There's been a lot of conversation on the Cafe about Jack Carpenter's Impulse Change. Tonight is Jack's last night as special guest of the month. A fairly impressive list of card men have turned out to say hello to Jack and share 'war stories' of accidential 10 hour card sessions.

Below is Avalanche and right below that is Aces in Action which feature Jack's Impulse Change.

Session with Jack Carpenter

This month's special guest at The Magic Cafe is Jack Carpenter which is a name that I've heard of before but didn't know a lot about.



Carpenter is well respected by the well respected for his card handling and as a person. Author of a few hard to find manuscripts like The Expert's Portfolio, he also has a book published by Hermetic Press titled "Modus Operandi: The Card Magic of Jack Carpenter".

His latest teaching vehicle is Day 1 of a two day jam session with his friends titled "The Seattle Sessions" produced by Steve Brook's The Magic Bakery.

Reading his posts as special guest on The Cafe, it's clear Jack has a passion for card magic and a love for the people who call themselves magicians. He has been very generous with his time and knowledge and for those lucky enough to be attending, Carpenter will be one of the featured performers/lecturers at this year's Golden Gate Gathering

My understanding his a lot of his material is advanced but there is material well within reach of beginner to intermediate who are willing to invest the time. More importantly what most have told me is Jack's attention to detail and construction of his presentations that will benefit all who study his material.

For those who have his material and/or perform it, please share your thoughts.

Scarne on the friendly country club poker game

After a day on the golf course (where you may have lost a few friendly bets) and a few hours at the '19th Hole', it's time to shower, change and head to one of the boy's home for an evening of drink, cigars and poker.

A couple of business owners, a doctor, lawyer, a very comfortable retiree and you with John Scarne's moves in this clip. Playing tight and winning one big hand an hour will have you leaving as big winner at the end of the evening.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not implying anyone should participate in illegal gambling much less cheat at it. This is a scenario that has been played out in a number of films and books and is only a 'what if' exercise.

Bebel

magic bebel card magic
Uploaded by fondouble

Ricky Jay's Alaskan Poker

Have Gunn, Will Fry

Kent Gunn is an organizer for one of magic's best kept secrets, the Golden Gate Gathering. This annual close up gathering will take place this June 11, 12 & 13th in San Francisco for the third time in as many years.

The featured lecturers are always impressive (last year they had Ron Bauer) as is the audience. I'm always impressed when one of the organizers of these type of events is actually an accomplished performer too.

This is the case with Kent. In addtion he seems to be a warm and likable guy. I've had a few conversations with him about schedule and local airports and Kent was more than accommodating with his information and offer to help.

The Triumph routine above blew me away but I thought it was a case of a vetern card guy (Kent) fooling a mere beginner (that would be me). Instead I found a thread on The Magic Cafe in which several seasoned guys were also fooled.

It's a very nice piece and it's not the first iteration of the effect according to Kent. Like the masters, Kent is constantly looking for ways to simplify and improve his work and this routine is proof he's succeeding.

Bird

Charlie Parker
by alternativa

Steven Youell Coaches

(Picture first published by GrandIllusions.com)

For the past few months I've been trying to simplify my approach to magic. Primarily due to my lack of discipline I have way too many books, PDF downloads & DVD's in my library.

Since I still consider myself a beginner, a lot of what I own is probably a level or two higher then where I'm at today.

In some respects there's some merit to reading advanced material or watching an advanced DVD, if for no other reason than to get a better understanding on how they think, construct, execute & perform at the next level.

Another area that I've been neglecting to act upon is interacting with other magicians for advice and coaching. My friend Dom who lives a few miles from me is a card guy too and much more advanced than me in terms of performing skills and knowledge. While local magic clubs provide a regular forum for meeting & interacting with other magicians, regardless of good & sincere intentions, how do you know the advice you're getting isn't doing more harm than good?

There are several excellent but expensive options if you consider private lessons however there are also some constraints as well. First unless the coach/teacher is local to you, travel expenses & time needs to be factored in. Technology now allows us to receive private or semi-private instruction via downloadable text & video files, plus dialog with the coach through web cam, email and/or instant messaging.

Several months ago I made a decision to focus on the classics of card magic and began selling off or giving away books and DVD's that didn't fit the criteria I was committed to.

Last December I somehow became aware of Steven Youell's new subscription site. Now I've been a member of several subscriptions sites in the past with mixed results. I knew Youell as a respected sleight of hand card guy, student of Ron Bauer & Paul Chosse and very well versed in the classics.

His site promised a members only forum, downloadable video tutorials, discounts on his products and as a bonus for joining, his lecture notes "Weapons of Mass Destruction". At the time it was $25 to join (it's now $35) and I've spent that amount and more on instant PDF downloads that ranged from a good value to disappointing.

