Ellis Island u Manhattan

Il-Ħadd 25 ta’ Novembru 2018

46677563_351678578713103_3334227015040499712_n — In-naħa t’isfel ta’ Manhattan, South Ferry, minn fejn taqbad il-vapur għall-gżejjer tewmin ta’ Ellis Island u Liberty Island

Fit-tarf tan-naħa ta’ isfel taż-żona ta’ Manhattan fejn qed noqgħod, gżira magħquda maż-żona ta’ Brooklyn b’għadd ta’ pontijiet, fosthom il-Brooklyn Bridge, hemm il-vapuri li jeħduk Liberty Island, fejn hemm l-Istatwa tal-Libertà, u Ellis Island. Fl-aħħar tas-seklu 19 u l-1924, ħafna mill-immigranti, fosthom il-Maltin, kienu jaslu Ellis Island. Ħadt 550 ritratt illum. Fuq l-ajruplan, aħna u naqsmu l-Atlantiku, rajt film mill-isbaħ, Mary Shelley, u qablu film dwar il-fotografija. Speċi ta’ tutorial. U llum ipprattikajt ftit minn dak li rajt fil-film u li fakkarni ħafna fil-kors introduttiv utli ħafna li għamilt ma’ Giola Cassar.

Il-mużew tal-Immigrazzjoni fuq Ellis Island huwa mekka ta’ ritratti, ilħna, memorji, u fuq kollox riflessjoni fuq iċ-ċaqliq inevitabbli tal-bnedmin minn post għal ieħor. Tista’ tqatta’ ġurnata hemm. Kollox interattiv, kollox aġġornat u mogħni b’sorsi primarji. Dan il-mużew kien l-iktar ħaġa li ridt nara u ma ddiżappuntanix. Hemm ħafna awtokritika fil-wirja, imma hemm ċerta kburija wkoll. Tistennieha.

46762606_2061622760563003_6463196379069022208_n — Is-sala magħrufa bħala r-Reġistru fil-bini prinċpali ta’ Ellis Island. Rikostruzzjoni ta’ kif kienet fl-1924.

46915766_2248784478683565_5978031715057139712_n — Qed ifittxulhom għat-trakoma, marda fl-għajnejn li kienet mifruxa sew fost il-Maltin.

46718254_322292748590628_6597853675496931328_n — Wieħed mill-bankijiet tal-epoka li fuqu kienu jistennew l-emigranti biex isejħulhom għall-eżami

46785550_368608567222564_8831422302198431744_n — Minn quddiem il-faċċata tal-bini ewlieni ta’ Ellis Island

46784632_335220413944484_3618617763444031488_n — Il-bini ewlieni ta’ Ellis Island, fejn kienu jilqgħu lill-immigranti

Malta u l-Maltin ma rajthomx fil-Mużew. Ma rajtx, ma qrajtx u ma smajtx kollox. Imma f’dak li missejt miegħu jien fit-tliet sulari tal-Mużew, Malta u Maltin ma dehru mkien. Malta ma tidhirx fil-mappa tal-artijiet fl-Ewropa minn fejn waslu l-immigranti fl-1914. Forsi kien għadu kmieni, imma l-Maltin jidhirli li kienu diġà bdew isiefru lejn l-Amerka. Forsi ma “jidhrux” għax kienu ċittadini tal-Imperu Ingliż.

DSC_0379 (1) — Fost il-portijiet minn fejn telqu l-emigranti Ewropej li waslu Ellis Island fl-1904 m’hemmx il-port ta’ Malta. Fil-fatt, Malta ma tidher imkien.

Wara Ellis Island waqaft bil-metrò l-World Trade Centre. Tidħol ġo stabbiliment enormi tal-ħwienet, amerikanata impressjonanti, u meta toħroġ issib ruħek ħdejn il-monument mill-isbaħ li għamlu biex ifakkru l-vittmi tal-attakki ta’ 9/11. Fakkarni fil-monument ewlieni tal-gwerra tal-Vjetnam li hemm Washington DC, għax simboliku u jagħti prominenza lill-ismijiet ta’ dawk kollha li mietu. Maġenbu hemm mużew li ma dħaltx fih għax kont diġà għajjien.

46521346_1987985821308916_4578054809592004608_n — Il-monument mill-isbaħ li jfakkar il-vittmi tal-attakki ta’ 9/11, bl-ismijiet tal-vittmi kollha

: Wieħed mill-ħafna World Trade Centres

Bil-metrò wkoll waqaft Times Square. Tħossok qisek qiegħed ġo video game. Surreali. Kullimkien hemm sinjali biex ma tiqafx. Trid tkompli miexi, dejjem miexi. Fil-karozzi tagħhom, il-pulizija tal-NYPD jilagħbu bil-mobile. Dawk li qegħdin fit-triq jaċċettaw li t-turisti jieħdu r-ritratti mal-espressjoni tibqa’ mqita.

46667965_382925409110305_5826238091823677440_n — Il-folol ta’ nies taħt ix-xbihat ta’ Times Square

46805626_1962439823846639_4677474205753671680_n — Nies fuq l-art u nies fis-sema

Imbagħad nimxi sa Birdland ftit toroq ‘il bogħod minn Times Square, it-“teatru” ikoniku tal-jazz li fetaħ fl-1949. “Birdland’s booking history reads like a who’s who of jazz: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bud Powell, Stan Getz, Lester Young, Erroll Garner, and many, many others.”

Ilħaqt il-big band ta’ 17-il ruħ ta’ Ken Peplowski. Jazz tradizzjonali, imma l-mużiċisti qegħdin erba’ passi ‘l bogħod minni u nara ħaddejhom jintefħu u griżmejhom jitħabtu man-nifsijiet tal-jazz. U bejn silta u oħra, Ken Peplowski jniżżel il-klarinett u jagħmel riferimenti ironiċi għal Donald Trump u l-isfortuni ta’ Melania. Nofs it-teatru jidħaq bil-qalb u jistenna li jmiss.

Ken Peplowski has recorded approximately 50 CDs as a soloist, and close to 400 as a sideman – some of the artists he’s performed/recorded with include Charlie Byrd, Mel Torme, Rosemary Clooney, Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops, Hank Jones, Peggy Lee, Bill Charlap, Woody Allen, Benny Goodman, and Madonna. He travels at least half of every year, playing clubs, concert halls, colleges, and pops concerts. He has headlined the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, and Dizzy’s Club amongst many other venues. Ken’s CDs on the Capri label, “Noir Blue”, “In Search Of”, and “Maybe September” were released to great critical acclaim and massive airplay. He has recorded music as diverse as Italian and French folk songs, avant-garde jazz, pop, and classical music; he recorded the Darius Milhaud Clarinet Concerto with an orchestra in Sofia, Bulgaria, and was a featured soloist (playing Mozart) in 2015 at the Siletz Bay Music Festival in Oregon, where he will be premiering a new concerto in 2016, written for him by Dick Hyman. Ken was the musical director of the Oregon Festival Of American Music (OFAM) for eight years, and is a longtime performer/consultant to The Jazz Cruise, where he was elected into the Jazz Cruise Hall Of Fame in 2013. He resides in New York City with his wife, dog, and whatever children happen to be passing through.