Set Two of 55 Bar
6 July 2008
Here is most of the second set of my 55 Bar “Country” Gig. Featuring Jesse Lewis on guitar, Greg Heffernan on cello and Matt Aronoff on bass.
I’m So Lonesome
Mushaboom
Before He Cheats
I Still Miss Someone
Calling You
Golden Thread
Sad Songs and Waltzes
Set One of 55 Bar Gig
27 June 2008
So here are some tracks from our first set at 55 Bar last week. Featuring Jesse Lewis on guitar and Greg Heffernan on cello. (special guest appearance by Anat Cohen on clarinet)
After the Gold Rush
Better Together
Landslide
Smile
Vienna
Great Success
25 June 2008
Last week’s “country jazz” performance at the 55 Bar with Jesse Lewis, Greg Heffernan and Matt Aronoff was so much fun! Can’t wait to share some clips with you soon. In the meantime I’m trying to memorize “1234” to perform at Joe’s Pub next week for the Canada Day Celebration. Not my strongest thing. Memorization. But hopefully I’ll get it together. Will keep you updated.
Follow up
6 February 2008
Sorry for the delay in reporting back about the gig. Part of it is that I feel really silly for not bringing my digital recorder and capturing the gig so I would be able to back up what I’m about to say. Second thing is that I’m still sick. Sinusy. I may have invented a word right there!
Excuses aside, the gig actually went really well. Being forced to really think about every note I produce ended up being quite good for me. It was a fragile situation and I was feeling like I was losing my voice after the first set but it ended up being a really great gig. Of course, I didn’t record it because I was sure it was going to be rotten. Hopefully I’ve learned my lesson. Can’t promise anything though.
I’m heading off to see Melissa Stylianou tonight at the Kitano. Looking forward to seeing her in that space. I think I’ve only been there once and I’ve never heard a singer there. Then I’m off to Joe’s Pub to hear Lauren Kinhan. Should be a fun night! Next week the New York Voices are at The Jazz Standard and the week after Bobby McFerrin is at Carnegie Hall with Alison Krauss and Edgar Meyer. Wow. That should be something.
The episode of Naked Brothers that has my voice in it was aired a couple of weeks ago. It was really surreal to hear my voice on TV. Almost like it was fake…like I had somehow doctored it on my computer. It was very cool. Hopefully I’ll be able to put clips up sometime soon.
Congratulations to my friend Tara Davidson for being nominated for a Juno Award – Canadian Grammy! My brother Ernesto is on the album as well. Tara and I played saxophone together in the Toronto All-Star Big Band when we were in high school and I’m very proud and excited for her!
Singer sickness
21 January 2008
The extra fun thing about being a singer is that when you get sick and have a a gig it’s kind of like having to do a gig with a leaky horn or with the whole top half not working. It’s fun. I am just getting over a horrible flu and have a gig tomorrow night at the 55 Bar in NYC. Hmmm…there are few solutions. I will steam, I will ricola, I will do the warm ups recommended by Jeannie ‘Genius’ Lovetri, I will Nasonex and warm compress. Ultimately, I run the risk of singing “Go Boon At All” tomorrow night and there is just nothing I can do about it. I rested, I slept, I didn’t push myself, I canceled all teaching and therefore all sorts of payment, all in the name of getting better for this gig but…my horn is broken. I hope that 24 hours will be the cure. I’m excited to play with this band again and hope that it won’t be a wash out. My friend Melissa Stylianou is going to stop by to sit in, just in case I can’t make it. (Thanks Melissa!) See you on the other side. I’ll let you know how it goes.
IAJE and Cornelia Street
14 January 2008
IAJE Jazz Madness. I always feel very overwhelmed after these Jazz Extravaganzas. I saw some great music, heard some insightful conversations/debates, met some great new people and connected with old friends and colleagues. Some highlights:
Mike Murley and Dave Liebman – Dave was Mike’s teacher and Mike was my teacher when I played saxophone. Mike actually reminded me that I was one of his first saxophone students, along with Tara Davidson (whose solo on the Paul Read concert was one of the highlights of the conference for me as well). You should check Tara out. She and I played together in the Toronto All-Star Big Band when we were kids and I hadn’t heard her play live since that time.
I went to several clinics that were very interesting and great for networking. The most interesting was the Blog session that featured new friend David Ryshpan and old friends and colleauges Darcy James Argue and David Adler
Speaking of Darcy, his Secret Society North show was great – featuring among others the great Ingrid Jensen on trumpet and Gordon Webster on piano. I had seen the NY version of the band and hearing it in a bigger room with a huge sound system seemed to make the music even more exciting (if that’s possible) and cranked the band’s energy level. I wish that all that the people who had heard the other big band shows had been at Darcy’s show as well. He got a great turnout but nothing like the Humber show which featured music by Vince Mendoza and was very beautiful but didn’t quite move me as much.
I was partly in Toronto because Marty Ehrlich (who I work with under my Orange Grove hat was performing with Myra Melford at IAJE. Their set was possibly the most creative music making I heard all week. Every tune was a new creation and full of such soul and passion. I wish I had taken some video. If you haven’t checked out Spark! yet, you definitely should.
I also had a great time hanging out with my brother Ernesto and although our CBC interview didn’t work out we will do it at a later date for sure.
I got back on Saturday night in time to play last night at Cornelia Street Cafe with Jeremy Udden, Mike Baggetta and Dan Loomis . Thanks to those who came out to see us. Unfortunately, I messed up turning my audio recorder on so I have nothing to post. We had a great time though and will hopefully play again sometime soon.