I have to say, for me, it's the best $25 I've spent on a Maiga purchase in a long, long time. At the time I was re-reading Royal Road and actually working on Thought Stealer when I came across a kick ass version in Youell's lecture notes titled "Dead Solid Perfect".

His video tutorials and presumably his future DVD's will be just instruction not high end productions that have live audiences, exotic locations or cool music. However all of Steven's video clips are well lit and well shot. He's very conscious of angles, close ups and sound quality so you're getting all instruction and very little else which suits me just fine.

The real value of the site is his members only forum which he uses field questions from members for all to read. It's not a typical forum where a technique or strategy is open for debate. Youell is convinced, and in my opinion rightly so, that his approach or advice is the direction his members should follow.

He doesn't want to get in the forum moderator business and it's refreshing to be on a board that is pretty much free arguments and nasty comments. This isn't a Kool-aid thing and members are free to follow his advice or not.

Recently Steven is open to providing 1on1 coaching via Web cam and has provided us with his instant messaging ID so we can communicate with him in real time.

Some members of other forums have mixed opinion of Steven but I think it's a personality thing and not about his magic. He doesn't take the time to sugar coat his material and will let you know if he thinks something sucks. For the most part his opinions are based on the actual magic but occasionally if he has an issue with a person, he'll let you know why.

While some of his communication may seem abrupt I don't think it's done with maliciously. You ask a question, he provides an answer and moves on because he wants to get back to teaching. And he's a wonderful teacher.

Do yourself a favor and go to stevenyouell.net and check it out. The design of the site is pretty nondescript but if you're like me, you're not there for color or fancy layout. You're there for content and Youell delivers.

Have fun!

Woody Aragon

I've heard the name Woody Aragon floating around the past few years but don't think I've ever seen clips of him performing. Somehow I came across this site, Magiatv.com which has news and clips of Spanish magicians giving interviews, at shows, lectures, etc.

For me, a fan of the Spanish school of magic this is like heaven. This clip of Aragon has him performing an Oil & Water on steroids. Very clever. I just wish I knew what he was saying.

More DaOrtiz

A new clip of Dani DaOrtiz which comes from magiatv.com.

DaOritz is a serious card man and as I wrote in my post on him last week he's getting deadly. His controlled chaos and now he's begun a bit of humming while he seemingly throws cards around the table, at the deck and at random but everything he does appears to be carefully choreographed and setting us up for a hell of a finish.

Enjoy!

Aaron Fisher: Card Magic and Beyond

(Photo from Aaron Fisher Facebook page)

If Aaron Fisher is paying any attention to the global economic crisis he's not letting it scare him off.

At a time when most are tightening their belts, playing it safe and just looking to survive another month, Fisher has redesigned his website, produced a new DVD named Search & Destroy that uses material from his modern classic Paper Engine, released a new effect called Secret Weapon and seems to be getting work as both a performer and lecturer.

Most recently he's added personal coaching to the services he offers and has built a Facebook presence in just a few months.

I've been in the process of reducing my library in the last few months as I have more material than I'll ever get to in my lifetime. Most of what I'm keeping are considered classics (Tarbell, Stars of Magic, EATCT, Royal Road, Close Up Card Magic, Expert Card Technique, Amatuer Magicians Handbook, LaPaul, most of Vernon's books, Malini, most of Hugard's card material, etc).

Of what I consider the modern classics are Giobbi's Card College, all of Eugene Burger's books, all of Tamariz's books, and Aaron's Paper Engine. Fisher's style of writing is easy for me and the book has clear black & white pictures which really helps me visualize what my hands & fingers should be doing or looking like.

In addition Aaron understands that his audience or customer base responds with information delivered by multiple mediums. So in addition to his printed material (the book & lecture notes), he has DVDs, individual & inexpensive download clips, effects and now personalized instruction. In addition to his site, he has a Facebook presence and a blog and occasionally releases a video clip on YouTube.

All of this contributes to driving customers to Aaron where he doesn't disappoint. He'll answer comments on his blog and questions to his email address and while he doesn't post every day, when he does post it's usually insightful and provokes thought on our craft and art.

Dani DaOrtiz: Jazz Magic

Obvious amateur camera work with poor lighting but if you understand how a performance is suppose to work you get the idea (even if you can't see the faces of the cards).

DaOrtiz seems to grow in his performance style every time I see a clip of him. He's perfecting his technique of forcing, control and revelation while embedded within this chaotic, not quite absent-minded persona. Humming a tune, constantly moving a water glass and scattered cards everywhere yet he's in complete control and the audience knows it.

I wish I understood the Spanish language................