Jazz Or Bust” tour on Friday. I’ve really started to feel the “full reality” of it, as Douglas Adams might have said. The stack of boxes pictured above is going into storage today. It’s mostly books of poetry and the shelves to keep them on. Just about everything else I own was already in storage — or ditched when I moved from Albany to NYC last year.

Just last year? So much has happened since I came here at the end of March in 2011. Huge changes in nearly every part of my life. And now this big one — saying goodbye to friends, my sister … even a place to live. This is the first time I’ve ever moved from somewhere without moving to somewhere. It’s a little disorienting, although certainly exciting, too. I’ll definitely be depending on the kindness of friends and strangers from here on out. For who knows how long.

This week I’ve been saying goodbye to people. In a Tolkein-y way, I hope. Off on a great adventure, rather than off to never be seen again. Although I guess the latter is also Tolkein-y. I’ve been reading The Hobbit, too. Also on my Kindle: the Lord of the Rings trilogy, On The Road, two books by adventure cyclist Jill Homer, Thoreau’s Cape Cod, Dogen’s Extensive Record and a lot more of the same ilk. And I’ve got quite a few more on my travel wish list.

I bought my Greyhound pass the other day. So the first two months of travel are covered. (Big thanks to everyone who donated to the tour so far. You can still do that here.) I leave from the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Friday to head to a friend’s house in Wilmington, DE. I’ll be interviewing the guitarist Judith Kay on Saturday, then heading to Pennsylvania on Sunday to see my kids before I head south. I think I’ll be doing an interview in the town where they live, too. By coincidence, a cellist friend, TJ Borden is on tour this summer and will be there the same day I am. Then I’m off to Shepherdstown (WV) to do an interview with Jeff Cosgrove and maybe also a poetry reading. I’ll let you know as soon as I know.

And now I should stop writing this, go rent a UHaul truck and put all this stuff in a Park Slope storage unit to be retrieved … sometime.