Flipped Kitty in the City

Novartis Oncology Kick-Off Meeting

2012-01-27T14:20:00.000-05:00

Just returned home from speaking, along side with Tricia McAleer from the Life Raft Group, at the Novartis Oncology Kick-Off Meeting. This is a meeting at the Novartis campus where they talk about all of the research they are doing, and they like to hear from patients and other groups who are affected by or involved with said research...as in GIST and Gleevec. It was held in a fairly large auditorium,

with probably 250+ folks in attendance.

Before Tricia and I sat in those chairs, we watched a short video of their meeting from last year in Dallas, featuring the Pulitzer Prize winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee, who won the prize for his book.."The Emperor of All Maladies..A Biography of Cancer"...which I found to be very inspiring!

And, Novartis gave me a copy of the book-can't wait to read it!

Their moderator, Tracy, asked me about my symptoms, the various stages of the diagnosis, everything leading up to where I am now which is coming up to year 3...cancer free!
When I told the audience that the tumor was 13 lbs there was a huge collective gasp in the auditorium. Now, if you've ever heard several hundred people gasping at once, it can be quite a jolt, so I kinda laughed after I said that and said.."yes, that's like having twins or one really huge baby"...which of course they all laughed and the tension in the room was gone...and we continued.

I talked about the need for Novartis to educate us more about the science behind Gleevec, and what exactly is it doing in our bodies, what causes the side effects, are there nutritional deficiencies, and more information on the studies and stats of adjuvant therapy.

After we spoke and left the auditorium, a doctor from Novartis came up to me, handed me his card and told me to get in touch with him and he would help me with a lot of the questions I had posed, so I hope to be talking with him in the very near future.

I also thanked all of them for their work on GIST cancer and on Gleevec...I don't think we Gisters could ever thank them enough.

They asked me for photos so I sent them photos of me at Lake George (very short hair), the recording session with the Inside/Out Trio (hair is curly and longer) the big band gig at Trumpets in 2011 (hair is still curly and much longer)...thought it would be good for them to see the healthy transformation.
They were ecstatic to hear that I was back to performing, composing and teaching.

Tricia talked about the role of the Life Raft Group, their research, and their outreach. She also talked about the need for more information from Novartis and perhaps personal contact with patients to guide them through the process.

It was a really great morning, and a big shout out and thank you to Leslie Fields, their Associate Director of Patient Advocacy, for making it so easy and laid back for Tricia and I to participate (not to mention the yummy breakfast!)

Photos from last nights show..........

2011-10-13T20:24:00.002-04:00

We had a wonderful performance last night-the band sounded great-tributes to Frank Foster, Daniel Pearl and Elzy Kolb.....guest composer Russ Vines.... a great audience...a lot of love in the house!
These photos are from the wonderful photographer Chris Drukker...with lighting by another wonderful photographer/film maker Dennis Connors who was there filming with his crew.
http://gallery.me.com/dianemoser#100693
Our sincere thanks to everyone who came out-we loved playing for you!

All About Jazz Concert Review of Perry Robinson,Max Johnson and yours truly.....

2011-10-10T01:11:00.000-04:00

Back in August-post Hurricane Irene-the wonderful bassist Max Johnson invited me to play with him and the ever astounding clarinetist Perry Robinson. It was a magical night of music-lots of quiet intensity and lyrical playing by all of us. This is a review of that concert from the All About Jazz (online version) newspaper that was posted just a few days ago.
Enjoy!

MARTIN LONGLEY,

Published: October 7, 2011

Perry Robinson/Diane Moser/Max Johnson
The University Of The Streets
August 30, 2011

Native New Yorker Perry Robinson is not one of the better known free improvisers, but his stature is no less significant as a result. Within a certain scene the clarinetist has accrued importance, his activities stretching back to the early 1960s. This low-key set involved a trio with pianist Diane Moser and bassman Max Johnson, making up a mixed generational spread. They all have connections, but hadn't played together for quite some time. There was no sheet music in sight, but their improvisations existed within the realms of chamber composition, mostly being of a sensitively harmonious nature.
These three possessed a strong sense of instant composition, masterfully evolving ideas in a gradually linear flow. It appeared that the small gathering who witnessed this session were gripped by the music's concentrated aura. Though the medium-length improvisations were mostly serene, this didn't impede a recurring mood of thoughtful, introverted tension. All three players were expert at alternating sudden emphatic clumps of notes with contrasting streams of calm flotation. This was particularly apparent as Johnson's bruising bass lines, fingered with hardness in a gloriously unamplified state, were regularly alternated with groaning, bowed stretches, establishing a sequence of percussive bullishness, entering into hovering sustain. Moser, too, initiated sections where she was hammering with gusto, building up rippling blocks. Robinson maintained a superbly articulate clarinet poise, dancing loquaciously, only becoming more fragmented and strident during the closing piece. All three players were completely immersed in the music—much like their audience. This set's quieter, introverted methods were all the more poignant when set beside its fleeting outbreaks of aggression.

Massaged Kale Salad

2011-10-08T22:37:00.000-04:00

Just returned home from a 50th bday party that was fabulous-great food and great friends!
I brought Massaged Kale Salad...which everyone always loves so I figured I would share the recipe...it's a variation of a recipe that I found on a wonderful blog called http://iheartkale.blogspot.com/2009/01/massaged-kale-salad-with-grated-root.html
I do the "massaging of the kale"-with olive oil and sea salt...then as I add in the ingredients I massage it some more....
1 grated (small) beet grated
(2 or 3 baby)carrots
minced red onion (about 1/4 cup),
kalmata olives (about 1/3 cup)
1 diced (small) tomato
1 diced (small) avocado
.....then I add lemon juice...more massaging and a little bit of balsamic vinegar-the vinegar was only for tonight-I was just in the mood for it!
As I said to someone who asked for the recipe...to me it's about the kale...everything else just adds a little bit of seasoning.
From start to finish it takes less than 30 mins (depends on how fast you can chop and dice).
Go to the blog...really fantastic recipes on there!

Breaking Boundaries;The Art of Alex Masket online and free to everyone!

2011-09-27T13:39:00.000-04:00

Dennis Connors has uploaded his movie Breaking Boundaries:The Art of Alex Masket to Vimeo for the world to see! As many of you know, Dennis asked me to compose music for this 18 min documentary-which I did-and recorded with bassist Andy Eulau, drummer Scott Neumann, Trombonist Ben Williams and trumpet player Rob Henke-a stellar quintet indeed! I had a wonderful time composing and recording the music-and these guys are just incredible to play and record with.
It was a team effort-or as Dennis likes to call us " Team Alex"-and it was very exciting to see the film win so many awards and to see Dennis win the 2010 Golden Cine Eagle Award as well as the Berkshire Bank Next Great Best Film Maker Award (as part of the Berkshire International Film Festival).
And it was especially exciting to introduce the art of Alex Masket to the world!

Now...onto the next project!

Diane Mosers Composers Big Band

2011-09-26T15:12:00.000-04:00

Diane Mosers Composers Big Band is participating in the Daniel Pearl World Music Days. 10th Annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days - October 1st - 31st, 2011
When I registered our event-they asked for a dedication and this is what I wrote...."We will be dedicating this concert to the memory of Daniel Pearl and to the belief that we are all music and that music can bring us together! "
Our concert will be:
Wed Oct 12th
8-11PM
$15 cover
Trumpets Jazz Club
6 Depot Sqaure
Montclair, NJ 07043
973.744.2600
http://www.trumpetsjazz.com/main.html
http://www.myspace.com/dianemoserscomposersbigband

Daniel Pearl (October 10, 1963, Princeton NJ – February 1, 2002) was an American journalist who was kidnapped and killed by Al-Qaeda.At the time of his kidnapping, Pearl served as the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, and was based in Mumbai, India. He went to Pakistan as part of an investigation into the alleged links between Richard Reid (the "shoe bomber") and Al-Qaeda. He was subsequently beheaded by his captors.In July 2002, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British national of Pakistani origin, was sentenced to death by hanging for Pearl's abduction and murder. In March 2007, at a closed military hearing in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said that he had personally beheaded Pearl. Current al-Qaeda leader Saif al-Adel has also been connected with the murder of Daniel Pearl.

Daniel Pearl recognized the ability of music to bridge differences among people. In the spirit of his love of music and commitment to dialogue, the Daniel Pearl Foundation launched the first Daniel Pearl World Music Days on October 10, 2002, which would have been Danny's 39th birthday. Using the power of music to promote tolerance and inspire respect for differences, Daniel Pearl World Music Days has grown to include more than 6,700 performances in 111 countries. In 2005 the Daniel Pearl Foundation introduced World Music Days eStage, a monthlong radio station and permanent online gallery which features music, poetry, art, articles and dedications reflecting Danny’s lifetime of work connecting people through words and music.

Daniel Pearl World Music Days is an international network of concerts that use the power of music to reaffirm our commitment to tolerance and humanity. Since 2002, Daniel Pearl World Music Days has grown to include the participation of more than 6,700 performances in 111 countries. World Music Days is an awareness-raising program, not a fundraiser.

Millay Colony for the Arts Residency part 1

2011-09-14T02:04:00.000-04:00

Just finished a month long residency at the Millay Colony for the Arts made possible by a grant from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation-finished transcribing the last 2 compositions of The Birdsong Project and one more movement for the Music of the Spheres Project-which will be scored for the big band! It was an amazing residency...filled with wonderful encounters with nature, exploring new territory with my music as well as the environs. Situated on top of a mountain and surrounded by a state park, I had the perfect setting to work on the music of the spheres project. My studio door led out to an open space with perfect viewing of the night sky! It's been a while since I've been able to see the Milky Way-I haven't been camping lately-and I haven't been in areas that aren't surrounded by light pollution. It was very dark at night outside my studio door-and very quiet-I just loved it! What a luxury to be able to just step outside a door and see the heavens-with the Perseid meteors zooming across the sky!

"Bivio" Tom and Jackie Colao's new restaurant!

2011-06-20T01:06:00.000-04:00

They did it-they finally did it! Tom and Jackie have been talking about opening up a little place-and now it's a reality!
It's called Bivio which stands for "fork in the road"-and that is exactly where they are-at a fork in the road off of Main St in Little Falls, NJ. Tom told me that they had picked out the name of the restaurant several months before they found this location-synchronicity at work again!

They designed the place themselves-and it is absolutely beautiful. They even have a sliding barn door in the back. I felt like I was back in Italy-in a little rural village where the locals walk into town and have leisurely lunches.

For those of you who know our big band-you'll recognize Tom Colao as one of our alto saxophonists. But what many of you may not know-Tom-who we also call Chef Tomasso-is an incredible chef-and is as passionate about food as he is music. What a wonderful combination of passions!

Tom is making Neapolitan Pizza in a brick oven that was built especially for Bivio by the Italian master Nobile Atti. Tom pointed his infrared thermometer into the oven for me to see-and the temperature was well over 1,200 degrees. He throws in some wood,stokes the flames, makes the pizza,lays it in the oven and in a manner of minutes it's done!

He uses "00" flour from Naples, San Marzano tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, fior di latte or bufala mozzarella and sea salt as his prime ingredients. There are 5 different kinds; Marinara, Margherita,Bianca,Porcini and Filettti. I had the Porcini-(because I love Porcini mushrooms!)-which also had San Marzano tomatoes,fior de latte mozarella, fresh basil. extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. It was wonderful! My understanding about this style of pizza is that 'it's all in the dough' and this dough was scrumptious!

They also have 3 kinds of salads...arugula,mixed greens and fresh mozzarella with roasted peppers.
Beverages range from mineral water, Italian sodas, and of course espresso and cappuccino, and there are desserts.

Go check it out!
They are open Tuesday-Saturday, 5PM-10PM. The phone is 973.256.0090.
Benvenuto!

Breaking Boundaries;The Art of Alex Masket on public television!

2011-06-08T13:39:00.000-04:00

For all of you who did not see the film-you can see it on public television station NJN on June 23rd at 10PM and June 29th at 1AM. This is part of the Black Maria Film & Video Festival and there are many wonderful films that will also be shown.

You can view the trailer to Breaking Boundaries here
You can also connect on Facebook here
This video is from our recording session and the music is from the end of the film.

It was very exciting to be a part of this project and we are all amazed at the reception it has received not to mention the thousands of folks who are now seeing Alex's work.

Film maker Dennis Connors filmed Alex at work for over 18 months as well as interviews with his family and many others. I came on board as composer, and brought my quintet along for the ride in late August of 2009, and we finished everything in 10 days! Phew, what a ride that was-thoroughly enjoyable, charged with creativity.

Here's a description of the film from Dennis Connors youtube site:
This film by Dennis Connors is a short documentary that chronicles the story of Alex Masket, a unique and extraordinary artist who has created a deep and varied body of work despite a disability that inhibits what most might consider to be 'normal' human interaction. Containing interviews with art experts and a community of supporters, Breaking Boundaries documents the kinetic energy and wholly individualistic style of a young artist, and brings into sharp focus the notion of what artistic communication and the creative impulse is all about.

Enjoy!
Diane

Longer Gleevec use extends GIST patient survival - CNBC

2011-06-05T16:42:00.000-04:00

Longer Gleevec use extends GIST patient survival - CNBC

There were press releases galore from my google alert on Gleevec delivered to my inbox today. Novartis has completed a study that compares patients who took the drug for 1 year versus 3 years.....and this is the big news......the overall survival rate was also higher with 92 percent of those who got three years of Gleevec therapy still alive after five years compared with 81.7 percent for those who took the Novartis pill for one year.

After five years the numbers go down a little bit........In the 400-patient study, five-year recurrence-free survival was seen in 65.6 percent of those who received Gleevec for three years. That compared with 48 percent in the one-year group.

But hey-as my oncologist says-there are more drugs out there that I can take if my gene mutation/cancer cells become resistant to Gleevec.

The World Science Festival was in NYC this past week, and there was a discussion about cancer and sequencing genomes. From the NYTimes.....

Why try to sequence cancer genomes? Dr. Besser asked.

Dr. Lander said that cancer was caused by mutations and that it was “nuts” to think the disease could ever be cured without understanding what had gone wrong genetically. But the first step was to sequence the normal human genome; then, cancer genomes could be tackled. Cracking the normal genome cost a few billion dollars, but since then, he said, the cost of sequencing had dropped to $10,000 or less per genome, and so it made sense to apply the technology to cancer. Samples are needed from many patients with each type of cancer, he said. Sequencing a cancer from one person will reveal many mutations, but not all of them will be involved with the disease.

Genetic findings have also led to some very focused treatments for cancer: drugs like Herceptin, for women with a certain type of breast cancer, and Gleevec, which is used for some blood cancers and gastrointestinal stromal tumors with specific mutations.

I sent a sample of my tumor tissue for research and to figure out my "personal" gene mutation to Dr Chris Corless of the Oregon Science and Health University. He then puts that with all of the other samples that are being sent from around the world so that they can create a data base and study the gene mutations.

I am still on 400 mgs of Gleevec-which I take every night. I used to have most all of the side effects listed, but now it's just down to edema, muscle cramping (which can be very painful at times) and the occasional upset stomach. Chemo fog is still an issue, early morning and late at night. I take it before I go to bed so that the bulk of the metabolizing happens when I sleep, but that's also why early morning is difficult. if I took it during the day I would really be out of it. Lately I have found that drinking green tea really fires up my neuro transmitters-specifically "Yogi Green Tea Energy" which is a combination of green tea, spearmint, lemongrass and komucha. I combine it with organic black tea for a very delicious ice tea!

Overall, this is good news I'll take the 92% any day! I'm now starting year 3 as of 2 months ago, so who knows, maybe in another year they will have figured out why some people become resistant-that would be a blessing.

Chemo Fog

2011-05-06T00:11:00.000-04:00

Hallelujah! Today a friend sent me the link to the NYTimes story and finally..what I and so many other cancer survivors have been telling the world...yes Virginia, there is Chemo Fog!
From the article......
The findings, based on a study of 92 cancer patients at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, suggest that the cognitive losses that seem to follow many cancer treatments are far more pronounced and longer-lasting than commonly believed.