With the APAP conference in town there are a million things to see in the city tonight. I will be checking out a few different shows:
Liali Biali at the Living Room at 7PM, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb at 9:30 at Drom and The New York Voices at 10:30 at The BlueNote. Whew. Hope I make it to all of these tonight!
Lots to report
3 December 2007
Since I last wrote:
I’ve played with two new bands
Been to Toronto on a highly successful tour with the ACQ
Finally got a few radio interviews in Toronto
Recorded music for a TV show
The new group shows were amazing. We had a very small audience for our show at the Brooklyn Lyceum but I encourage you all to go check out the venue. We had a great time. Here’s a clip with Jeremy Udden on saxophone, Mike Baggetta on guitar and Dan Loomis on bass.
Trust in Me
I got a call for a last minute show last week at the 55 Bar. I called my good friend Melissa Stylianou to see if she wanted to share the bill with me and got a band together (Keith Ganz on guitar and Jon Maharaj on bass). We had a great time! Melissa and I have a very exciting double bill coming up in March at Joe’s Pub. I’ll post more details on that soon. Here are some live tracks from that night:
So Danco Samba
Love You Madly
I went in and recorded a few tracks to be used as underscoring on the Nickelodeon TV show that I worked on this summer. It was a great experience and I can’t wait to hear myself on TV! I will hopefully have clips to post soon.
The ACQ got a review on a Hungarian jazz website that I just got translated. I’ve posted the review here. I hope to have clips from the Toronto radio interviews soon and also want to post the Israel radio show about Oded and I soon.
I’ve been to see some outstanding shows lately as well. Melissa Stylianou and Peter Eldridge played Birdland in the last few weeks and I went to see Maria Schneider at Jazz Standard as well.
Lots of new projects in my head: A new ACQ album — we have the material but need to come up with some funding, an album with a chamber band with arrangements by Oded — we’re throwing around a few different ideas for concepts on this one, and trying to come up with tunes to record for a Bobby McFerrin audition that I have coming up. Lots to think about.
Live tracks from Cornelia Street Cafe
29 October 2007
I thought I’d share some live tracks of some new tunes and arrangements before the ACQ hits the 55 Bar next week.
Love Fool – new arrangement
We weren’t convinced enough by the last incarnation of this tune…hopefully this works better. You can sing along during the chorus now!
Forgotten Language
This is a tune that I wrote using a poem by Shel Silverstein.
Lazin’ Around
Music and lyrics by Fred Hersch.
Better Together
This is a Jack Johnson tune that we performed at Ernesto’s wedding. People dug it so we’ve decided to keep in our book.
Lots of life = not a lot of blogging
15 October 2007
So…in the last few months I’ve:
1. Gotten Married
2. Turned 30
—-actually, those two happened in the last few weeks
3. Performed in a Hockey Arena with a Symphony Orchestra
4. Been on a television set…waiting….waiting…waiting
5. Traveled to Israel, Canada and West Virginia
All that to say…sorry I disappeared from blog land. All 2 of you loyal readers must have been lost without me.
Along with all the stuff on the list, I’ve been working hard to get some exposure and gigs for the ACQ, starting a new project, recorded Joe Phillips’ piece, “Vipassana” and oh so much more. This summer was definitely not boring. I got to sing with Michal Cohen while I was in Israel which only confirms to me that she and I need to record what we’ve been doing. It’s great fun and it sounds really good. If only recording and putting out an album were cheap. Not even cheap…just cheaper. ACQ is ready to record another album as well but I just don’t have the funds to make it happen just yet. If you know anyone who is into sponsoring flailing musicians, let me know. I’m not flailing…just being dramatic. See you around town.
Upcoming Shows that I’m checking out:
Julie Hardy at the Jazz Standard, October 16
New York Voices at Birdland, October 17
Jeremy Udden at Cornelia Street Cafe, October 23
Marty Ehrlich and Myra Melford at Joe’s Pub, October 28
New Music (to me at least) that I’m checking out:
Regina Spektor
Anna Nalick’s tune, “Breathe”
The last few days
25 June 2007
The last few days have been full of amazing musical experiences. I’ll report in order:
Something I forgot to mention in advance was a show by Jason Lindner and his Big Band last weekend at the Jazz Gallery. Michal Levy premiered a new animation set to one of Jason’s tunes as well. If you haven’t seen Michal’s work you should check out her website. Jason’s band sounded amazing. The new album is not “officially” released yet but can be purchased online at the Anzic Store. Jason’s tunes had me dancing (and no doubt annoying the person beind me) in my seat.
The ACQ had a great gig at the GVB on Saturday night. We made a lot of new friends and tons of friends came out to say goodbye to Ernesto. Ernesto is safely back home in Canada – in case you were wondering.
On Sunday afternoon I had the pleasure of singing with Ms. Matana Roberts. She is an amazing talent and you should all check her out. Such a creative being. It was so great to be able to share energy with her.
Last night I saw Melissa Stylianou at The Jazz Standard. Wow. You should have been there. Not only to check out the band (full disclosure — i have a HUGE music crush on Matt Wilson, I have trouble taking my eyes off of him when he plays…Melissa fought an amazing fight for my eyes. I think she won – not an easy task) but to hear Melissa. She is really amazing. Also, as I discussed with the photographer, she is the kind of girl that you root for to succeed. She’s a good human. Doesn’t happen as often as it should. Please go see her next time she has a show. There weren’t nearly enough people there for the second set. There are a million things to do in NYC this week in terms of music so I get why there weren’t more people but where were all the singers? Maybe there was another show last night that I missed. Possible.
Okay, enough. Multitasking today…Orange Grove…ACQ...Wedding…More….
