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What about something new?
Since I began playing Jazz music publicly, I have been asked many of the same questions over and over by the boldest members of a given audience such as: Keep reading »
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Lifetime Achievement Award to veteran record executive Bruce Lundvall
This Saturday I had the honor of presenting the Jazz Foundation of America’s (JFA) Lifetime Achievement Award to veteran record executive *Bruce Lundvall*. For more than 21 years, The JFA has supported jazz musicians in need. Under the leadership of their irrepressible Vice Chairman Wendy Oxenhorn, they have allowed many of our elders who are struggling or infirm to live with dignity. Keep reading »
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Passed in the blink of an eye, man
Whenever we played at UC Berkeley, California, we would always stay at the Claremont Hotel. It is a magnificent 300 room hotel and spa set up on a hill with landscaped gardens and tennis courts. We didn’t want to know about any tennis however; it was always the basketball courts at the University or somewhere in Oakland. Keep reading »
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In this tour, we have played 19 concerts of various sizes and shapes
On this tour, we have played 19 concerts of various sizes and shapes; 104 different compositions by over 33 different composers. Finally, we get to play the new SFJazz Center, five concerts (Ellington, Basie, Mingus, Monk, Traditional New Orleans Music and Recent Arrangements and Compositions by our members) in four days. Keep reading »
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You have to WANT to be
For about one and a half hours after the gig in San Diego on Saturday night, I stood on the sidewalk outside the backstage area with about sixty high school age students, their band directors and chaperones, signing autographs, taking pictures and fielding questions about everything from, “Should I whip my younger brother’s behind for x, y and z?” to “How many hours did you practice when you were my age?” Keep reading »
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We travelled a few hours from Grass Valley to Santa Rosa
On Sunday, we travelled a few hours from Grass Valley to Santa Rosa. This was the 5th straight gig, not necessarily difficult on paper, but when connected to 4 or 5 hour drives that become 7 due to the unforeseen, and you drive through lunch, and your room is not ready until whenever someone says, and the soundcheck is at 5, and you have 5 tunes to review, and…whew! The execution can be much rougher than the dream. Keep reading »