You got that right! And ditto on how the doctors of said cancer survivors like to dismiss chemo brain as "normal aging or the fatigue of illness." I tried to tell my doc that just 1 month after my surgery, then 2 months, then 3 months, and on and on for probably at least a year...then I gave up. I even brought in the books I had found, the articles I had read and printed out-he wouldn't hear of it.

I wrote about Chemo Brain on this blog-over a year ago-3/14/10 to be exact. As I re- read that post, I will say, my brain has come alive and is much further along than one year ago. And the coming alive part is interesting to "watch"-and I mean "watch" as in the Buddhist teachings-when we watch our minds and the thoughts that develop. Even today I notice that there was a change in my memory, it's catching up, especially short term. Just the slightest change toward the positive in my brain function makes all the difference in my daily life. I feel more connected and a part of the flow.

The fog does lift-in layers-peeling away a little at a time. And there are a multitude of things that can help; exercise, meditation, being in nature, learning to do something you've never done before, eating properly and probably most important-sleep-restful sleep.

So kudos to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and thank you for validating
our experiences.

And speaking of sleep.....time for dreamland...............

Diane Moser's Composers Big Band Celebrates their 14th Anniversary!

2011-01-10T10:12:00.000-05:00

Yes-it's true-we are coming together to perform and reconnect with each other and with all of you!

Diane Moser's Composers Big Band
Celebrating their 14th Anniversary!
special guests: Vocalist Marcelino Feliciano, composer Russ Vines and baritone saxophonist/tuba player Howard Johnson
Wednesday January 26th, 2011
8PM-11PM
$15 cover
Trumpets Jazz Club
6 Depot Square
Montclair, NJ 07042
http://www.trumpetsjazz.com/main.html
trumpets@verizon.net

We are truly excited about this upcoming performance! We haven't performed since out appearance on the Lake George Jazz Weekend in Sept 2009. After that appearance, I put the band on hiatus so that I could take some time to heal and rest and adjust to the Gleevec amongst many other issues.

Expect us to pull out some of our favorites-and we'll have a few new tunes in the second set!

The photo above was taken by Andrzej Pilarczyk at our performance at the Lake George Jazz Weekend. Andrzej is a wonderful photographer who lives in the area and a dedicated artist. His photos appear in Nippertown and AlbanyJazz.com http://www.albanyjazz.com/topfive/2010-pictures.htm
as well as area newspapers.

UNMC researchers find key in cancer's spread

2011-01-10T09:49:00.000-05:00

We're getting closer all the time.......
share

The Rockefeller University » Newswire

2010-12-24T12:50:00.000-05:00

The Rockefeller University » Newswire

Just saw this on the newsletter that I subscribe to from the Life Raft Group-the organization that helps people with GIST and funds scientists and doctors for research. I was just telling a friend last night that even though I am NED (no evidence of disease)-there's a very strong possibility that those little nasty cells will overcome Gleevec-the drug I take-and begin to multiply. With this new discovery-scientists have pin pointed the protein in the GIST cancer cell that is the culprit-which means now they can develop a new drug that will target and eradicate that protein if Gleevec fails.
I have to say-this is what I've been praying for because I was never satisfied with the idea that it was only the KIT protein-I knew there had to be another one. Thank you Rockefeller University!
It is by far-the BEST Christmas present ever!

Posted: December 22, 2010

Scientists identify protein that drives survival of gastrointestinal tumors

For patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors, or GISTs, the blockbuster
cancer drug Gleevec has been a reason to hope. Since the drug’s
introduction, survival rates have climbed dramatically and recurrence has
fallen by two-thirds. But there’s a downside: over time, many patients
develop resistance to the drug. Now, scientists at Rockefeller University
and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have identified a molecule that
acts as a survival factor for gastrointestinal tumors, a finding that may
lead to next-generation therapies that can pick up where Gleevec leaves off.

Gleevec was initially approved for fighting chronic myelogenous leukemia and
it targets the BCR-ABL fusion protein that causes that rare blood disease.
But Gleevec also inhibits the activated KIT receptor tyrosine kinase.
Scientists have known that mutations in the gene that codes for KIT are
responsible for development of GISTs, as well as other cancers such as
melanomas, which makes Gleevec a potent treatment for GISTs.

Ping Chi, a postdoctoral fellow in C. David Allis’ Laboratory of Chromatin
Biology and Epigenetics at Rockefeller and a clinical fellow at MSKCC, and
in collaboration with Yu Chen in Charles Sawyers’ group at MSKCC, searched
for GIST-specific genes to obtain better insight on the molecular events in
GIST development. She focused on a group of cells in the gastrointestinal
tract called interstitial cells of Cajal, or ICCs. GISTs arise from two
specific populations of ICCs, myenteric and intramuscular; it’s been known
that KIT is highly expressed in these two types of ICCs, and these cells
have been implicated as the cells that spur GIST formation.

By analyzing patient tumor samples stored at MSKCC, Chi and colleagues found
that a protein called ETV1 is expressed in all GISTs at significantly
greater levels than in any other type of tumor. Using RNA interference, in
which small RNAs are deployed to prevent gene expression, Chi and her
colleagues blocked ETV1 in GIST cell lines. The result was a decrease in
cell division and an increase in cell death, findings that indicated that
GISTs require ETV1 for growth and survival.

“We’ve shown that ETV1 is just as important as KIT in the development of
gastrointestinal stromal tumors,” says Chi. The findings have far-reaching
implications, she says.

“About five percent of GISTs are KIT negative by immunohistochemistry,” Chi
says. “Because all GISTs express ETV1, we now have a very good biomarker for
diagnosing GIST.”

Chi and her colleagues were also interested in determining if ETV1 is
required for normal growth of ICCs. They looked at the gastrointestinal
tracts of genetically modified mice lacking the gene for ETV1 and observed
significant loss of only myenteric and intramuscular ICCs, providing
evidence of ETV1’s role as a survival factor for the ICC-GISTs lineage.

The discovery by Chi and her colleagues also means that scientists now have
a new therapeutic target. In addition to the risk of developing resistance
to Gleevec, the drug must be given continuously because interrupting Gleevec
treatment can cause GISTs to rapidly regrow.

“Now that we know ETV1’s importance in GIST formation, we need to determine
how the ETV1-driven oncogenic transcriptome is regulated,” Chi says. “This
opens possibilities for stopping GIST development when targeting of KIT
fails.”

“This work represents a remarkable collaborative effort from both sides of
York Avenue wherein our combined strengths in signaling, mouse modeling,
transcriptional regulation and chromatin biology came together to tackle
complex mechanisms of cancer pathogenesis,” says Allis, who is Joy and Jack
Fishman Professor. “In addition to the gain-of-function KIT mutation, our
results clearly show that cellular context, likely determined by
transcription factor networks and chromatin landscape, also plays critical
roles in oncogenesis.”

Two chances to hear D-Mo this week

2010-11-02T11:32:00.008-04:00

D-Mo had her choice of several magnificent pianos for her upcoming gig with bassist Mark Dresser. To find out which one she chose, be one of 60 people who will get to hear Diane and Mark play in a intimate setting Friday evening at 8 at Klavierhaus (211 W. 58th St., in Manhattan's piano district).

The concert is produced by recording engineer Patrick Lo Re who envisioned and designed this space so that audiences may truly experience "Sound and Silence." D-Mo and Dresser "are the first artists to perform on this new series - and we're both very excited and very honored!"

Expect to hear them play material from their soon-to-be-released CD, Duetto (CIMP).

Diane also accompanies soprano Natascha Radke Henke for An Evening with Mozart, on Nov. 6, at the Allwood Community Church in Clifton, NJ. The music begins at 8. Among the material will be some of Mozart's Art Songs, and "Exsultate, Jubilate."

“I was intrigued by his use of different languages in these art songs, how it affected the character of the music. So I selected a couple of French, German and Italian songs, and for good measure we throw in some Latin,” Natascha says. She speaks several different languages herself.

In taking language as a starting point for her recital, Natascha feels validated by Mozart himself, who was something of a lingual trailblazer in music, composing the first opera in a language other than Italian, The Magic Flute, in German.

The impact of Gleevec on GIST ...

2010-11-02T11:23:00.002-04:00

is one of the topics covered in this article about some fascinating new developments in cancer research.

Parts of this are a tough read. Cancer is not a single disease and there isn't a single treatment that offers hope on all or even most types. But recent research has yielded promising results.

I'm not really well-versed in science, so I was surprised at how fascinating and how clearly presented the research info is here. The writer, Siddhartha Mukherjee, deserves a thumbs up for keeping at least this reader so engaged.

Thank you Dizzy!

2010-10-21T10:34:00.000-04:00

Today is Dizzy Gillespie's birthday-who I owe a great deal to-he saved my life.
Dizzy's last oncologist was Dr. Forte of Englewood Hospital. He knew his time was drawing to a close so he asked Dr. Forte to create the Dizzy Gillespie Foundation at the hospital-a foundation that would help jazz musicians who had no health insurance receive free medical care.

Back in Jan '09-when I was really sick and paying for tests-that thankfully my wonderful GP in Montclair-Dr. Grobstien was cutting deals for me left and right-we got to the point of knowing that I needed a biopsy. I contacted the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music (where I teach) and asked them if there was any health insurance available for me. There was-but it wouldn't kick in fast enough-meaning-immediately-it would take about a month. But they went to work on it for me immediately.

Meanwhile-because of the New School's collective bargaining agreement with the Local AFM 802-I decided to pay a visit to Todd Weeks-the liason between 802 and the school-to see if there was any help there. The clock was ticking-my weight was dropping fast-and I needed a biopsy pronto.
Todd was amazing-he listened-we looked at various options-nothing was going to work for me-but then he said-hey-come and talk to our V.P. Bill Dennison.
Thankfully Bill was in that day-and after I told him my story thus far-he immediately called the Jazz Foundation and told them they needed to help me.

As a side note-I had run a fundraiser for the Jazz Foundation several years before-for Lynn Kalbacher's retirement party from Hot House magazine-and also did another one for them with the big band.

The Jazz Foundation is in the same building as 802-so I went up to their floor-told my story again to Alicia-who was really wonderful. The funny part of this was-she wanted to know who I played music with etc.-which kind of caught me off guard. I spotted some issues of Hot House on her table-so I picked them up and pointed at the ad for Trumpets-talking about the big band and our anniversary-and then to the Jazz Women column (thank you Elzy!) and my name was listed there too. Alicia responded with-okay-you're cool then. Phew-didn't know I would have to pass that test.

She called me a week later-as I was watching Barack Obama being sworn in as president-and told me to call Dr. Forte at Englewood Hospital.
I immediately called and made an appointment-which I think was with in a few days (my memory starts to get a little foggy here).

I went to see Dr. Forte-this time I was prepared-I brought cd's ;-) Turns out that was a good call because he also asked me about my career-and then told me about the Dizzy Gillespie Foundation.
I would be able to get the biopsy through the Dizzy Gillespie Foundation and the Jazz Foundation-which we scheduled for the Friday following the big band's 12th anniversary-that was the last week of January 2009.

When I arrived at the registration department at Englewood-they looked at my paperwork and then looked at me and said-oh how wonderful-you're a jazz musician-we love jazz musicians here!
That was the first time I ever heard that from a hospital!

A few weeks later the results were in-I was in stage 4 GIST cancer-and Dr. Forte called Dr Ibrahim to ask him to do the surgery-which he and his partner Dr Strain did a week and a half later.

By then the health insurance from the New School had kicked in and I was able to go to the hospital knowing that I was covered for everything.

The Dizzy Gillespie Foundation is comprised of 50 + doctors-who Dr. Forte has gathered-who have pledged to help jazz musicians who don't have health insurance. Dr. Forte has also created a space in the lobby of Englewood Hospital with a grand piano-and hires musicians to play there everyday.
There's an artist's rendering of Dizzy hanging on the wall in that music corner-along with a photo of the wonderful bassist Earl May who played there for many years before he passed away in Jan of 2008.

Another side note here..I had the great fortune of playing with Earl in 2006 in a trio backing Howard Johnson and the unveiling of the new tuba the 4/4 BBb-Tuba series 2011 Heritage Howard Johnson Gravity model. And a few weeks after Earl died-I received a call from a prospective piano student's mother-who then came to my house with her son. Earl's name came up in conversation-they had met him in the past year-but they didn't know he had recently passed away. The young man looked at me and said-"but Earl was going to teach me jazz on the bass". My heart just broke into pieces and I told him I would do my best to teach him jazz on the piano. He became my student and we worked on a lot of Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk music.

It's truly amazing how everything comes around and around and I am so fortunate to have had so many people helping me and my son during that time of crisis.

So once again-I thank all of you-because without all of you-I know I wouldn't be where I am now. And I especially thank Dizzy for looking towards the future for all jazz musicians-and for making it possible for me to continue to live my life and keep the music going!

http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/10/21/happy-birthday-dizzy-gillespie-google-doodle-celebrates-jazz-legend/

A Love Supreme jazz vespers 9/26

2010-09-25T09:25:00.000-04:00

When it comes to music, John Coltrane's A Love Supreme is beyond category. You can hear it this Sunday, Sept. 26th at 5 PM when Diane Moser and friends play jazz vespers at the Allwood Community Church, 100 Chelsea Road, Clifton, NJ. In addition to Diane, musicians include Tom Colao on alto sax, and Rudy Walker and Daniel Foose on drums.

World Peace-what Sept 11th now means to me

2010-09-11T15:03:00.000-04:00

I've just returned home from the church where I am the organist-Allwood Community Church-I went there to practice the organ for tomorrow and I forgot that they were keeping the sanctuary open for anyone who wanted to come in for prayer and reflection.
Two of our board members were there-and we talked a little bit about what today means for all of us.

I have to say that for the first time ever-I actually felt that-yeah-maybe it's possible for World Peace.
I know that sounds like a tall order-but here's how I started thinking about it....we need to break that tall order down into little pieces. Here's the analogy I came up with (probably because I'm involved with this right now in my studio)....organizing tasks into smaller groups-like trying to organize one corner of a room-and not be overwhelmed by the entire room.

What if we sat down and looked at every area in our lives-and broke it down into smaller tasks-for example-the environment. Can we visualize what a sustaining environment really means-clean rivers-lakes-oceans-healthy forests-healthy critters etc.. What would it take to do that? I can visualize that.

How about poverty? What would it take to eradicate poverty? Can we visualize all the ways that we can help those who have no where to sleep, very little food and clothing? I can visualize that.

I have always maintained that world peace is not a possibility-but today-I thought about it differently. Today I thought about everyone who died on Sept 11th, 2001-and then everyone who has died in a war-and then everyone who has died a violent death....just thinking about all of those people, from the beginning of time, I thought we can't give up on the idea of world peace-we just have to break it down into more manageable segments.

Hatred-yeah-that's a toughie-but I do believe that we can find a way to help people to give up their hatred, their bigotries, their racists views and so forth. How do we do that-I'm not quite sure-but I know that it's one person at a time-it takes being committed to that idea-that small gestures can open the doors of the heart.

I had a friend who died in the collapse of the towers and I had friends who narrowly escaped-so I will be thinking about them today-along with other friends who have died violently.
But I will mostly be thinking of ideas that will contribute peace to our world, because my friends gave up so much.

thanks Ed!

2010-09-11T14:27:00.000-04:00

Ed LaDuca sent me a wonderful video of a demonstration on Tibetan singing bowls-from a presentation that he attended-I believe as a part of the Slow-Cooked Food movement-very inspiring!
I'm putting some ideas together for a concert-it won't happen for several months-but stay tuned-it's perculatin' ;-)

cat scan/chest xray today.....

2010-08-24T16:03:00.000-04:00

Aside from drinking those nasty bottles of berry flavored barium and the havoc it bestows on my stomach and colon, I just got the call from Dr Forte-no tumors anywhere-yeah!!!!!! The Gleevec is doing it's job-Amen to that!

and speaking of birthdays......

