Dinner With The Bartons

The best thing about our trips to Australia are the friends we've made. And one of our oldest and dearest friends is didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton. William grew up in Mt. Isa in central Queensland, but moved with his mother, Delmae, to Brisbane about ten years ago looking for greater musical opportunities. We first met William in 2002 when he joined the Cathedral Band for a series of concerts at the Brisbane Powerhouse. A year later he visited us in New York, a highlight of which was listening to the Mingus Big Band at Fez. Over the next few years William played with us at the Cutting Room in NYC and Second Stage West in Phoenix. We would have collaborated more, but it was difficult to coordinate our schedules since, by that point, William was traveling the world playing with orchestras. During all of that time we never had the opportunity to meet Delmae. But that changed last night with dinner at Jelly Fish. An accomplished singer herself, the conversation ranged from their performances at the Beijing Olympics to William's upcoming orchestral performances in Germany. Here's a photo to document the occasion. In the front row, left to right, are Fukutoshi Ueno, another dear friend and furniture designer, Nora, and Delmae. As for the back row, you may wonder if I'm actually seated, but I'm not. Both Williams are standing tall, relatively speaking, of course.