After working for most of the day on various things (finishing penciling, then inking, and partly painting a panel for one of the pages of The Project, writing a letter of recommendation, answering various emails, etc.,) I decided to go out and enjoy the wonderful day that we were having here in LA for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I opted to head to Leimert Park and check out one of the primary (post-parade) celebrations going on in the city. That part of town is regarded by many as a cultural center for the African American community in LA, and a lot of great celebrations and other gatherings are held there from time to time (there’s also good music to be found there sometimes). As I walked along in observer mode, I noticed a group of drummers. Every now and again they’d get a groove going and people would gather around and some would start moving to the sounds, some swaying in place, some dancing outright. Young and old, male and female, black and white, etc. It was good to watch. I caught a snippet for you and it is linked below. (I like the conversations going on between the various drums, and look out for the expression on the little boy’s face at the end!) I was also pleased to (later, as I walked by again) catch the snap (above left) of a little girl joining in the drumming.
I lingered for a bit, soaking up the atmosphere listening to snippets of conversation, music on a couple of stages (there was some gospel on one stage, and some soul music on another – sadly, I could find no jazz anywhere, as usual), and browsing in Esowon books for a little while (I’d not been there for a good while). Then I headed homeward, closing out the day with a long three hour session of rather intense drawing studies. It has exhausted me, I must confess.
It was a good day. Perhaps you did something special on MLK day? I hope it was good.
-cvj