2010-08-22T19:13:00.000-04:00

Russ and Elzy gave me a Tibetan singing bowl-which I have been using. And then bought a book on the subject "How To Heal With Singing Bowls: Traditional Tibetan Healing Methods" by Suren Shrestha
The author is from Nepal, came to the US when he was 15, went to college, earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He talks about growing up in Nepal with herbalists and monks practising various healing techniques including sound and vibration. I really enjoyed the book-it's not too long-and he gets right to the point-very concise-easy to use. From the calendar on his website it looks like he is coming to New Jersey in October 21-24-and that might possibly be at Divine Inspirations Bookstore in Nutley. I'm very interested-so I'm hoping I can go.
Using the Tibetan Singing Bowl is an interesting experience. There is definitely a calming effect-but as an after affect I also found that it stirred up a lot of emotions. That's fine-I see that as an opportunity to let go of some old crud ;-)
I also found someone in Montclair-believe it or not-her name is Jessica Rasp-you can see a video of her playing a whole set of bowls. I will be contacting her as well. I see on her website that she likes "jazz" which is great because I would love to compose a piece that includes the singing bowls.
So thank you Russ and Elzy for the wonderful gift-and setting me off on another exploration!!!

Happy birthday, D-Mo

2010-07-29T09:12:00.002-04:00

Diane's birthday is today, July 29. Hope it's a great one, D-Mo, and that this year brings you non-stop health, happiness, love and creativity.

Mark Dresser and me at Cornelia St

2010-07-12T15:38:00.003-04:00

I had a fantastic time playing music with Mark Dresser at the Cornelia St Cafe on July 1st. Thank you to everyone who came out-especially to all of you from outside of NYC!
Mark and I also played a concert on Tues June 29th at the Allwood Community Church-as part of the Music for the Soul Concert Series-and that was very moving and wonderful. Thank you to everyone who attended-there was something special about that concert. One audience member told me that he and his wife had a transcendental experience-how beautiful!

Music for the Soul Concert Series

2010-07-12T15:36:00.001-04:00

"Inside/Out"
Tim Ferguson-bass, Rob Henke-trumpet, Diane Moser-piano
"Music for the Soul Concert Series"
July 28th
8PM-9:30PM
$10 Donation
Light Refreshments
Allwood Community Church
100 Chelsea Rd
Clifton, NJ 07012
973.777.6360
http://www.allwoodcommunitychurch.com/

"Inside/Out" is a new trio consisting of Tim Ferguson (bass), Rob Henke (trumpet) and Diane Moser (piano). On this debut concert-they will perform a variety of jazz and improvised music ranging from classic jazz standards to compositions by the members of the group and completely improvised pieces. Friends and colleagues for many years, Tim Ferguson approached Rob and Diane with the idea of creating a new trio using an organic approach to jazz and new music. “I was interested in exploring some different ways of improvising" explained bassist Ferguson "and I knew that Rob and Diane both have the kind of musical openness and sensitivity that I was looking for."
"Music for the Soul" is a brand new concert series at the Allwood Community Church in Clifton, New Jersey. The series began in May 2010 with a Jazz Vespers tribute to Mary Lou Williams with Diane Moser (piano), Tom Colao (flute) Ron Naspo (bass) and Rudy Walker (drums), followed by The Muse String Quartet under the direction of violinist Gary Ianco in June, and most recently a duo concert by Mark Dresser (bass) and Diane Moser (piano) in late June.
Audience members have commented on the series with "electrifying"..... "transforming"..... " a welcoming and inviting space"... "beautiful acoustics"..."one of
the most beautifully transcendent musical experiences I've had in years"........
For more info contact Diane Moser cbbmo@flash.net

Interesting article about Novarits-Gleevec-patents and India

2010-06-22T16:57:00.002-04:00

Novartis is trying to get a patent for Gleevec in India...

On May 19, 2006, Novartis had filed seven cases in the court, against the government, Cancer Patients Aid Association and generic manufacturers, challenging the rejection of its Gleevec patent application.

Gleevec is used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia, a life threatening form of cancer. It is a $2.2 billion drug, posting double-digit growth figures.

The drug helps in prolonging the life of cancer patients. Several Indian pharma firms like Natco, Cipla, Ranbaxy and Hetero produce the generic equivalent.

While Gleevec sells for around Rs 1.2 lakh per patient per month, a generic drug costs Rs 9,000 per patient per month.

I didn't even know there was a generic version out there-but probably not available here in the states.

Life Fest 2010

2010-06-22T10:00:00.003-04:00

I will be attending-through music-the Friday night gala of Life Fest GIST 2010:A Decade of Difference sponsored by the Life Raft group-an organization dedicated to helping those of us with GIST.
This rare disease that I have called GIST has only been around for 10 years. But what a difference 10 years can make. I am inspired by Tania Stutman, founder of the GIST Cancer Research Fund, who upon learning that she had this rare disease over 10 years ago-went door to door -by herself-soliciting donations that she gave to cancer researchers to figure out what GIST actually was.
On their website-it states that they have given away $1 Million to GIST cancer researchers to find a cure-that's totally awesome!
I am inspired by the folks at Life Raft who have organized this event called Life Fest, bringing together fellow GISTers, doctors, and researchers to educate and illuminate all of us about the recent medications, trials and what's next.
Both groups work tirelessly with doctors, researchers and GISTers towards understanding the disease, promoting and funding new research, networking with GISTers to find the right doctor, the right medication, testing and sometimes just a time to talk.
Without both of these groups-I would be completely lost-so I am extremely grateful to their hard work and dedication to helping all of us who have GIST.

When The Body Says No......

2010-06-17T15:40:00.007-04:00

I just finished reading this amazing book "When The Body Says No" by Dr. Gabor Mate-it's about the relationship between stress and disease.
At times, it's difficult to read this book, especially when the various stresses of the various case studies become all too familiar.
But it's a fascinating book about the new study of psychoneuroimmunology-yep that's a big word-also known as PNI.
PNI is the study of the connection between the mind and the body and the role of our environment.
Before you throw up your hands and say-oh yeah-another new agey thing-let me assure you-this is very much NOT a new agey thing. Dr Mate is a family practitioner, and worked with biologists, cancer researchers, psychotherapists, oncologists and many other health practitioners in gathering his data to present this insightful book.
As I said before, it's a tough read, but the last chapter entitled "The Seven A's of Healing" provides a "plan" for healing and the prevention of disease.
When I talked to my oncologist many months ago about the level of stress I was feeling, he sort of shrugged it off as to yes-everyone has stress. That really angered me-and I told him so. Unfortunately, he had no suggestions for me, but he did listen a little more.
Fortunately, I found this book through my dear friend and fellow MacDowell Colony fellow-Billy Newman-a great guitarist and composer. Billy called me many times a week-for many weeks-after my return from the hospital-just to let me talk about what I was experiencing-which was incredibly helpful to me.
I've also had many wonderful conversations with fellow cancer patients, who have experienced the same "mind issues" that I have-which was very reassuring because of course, the doctors want you to think that you're the only one having these issues-and-these issues are not very important.
After you read this book-you're gonna see just how VERY important they are.

Free D-Mo gig, 5/30, 2:30

2010-05-27T11:35:00.003-04:00

Just a reminder that Diane will be playing some beautiful music with two wonderful musicians-saxophonist Rob Middleton and bassist Russ Vines.
No admission fee-just come enjoy the music and the gardens!
Note the time has changed to 2:30.

Not only will the music be beautiful, so will the setting. This is amazing garden is full of brightly colored iris blooms at this time of year, absolutely gorgeous.

The Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens was established in 1927 to honor Frank H. Presby of Montclair, a leading horticulturalist and a founder of The American Iris Society. This living museum, listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Sites, offers a spectacular display of thousands of iris varieties to visitors from all over the world.
http://presbyirisgardens.org/wordpress/

FDA Warns Novartis On Gleevec-Related Websites

2010-05-04T23:37:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I was trying to access some info on plasma testing-remember the post I wrote about my fellow Gister on the internet and his post? That's what reminded me. But the website was down. Plasma testing supposedly tells us how much Gleevec is being absorbed into the bloodstream.

Then I start getting these google alerts about Novartis and the FDA and their websites.

This has me very concerned-and it's not just on Fox Business, the story ran in the Wall Street Journal and on Reuters.

I actually had been thinking about this for some time-the possibility that there are claims made by the company that have not been substantiated-but the one that really scares me is the plasma testing that Gist Alliance (I think some how a part of Novartis) was doing-how do we know if their results are true-and not just a scare tactic to "up" the dosage.

The FDA also accused Novartis of not keeping the public informed of all of the side effects-and I know that to be true first hand. Everyone in the GIST community laughs about it-but I for one never thought it was that funny.

Not for nuttin' (as we say here in NJ) the drug is definitely saving lives-but what are they not telling us about the ones who didn't survive-oops-our bad?

In the meantime-they laid off 400 employees-and outsourced those jobs overseas-my inside source tells me that every year they demand double digit growth-although a story ran last week that they were only projecting single digit growth-however-Gleevec is still their top profit making drug.

I hope they all straighten this out and soon-because a lot of us are betting the farm on Gleevec-and we need to know if Novartis is on the up and up!

Diane on the Times' Web site

2010-04-29T20:36:00.005-04:00

The April 27 Science section of the Times had a piece about "Picture Your Life After Cancer," an online feature it started recently to tell the stories of people who have survived cancer treatment. In just a couple of weeks, more than 350 people from around the world have posted their photos and a description of how cancer has changed their lives. Diane was among those who posted a photo and comment.

Plasma Testing

2010-04-29T18:56:00.003-04:00

Well-the immediacy of the internet just reminded me about plasma testing-and that will be my next step.
I follow a blog of another Gister and he said he had joined up with Gist Alliance and they are working with Novartis plasma research for Gist-meaning-they check the levels of Gleevec in the blood. They are looking to see if there is a correlation between levels of Gleevec and recurring tumors/cancer. If you're interested you can read about it here.

Mary Lou Williams

2010-04-28T00:48:00.002-04:00

I absolutely love the music of Mary Lou Williams and her playing completely inspires me.
I always feel from her playing that she was a "free spirit"-inventing her own way across the piano keyboard. She'll grab some ideas out of this bag and that and then completely turn everything upside down inside out-it's like being on the roller coaster of jazz!
For the past couple of weeks I've been intently listening to Mary Lou's sacred music-and transcribing a few tunes for our upcoming Jazz Vespers at the Allwood Community Church on May 23rd.The recordings I've been listening to and transcribing from are Mary Lou's Mass, Zoning, and Solo Recital Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1978. I particularly like "Gloria"-which is on all three recordings, and "Offertory/Meditation" which is only on the Montreux recording. Medi I & II is another tune I transcribed-those are on Mary Lou's Mass and Zoning.
I have a few more tunes to transcribe-the difficulty is which ones to I pick-they're all good!
"O.W." named for the tenor saxophonist Orlando Wright- is a very interesting tune from Mary Lou's Mass-it's starts out like a sort of boogaloo/reggae tune-then it goes into swing-then back again then into another groove. The liner notes say it was also used in Mary Lou's Pittsburgh Mass, and I have it on another recording from 1954-when she was in Paris-but it's a completely different tune. That's one of the things that I love about Mary Lou-she'll take her tunes and put them into any situation-it's all sacred to her.

My fellow musicians for the Jazz Vespers event have requested the tune "Act of Contrition" a very beautiful tune-almost like a jazz art song-short and to the point. It's a ballad that starts off with only a bass line between the piano and bass-which is repeated over and over-then vocalist Honi Gordon comes in-then Mary Lou comes in with the harmony. The vocal line is a lot like the bass line-just a few more ornamentations-almost like she's ghosting the bass line. It's one of those tunes that you say-whoa-what was that-then you have to listen to it a couple of more times.

If we had a vocalist there are many more tunes I would do-including the intriguing "It's Always Spring"-another tune from the Mary Lou's Mass recording. The lead vocalist on that is Leon Thomas-man-that is another era gone by-I sure do miss him too.
So now I'm deciding between "Willis", "Old Time Spiritual" and "Credo"-although I might do all 3.

Meanwhile-if you want to catch up on all things Mary Lou-go to the Mary Lou Foundation website-there are a few concerts coming up, there's video of an interview and of her playing.
The photo of Mary Lou is from their website.

My gene mutation number is.....

2010-04-20T20:27:00.002-04:00

11-which is the most common of the gene mutations-which is good.
My doctor always says-may you have unremarkable test results and common results.
I just got the email from Dr. Chris Corless of Oregon State Hospital University-he did the gene mutation test for me-and is known for his brilliant work with GIST.
He volunteers a lot of his services-and I cannot tell you how much that means to me-it is a very special gift.
Tania Stutman of the Gist Cancer Research Fund introduced me to Dr. Corless-and asked him if he would do the test. I am so grateful to Tania for making those introductions.
I don't have the full lab results, but from what I have read-Exon 11 is the most common of the gene mutations, and has the longer progression free survival rate. This disease is fairly new-so far I think we have people who have lived 11 or 12 years-and those are the first patients to be diagnosed with GIST.
Also, from what I have read-it looks like I am fine with the 400mg dose-no need to go higher-that's a big relief.
For how long is the question and what are my chances of secondary mutations?
I will have more answers in a few weeks.
But-tonight-I am going to celebrate-because this is very good news!

Novartis lays off 400 employees

2010-04-15T12:21:00.000-04:00

I just got a phone call from a friend of mine with the news that Novartis (East Hanover,NJ) has laid off 400 of their employees, transferring those jobs to India.
I don't know the entire new Health Care Bill, but I have been told that there is a provision in there that penalizes companies who outsource labor.
This decision was made now before those provisions are in place.
Although part of me is happy for the people in India, knowing that there is extreme poverty there, the other part of me is very upset with Novartis.
Gleevec was their biggest profit making drug last year-3.9 billion I believe is what I have read.
I am extremely grateful to Novartis for making Gleevec-which so far has kept me cancer free.
I am extremely grateful to my friend who worked there during it's development and to everyone else for that matter.
But when I take my dosage today, I am going to be thinking about all of those employees who have been laid off, in this very tumultuous economy, hoping that they were given a decent severance package and that they will find new employment very soon.
There just has to be a better way for us to have health care and new innovative therapies, without it costing others so much.

Diane's gigging for a good cause in Brooklyn on Saturday

2010-03-25T08:56:00.001-04:00

8th annual Lady Got Chops Womens Month Jazz Festival!
13 Luminary Women in Jazz!

This Saturday March 27th 7-11pm

CLOVER'S FINE ART GALLERY
338 Atlantic Avenue btw Hoyt & Smith
Brooklyn New York 11201
718-625-2121

Schermerhorn/Hoyt street subway station 2 min walk down Hoyt to Atlantic!

Doors open at 6:15 for The Silent Auction-Exciting Donated Gifts auctioned off
Proceeds of the evenings events Donated to Doctor's Without Borders
for the Crisis in Haiti.

Admission $25

Two 90 minute sets of uninterupted Live Jazz in 100 seat posh Art Gallery!

Mala Waldron & Diane Moser-Piano / Noriko Ueda & Anne Iversen-Bass
LaRe! Keisha St. Joan! Lucy Blanco! Singing!
Dr Jan Grice-Bassoon Andrea Brachfeld-Flute Anette Lipson-World Percussion
Rachel Housle-Drums
&
Special Surprise Guests!

Please join us for this beautiful performance of Live exciting Jazz & support
Women in Jazz, Women's Month & Doctor's Without Borders.

After Party too!

Happiness........

2010-03-24T09:18:00.003-04:00

There seem to be a lot of stories in the news these days about happiness. Everything from why don't you have it to how you can get it. But this story from the New York Times by Roni Caryn Rabin really caught my attention-it's about engaging in meaningful conversation. Social scientists have done studies that show we are far happier when we engage in meaningful conversation and not very happy when we engage in small talk.
Personally, I always feel a sense of renewed energy after I have engaged in meaningful conversation. I think it's the give and take that occurs during the conversation that somehow energizes me. There's the pleasure of giving to the other person (people) and then there's the satisfaction of having been heard. And then there's the discussion part-where the conversationalist spend time to "suss out" a challenge or problem-and that involves creativity-and that gets my brain going-and I really like that. It's a win win situation.
We all lead very busy lives, but to make time for some real face/ear time I think is essential to well being, I know it is for me.
In the words of my favorite little philosopher Christine..."for real, for real life "

My awe inspiring story of the day....Al Bell

2010-03-22T13:05:00.004-04:00

Wow-that was fast-eh?! I just finished writing on the blog about awe inspiring stories, then looked at my email, and there was one from my high school piano teacher-an inspiring woman in her own right, who told me about a story in the Des Moines Register on Al Bell.
Al Bell travel around the world with his wife, they produced their own travelogues, then they would show up at school with all of their stuff, which included tons of musical instruments, their film and give us a show.
Every year I looked forward to seeing Al Bell-I couldn't wait! In my mind, I was traveling there with him and his wife to every country they went to. I was fascinated and thrilled by the sounds of the musical instruments that he brought back. I wanted to be Al Bell!

