Zak's Neighborhood (10.26.10)

VIDEO LINK

I live in what I consider to be an idyllic little neighborhood, in a city called Redondo Beach, located in the greater Los Angeles area. I've spent most of my life in this general vicinity, and have lived in the same place since 1995. There's a reason: I like it here! I've traveled around the world and have seen and experienced some wonderful places, but none give me everything I have here at home.

Anyway, enough bragging about my hometown. The fact of the matter is that in addition to being in a nice area near the beach with good schools and low crime, there's also an element of community here that makes it great for a person like me. It seems that more often than you'd expect, something odd or funny or cool or interesting is happening around here. Hell, it probably happens where you live too; you just have to look for it.

Yesterday, while sitting here working on a pleasant day with my office window open, I heard the unmistakable strains of a violinist performing. I knew who it was; Jefferson Fara is a young guy with a big talent who hopes to become a part of the L.A. Philharmonic someday. In the meantime, he does what a lot of great musicians do: he's worked as a barista in a coffee shop, as a server in a sushi restaurant, as a salesman for a music store, and has given tons of lessons to other aspiring musicians. I've heard Jefferson play many times and have wanted to feature him on one of my own recordings, but in the meantime, I wanted to at least capture his talent. That's why I grabbed the camcorder and ran out the door. The results are above.

I plan to do more videos in the "Zak's Neighborhood" series, but these things can't be forced. If I notice something weird happening, though, I'll be on it.