Speaking of hand signals. . .

Last night I saw John Zorn's Cobra. . . perhaps many of you, like myself, are unfamiliar with Cobra. At least I was, until my friend Matt invited me to see it.

What is "Cobra"? you ask. . . Well, I'm so glad you did.

Cobra is a game that sets up rules for making improv music, and it's pretty much one of the most amazing musical performances I've ever seen.
I won't go too much into detail, because that would only kill the magic. . . but imagine this. . .

Twelve or so musicians (one of whom was one of the girls from Buffalo Daughter, on a moog) playing all sorts of instruments, from an electric bass, drums and laptops, to tiny little keyboards, a biwa, various things that are blown into, vocal chords and a newspaper.
Hand signals, signs on poster boards, green headbands and a camouflage hat were all a part of the process, and in the end it was amazing.

No one in the audience knew the rules (or are supposed to know the rules) to the game, and that is a huge part of the entertainment, that and watching someone try to point to their nose with two fingers while playing the stand up bass.

Should Cobra come to town in your city of residence, I strongly urge you to check it out. . . Or if you'll be passing through Japan during the month of May, perhaps, if you're lucky, you can come along when we see it again. . .