Those experiences influenced me and inspired me-and still do to this day. Those shows broadened my horizons, taught me about the world outside of Iowa, inspired me to search out other cultures, their foods, their religions, their arts-it inspired me to create the program I ran at the Brooklyn Children's Museum called "Found Sounds"-where I would take instruments from around the world into the pediatric wards of NYC hospitals-and work with very sick and terminally ill children-we played music together and learned about how sound is made.
Even today, when I'm teaching piano, I will pull out my world instrument book, my art history book and I always keep an atlas handy and talk to my students about how cultures influenced the making of music and design of instruments.
You can bet that all week I'll be showing my students the Des Moines Register article.....hope it inspires them too.

Inspiration........Epigenetics......Jin Shin Jyutsu

2010-03-22T11:46:00.004-04:00

As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far place. --Russian Proverb
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/science/09tier.html

The article and quote above, arrived in my email box via charityfocus.org, which I highly recommend subscribing to their newsletter, always filled with inspirational stories of one sort or another. This particular article is about which stories, that appear in the newspaper, are emailed the most. The researchers figured it would be all of the "bad news" stories, but instead it was all of the "good news" stories, especially the ones that were awe inspiring.

They talked about a story that had.... an “emotion of self-transcendence, a feeling of admiration and elevation in the face of something greater than the self.”

And how it.." involves the opening and broadening of the mind,” writes Dr. Berger and Dr. Milkman, who is a behavioral economist at Wharton.

“Seeing the Grand Canyon, standing in front of a beautiful piece of art, hearing a grand theory or listening to a beautiful symphony may all inspire awe. So may the revelation of something profound and important in something you may have once seen as ordinary or routine, or seeing a causal connection between important things and seemingly remote causes.”

Dr Berger goes on to say..."people who share this kind of article seem to have loftier motives than trying to impress their friends. They’re seeking emotional communion, emotion in general leads to transmission, and awe is quite a strong emotion.”

So let's take this a little further.....if you are experiencing "awe" , then you are experiencing inspiration, which may propel you to do something you've always wanted to do,go somewhere new (the Dalai Lamma recommends going to one new place every year) a creative project, or just spread a little kindness for the day.

And all of this has a huge impact on our "well being". I watched a "Nova" program last night called "Ghost in your Genes"-it was about epigenetics-very fascinating-they are little chemical tags that can turn a gene on or off. I was riveted to this program, because this is what my medication (Gleevec) is working on-keeping that gene turned off that created the cancer.

They also talked about other factors that can manipulate these little tags-environmental, nutrition, lifestyle, exercise, and of course-emotions and traumatic experiences (which my nutritionist had talked to me about)-and how we can manipulate them back! That's where Gleevec comes in, and the reason for writing this in the first place and that is Jin Shin Jyutsu.

Mark Dresser hipped me to this wonderful body energy work many years ago. I use it everyday, and go to a wonderful practitioner every other month. The main focus of this work is like most body energy practices-to release stuck energy and get it flowing again. In Jin Shin Jyutsu, energy is associated with 5 basic emotions, anxiety, fear,anger,grief, and what they call pre-tense or trying to hard. Then, there are energy locks that are associated with various medical and psychological issues, as well as organ flows. I work on the energy locks for digestion, and mental clarity, and combine that work with meditation. It gets me going in the morning, and de-stresses me in the evening.

So there are genes that we are born with, and little chemical tags that buzz around them that have been influence by environment, lifestyle etc., emotional and psychological trauma-and I forgot to mention that they have proven all of that can also be inherited. But those little tags can be manipulated by reading an inspiring story everyday, passing that along to others, meditating, body energy work, doing something creative, spreading a little kindness, learning something or going somewhere new-even if it's only a new place for lunch or a different route home.

The other part I want to add is something that my first acupuncturist told me "there is the energy that you are born with-ancestral chi-and the chi that you generate"-sounds a little like what these biologist are talking about with genes and epigenes.

So while western medicine-which I am extremely grateful to-finds new ways to manipulate epigenes which in turns eradicates or as they called it-restructuring the cell with the cancer causing protein-I am working on another level of manipulating those little buggers ;-)
And-keeping a look out for "awe inspiring stories".

D-Mo in the news ...

2010-03-18T20:22:00.002-04:00

There's a nice article about Diane in the March 18 Montclair Times. Good job by writer George Wirt.

Fightin' words

2010-03-16T10:55:00.002-04:00

Another insightful article by Dana Jennings about coping with cancer. This time he takes on the language we routinely use to describe dealing with the diagnosis and treatment, and for those who have/had cancer: battle, bravery, survivor, fight, victim. He analyzes the word choices, describes his reaction to them, and makes some suggestions of what we might do rather than "reach for the nearest rotted-out cliché for support."

Jennings wraps up with some real food for thought: "Strangely enough, although cancer threatened my life it also exalted it, brought with it a bright and terrible clarity.

"So, no, cancer isn’t a battle, a fight. It’s simply life — life raised to a higher power."

Gleevec Brain a.k.a. Chemo Brain

2010-03-14T21:50:00.005-04:00

There's a little secret that all of us- who have been on some sort of chemo-have, and that is chemo brain. It's interesting, the reaction I get from my friends who are cancer survivors-we talk about it in a very hushed voice-nobody wants to admit to it-but we all live with it-and "it" chemo brain-is the "new us". The docs didn't tell us we would be fighting this too along with everything else. Once we start the conversation, and we have confirmed for each other that we are experiencing "chemo brain" there is the huge sigh of relief-finally-somebody else understands.

One of my friends hipped me to this website-a wonderful resource-please share it with anyone you may know who is struggling with chemo brain http://www.chemobraininfo.org/
Once I got to the website, and saw the books my friend wanted me to see, I immediately got in touch with my local library-one they had-the other they're getting from another library.

I started perusing thru their articles, and found the first 2 from the NYTimes......
This one "The Fog That Follows Chemotherapy" by Jane E. Brody http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/health/04brod.html?emc=eta1 talks about the symptoms of "chemo brain", one of them I had to laugh at-"inability to follow instructions when cooking or knitting"-ha! I tried to re-learn crocheting, I wanted to make a baby blanket for a friends first baby, and I got as far as the first chain, then I completely lost it, couldn't follow the directions, became dizzy-I gave up. (and yes, I had crocheted a baby blanket before...)

The second article "Taking Steps To Cope With Chemo Brain" (same author) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/health/11brod.html?emc=eta1
talks about coping mechanisms-all of which I do except for the ask for help part-although-just this week I had arrived to the conclusion that there are things that I just can't do anymore, and that I would need support. That's a very difficult place to get to and to be in.......but I think the fact that I recognize that now, will help me move forward.

Many folks laugh this off-but I take this very seriously. It's not just about making sure you pay your bills on time, do errands, remember passwords etc. etc.-all of that is remedied by making lists (which I did months and months ago-lists upon lists-and still use).
But it's having conversations, creating art, engaging in life. When those neurotransmitters are on the blink, the light goes out, and all of a sudden I'm in a void.

Many people have this experience after emotional or physical trauma and that rings true for me too. But I'm still taking my "chemo", and the drug is still affecting me in this way-on top of the emotional, physical trauma, and all of the drugs that I had in the hospital and all of the xrays, and cat scans.......

Somehow I think there is a different answer to all of this. How interesting would it be for everyone who has "chemo brain" to just say "okay-I don't really fit into the life I had before, so I think I'll create a new one-one that allows for "chemo brain" . Why are we as a society so insistent on making sure everything goes "back to normal", when in reality, there is no normal, there just "is"-in fact-I wrote a blues about that back in the 80's called "It Is", because that's what our lives are about-whatever "it is" at the moment.

I'm interested in reading about the what's and why's of chemo brain in these books, and maybe I'll have a different viewpoint when I'm done. But my opinion is that "reality" is what is in my mind at any moment in time, and if my mind is experiencing "brown outs and black outs", then I have to go with that.
Or more literally-flow with that.....

1 year anniversary....

2010-03-12T16:42:00.002-05:00

This week has been the start of my one year anniversary of my surgery-hospitalization-and generally new life!
Libra Zebra has revamped the opening of the blog,thank you Libra Zebra and I celebrated with my son Chad and my other "2 sons" James and Ryen at out favorite pizza place-Star Tavern in East Orange, NJ-best thin crust pizza in NJ-I know so because the Newark Star Ledger Pizza Patrol Contest says so-plus-we love it!

Meditation

2010-03-08T17:05:00.002-05:00

Okay, now I have the evidence-ha!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/health/research/09aging.html?ref=health

Although this article refers to "older people"-maybe that means me too, I don't know what the author's idea of an older person is, but I definitely experienced cognitive malfunctions after my hospital experience, and I still do to some extent. Many people just laughed at me when I would try to explain this phenomena, even my doctor told me I was over reacting.
But I know the difference in how my brain worked before I went in and after I came out, and it was distinctly slower on the outbound side.

Maybe some of the cognitive slow down had to do with the trauma of it all in general, I would buy that theory. Multi- tasking for me is not what it used to be, and, my reaction to extreme multi tasking these days usually results in high anxiety (one of my favorite Mel Brooks' films). Sometimes I don't even know I have high anxiety, until I pop! That doesn't happen that often, but when it does "mommy needs a time out"!

Now here's where the benefits of one the "so-called alternative therapies" comes in.
Meditation, is a very useful and beneficial activity. Meditating allows your mind to process information, without really thinking about it. Sounds paradoxical, but it's true.
And there are many different ways to meditate, you don't actually have to sit with legs crossed, index fingers touching, palms up while humming "ohm". I meditate while I'm playing the piano.
I meditate while I'm walking-usually in the park on a circular track-that way I don't get run over by someone who is drinking a latte, talking on their cell phone while driving their car.
I used to meditate while swimming, but I had a very close to drowning type incident and decided that just the zen-like feel I get from swimming would suffice.
Meditation has been proven to lower blood pressure and restore-guess what-brain activity.

I started my exploration of meditation when I was in the 7th grade-I found a book at the library called "Kung Fu Meditations". How a book like that ended up in our tiny town in the middle of Iowa I have no idea. But I followed the steps and found a certain kind of peace that helped me through those crazy middle school years. Now I follow more of the Mindfulness Meditation concepts. There's a lot more leeway in that camp and it fits my lifestyle.

Meditation helps to clear my head so I can work on the repair of those cognitive functions.
I'm not "all there yet"-but I'm much closer than I was a year ago.

the so-called alternative therapies........

2010-03-06T10:45:00.004-05:00

First, a little bit of a diatribe.......
It bugs me that acupuncture, body energy work, meditation, even nutrition are called alternative therapies. There was a time on this planet, that they were the main therapies for healing.

Let's start with acupuncture!
Acupuncture dates back to the stone age. There are hieroglyphics and pictographs of acupuncture and moxibustion from 1600-1100 BCE, the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine (History of Acupuncture) which was compiled around 305–204 B.C, and in Europe, examinations of the 5,000-year-old mummified body of Ötzi the Iceman have identified 15 groups of tattoos on his body, some of which are located on what are now seen as contemporary acupuncture points. This has been cited as evidence that practices similar to acupuncture may have been practiced elsewhere in Eurasia during the early Bronze Age.

I was introduced to acupuncture by a chiropractor in 1990. I had fallen and rolled down the side of a mountain (not the entire mountain, but a few hundred feet) while backpacking in the Adirondacks. I seemed fine at the time, but one morning, 5 months later, I was in extreme pain and could not walk, I couldn't even get out of bed. Somehow, I made it to my chiropractor, and to the xray lab, to discover that I had a slipped disc. So for the next 3 months, I saw my chiropractor 3 days a week, and, an acupuncturist 2 days a week. I had lost the "electronic" connection in my right leg, which meant I couldn't stand on that leg but could drag it along as I walked, and I was in extreme pain 24/7.
The acupuncturist (also a huge fan of jazz ;-), applied needled and moxibustion. Slowly, the pain decreased. My chiropractor said he would prescribe pain pills, but I didn't want to go that route.
By the 4th month, I was down to 2 days a week at the chiropractor, and 1 day a week for acupuncture.
By the 6th month, the pain was gone and I could walk and stand on my right leg. I went to the YMCA for their "Y's Way To A Healthy Back", a wonderful course that helped me develop abdominal muscles and to learn how to move my body so that I didn't hurt my back. I also started a routine of daily walks.
By the 7th month, I was swimming again, slowly, only a few laps at a time. But by the 8th month I was swimming a half mile a day.
Most of the people I talked to who had experienced a similar accident and set of circumstances advised me to get back surgery. Many of those people are still in pain and have limited mobility.
I'm very happy I didn't go that route.

For the present......
A few weeks after I returned home from the hospital (March 28th, 2009), my current acupuncturist gave me the gift of weekly sessions for a couple of months. If you have never been to an acupuncturist before, the first thing they do is feel your pulse. Well, she could feel a slight pulse on my left, and no pulse on my right (which is where the tumor was). The pulse is not the traditional pulse as in heartbeat, but an energy pulse, actually pulses, which coincide with various meridians of energy. Basically, it tells her where to "fire up the energy line"-my translation, not hers ;-) So as she worked on those meridians, she also used a technique on my scar, to help it to heal and to prevent scarring, which included beads, aluminum foil and a little zapper tool that sent electric pulses-and it's lookin' pretty good now.

We are still working on that right side, the pulse is definitely getting stronger, and the left side is very solid. We're also working on reducing the effects of some of the side effects of the drug-edema, fatigue, foggy brain, cramping-it's a slow go, but there's improvement.

Gigging for a good cause

2010-03-04T12:19:00.002-05:00

D-Mo's playing at an event in Brooklyn to raise money for Doctors Without Borders' relief work in Haiti.

The 8th Annual Lady Got Chops Women's Month Jazz Festival presents 9-time Award Winning Jazz Singer & accomplished Musician LaRe alongside 10 Luminary Women in Jazz!

Clover's Fine Arts Gallery
338 Atlantic Avenue
Brooklyn NY
two block walk from Hoyt Schermerhorn Train Stop!
Saturday March 27th
Doors open 6pm
Showtime 7pm-11pm

Admission $25
Proceeds donated to Doctor's Without Borders relief work in Haiti

Mala Waldron, Diane Moser - Piano
Naoko Ueda - Bass
Keisha St Joa, LaRe, Lucy Blanco - Singers
Annette Lipson - world percussion
Melissa Jean - trombone
Rachel Housle - drums

Special Guest Jazz Performances!

There will be a silent auction of specially donated gifts auctioned off and proceeds will be donated to Dr's Without Borders!

Please be there early to participate & sign up for silent auction!

Kudos to bassist Kim Clarke for putting together a great Lady Got Chops festival lineup for Women's History Month.

Renowned bassist and educator JAMIL NASSER

2010-02-20T12:56:00.002-05:00

.....died Saturday afternoon, February 13, 2010, at Englewood Hospital, after suffering a stroke and massive cardiac arrest. He leaves behind his beloved wife of 30 years, Barbara (Baano) Nasser, their son Najee, and sons Umar, Muneer and Zaid, and daughter Aliyah, from his first marriage, to Karimah.

I loved him on my favorite Ahmad Jamal recording-Free Flight!
It turns out that Jamil Nasser was one of the folks-I think along with Jimmy Owens-who started the Jazz Foundation-of whom I owe my life to-they took me on and helped me to connect with Dr Forte and paid for my biopsy at Englewood. Cobi Narita tells me that Dr Forte was Jamil's doctor.
If I hadn't talked to Todd Weeks and Bill Denison at 802-who in turn sent me to the Jazz Foundation-who in turn sent me to Dr. Forte-I would have probably died-and that's not an exaggeration-it was that close.
So I owe Jamil Nasser a great deal that's for sure.

This is from an email that Cobi Narita sent me....
Right now-we're looking at March 21st for Jamil's Celebration of his Life and Gifts at St Peter's Church in NYC-although that's not set yet.

