Monday, December 05, 2005

The Big 3-0

When I think of Jack London, several images come to mind: childhood adventure stories, books about dogs, overly long and dramatic descriptions of mundane things, wide open wilderness, freedom and its price...

I don't think of Oakland.

But that's where the gods put Jack London Square. I had to do a little research to figure out why. 30 Google-seconds later, I learned that he was raised in Oakland. I had always associated him with San Francisco. Or Alaska. Or the ocean. But Oakland? Home of Al Davis and the Black Hole? Land of the snot-colored A's? The adoptive city of Tupac?

O-town, bitch!
D.Jay Lundin Squizzle.

I'm so street I bleed asphalt.

Jack London Square is the home of Yoshi's, a sushi restaurant and jazz club. Because, like London, when I think authentic sushi and great jazz, Oakland is always the first city that comes to mind.

Yoshi's was featuring Taj Mahal, and that's where the wife, a few friends and I spent Friday evening. I had first seen Taj Mahal perform at a concert 10 or so years ago. There were some great performers, including Blues Traveler, but Taj Mahal made such an impression on me that I remember little else of the show. I immediately went out and bought a cheap 'best of' album, and it's one of my favorite discs to this day.

The seating in the jazz club was quite intimate. While we were seated on the side near a wall, we were only 3 rows back from the stage - close enough that we could easily hear his off-mic musical direction.

If the Taj Mahal trio comes to your area, I would highly recommend checking them out. If you're already a fan, you don't need me to tell you. If you've never heard of him, give him a chance. It's not like buying tickets to the Rolling Stones - you don't have to decide between good seating and your children's education.

Did that last paragraph sound like a book review on Reading Rainbow to anyone else?

Anyhow - Happy birthday, Robyn! I hope you enjoyed the show.

4 Comments:

At 12/05/2005 12:15:00 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday to Robin!

And you know that you're a parent through and through when you can start quoting Geordi LaForge's "Reading Rainbow"

 
At 12/06/2005 05:29:00 AM , Blogger Jerk Of All Trades 2.0 said...

Jack London worte some cool SciFi stuff, it's not as popular as his 500 "some shmuck lost in Alaska with his friggin dog that's going to save his life" stories, but it's good stuff.

Call Of The Wild IS good, and NOT about going to the mens room.

I've never seen Taj live, but he's good, REAL good. I shall check him out when he rolls through.

 
At 12/06/2005 11:25:00 AM , Blogger Moxie Cotton said...

It did sound like a reading rainbow recommendation!

If you like dogs and stories with happy endings, then this is the book for you! Dah dun dun!

 
At 12/06/2005 12:34:00 PM , Blogger Kingfisher said...

Jack London is like Hemingway, without all that pseudo-macho bullshit. Loved him as a boy, love him now. Funny you should right about him, as I started reading a great collection of his works I bought. First up: "The Call of the Wild," of course.

Oakland doesn't deserve to be linked with him in any way.

Can you name two things Oakland has that San Francisco doesn't?

A pro basketball team and something pretty to look at across the bay.

 

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