Wow, it is sure amazing how one can slip off the course of action. My original plan with this blog was to blog everything cool in the way of gigs or general life situations and issues that might be interesting to others. It feels like I fell off the train in the last year. I have been so darn busy I could not keep up with the blogging pace. I guess that is why artists hire internet promotion people. Anyway this blog will serve as a long catch up blog.
I suppose the first place to start is a new project that sort of just fell into place with my colleagues of nearly 40 years, Bob Franceschini. For those of you who don’t know Bob, he is one of the premier saxophonists on the scene. Much known for his work with Mike Stern, The Yellowjackets, Victor Wooton, Omar Hakim, and countless other greats.
Bob and I headed a band in Europe for a few weeks around 2 years ago with Lenny White on drums, and Martin Gjakonovski on bass. The tour was successful , and immediately another was planned. This time with Adam Nussbaum on drums for scheduling availability reasons. This tour the music surely took off to another place. At the end of the 10 gig tour we recorded in Teramo Italy. So we had a release of “Project THEM” a recording of the music we groomed on the tours. That band continues to tour a bit, and we are thinking about another CD project for the band. Tour #2 with Project THEM did a lot in Switzerland with the great pItalian pianist Antonio Faroa. Antonio is a fine musician and has the post bop McCoy/ Kenny Kirkland/ Joey Calderazzo language and style down. He plays his ass off.. I very much enjoy Antonio’s playing. Fantastic gigs in Basel and Lausanne CH.
Short after the Project THEM Europe tour above I went to Israel for a week to perform with Russian/Israeli trumpeter Gregory Rivkin. We played a bunch of concerts and I planted seeds for a yearly residency in Israel. I will return there in late November 2014 to begin that teaching residency. Israel is a very beautiful place.
After returning from Israel I returned to my teaching schedule at Juilliard , NJCU, New York Jazz Workshop, and privately. Sometimes I feel like a teaching machine. I do enjoy it though. It is a pleasure to share my system and experience as a musician with the younger and older generation. There is always something to learn. I am forever learning. Here is my office and shed.
Lotta work goes on in here where I practice , transcribe, read, learn, manage Miles High Records etc. and my life!!
More posts coming. I am catching up!