I also wanted to let you know that it was Jamil's idea and his bringing in his friend Dr Forte that started the whole thing at Englewood Hospital. He told me about it before it was no more than an idea. Of course, the brilliant Wendy, whom I dearly love, and others brought the idea to fruition and what it is today.

JAMIL NASSER - born June 21. 1932 - died February 13, 2010
Jamil Nasser (George Joyner) was born in Memphis, Tennessee, where he began his musical career in 1948 as a tuba player in the Booker T Washington High School Band. Shortly thereafter, he was encouraged by his boyhood friend and neighbor, the musical genius Phineas Newborn Jr., to play the bass violin. He began playing the bass in 1949, and was selected to play bass with the school dance band after an impromptu audition. The Director was Phineas Newborn Jr. Jamil and Phineas recorded in Memphis in 1953 for Peacock Records.

After high school, with three all-expense musical scholarships to choose from, he chose Arkansas A.M. & N. College in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where he organized and led the college band, the State Collegians. They went on to win the Pittsburgh Courier Poll for the "Best College Dance Band of 1950-1951."

After college, Jamil was drafted into the Army and was bassist and arranger for the 3rd Army Special Service Package Shows. Other members included Wynton Kelly, Duke Pearson and Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock from Star Trek). During that time, he was commissioned by General Bolling (Commander-In-Chief of the 3rd Army) to orchestrate the overture for the 3rd Army extravaganza, "Southland Panorama," using the 100-man concert orchestra plus the 19-piece dance band.

Upon being released in 1955, Jamil joined BB King’s band as bassist and arranger, and played the Electric Bass (a newly created instrument at that time). Phineas asked Jamil to join him in New York for his debut at the Basin Street East in 1956. They were well received by the musicians and the Jazz fans in New York. The trio was invited on the Birdland tour in 1957. Jamil was featured with the Phineas Newborn Jr. Quartet until 1958.

Thereafter, he was featured bassist with all-star jazz groups in both recording and personal appearances with such notables as Lou Donaldson, Donald Byrd, John Coltrane, Randy Weston, Red Garland, Gene Ammons, Herbie Mann, Al Haig, Lionel Hampton, Anita O’Day, Chuck Wayne and "Philly" Joe Jones, to name a few.

Forming a quartet in 1958 with the late legendary Oscar Dennard (pianist), Idrees Sulieman (trumpet) and Buster Smith (drums), they performed throughout Western and Eastern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East for three years. After returning to America in 1962, Jamil was musical director and leader of the trio at Chuck's Composite, an East Side night club that was the phenomenon of the early sixties.

Jamil joined the Ahmad Jamal Trio in 1964, along with Frank Gant on drums, an association that lasted for eleven years. During this same period Jamil was vice president of Ahmad Jamal Productions Corporation, Hema Music Incorporated, and Jamal Publishing Corporation. He was President of The King Series, an organization that specialized in special artistic packaging of all-star groups assembled with emphasis on musical compatibillity and historical importance, such as the importent packaging of the quartet which featured Red Garland, Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Cobb and Jamil, which toured Japan to sold-out houses in each city.

As producer of the jazz portion of the first "Memphis In May Festival" in 1977, Jamil assembled expatriate Memphis jazz artists and performed with them to more than 13,000 people on the famous Beale Street. Artists included were Phineas Newborn Jr., George Coleman, Hank Crawford, the late Sonny Criss, Frank Strozier, Harold Mabern and Marvin Stamm, to name but a few.

He served as musical director and bassist for actress/jazz singer Cybill Shepherd's east coast engagements.

Jamil produced and directed the first enormously successful 3-day Westchester Jazz Festival for the Presbyterian Jazz Society in Mount Vernon, N.Y.

He was a Vice Presdent of the Jazz Foundation of American 1990-1995.

He was the CEO and founder of Global International Art, Inc.. (GIA), which had a board consisting of artists and business people whose primary interest was to preserve the classical Jazz Art that is based on the total Black experience of swing-soul and beauty.

As an educator, he was director of jazz workshops at State University of New York st Stony Brook.

For many years, he was music director of the Universal Jazz Coalition, Inc./ Jazz Center of New York. producing special concerts and different workshops for instrumentalists and vocalists. Jamil and his trio, Harold Maben on piano and Frank Gant on drums, conducted well-attended weekly free jam sessions, which were important due to the construcitve critiques offered by the trio.

Among his most notable concerts were the intensely beautiful presentation of his Bassoon Choir, the fulfillment of a long-time dream, under a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts; his concert honoring one of his best friends, Major Holley, titled Bass Ball, his tribute concert for Red Garland was one of the most musically-satisfying concerts of the year; and he, along with Max Roach and Cobi Narita, spearheaded the fundraising concert for his best friend and mentor, Papa Jo Jones, at the Village Gate, raising $15,000 in cash which he presented to Papa Jo.

Jamil’s other mentor and great friend was Lester Young; Jamil used to say that Papa Jo and Prez had their own special language. They watched over Jamil and taught him “the tricks of the trade”. Jamil made the arranements to get Prez out of France and back to the U.S., during his final illness.

For more than a decade, he was George Coleman’s “bassist of choice”, performing in hundreds of supremely successful concerts, where his steady, strong, yet sensitive, lyrical bass lifted the group to new heights with each performance. One of the finest tenors of our time, George never sounded better nor appeared to enjoy the music more than when he played with Jamil.

He was also bassist of choice with Randy Weston for many years; his first performance with Randy (as George Joyner; he legally became Jamil Nasser later in the same year) was at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. One of the highlights of his working with Randy was performing with the Boston Pops Orchestra. With Randy, he recorded three albums in Paris over one weekend:
Tribute to Duke Ellington
Tribute to Thelonious Monk
Music of Randy Weston

Nasser's great diversity and sensitivity on the bass made him in great demand. He is on hundreds of albums. A few of them, among many others, are:

Outertimeinnerspace Ahmad Jamal-Impulse AS-9226
Freeflight
Ahmad Jamal-Impulse AS-9217
Eddie Heyward Now
Eddie Heyward-Lyn Records EH-1000
Fine and Dandy
Lou Donaldson, Red Garland, Jimmy
Cobb, Jamil Nasser LOB LOC-1022
Expressly Ellington
Al Haig-Jamil Nasser Combo Spotlite SPJ LP20
New York Panorama
George Coleman Quartet Theresa Records TR120
Portraits of Thelonious Monk Randy Weston 3 Album set Polydor France 281-LCO383
Portraits of Duke Ellington Randy Weston Polydor France 281-LCO383
Self Portraits Randy Weston Randy Weston Polydor France 281-LCO383

No New Tumors!

2010-02-11T15:54:00.002-05:00

I just got back from my doc's office-and from the cat scan that I had done 2 weeks ago-there are no new tumors to report! I had a talk with my doc about the gene mutation test-he's going to work on it from his end-and I'll work on it with the Life Raft Group.

We also talked about secondary mutations-which it sounds like they could be inevitable-which could generate new tumors-but as he said-we'll deal with that if it happens.
We also talked about the pros and cons of doing cat scans every 6 months-which is what is suggested by the GIST specialists-but I had a read an article in the NYTimes this week about the amount of radiation that just 1 cat scan can generate-I think they said 1 cat scan equals 400 chest xrays http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/health/policy/10radiation.html Yikes!! I had a cat scan almost everyday that first week in the hospital-I should be glowing in the dark by now......
Dr Forte believes that it's dangerous to do too many cat scans-and I have to agree-so I think we'll wait on the next one past the 6 month deadline.

All in all-he says I'm in great health-and we laughed about the cat scan report that said there was nothing remarkable-I said"Oh Dr Forte-it says I'm unremarkable"-which he took seriously and I started to laugh-telling him that I was jokin' with him-he started to laugh too.!

After the doc visit-I picked up my dear friend and lead trumpet player Mike Spengler and we went out for a celebratory lunch for my good news and his birthday!
Today was a very good day!

Jazz at Englewood Hospital

2010-02-05T02:30:00.003-05:00

I try to schedule my appointments just before noon at the hospital-that's because I know I'll get a chance to hear some jazz in the lobby-and the past few weeks have been wonderful!

One day I walked in and Lisle Atkinson was playing bass (I didn't recognize the pianist). A few days later it was Ron Naspo on bass, Bob DeBenedette on piano, and Fred Stoll on drums. That was the day I was picking up barium for my upcoming cat scan, and checking on the insurance pre-cert, good thing I did the checking, the insurance company didn't say yes to all of it-so I had to go back to the doctor's office to figure out the what next scenario-which they did.

Ron, Bob and Fred play every Friday-and possibly Saturday too. Ron and Bob told me that the gig was originally with a trombonist, who has since passed away. Ron and Bob visited me while I was in the hospital last year, on the days that they played in the lobby. It was so wonderful to have them hanging out in my room-swappin' musician stories- of course!

Then a few days after I saw Ron, Bob and Fred, I was there for my chest xray and cat scan. After I was done, I walked over to the cafeteria (hadn't had any food for many hours) and this time it was my dear friend Calvin Hill on bass and Richard Wyans on piano. Calvin and I talked for a little, updating each other on comings and goings. Calvin looks and sounds great! Many of you probably didn't know that Calvin was hospitalized a few weeks after me-but in Paris! We are so grateful that he's fine now.

There's a sign on the piano in the lobby that the music is a contribution to the hospital by-my doctor-Dr Forte. This I believe is part of his promise to Dizzy Gillespie, to keep the music going, and to give medical care to jazz musicians who do not have health insurance.

Going to the hospital can be very stressful, but knowing that I'll be able to hear some wonderful music while I'm there, makes all the difference in the world.

Screening of award-winning film with music by Diane

2010-01-26T13:59:00.001-05:00

“BREAKING BOUNDARIES; THE ART OF ALEX MASKET”
A SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM
BY DENNIS CONNORS
SELECTED AS DIRECTOR’S CHOICE FOR
29th BLACK MARIA FILM + VIDEO FESTIVAL

Montclair, NJ Jan 25- “Is it art if he can’t tell us what he’s doing?” is just one of the questions filmmaker and Montclair resident Dennis Connors explores in this short documentary film, a close-up look at Alex Masket and his remarkable work. Alex is a young adult with severe autism. He is functionally non-verbal and makes what we in the verbal world call “art”. Is he expressing himself? Is this his language, and is it our disability if we don’t understand it?

“Breaking Boundaries: the Art of Alex Masket” was filmed from the summer of 2008 thru the summer of 2009 and is 18 minutes long. The music was written by Montclair’s own Diane Moser, and performed by the Diane Moser Quintet featuring local musicians Andy Eulau, Scott Neumann, Ben Williams, and fellow Montclairian Rob Henke.

Opening night award ceremony for the 29th Black Maria Film + Video Festival will take place on February 5th at 7:00 PM at New Jersey City University- Margaret Williams Theatre- Hepburn Hall, Culver Ave. at John F. Kennedy Blvd (201-200-2043). Additional screenings will take place Saturday February at 2:PM at the Newark Museum Bill Johnson Auditorium- 49 Washington Street, Newark, NJ (973-596-6550), and Sunday February 7 at 2:00PM at the AMC9 Cinema-West Orange Film Society- Essex Green Shopping Center 495 Prospect Ave. just off 280 exit 8a in West Orange (973-324-9100).

Director/producer Connors has enjoyed a career in still photography for over 30 years. His work includes editorial, corporate and advertising assignments, as well as personal projects. The recent addition of filmmaking to his toolbox allows him to open new doors and explore his subjects more deeply. His curiosity about what makes people create art fuels his recent explorations in both mediums. In his own words, “I learn by working, and hope that my work can contribute to helping us better understand people that are different than ourselves. Filming Alex for the past 18 months has been an extraordinary journey. I would like to thank the Masket family for allowing me to witness this period of accomplishment in Alex’s life.”

Alex’s work is the cover story in the current issue of Esopus magazine.
For further information about the festival, visit http://www.blackmariafilmfestival.org/Tour

Recuperation vs. wholeness

2010-01-19T11:47:00.006-05:00

Interesting article in the Times this morning, about how long it takes to fully recover physically, mentally, and spiritually from cancer.

We live in a culture that firmly believes that recovery consists of as brief a physical healing process as possible, followed by getting right back on the horse. We prize the stoic, Marlboro man, fade to black, everything's all right, it's just a flesh wound attitude.

But in his article Times reporter Dana Jennings describes his need to slow down, despite his impulse to take care of business as usual. He was "physically game," but unable to focus. "I couldn’t make sense of my cancer-blasted interior landscape," he says. He felt the world was speeding up as he was slowing down.

Eventually he realized, "I had to remove daily pressures from my psyche," Jennings says.

The article left me with the feeling that time does indeed heal all wounds, but the psychic, spiritual, soulful mending will take far longer than the physical.

I've had positive feedback on the article from Diane and two other cancer-surviving friends: All have experienced what Jennings describes.

Life Raft Support Group

2010-01-16T16:39:00.002-05:00

So I just returned home from an informational meeting of the Life Raft Group-http://www.liferaftgroup.org/
they are a group dedicated to helping people like me with GIST-what an amazing group of people!
They had a presentation by a GIST specialist in Colorado-via WebEx-who we heard over the phone and watched a power point presentation about GIST, Exon numbers/mutations, and the various treatments that are available now, and new ones that are just getting out there.
I am so impressed with this group by their dedication and their hard work. They have their own staff of researchers who work with doctors, researchers and drug companies on a multitude of issues concerning GIST. For example, when I new drug is being developed, they send their staff to the drug company and talk with their researchers and provide input from Life Raft members.
There are now Life Raft groups in 50 countries-that's a lot of input.
The most exciting piece of information I received today is that I can send them tissue samples from my tumor (and I'm hoping the pathology department has kept those tissues in paraffin) and they will provide a gene mutation test on the sample and then add that sample to a tissue bank for GIST cancer researchers. This is great news! I have been trying desperately to get my doc to do the gene mutation test-but he doesn't know a lot about that.
The reason for the gene mutation test is to find out what exon number I have-which will in turn tell me several things:my chances for secondary mutations, and,if the dosage of Gleevec needs to be increased, or if I should be on another drug.
There was no talk of getting off of Gleevec.
They talked about 10 years survival rate as being the new thresh hold-when several years ago it used to be 5 years.
So you know where I will be popping into on Monday morning-that's right-my doc's office-let's get this show on the road already!

A couple of older but great pix of Diane

2010-01-08T14:24:00.013-05:00

I had meant to post these some time ago, but I kept getting delayed due to holidays, my surgery, etc. But now I'm catching up on stuff, and I wanted to share these pix of Dmo from the big band's Lake George gig last September:

If you want to see more pix, they're posted at:

http://www.albanyjazz.com/rudylu/2009lakegeorge2.html

Inspiration from Randy Weston

2009-12-15T10:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was very fortunate to attend a talk given by the great jazz pianist Randy Weston-about his life and his music. Here are some of the things that he talked about.....when he was growing up, his parents generation felt it was very important to be "cultured"-so everyone either studied an musical instrument or went to art classes etc., went to hear music and to museums-all of that was a high priority-remember that Randy is in his 70's-and segregation was the rule while he was growing up. His parents also told him to "surround himself with the best minds".
Here are some other wonderful nuggets.....he equated "the blues" with an Egyptian word that meant "ancient memory"........."music is our first language"...."music is out spiritual langauge"..."music is a healing force"....and he said that we have to take music back into the community-get it out of the corporate world. That last one was ironic considering we were sitting in a room on the 5th floor of the ASCAP building ;-) A very inspiring experience! Thank you Elzy for including me!

Text of Steve Jobs' Commencement address (2005)

2009-12-13T14:02:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone-it's been a long time since I've posted anything-and I'm working on a bunch of things for all of you-but today I ran across this in my inbox. Steve Jobs tells the story of his life in this commencement address to Stanford University. I found this to be very inspiring!
If you have been wondering how I'm feeling lately-the last part of his story really pretty much describes my life.
And interesting enough-the first part of his story is close to my story-I too am an adopted child.
Being adopted makes you are an outsider in society-but I've always found that to be a special gift. Because I was adopted, I developed a broader sense of humanity when I was very young. I told myself that I could choose anything that I wanted to be, since there were no constraints via family genes or expectations. So even though many of my so-called school chums were reminding me that I was different (i.e.-"you don't fit in")-I was off exploring ideas,philosophies, religions, cultures-creating who I wanted to be. It was and continues to be a very wonderful journey.
And, in case you're wondering right now-GIST is not familia-for the most part-there is a tiny , tiny percentage of cases where they have found GIST in family members. Dr Forte and I discussed that issue right at the beginning and will keep a watchful eye on Chad.

