Hi!
I hope you are looking forward to the Official Start of BBQ Season this weekend! Summer is right around the corner, so there's always a bit of excitement and anticipation when Memorial Day weekend arrives. And speaking of arriving - yep, my latest release, "Nuance", is officially out June 1st, so I'm proud and excited about that. I've got a great CD release planned Monday May 31st at Yoshi's/SF (www.Yoshis.com) and then on June 1st two shows at the Herb Alpert's gorgeous Vibrato Jazz Club in West L.A. ( www.VibratoGrillJazz.com ), and the icing on my very fun week is a program for the Junior Blind of America at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, where I will perform for their visually impaired students, (www.GrammyMuseum.org). If you you happen to be around SF or L.A. for the week, please come by and say "Hi!", and enjoy the show. I'm really looking forward to sharing some of my favorite music ever. "Nuance" has been about looking at many of the great songs that I performed with my, (awesome) band, and developing the music for solo piano again, which is the way they originally were written, and allowing the music to grow and transform as good compositions have a way of doing. New compositions are like new friends, children, or lovers - new, exciting, and lots to learn. But a tune that holds your interest for a long time, is like a strong relationship - it gets better with time, and becomes even more interesting. I think Monk recorded some of his best compositions over twenty times, so I felt free developing new arrangements of my catalog, as well as writing some new pieces as well. "Stars" is a new favorite for everyone, and if you like bluesy pieces, try "Blue Reflections". For covers, everyone likes the GreenDay song, "Wake Me Up When September Ends", which is, I agree, an unusual choice, but I like great songs, and that is one. I also perform Monk: "Off Minor" - always like his upbeat attitude, and a blues piece I've wanted to do for a long time, "The Thrill Is Gone". "Twilight" is a new favorite of mine off my last recording, "Twilight & Blues", but I wanted more time with it, and love how it came out - same with "Melt Down" which was featured on NPR's "Morning Edition" when it was first released. "Malibu", was the #1 Jazz Track in the World on some radio chart when it came out originally, so that was fun to return to, and "Warm Summer Night" has been really popular on iTunes, and holds good memories for me too. "Just for Fun" was the first song I ever heard of mine played, and it was when I was at "House of Blues" in Hollywood. I had just seen a jazz pianist play there, and at intermission, they played... ME. I was so surprised, and thrilled. One of my most popular songs is "So This Is Love", which KKJZ Los Angeles is already playing and getting positive audience response on immediately. Lastly, I wrote a very impressionistic piece, "Early Morning Impressions" that utilizes different piano techniques - after all, I like to explore my instrument. If I sound a little overly excited to share the new music, I am. I hope you LOVE it - "Nuance" is a direct answer to requests from fans, and people in radio that I have responded to - it is a gift to you. :)
I happy that I will also be at the JazzWeek Summit in Rochester, NY playing Friday June 18, 2010 at 11:30am. PLEASE say "hi" if you see me, and please try and make the show - I'd love to share the new music!
Take care and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
