I got a brochure in the mail today from Qualia, Sony’s new ultra-high end audio line. The brochure is for a pair of headphones called the Qualia 010.
Now, I love gadgets, and I really love audio gadgets. And the brochure is beautifully done.

All that they’ve left out is the price. How much could they be? I mean, they’re headphones. Granted, they invited me — in the personalized cover letter — to come audition them in their Madison Avenue showroom, but still, they’re just headphones.
Curious how much a pair of Sony headphones could cost? Click here. And if you write a review on that website, they’ll knock $5 off. Nice.

I showed the new piece to Scott Weiss when I was in San Antonio last week. His reaction was positive (whew!), but he wasn’t crazy about the title. Scott’s thinking was that “Lone Star” wasn’t, well, great, and the “Polka” part of the title wasn’t accurate. “It’s not a polka,” he told me. Scott suggested, correctly, I think, that the piece is more about cowboy than polka. Plus, “polka” doesn’t sound especially hip.
I spoke to AEJ about it that night, and she started brainstorming. (I don’t know what I’d do without her…) She quickly came up with this new title: “Sasparilla.” I like it, and so far, the reaction has been positive all around. (For those who don’t know, sasparilla is a liquor that used to be served in saloons.) The title fits, as the piece sounds like it tells the tale of an old west saloon. Plus, “sasparilla” is a pretty cool word.
Thoughts?

Okay, here we go… It’s “John’s Week in Texas: A PhotoBlog”

On my way to Texas, I had a few minutes to grab a bite to eat at LaGuardia Airport. I opted for this sausage, egg, and cheese on a biscuit sandwich. Um, mistake. Don’t let the glistening cheese fool you; it was nasty.

That afternoon, I arrived in Grapevine for the Grapevine High School performance of Redline Tango. Here’s Steve Andre — the man who made my trip to Texas and TMEA possible — rehearsing with his awesome group.

After their great concert the following night, I had a drink with Steve and Danny Prado (one of the funniest guys I’ve met in a long time — and I love his name). No pictures of that event (what happens in Grapevine stays in Grapevine), but here’s the late-night burrito I had post-drink.

The view out the window of my hotel in Grapevine. I think that’s a movie theater.

The chair in my room. Comfy.

Later, in San Antonio, I took a tour of the exhibit floor. It was, well, Texas-sized.

The colors in this exhibit nearly fried my optical nerve.

Saxes! One of the SEVERAL sax booths!

I’ve been looking for a gimmick. A funny hat? Maybe a cape? That’s clearly not enough to grab one’s attention. What you need is a golden hat, and shiny pants!

One major highlight of the convention was the University of Texas with Jerry Junkin giving an informal performance of Corigliano’s new piece “Circus Maximus.” It’s astonishing. This blog entry is kind of light, and not at all worthy of a description of John’s masterful and brilliant score. What I will share here, though, is this picture of the marching band crossing on front of the stage. Yes, there’s a marching band in the piece.

Here’s a picture of Steve Bryant, John Corigliano, me, and Eric Whitacre. It’s a reunion of Corigliano students! We’re not worthy.

Immediately after this picture was taken, Steve Bryant opened his trench coat and flashed everybody in the room.

Out for cocktails! Here’s Jeff Gershman and Steve Bryant. At this point in the evening, we were still pretty sober. That quickly changed.

Downtown San Antonio. This picture kind of explains it all. Very cool city.

Gary Hill tuning the All-State band before the concert.

After the concert, I posed for several pictures and signed lots of autographs on parts. Here’s one of the 165 awesome All-State players.

Dinner, post-concert! Steve Bryant had this awesome pepper-crusted beef dish. Yummy.

I had filet mignon with a mashed corn side dish. Holy tasty!

I hope that someday, Eric Whitacre will let me into his posse.

Dessert! Bread pudding with vanilla ice cream. A perfectly delicious way to end the week!

The CBDNA convention is next week. Get ready for pictures of more tasty meals!