Text of Steve Jobs' Commencement address (2005)

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Some back story on Gleevec

2009-11-03T16:42:00.002-05:00

Here's an interesting interview with Brian Druker, the doctor who was instrumental in researching and testing Gleevec: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/science/03conv.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=gleevec&st=cse

Dr. Druker says, "I think I’m more perseverance than smarts. There’s a basketball player who says, 'Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.' Well, I work hard. I understood that this project was too good to give up on. My patients needed me to do something to help them. I did everything I could by getting them a drug I thought would work."

Diane still love us but … Part II

2009-09-25T11:25:00.000-04:00

Diane is doing so great, it’s easy to forget how much she’s been through this year and overlook its ongoing impact. Hey, even she forgets, taking charge and jumping into the middle of things with her trademark enthusiasm.

At the start of this whole process, a friend urged Diane to practice saying no (ok, what she said was more colorful, but you get the picture). That’s still a work in progress. She really wants to be here for us, solve our problems, hold our hands through tough times and encourage us in our lives and endeavors. But the truth is she really must focus on her music and her health.

She’s still not 100 percent of her pre-surgery self. Diane’s daily chemo, Gleevec, has affected her memory and energy levels. She’s having problems concentrating and adjusting to all of the changes in her life. It’s really stressful for her to acknowledge that she cannot do as much as she wants. In fact, sometimes she doesn’t recognize her new limits until she crashes and burns.

One of my favorite examples of Diane’s giving personality: After two major surgeries, plugged into a zillion tubes and machines and barely able to speak, as soon as she saw me she said, “Yo, I have a great story idea for you!” That makes it hard to remember that she’s still recovering and can’t always play the role of therapist, advisor, helper, etc. She needs space to build her strength and take care of her many responsibilities.

So please think twice before picking up the phone for a gripe session or to ask for a favor. D-Mo’s sure to say yes, but it could end up costing more than we realize.

update on Gist Walk

2009-09-16T01:47:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately I won't be able to do the walk-I have to work that day-but I am planning on going to the dinner. If anyone would like to go with me-let me know.
Pictured in this photo: Tania Stutman, me, Elzy Kolb, Russ Vines. Tania is an amazing woman who is a GIST survivor of over 10 years now, and the one who started the GIST Cancer Research Fund. She was on the first Gleevec trials back in 1999. She started GIST CRF by going-literally-door to door-asking if people would donate money to research-all by herself.
Last year, GCRF raised $700,000 for research-that's a long ways from going door to door!
Elzy, Russ and I met with Tania to see what we could do about helping her with her organization.Tania explained to us, that the biggest hurdle is getting doctors to "look" for GIST. Many times, as was the case with Tania, patients are mis-diagnosed, and that happens because many doctors are unaware that GIST even exists! So our goal is to get the "word out" about GIST. A recent Wall Street Journal article about Gleevec stated that GIST is often times fatal within 15 months of diagnosis. I am an extremely lucky person to be alive, considering my tumor was probably growing inside of me for the past 3-5 years. And I am extremely lucky that the oncologist I went to (and still go to) , the amazing Dr. Forte, knew enough to look for GIST. By the time they figured out what was wrong-it was almost too late-but they got it just in time.
http://www.gistinfo.org/press/gcrf-news/

our big band performs this weekend

2009-09-16T01:31:00.002-04:00

I just got back from our first rehearsal since January for our gig this weekend-Sunday Sept 20th 4:30 PM on the Lake George Jazz Festival-and we are all so excited!
http://www.lakegeorgearts.org/lakegeorge-jazz.htm
It was a great rehearsal and a momentous occassion to say the least. The last time the band played-I wasn't with them-it was the benefit that they did for me. I could barely walk into the club that night. My lead trombonist and organizer of the benefit-Erick Storckman- reminded me tonight of his visit to me in the hospital on my second day after the second surgery. He told me how worried he was when he saw me that day-and how sick I was. Of course I barely remember any of this-I remember he was there-but not much more. We both mused about this tonight-and how it was amazing that we are back playing together again-and I am reminded of how incredibly lucky I am to be alive and to have an an incredible amount of support from my son, my brother, my family, my friends and this amazing band-amazing people.
We did a lot of laughing tonight-lots of jokes going around-eating pizza-talking-playing the music-working out trouble spots-not too many of those actually.
This festival is a wonderful event for us and our return to the stage-and a new season.
Eight months ago, I wasn't sure if I would be around-at all. But here I am-with the help of all of you-and I thank you!

more health update

2009-09-16T01:19:00.002-04:00

My oncologists ' assitant-Kelley-called me today. They took another look at my blood-my AST levels are fine-but I am still deficient in vitamin D-by quite a bit-so I will continue to take my 2,000 units of vitamin D everyday. Everything else looks very good.
Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal about Gleevec-the drug that I'm on. I have all of those side effects-with the puffy eyes/edema being the recent ones. I hope I don't get those blood vessels bursting that they talked about-or I'll have to start dressing like Moira the Vampire-ha!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203278404574412791106176098.html
I took a pilates class today-did about 1/3 of what they did-and left 15 minutes early so that I could swim. When they got to the lower abs-I had absolutely none-nada-it was like they didn't exist-bizarre. But I did well with the upper abs. I listen to my body-and when it hurts I stop-but I think this is good for me to do. Tomorrow-I try a gentle yoga class.
I started swimming in early July during my residnecy at the Virginia Center for the Arts-I have basically kept that up at several times a week. I also try to get several 2 mile walks in every week. Now I'm trying exercise classes-like pilates, or the gentle yoga class for strength. I've done yoga off and on for years-also Tai Chi-which I'll be going to on Friday.

saw my oncologist last week

2009-09-16T01:17:00.001-04:00

Hey you guys,
Just updating.......my levels look good-except for my AST-which is a liver enzyme-so they are running the blood thru another test.
My blood pressure was great as well as my pulse.
I had a long talk with Dr. Forte about gene mutation testing-he is having the original pathologist check some things-we're specifically looking for what type of exon the gene mutation is. The gene mutation test that is available is not FDA approved-and my health insurance probably wouldn't cover it-and-regardless of what the test said-Dr. Forte said I will be on Gleevec for the rest of my life-unless of course we get some evidence that I can be taken off of the drug-or-I have to go to a much stronger drug. I brought in an article about gene mutation testing and showed him-he had heard of the test-and took me seriously-so he is asking the pathologist to take another look see-"we certainly have enough tissue"-Dr. Forte said laughingly-referring to the 17 lb tumor.
He also told me I was an A Typical patient-especially for being a musician. I asked him what he meant by that-he told me that no one comes in armed with info like I do, nor, can they even discuss things like gene mutations-exons, Kit protein etc. We talked for a very long time-looked at articles on the web-articles that he has been collecting etc. It was a good meeting.
In November-we do a cat scan to see if there are any tumors.
By the way-he said sitting in the sun for vitamin D is only for teenagers and younger-it doesn't work on adults.
And lastly-at the end of our meeting we talked about jazz-which we always do. He talked about the Jersey Jazz Society-I told him the head guy for that lives in Montclair and he never answers my emails-he told me to use his name-ha! So there ya go-Dr. Forte is keeping me healthy-and forwarding my career-bonus.
Thank you all for being "my team" and for all of the support you have given me-there is just no way I could have gone thru and continue to go thru any of this without you.
love,
Diane

GIST walk, Oct. 4

2009-08-14T09:34:00.003-04:00

Maybe we can get a group together to do the GIST walk. Looks like it's a beautiful setting, with a lake on one side of the park and the Hudson on the other. Congers is just north of Nyack, so it's not to far for people to travel from the city, New Jersey or Westchester. And the weather should be great early in October, with the leaves starting to turn. I'm into it!

I'll post more details as I learn them, and will check out anyplace nearby to have lunch afterward (always one of my first concerns: where/when do we eat?).

Anyone interested in walking, please post a comment and any questions.

more info on Walk-for-A Cure

2009-08-10T00:35:00.002-04:00

I have more info on the walk-start time is 9:30 at Lake State Park, Congers, NY-here are the phone numbers to register 845 634 6060 and 845 634 1174-I'm calling this week to register and will post more info.

Tania - GCRF Emerges

2009-08-10T00:25:00.003-04:00

Tania - GCRF Emerges
This is the story behind GCRF-Gist Cancer Research Fund-and the woman who started it-with the walk for a cure in Congers,NY.

Posted using ShareThis

GIST Walk 2009

2009-07-29T17:12:00.002-04:00

GIST Walk 2009
This is a walk-for-the-cure for GIST on October 4th in Congers, NY at Lake State park. I don't have all the details-but I do plan on doing this. If you go to this site-you'll see many stories about living and dying with GIST-so heart breaking. I am absolutely incredibly lucky to be alive-that all of the cancer was encapsulated in the tumor-that they found it in time-that the surgeon got all of it out-that my blood work says "no cancer"-and to have the support of all of you. Today is my birthday-and trust me-this is THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!
thank you so much
love,
Diane
Posted using ShareThis

photos from VCCA

2009-07-29T11:53:00.005-04:00

Okay-so you're gonna say-what is this about..... I will tell you....this is the area in front of the studio barn, where we would go outside and eat lunch on the picnic tables-you can see a few artists out there eating. Just beyond that area is a parking area, and on the other side of the parking area is a meadow-where, while eating lunch-we saw a "teenager bear" one day, scampering across the meadow. A few of us yelled bear! bear!-and the bear stopped, stood up on it's haunches and raised it's paws way up in the air- as if to say either where? where? or maybe you got me! or better yet-humans! humans!-then it scampered off into the woods. A few days later, while hiking in the woods, 2 artists came across same bear-the artists slowly went backwards away from the bear-and when they were out of "bear sight" they tore out of there. We talked about that bear everyday.

This is the view from my bedroom in the fellows residence

This is a view of my studio from the northeast side.

I haven't had a chance to publish all of them yet-but here's a preview....the photo above is the road to the studio barn

mystery of the hair loss.....vitamin D

2009-07-29T11:36:00.005-04:00

So I heard from my oncologist-it seems I am deficient in vitamin D-so now I'm taking 2000 IU's a day. I also found some biotin shampoo and conditioner that doesn't have a lot of chemicals in it-so I'm using that too. In talking with friends about this vitamin D business-I have found out that a vitamin D deficiency is the number one deficiency in the northeast. So if you're feeling fatigue, hair loss, memory loss and foggy brain, it's probably becuase you're not getting enough vitamin D-and don't forget-you have to take it with calcium in order for your body to absorb vitamin D. You could also sit in the sun for 15 minutes a day-unfortunately I can't-it's one of the big no-no's while taking Gleevec. However, I have been getting in the sun for 5 minutes here and there-and then ducking for cover-ha! I did hear from someone with GIST-on the Life Raft Support Facebook page-where I posted the hair loss problem-and she basically said all of the above-so maybe the hair loss is a lot more prevalent than my doc or Novartis knows....I'll be letting them know, you can bet on that. http://apps.facebook.com/causes/144710/27148611?m=6d54c0aa
You guys probably know this already-but in case you don't-the other new health tip I learned is for people with allergies, to eat local honey-it has to be within a 50 mile radius of where you live-and that should take care of your allergies.

video from VCCA

2009-07-19T11:32:00.003-04:00

This is a little video I did for Debbie Gallant and her hyperlocal news website Baristanet
http://www.baristanet.com/2009/07/diane_moser_is_alive_and_well.php
I'm home now and will start posting photos and such from my residency at VCCA.....
stay tuned......

Update from Dmo in VA

2009-07-10T13:44:00.007-04:00

Diane will be back from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts soon, but I recently received an update from her about her activities:

"So far I've just been doing solo piano sketches-and I'll flush them out when I get home for the big band. I was just thrilled that I finally got through this book called "Music of the Heavens" by Bruce Stephenson-which explains Kepler-but mostly explains how he arrived at all of his equations etc. All of the astro stuff goes right over my head-but I get the concept. Luckily, Bruce has the music part in the book. I also found a very cool article http://sscm-jscm.press.illinois.edu/v11/no1/pesic.html

I've only read a few pages of the Harmonice Mundi-even the Introduction is tough to get thru-ha!
But I think this project will be going on for some time.

Right now, I'm taking snippets of one of the sketches as a basis for a Soundpainting piece-that I'm doing on Saturday night-I'm getting the other artists involved-it's gonna be totally weird-but I'm really diggin' the process of this. Actually-the "musical portion" of Johannes K is very simple-very basic stuff-but when I put it together and into the context of the planets and their orbits-that's when it gets interesting.

For the next couple of days-I'm going back to transcribing some of the birdsong improvs that I didn't get a chance to dig into yet. Along with the Soundpainting on Saturday night-I'm giving a half hour solo piano concert-with 2 birdsongs-Amy Beaches' A hermit Thrush at Eve-and 2 of my older compositions-Myrtle Ave and For My Mother.

There was a reading tonight-really wonderful writers-Peter Ramos-poet, read a new poem and works from his book "Please Do Not Feed The Ghost" http://www.buffalostate.edu/library/rooftop/members/ramos.htm
and Pamela Durban-poet/short stories and novelist-read parts of her short story "Soon" which is in a collection of American Short Stories 1997, and I guess the new collection-Best American Short Stories of the 20th cent-edited by John Updike-I found a link for you http://english.unc.edu/faculty/durbanp.html
When she finished reading-everyone sort of "gasped" -it really did take their breath away.

A visual artist remarked to me after the readings-that one of the best things about coming to an artist colony is to hear/see everyone's work-it is very cool.

Friday night is an open studio tour for the visual artist-Sat I do my thing-another composer here is going to do a short thing-then we're having a big party because so many of us are leaving-and I announced that if the writers would read their work at the party-I would play piano with them-they're all really psyched about that."

Alexander Technique

2009-06-30T15:48:00.009-04:00

While in California last week-I had 3 unbelievable Alexander Technique sessions-which I think technically are called "lessons"-with the wonderful teacher and healer Eileen Troberman.

This is a description from the main website "The Alexander Technique is a method that works to change (movement) habits in our everyday activities. It is a simple and practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and coordination. The technique teaches the use of the appropriate amount of effort for a particular activity, giving you more energy for all your activities. It is not a series of treatments or exercises, but rather a reeducation of the mind and body. The Alexander Technique is a method which helps a person discover a new balance in the body by releasing unnecessary tension. It can be applied to sitting, lying down, standing, walking, lifting, and other daily activities..." and here's the link http://alexandertechnique.com/at.htm
Eileen has her own website http://alexandertechniquesandiego.com/
Eileen helped me to relieve the stress from my surgeries and my hospital stay-and I am continuing to practice the lessons I learned from her. Here are some pictures that my friend, photographer and excellent foot reflexologist Grace took of one of my lessons with Eileen.
While Eileen was teaching me, there were times that I felt a great door had opened-and the tension that was released seemed almost "ancient"-in other words-tension from years ago as well as the surgeries. Then I felt lighter than a feather-just floating across the room.
Also, while working at the piano, the sound would change as the tension was released-and I didn't move my hands! It's all in the vibrations...;-)
That evening, Grace gave me a foot reflexology session-oh my, we discovered that there's still a lot of healing to be done, but Grace really got some energy moving through my legs and my abdomen.
The summer of healing continues...:-)
And one more thing-you'll notice from these pictures that I am loosing my hair at a very fast pace. I had a trim, and I'm using special shampoo, and taking vitamins but it's still falling out all over the place-so I'm just going with it.

Great fundraiser ...

2009-06-17T11:08:00.002-04:00

on Sunday at the church in Montclair. There was a nice turn out, which was especially gratifying since it was such a gorgeous day. The church was flooded with sunlight and good feeling, kind of like being outdoors but better.

I got there after 4, but in plenty of time to hear a lot of great music from the Mike Kaplan Nonet, birdsong duets by D-Mo and Mark Dresser, and Diane's quintet. It was such a pleasure to hear Diane playing so well, and see her looking so great.

