| Some recent and semi-recent developments: May. '05: + How is it already May? Anyway, some interesting irons in the proverbial fire at the moment. First and foremost, a special edition of the Nathan Clevenger Group will be playing at Cafe Van Kleef on June 2nd. Aaron and Ches are away, so we'll be welcoming Mitch Marcus (saxophones) and Bryan Bowman (drums). I've known these guys for a while; they are amazing musicians, and we are thrilled that they'll be joining us. Mitch has played with the band before, and this will be Bryan's first time. * * * Doctors in Love have been writing a ton of new music and playing a bit -- we're working on getting some gigging going now too, and I couldn't be more excited. * * * Played a gig at the Montessori School in Kensington May 13 with a first-time group made up of Cornelius Boots (winds), Micah McClain (drums & tablas), and myself on fender rhodes & a little guitar. All improv in a great reverb-heavy all. It was really fun, and perhaps we'll do more. + some new things (to me) I've been enjoying of late: music: Albert Ayler - In Greenwich Village / Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth / Marc Ribot - Spiritual Unity / AC Newman - The Slow Wonder / John Zorn, Mark Feldman & Sylvie Courvoisier - Masada Recital / Guided By Voices - Alien Lanes. books: Happiness - Will Furguson / Letters to a Young Poet - Rilke / The 3 Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch - Philip K. Dick / Seek - Denis Johnson. Feb. '05: + OK, good stuff happening. The Nathan Clevenger Group will once again play Oakland's Cafe Van Kleef on March 3rd. Ches is back in town and Sam will be with us again too, so it's the "original" line-up reunited!...Aaron Novik's Cutting Guard will gig at the Hemlock Tavern on the 22nd of February, and we'll be playing a bunch of new music AND welcoming new bass player Eric Perney (Eric has subbed with us before -- not only is he a great bassist, but he recorded with Tom Waits, which makes me happy). Cutting Guard may also play in Oakland in April (details are being worked out at the moment). + For the past year or so, it's been my pleasure to be a member of clarinetist/composer Aaron Novik's band Cutting Guard. Aaron now has some samples of Cutting Guard live recordings & pictures on his website, at http://www.aaronnovik.com/cut_overview.php. Check them out! The band is Aaron (clarinets & compositions), Cornelius Boots (reeds), Patrick Cress (saxophones), me (guitar), David Arend (bass) and Tim Bulkley (drums -- though I think Ches Smith was filling in for Tim on one of the gigs represented in these sound samples). While you're there, I encourage you to buy a copy of Aaron's great new CD. + Once again, I take on the awesome responsibility of shaping the nations' tastes with my annual list of the best albums (in my humble opinion) of the year. Behold, these records reign supreme. + I've revived my old jazz standards group THE JAZZ PROFITEERS, featuring James Macko (drums), Cornelius Boots (horns), and Jory Cunningham (bass). So, if you or anyone you know needs a band of highly professional Jazz Musicians to provide unobtrusive accompaniment for your upcoming function, please email us at [email protected]. Wedding? Party? Bat mitzvah? Motivational Seminar? Bris? We'll humble ourselves anywhere! We even play corporate events and frat parties, for a surprisingly unreasonable fee. + Just for the hell of it: a handful of more-or-less new (to me anyway) albums I'm enjoying right now: Old stuff gathering cyber moss and virtual mold, condemned to a dismissively small font: -> PARROT SOUNDS!!!!! - You can find a 9 minute sample of 300 Pound Parrot's most recent farewell gig at bass player Jory Cunningham's fine website; follow this link, and then click on 300 Pound Parrot, and you'll find it. Enjoy! The sample features myself on rhodes & organ, Jory on bass & laptop, John Foord on drums, Lenny Sherman on alto sax & laptop, and Joe Balestreri on guitar & trumpet. I encourage you to check out Jory's other work while you're there. |
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| "If I write what I feel it's to reduce the fever of feeling. What I confess is unimportant, because everything is unimportant." - Fernando Pessoa |