It's been a while since I've posted anything here, but I wanted to share this recent documentary that was made about the viola da terra (Azorean guitar), featuring my friend Rafael Carvalho. Enjoy!
July 8, 2025
August 12, 2019
Reprise!
I will be revisiting this piece with a performance at the Good Shepherd Center Chapel in Wallingford, on September 26, 2019, 8 PM. I will have an almost entirely new band, and I'm excited to hear what they will bring to the piece.
Greg Campbell, percussion
Jesse Canterbury, clarinets
Lesli Dalaba, trumpet
Amy Denio, clarinet & saxophone
Steve Peters, field recordings & saxophone
Christian Pincock, trombone
Please join us! Details here.
Greg Campbell, percussion
Jesse Canterbury, clarinets
Lesli Dalaba, trumpet
Amy Denio, clarinet & saxophone
Steve Peters, field recordings & saxophone
Christian Pincock, trombone
Please join us! Details here.
August 16, 2018
Building an Azorean Whale Boat
I just came across this beautiful (wordless) film of master boat builder João Tavares of Pico building an old-school canoa. He is the same boat builder featured in the wonderful book Twice Round the Loggerhead by Lance R. Lee & Bruce Halabisky. This boat now lives at Terra Azul whale watching in Vila Franca do Campo, São Miguel. Next time...
April 19, 2017
Last Day: Pico
I had previously been in touch with Terry Costa, an Azorean guy who grew up partly in Canada and moved back to Pico several years ago, where he now runs an organization called Mirateca Arts, producing various arts events throughout the year on Pico and other islands. He expressed interest in my project and encouraged me to look him up if we came to Pico. It’s a short ferry ride from Horta to Madalena, Pico, so we decided to make a little trip on our final day here.
Terry kindly met us at the ferry terminal and offered to take us to see his “garden.” We were not prepared for the scope of his project: he's taken over from his father several hectares of walled grape vineyards and citrus orchards bordered by dense woods, with various sculptural installations by visiting artists scattered throughout. It was a truly impressive undertaking, and he is justifiably proud of it. [Photos coming soon-ish.] It was really interesting to hear about the history of this place and how it all "works" – EU mandates for "modernizing" the vineyards versus subsidies for maintaining them in the traditional style (this whole part of Pico has become a UNESCO World Heritage site). Then we had a nice lunch and Terry graciously showed us a few more sites in the area before dropping us off back in Madalena, where we caught the next ferry back to Horta.
Terry kindly met us at the ferry terminal and offered to take us to see his “garden.” We were not prepared for the scope of his project: he's taken over from his father several hectares of walled grape vineyards and citrus orchards bordered by dense woods, with various sculptural installations by visiting artists scattered throughout. It was a truly impressive undertaking, and he is justifiably proud of it. [Photos coming soon-ish.] It was really interesting to hear about the history of this place and how it all "works" – EU mandates for "modernizing" the vineyards versus subsidies for maintaining them in the traditional style (this whole part of Pico has become a UNESCO World Heritage site). Then we had a nice lunch and Terry graciously showed us a few more sites in the area before dropping us off back in Madalena, where we caught the next ferry back to Horta.
April 18, 2017
Faial: Horta
We arrived in Horta on the day before Easter, and most businesses were closed for the holiday weekend. On Sunday the town was practically deserted. We did a lot of walking around but it felt strange to see the streets mostly empty and everything shut down.
On Monday things were back to normal, with shops open and lots of people out doing things. In the morning we ran some errands and had lunch at CASA (my favorite place to eat in Horta and possibly on Earth). In the afternoon we went on a whale watching trip and had good luck: we saw a fin whale, a blue whale, and many frolicsome dolphins. It was a small group, with only five of us passengers on the boat plus the pilot and two naturalist guides.
Then back to CASA for some dinner, where Eugénio finished us off with some homemade tangerine liqueur for Mary and something called nêveda for me. Needless to say we slept well.
On Tuesday we rented a car and toured around the island, stopping at the botanical garden on the outskirts of Horta, making a few side trips to little villages and scenic beaches. We had a good lunch in Cedros on the north end of the island, followed by a hike around the Capelinhos volcano.
In the evening it was back to CASA for our last meal there (they’re closed on Wednesdays and we leave on Thursday) and to meet up with my friends Angie Reed and Pedro Escobar for dinner. Angie is an American artist who lives in Cedros, and Pedro is a local guy who used to live there too but now lives in Horta. Both of them were very kind to me the last time I was here, and it was really great to catch up with them. Pedro was my connection to the whale boats on my last trip, introduced to me by filmmaker Luís Bicudo (who made a good documentary about the old whalers). Pedro and Luís and another friend of theirs recently started Our Island, a business specializing in eco-friendly adventure and historical/cultural expeditions. After Eugénio finally got us to leave CASA, Pedro took us to see their new office, and Luís, who lives up above it, came down so I got to finally meet him as well. They are lovingly restoring a beautiful space that had been a hardware store for 65 years. After much ooh-ing and ah-ing over the amazing old built-in cabinetry, we finally said our goodbyes and headed home to bed.
On Monday things were back to normal, with shops open and lots of people out doing things. In the morning we ran some errands and had lunch at CASA (my favorite place to eat in Horta and possibly on Earth). In the afternoon we went on a whale watching trip and had good luck: we saw a fin whale, a blue whale, and many frolicsome dolphins. It was a small group, with only five of us passengers on the boat plus the pilot and two naturalist guides.
Then back to CASA for some dinner, where Eugénio finished us off with some homemade tangerine liqueur for Mary and something called nêveda for me. Needless to say we slept well.
On Tuesday we rented a car and toured around the island, stopping at the botanical garden on the outskirts of Horta, making a few side trips to little villages and scenic beaches. We had a good lunch in Cedros on the north end of the island, followed by a hike around the Capelinhos volcano.
In the evening it was back to CASA for our last meal there (they’re closed on Wednesdays and we leave on Thursday) and to meet up with my friends Angie Reed and Pedro Escobar for dinner. Angie is an American artist who lives in Cedros, and Pedro is a local guy who used to live there too but now lives in Horta. Both of them were very kind to me the last time I was here, and it was really great to catch up with them. Pedro was my connection to the whale boats on my last trip, introduced to me by filmmaker Luís Bicudo (who made a good documentary about the old whalers). Pedro and Luís and another friend of theirs recently started Our Island, a business specializing in eco-friendly adventure and historical/cultural expeditions. After Eugénio finally got us to leave CASA, Pedro took us to see their new office, and Luís, who lives up above it, came down so I got to finally meet him as well. They are lovingly restoring a beautiful space that had been a hardware store for 65 years. After much ooh-ing and ah-ing over the amazing old built-in cabinetry, we finally said our goodbyes and headed home to bed.
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