I have to single out George Cables' solo piano. The music was so beautiful and seemed to flow from him so effortlessly, it touched me deeply. I can't begin to explain what it did to me emotionally -- and words are my business. I'm tearing up thinking about it.

Last week I saw one of the final performances of August Wilson's great play "Joe Turner's Come and Gone." The heart of the story is what happens to a person who loses his song. That passed through my mind while listening to George play. I was hearing someone totally in touch with his song. I'm deeply grateful.

More soon ...

videos of Tina Marsh

2009-06-12T00:02:00.003-04:00

In July 2007, with the help of a grant from Meet The Composer, Tina Marsh was a guest composer with our big band. We performed her composition Milky Way Dreaming, with Tina singing and conducting. Luckily, we had 3 people shooting video of the band that night, Curt Fissel, Dennis Connors and Ryen Tetzloff. I few days ago I asked Ryen to edit the segment of Tina and the band, and he as just finished-and what a beautiful job he did! Because of the time limit on youtube, Ryen edited the segment into 3 videos which you can see on our myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/dianemoserscomposersbigband
The third video features Tina entirely-and is the most profound for this moment in time.
Please take a minute to listen to this amazing vocalist and composer, a beautiful woman, and a beautiful soul who had a profound affect on everyone that she met.

Tina Marsh with String Quartet

2009-06-08T21:41:00.002-04:00

Once again-this goes beyond versatility-this vocal work is pioneering. Not only that, but she has arranged her big band piece "Courage of the Butterfly" for string quartet and there is a beautiful film. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YugS30QoRx8

more on Tina Marsh

2009-06-08T21:35:00.002-04:00

I started looking for youtube videos on Tina, and I found this one-which I think speaks to her versatility and to the moment.....take a listen.........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Bu7bsQmnDk

Tina Marsh

2009-06-08T16:02:00.004-04:00

For those of you that were at the double 50th Birthday celebration for me and Gradie Stone, you will remember another guest vocalist on that night-Tina Marsh.
Tina Marsh is pictured in this photo from my quintet concert at Caldwell College featuring Ben Williams, Scott Neumann, Rob Middleton, myself and Ken Filiano-taken just before we went on stage.
I'm writing about this because Tina is now in her last stages of fighting breast cancer-she is at home with hospice care-the fight is over. I will be writing more about her later, but for now, please circle her with light and love as she prepares to make her transition.

More music and friendship

2009-06-01T08:30:00.001-04:00

Fundraising efforts for pianist Diane Moser to continue with special concert event Sunday afternoon, June 14 in Montclair, NJ

Composer, pianist and bandleader Diane Moser has been a leading light in jazz and new music in the New York-New Jersey Area for nearly 20 years. As a writer the Montclair, NJ resident has received acclaim for her compositions, including a prestigious composition grant by Chamber Music America and a fellowship with the MacDowell Artists Colony. As a pianist, she has appeared with numerous top-flight musicians, such as Charles McPherson, Mark Dresser, Gerry Hemmingway among others, always lending her singular voice to the music. As a bandleader she has led numerous groups, most notably her Composer’s Big Band. Now she faces a new challenge, as she recovers from a rare form of cancer, in form of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and faces tremendous medical costs. In April her Composers Big band held the first of several fundraisers to help defray her medical expenses. A special concert benefit involving members of her local community as well as artists of international stature will be held on Sunday afternoon, June 14 at the Central Presbyterian Church in Montclair, NJ from 2:00-6:00 PM. There will be live auctions and a host of other activities that day to raise funds for Diane Moser.

Performers will include legendary jazz pianist George Cables, Double Bass Virtuoso and new music titan Mark Dresser, as well as several stalwarts of the NY-NJ Jazz scene (see below for full list) Additionally, several of Diane’s piano students will perform as well. Such a wide range of performers reflects Moser’s gifts as a performer, composer, and educator-in all these guises she has shared her love and enthusiasm for music.

A Celebration and Fundraiser for Diane Moser

Sunday June 14 2:00-6:00 PM

Central Presbyterian Church

46 Park Street Montclair, NJ 07042

There is no admission, but donations are encouraged

Guest artists will include: George Cables, Mark Dresser, Anton and Nicki Denner, the Mike Kaplan Nonet, the Diane Moser Quintet, the Erick Storckman Septet, and piano students of Diane Moser

For information, call 201-259-5865

For directions to Central Presbyterian Church, visit www.centralpresbyterian.net/contacts.html or call (973) 744-5340

Donations to cover Diane Moser’s medical costs can also be made online at

http://d-mo-zone.blogspot.com/. Just click on the “Donate” button in upper right hand corner to start the process.

Jin Shin Jyutsu

2009-05-29T00:53:00.002-04:00

I thought you would like to know more about Jin Shin Jyutsu-so here is the link to their website.
http://www.jsjinc.net/
Mark Dresser first introduced this to me-many years ago-and it is wonderful healing energy work, that you can do everyday. It's even more wonderful when you go for a session with a great practitioner-as I do.
Also the link for the tuning/healing forks http://www.soundhealingtools.com/index.php
My acupuncturist uses these forks in addition to the needles. I find them very comforting, and restful, they smooth out the rough edges.

recent doctors visit

2009-05-23T00:57:00.002-04:00

I saw my oncologist on Thursday-he did a double take when he was walking thru the waiting room and saw me sitting there-then he shouted out, pointing his finger at me-"you are a completely different person now"-wow-is that an understatement-ha!
Anyway-my blood work says everything is good so far-my blood pressure is good-I've gained some weight-but everyone seems to think it's a healthy gain (I think it's the iced lattes I was indulging in on a regular basis-not to mention some other goodies like donuts-uh oh!) So we've stopped that bad girl behavior-sort of-just not as frequent-a girl has to have a reward once in a while, right? ;-)
I've been on Gleevec for 2 weeks now-as of today-and until 2 days ago-I was side affect free-not any more-drats! The nausea has kicked in-and maybe some other stuff-but it's all very mangeable- so far. Also, I've noticed that my hair is falling out a little more than usual-we'll see-that actually started happening before the Gleevec-but now there's more-and my hair feels very thin.
I have dreams of smoking cigarettes-but I'm only dreaming-very strange dreams though.....I think there needs to be an added warning on the side of the cigarette packs-"these cigarettes will track you down and haunt you in your dreams if you dare to stop smoking"...or maybe it's still the residual affects of the anesthesia slowly leaving my body......mmmm........
I can tell you this though-I have been getting weekly treatments of acupuncture and tuning/healing forks-and I had a Jin Shin Jyustu session last night-and both are helping me tremendously-really helps to even out the energy and to unblock any energy that is stuck-it's great!

photos from the May12th San Diego Benefit Concert

2009-05-18T23:41:00.004-04:00

These photos are from the wonderful photographer Grace Parsons.
Duncan Moore and Mark Dresser are pictured here-follow the link to my gallery and you can see the rest.
http://gallery.me.com/dianemoser#100402&bgcolor=black&view=grid

Photos from the May 11th Benefit Concert at Trumpets

2009-05-18T23:18:00.003-04:00

Hey Everyone.....
Chris Drukker shot these wonderful photos of the band and guest composers.
Tom Colao, Ben Williams and Erick Storckman are pictured here-follow the link and you can see the rest.
http://gallery.me.com/dianemoser#100380&sel=0

donating all of my clothes.......

2009-05-16T23:02:00.002-04:00

For those of you who have seen me-you know that I'm about 40 lbs lighter now-which means none of my clothes fit me. I know that I could just drop these in the Red Cross box (we're talking about bags and bags of clothes-basically my entire wardrobe)-but I wanted to spread them around-send to your favorite organizations that desperately need clothes-maybe you know of someone who has the opposite problem than me-I exchanged clothes with a friend who gained weight and needed the size that I have(which is 18/20 and 22/24), and I needed the size that she used to be (which is 12/14). Maybe you know someone who needs a little help right now- I've got some really nice stuff. I also have shoes-shoes and more shoes-seems that when you loose that much weight-you go down in shoe size too-and of course coats and jackets. Let me know......

Reflections on the May 12th benefit Concert in San Diego

2009-05-15T23:57:00.002-04:00

So as I was just slightly recovering-ever so slightly recovering from the night before-the next night was another benefit concert in San Diego.
First of all I gotta say-I am incredibly blessed to have so many friends who love me enough-to put an incredible amount of work into putting on a benefit concert for me-it is mind blowing!!!
Tuesday May 12th....9PM Montclair Time......6PM San Diego Time
The concert was schedule for 7 PM west coast time-but I knew that it was possible I would get a skype call from Mark Dresser at any time after 9PM-our time-because they were setting up at 6PM their time. At around 9:30 I got the call-and I was talking to and seeing Mark Dresser, Duncan Moore, the sound man and the stage at Dizzy's in San Diego. I had invited my friends Murray and Luzia to come over to watch this with me-so we had an audience of 3 ;-) How cool to be watching and listening to everything that was going on with the set up. As musicians arrived-Mark told them I was on the "laptop" and they should speak into the mic and look at the screen and they would see me. I could hear them-but they couldn't hear me so well-so I would listen to them and text back an answer. One by one, musicians and audience members came by and said hello-it was so far out!
The first group up was Mark Dresser, drummer Duncan Moore and saxophonist Trip Sprague.
They played a set of "free music" that was so beautiful, and interesting, and energetic-I just loved it.
The next group was led by guitarist Bob Boss, and included Duncan, bassist Gunner Biggs, and on trumpet-Mitch Manker-laying down some beautiful standards-and sweet bossas.
Next up was Yale Strom (violin) Elizabeth Schwartz (vocals) and Mark Dresser (bass) and later joined by Trip Sprague. They did what I call-"free klez"-klezmer music with open spaces to improvise. I've worked with Yale and Elizabeth for some time-and it is always a pleasure and always fun. They really "threw down" on the bulgar tune, Elizabeth's solo piece was breath taking and the ending "Payer" piece was so spiritually moving!
Ending the first set was Mark Dresser and Anthony Davis( piano). Mark and Anthony did a set of free improv that was incredibly beautiful and soulful-their motifs danced in and around each other-it was stunning.
During the break-I got to "chat" with more musicians and audience members-I think we were all goovin' on the technology-and how it was bringing us all together!
The second set was the band "ESP" led by pianist Lynn Willard, and included trumpeter Mitch Manker, saxophonist Bob Campbell, drummer Gary Nieves and the bass player-who I didn't know and only caught his first name-Dave. Hopefully someone will see this and tell me his last name. The band was smokin' and at one point in this set-Lynn played a section of some wonderful solo piano-it was great.
There were lots more musicians ready to play-but time ran out-and the venue said time to go home.
But I wanted to thank everyone who played-the music was so beautiful!
Thank you to everyone who came and made generous contributions-you are so kind-thank you.
Thank you to Mark and Duncan who put this together-you guys did a ton of organizing-thank you so much!
Thank you to George Vargas and Joshua White who wrote articles and got the word out!
And thank you to Dizzy's and to the sound man-whose name I didn't get-but hopefully I will-thank you for donating your space for this event.
Thank you Carol Del for holding it all together-you are Superwoman!!!
Some seriously good healing went on this evening-you have all helped me enormously-and I so appreciate it-thank you so much!
love,
Diane

Great Night in San Diego!

2009-05-14T13:36:00.001-04:00

From Carol DelSignor:

Thanks to everyone who came out to Dizzy's in San Diego on May 12 to support Di-Mo. Diane was able to watch and listen to all the great music online. This was a big kick for her and those of us in the SD Di-Mo family of friends and fans who got to see her and chat with her online. Many thanks to all the great musicians who sat in and apologies to those who couldn't because of time constraints. One night was not enough! For those of you who were unable to make it, you can still participate in the benefit by clicking the PayPal button on this blog site. As we know, Diane has been making great progress, but the hospital and medication bills are starting to come in and she will need our support in the weeks and months to come.

Relections on the May 11th Benefit Concert at Trumpets

2009-05-13T01:40:00.004-04:00

Wow-I am just totally blown away-and don't even know where to start but here goes!
Monday Night-May 11 Trumpets Jazz Club around 7:15...............
I walk inside the door-Natascha looks at me with that-we're already packed look-and indeed almost every seat was taken. Next thing I know-Rufus and Doris Reid are standing in front of me-giving me big hugs-and I am feeling so much love-and then I look around and Natascha is right-the "house" is nearly full-amazing. Then I look at the band assembling-getting situated-every one coming to me with their arms outstretched-oh my goodness-the flood of emotions for me and the out pouring of love and good vibes. I had missed my band so much-and it was incredible to see everyone-and the guest composers Russ Vines, Oliver Lake, Howard Johnson, Mike Kaplan,Bill Kirchner, Marcelino Feliciano on vocals and the subs in the band-Niki Denner, Matt King and Jim McNeely on piano-Tim Ferguson on bass, Joe Mosello, and Vinnie Citro on trumpet-just incredible!
Enrico asked me if I wanted a table, and I said I better do that, becuase I would need to sit down, but I also knew that I wanted to walk around and see everyone-which is exactly what I did.
The thing to bear in mind is that 2 months previously-I had my surgery-was in the hospital for 2 1/2 weeks- 2 weeks of that being in isloation-came home-stayed home most of the time except for work-and this was the first time I had seen a lot of my band members and friends let alone be out in public and in a club-at night! Overwhelming doesn't even begin to describe what I was feeling.
The minute the band started to play-I knew the evening was going to be great! The band was totally smokin'-great energy-great vibes-great solos!
As I went around the room and talked to everyone, I was just amazed at not only how many people there were, but that there were people there from all different "walks of life"-and how cool that was! One of my friends told me that a mutual friend of ours said he saw a bunch of people that he knew-but didn't know that I knew them. This friend had come to the club at 8PM, and couldn't get, then came back at 9PM and still couldn't get in. Another friend said "everyone came out!"
I tried to talk to everyone-but I couldn't get to the folks at the bar-just too many people there. I did make it to the foyer of the club, and then outside-wow-the club set up tables and chairs in the parking lot for the folks that couldn't make it inside-and they had their own party going-it was great! I'm guessing that there were 250 people there-at least-I think the club seats around 150 or so.
At one point I saw musicians from the Cecils Big Band-which plays on Monday nights at Cecils Jazz Club. What I didn't know until the end of the night-was that they took up a collection at Cecils from the audience and the band members-and then brought it over. How incredibly generous! A lot of those musicians have subbed in our band over the years-and it was so wonderful to seem them there.
I saw many of our regular audience members-man-I have really missed talking to all of you-and it was so heart warming to see all of you there!
A big thank you to Chris Drukker who shot a lot of photos during the night-at some point I'll post them on our myspace page so you can see them.
A big , big thank you to Dennis "Dencon" Connors who shot video-all night-and "lit" the place-talk about working waaaaaaay over time. Dennis started coming to the big band from the very first gigs at Tierney's and has been documenting us-shooting photos and now video-for the past 12 years-just an incredible photographer, and has become a great friend too!!!
A big thank you to my friend Susan Brink who came down from Lake George, NY and ran a raffle-with the prize being a free night at the Clarion Hotel and a $50 gift certificate to Mario's Restaurant (both in the village of Lake Geroge)-during the Lake George Jazz Festival -which we are playing on-Sept 20.
Thank you to the Montclair Times-Joan Finn, The Star Ledger-Zan Stewart and Elzy Kolb for writing about this event-as well as WBGO -for making sure everyone knew about it.
A huge thank you to Natascha Radke Henke-who somehow commandeered the "door" and made sure that everyone was taken care of-unless of course there was no more room-which happened many times in the course of the evening.
Another huge thank you to Tom Colao, Ben Williams and Erick Storckman who put all of this together. Erick did a magnificent job of putting the music together (I handed it off to him only a few days before saying-"I'm not sure everything is in order"-so he had a big job there)-and in directing the band-just wonderful!
A really huge thank you to everyone who played in the band and of course to the guest composers-you all made an incredible night of music. I'm betting there are some "behind the scenes " stuff that I don't know about-so I'm going to say thank you to that too ;-).
I miss playing with all of you,I miss the comraderie, I miss Cifelli's jokes between tunes that only those of us within earshot can hear ;-),I miss our rehearsals filled with great music and pizza and the latest news on whaz up with everyone. I'm getting my strength back bit by bit, (with the help of Tom, Ron,Tim, Ken and Lou -thanks guys!)-so we'll all be playing together real soon.
Thank you to Trumpets Jazz Club for opening the club up on a night when they are regularly closed-and providing the staff-you guys worked really hard-thanks!
And a really, really HUGE THANK YOU to all who attended and gave so generously-you have no idea how much this has helped me-in so many ways. Your love and support is just so wonderful!
I tried to say hello and thank you to everyone-but if I didn't get to see you-it's probably becuase I couldn't get through all of the people-but please know that I saw you from afar and I really appreciated you coming. I'm going to do my best to repond to all of you who left notes for me-but it may take me a while-so please be patient with me.
I felt a HUGE dose of healing from all of you on Monday night-so big- that it will continue on for a long, long time-and I thank you for that with all of my heart-you are all so wonderful!
love,
DMo

Thanks for the Fabulous Turnout Last Nite!

2009-05-12T11:54:00.002-04:00

It was a wonderful evening of music @ Trumpet's last night, and it was so heartening to see such a great turnout for Diane. The club was packed to overflow capacity and had to turn away folks, as they couldn't get any more in the door (they were standing in the kitchen!). The party eventually extended into the parking lot, with Trumpets putting together chairs and tables and serving outside. It was fun to meet so many friends of Diane.

Kudos to Eric, Ben and Mike for getting it together, and for all the excellent guest artists on the stage as well as in the crowd.

And man, did the band swing! Oliver Lake, Howard Johnson, Jim McNeeley, and all the great composers left it all on the floor last night. And thanks for doing such a great job on my chart too!

A night well-deserved for Diane.

correction-phone # for Trumpets

2009-05-10T19:34:00.001-04:00

973.744.2600
the train station is Walnut St
it's the Montclair/Boonton Line-NJ Transit

oh yeah-one more thing.....

2009-05-09T09:59:00.001-04:00

..... I haven't had a cigarette since March 10th and I intend on keeping it that way ;-)

I'm on drugs!

2009-05-09T09:43:00.002-04:00

I am on the drug Gleevec now-this is the best drug for GIST. Technically, I'm taking this as a preventative measure and what I call a "clean-up" effort, to clean up any little cancer cells that were cut loose during the surgery. I believe this drug falls under the category of targeted molecular therapy, in other words it zooms in on the KIT+ protein and eradicates it (KIT+ is the protein that causes the cells to grow and divide abnormally). My oncologist's partner says that I will be on this drug for 6 months. They will monitor my progress thru blood tests, pet scans and ct scans.
From everything that I've been reading, I am extremely lucky to be alive. We caught the tumor and it's satelite tumors just in time (one was attaching itself to my stomach). My oncologist told me that I walked into the hospital in stage 4 cancer and walked out in stage 0. From what I read, taking this drug will drastically reduce the possiblity of a recurrence GIST.
Meanwhile, I am doing exercises to get my strength back, walking, going for acupuncture, eating healthy and giving thanks everyday to everyone who has helped me on this journey so far-you all have been so amazing and wonderful-thank you so much!

5/12 San Diego Fundraiser Update

2009-05-06T08:04:00.008-04:00

The guest performer list has been updated for the 5/12 San Diego fundraiser:
"An all-star line up perform a benefit for pianist Diane Moser including Charles McPherson, Daniel Jackson, Mark Dresser, ESP Quintet, Rob Thorsen, Dave Millard, Mitch Manker, Duncan Moore, Yale Strom, Tripp Sprague, Gunnar Biggs, & more "

7PM,Tue May 12
$20 cover
Dizzy's
San Diego Wine & Culinary Center
Harbor Club Towers ground floor
2nd & J Street

the latest

2009-05-01T01:16:00.002-04:00

The latest is that I'm not very happy with the way my doctor and his office are handling things-so I need to get some issues cleared up-and some questions answered about Gleevec.

However-in the meantime-I thought I would share a hospital funny with you.......
At some point in my hospital stay, I had an echocardiogram-my first one ever-and I thought it was pretty cool-the sound it made. So when the cardiologist came in after wards-I asked him if I could get the "music" from that echocardiogram. Obviously he looked at me with a funny look on his face (by the way-I think he looks like Peter Sellers and my oncologist thinks he looks like Stanley Tucci)-so I told him I was a composer, and I was wondering if they could burn a cd with the sounds from my echocarigram test-becuase I wanted to use it in a composition. He thought that was brilliant. I have to give it up to him-he really tried to get one for me-but alas-no cd.

muralists

2009-04-25T14:39:00.002-04:00

So this is totally off the subject-but Michelle Hatcher's school-Raphael Hernandez in North Newark, is looking for a muralist to create and work with the kids on site (I believe it's K-8)

Insurance lags in covering cancer-care pills ...

2009-04-16T16:07:00.010-04:00

The New York Times published a front-page article yesterday on the great progress made in treating cancer with pills rather than intravenous chemotherapy. Unfortunately, insurance companies haven't kept up and most of the financial burden for the chemo pills falls on the patient.

The drug D-Mo is most likely to take, Gleevec, is among the examples provided. The article says that Gleevec has helped turn gastrointestinal stromal tumors, like Diane had, and other types of cancer into "manageable diseases for many patients." Another Times article, published when Gleevec was approved in 2001, says: ''This is the first effective therapy for GIST, a cancer that always has been completely resistant to chemotherapy and radiation..."

It's great to hear that the treatment is so effective. But the costs are staggering and in some cases the treatment can go on for years.

Yesterday's Times also had a sidebar about how doctors are dealing with the costs, and a chart showing the wholesale price of the top 10 chemo pills (click on link "Now in pill form").

Interesting stuff. It's comforting to hear that the meds work, though the prices are breath-taking. The wholesale price for a month of Gleevec is $3,600.

Let's hope that Obama and Congress are able to make a difference in health-care coverage SOON!

In the meantime, maybe we can start a petition or a letter to our representatives asking them to support improved health-care coverage. Does anyone have any ideas/experience about doing something like that? It would be great to have a sign-up sheet at the benefit concerts.

Look out ...

2009-04-16T09:33:00.002-04:00

Diane's behind the wheel again! She's staying in the right dimension and going slow.

Another big step forward this week, D-mo's teaching. She's not back up to the full load yet -- she's getting her toe in the water a bit and respecting her energy level. Of course, low energy for Diane is full speed ahead for most of us. But she's paying attention to how she feels and taking it one day at a time.

Fund-raiser at Trumpets, May 11

2009-04-13T13:44:00.002-04:00

I predict a good time will be had by all!

The Composers Big Band performs a benefit concert for its leader, Diane Moser, at Trumpets Jazz Club in Montclair NJ on May 11

April 11, 2009
For immediate release
Contact: Ben Williams’s 201.259.5865

Composer, pianist and bandleader Diane Moser has been a leading light in jazz and new music in the New York-New Jersey Area for nearly 20 years. As a writer, she has received acclaim for her compositions, including a prestigious grant by Chamber Music America and a fellowship with the MacDowell Artists Colony. As a pianist, she has appeared with numerous top-flight musicians, such as Charles McPherson, Mark Dresser, and Gerry Hemmingway among others, always lending her singular voice to the music. As a bandleader she has led numerous groups, most notably her Composers Big Band (see below).

Now she faces a new challenge, as she recovers from a rare form of cancer, in form of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor or GIST. Moser has always been the first to help out artists who need help in paying onerous medical expenses. Now her big band gets to return the favor, with a special benefit concert on May 11 at Trumpets Jazz Club in Montclair, NJ. The performance will reflect the many sides of Diane Moser, most notably the joy that is a trademark of her music and life

Diane Moser’s Composers Big Band is a17-piece big band formed for the purpose of developing and presenting new music for large ensembles. Presenting monthly concerts since January 1997, the CBB features the music of its resident composers along with guest composers and performers. The range of the featured artists collaborating with the band has been astonishing: Jim McNeely, Oliver Lake, Howard Johnson, Sy Johnson, Matt Wilson, Jackie Cain and Mark Dresser are but of few of the dozens to share the stage with the group. This breadth reflects the musical attitude of Diane Moser, whom the New York Times called “unfazable booster for improvised music.”

A Celebration and Fundraiser for Diane Moser, featuring her Composers Big Band
Monday, May 11th - 7:30 PM
Trumpets Jazz Club
6 Depot Sq. Montclair, NJ 07042
973-774-2600
Cover charge $10, donations encouraged!
Guest artists will include: Jim McNeely, Howard Johnson, Nicki Denner, Oliver Lake, Mike Kaplan, Russ Vines and others

Cherry Blossoms

2009-04-13T12:32:00.002-04:00

Yesterday-Sueyoung and I drove through Branch Brook Park (Newark/Bloomfield) to look at the Cherry Blossoms-they were magnificent! If you live in the area-go and check them out. I'm betting that Brooklyn Botanical Gardens are in bloom-has anyone been there this week? I don't know about the Bronx Botanical Gardens-maybe someone can fill me in. The blossoms aren't out for very long-so if you get a chance to take a moment and check them out-do it-they're beautiful.

I've snapped back in.......

2009-04-13T11:55:00.002-04:00

Yes-it's true-I'm pretty much back into "real time" now. I get that funny, weird time feel once in a while-then I know it's time to stop whatever it is I'm doing and chill out. So Elzy was right-I was doing a little too much. However, my activities over the last 3 days have actually given me more energy-ha-there is no stopping "Mo-on-the-go!" (that's what my brother calls me).
No, but seriously, I promise to NOT do too much-and to stop when I feel like I'm going into a different dimension, and to put my feet up and chill. I'm still limited by the amount of time I can stand or walk or sit-so I can't do too much. And then there's the "I'm out of breath thing" that seems to happen when I do too much-so I have plenty of "alarms" that will go off if I push it too hard.
I'm going back to work today-the New School, teaching in my studio, and my organist job at Allwood Community Church. Everyone is aware that if I can't handle it-I'll have to stop-but I think I'll be okay-hey-a girls' gotta try.
Meanwhile-I still can't drive for at least another 2 weeks-I'll honor that-don't want any car crashes-that would be bad.

which dimiension am I in now?

2009-04-11T11:55:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was a very eye opening experience-and begged the question-which dimension am I in now? I ventured with my son and his friend Zay Zay, to our favorite diner-Six brothers on RT 46-for breakfast. Walking from the parking lot to the diner was the furthest I had walked-and it was my first time in a restaurant since going into the hospital. I actually ate a lot-not my usual little bird portions-and it was wonderful to be with my son and his friend. But after a while-I noticed that I felt everything was moving a little faster than I could focus on-so I told Chad we needed to go home. At home I acutally practiced for an hour-whoo hoo-a record so far! I took a nap, then my friend Miki came and picked me up-we went to Starbucks (again-a long walk from the parking lot for me-but I did it) and we went to Andersen Park and sat for a while. That's when I noticed the time thing again-but it's not so much about actual "speed"-it's more of a sense that I'm in a different dimension than what's going on around me. Then Miki took me to my acupuncturist, Monica, who also gave me a healing/tuning fork treatment. Again-the time thing-but this time it was felt even deeper. I told Monica that when she put that last needle in-everything starting vibrating and whirling around pretty fast. Had it gone faster I would have asked her to take out the needles-becuase I was really just trying hold on there. Afterwards-I felt at peace-and that my various levels of vibrations were vibrating more at the same level than when I first walked into the room. Monica brought me home-and once again the time thing-I'm watching the cars wizz by-they seemed to be going so fast-I had to stop looking at them.
I talked with a few people yeseterday and today who confirmed my "other dimension" feelings-which of course made me feel better-becuase it's a little scary to experience this.
Now I'm cool-I don't know what dimension I'm currently in-but I really don't care now-it's where I am at the moment-I seem to be able to function (no driving of course ;-)-and now that it's not so scary to me- it's nice to feel everything at a slower speed for a change.

my feets.....

2009-04-10T12:26:00.002-04:00

So I pulled back on the "sugar" I was eating-natural and not natural-and guess what-my symptoms scaled way way back. My feet are no longer cold-I still have some numbness-but not near what it was before. Interesting, right? Cari gave me some exercises to do-and I know that helped a lot for circulation-plus I wore 3 pairs of socks for a day-not doing that now.
In a few hours I'm getting an acupuncture treatment, a healing/tuning fork treatment-and an Edgar Cayce treatment that has to do with castor oil packets.
Now I think we're down to the level of detoxing all of those powerful drugs out of my body.
I'm still fuzzy headed at times-but it's getting better. My reaction time-like what my brain is telling my hand to do is getting better-but it's still sluggish at times-especially while I'm trying to play some fast be-bop lines on the piano-augh!!!
Now I know why they told me not to drive for 4 weeks-it's not the incision-it's the fact that my brain probably won't register that red light that I just went thru-ha!! (Don't worry-I'm not driving ;-)

numb/cold/ ankles/feet

2009-04-08T16:24:00.002-04:00

Hey Everyone,
Has anyone dealt with numbness and coldness from the ankles down to the toes?
Cari and I think it may be a little neuropathy of some sort. Last night I put my feet in a tub of warm water, then I massaged them for an hour or so. I got the warmth back-but today they're cold again-but not as bad. The numbness is on the top side-from the ankles to the toes. I've tripled up on my socks, and when I sit I keep my feet elevated-and I'm doing little exercises/isometrics etc (all of this is courtesy of Cari's brilliant mind-but we're not sure what's really going on). I'm watching what I eat more closely now-could be something there-especially all the "goodies" I've been getting-which are very yummy-but I can't eat right now.
I'm going for some detox acupuncture on Friday.
Overall-my feet are less numb and cold than they were yesterday and the day before.
I'll call one of my docs if I'm not feeling any improvment after Friday.
Other than that-I feel pretty good-the incision pulls a lot when I stand up etc., but I know that will lessen with time and healing. I'm still taking afternoon naps...especailly today....not sure what that was about...but it was a long one!
The sun has finally come out-so I think I'll go outside and walk around the backyard for a few minutes.

transformations..........

2009-04-06T11:21:00.003-04:00

This last week has been a series of transformations-daily-and really wonderful friends coming to visit,cooking, dropping off food,bringing music, sending flowers, bringing flowers, cleaning, doing laundry-you all are so wonderful-I would not be able to do any of this without you-thank you so much!
So I've been home for 8 days now. Moving around is getting easier-it's still a challenge-but I am definitely moving more. I walked for 10 minutes yesterday-outside in the back and front yards-and the driveway. I was pretty sore at the end of that 10 minutes-and last night-but I'm fine this morning. I'm able to play the piano for a little longer each day-so that's good. The hardest part is trying to sit up (straight back etc-like how I'm constantly doing to my students-I need them to do it to me now-ha!). I'm hoping it will stop raining today for 10 minutes so I can get outside and move a little.
A really huge THANK YOU to Bob Dowling-who came by on Friday and fixed my "a" that had a broken hammer-yipppee-it's singing again-thank you Bobert!
Sat outside a lot yesterday with Scott and Norene Neumann and Matt Haviland-what a gorgeous day it was. Keep Scott and Norene and their daughter Eve in your thoughts-they're traveling to Vietnam on Sunday to bring home their son Robby Q-which we are all very excited about! We want safe travels to and from for them and that everything goes smoothly.
Sueyoung and Daniel came by for a quick visit-as did Marilyn Mohr and Rob Middleton-it was a great day to have so many friends drop by.
The day before, Miki Hatcher, Rebecca Harris, Josie and John Curry came for a visit-and we were talking about film and medieval art and fiction writing and music-it was great to have such stimulating converstion!
Murray has been dropping by almost everyday with yummy food-and so has Jean-who was cooking alot for me and Chad last week and goes to the store to get me last minute stuff that I forget about-thanks guys!!!!!
This week I'll be diving back into the research on Gleevac etc. I go back to the oncologist on April 20th-which may be my start date-or close to it for taking the drug.
The furthest I can go is the end of my driveway-ha! So I truly love people to visit, and it would be wonderful to play some music.
Also, right now my cell phone seems to be having reception problems-so if you want to call- my land line is probably best 973.783.9501
Oh yes-one more thing-my cousin Marilyn's cancer has come back-and I would love for all of you to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She has 30 rounds of radiation coming up very soon-let's hope that takes care of that!
love,
DMo