“I hide in plain sight.
Same as you.”
—Gustavo Fring
I’m not a superstitious person by nature, but I was raised in the south where even educated folks recognize the power of signs and omens. Charlie’s gift of a…
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THE SECRET
When I first met my hero Art Farmer, he was spending half his year at home in Vienna and the other half on tour.
Occasionally concert promoters would pony up for his New York band, but most of the…
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UP IN THE AIR | PART 3 — CITIZEN OF THE WORLD
“Remember, you’re not alone.
You’re part of an international
brotherhood of artists and musicians.
We’re all in this together.”
—Art Farmer
I aspire to be a Citizen of the World.
A world citizen is a xenophile whose identity…
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UP IN THE AIR | PART 2 — SEASONED TRAVELER
“You've taken your first step into a larger world.”
—Obi-Wan Kenobi
When I was first starting out, my mentor Art Farmer told me what it really takes to persevere in this business. “Do you like to travel?” he…
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NEW YORK STORIES
“if this town is just an apple
then let me take a bite”
—Steve Porcaro
I love New York.
Original, right?
Artists are drawn to New York City of course, but unlike many of my college…
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THE HUNKER BUNKER REPORT | PART 5 — THE ROAD AHEAD
“Adulthood and what they call maturity is
the slow acceptance of what you will never be.”
—Bryan Callen
“Maybe it’s time to let the old ways die.”
—Jason Isbell
As of today, about 71 million Americans have been…
JAZZ COMPETITION IS AN OXYMORON
Damien Chazelle’s 2014 film Whiplash follows the fraught relationship between a brutally masochistic music teacher, Fletcher (J.K Simmons), and his ambitious student, drummer Andrew (Miles Teller).
According to Slate critic J. Bryan Lowder, “Fletcher and Andrew are both obsessed…
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FAME! PART 3 — MORE FAMOUS THAN YOU
The old man was right. Fame is folly. The music business is no meritocracy. But sometimes the good guys do win.
I’m gratified by the success of many of my friends and former schoolmates, now making names for themselves…
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CHET BAKER & THE SOUND OF SINCERITY
Clockwise (L-R) bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, Chet Baker, Dmitri Matheny at the Chet Baker Memorial in Amsterdam
The first Chet Baker recording I ever heard was not one of his celebrated cool jazz hits from back when he looked…
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A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER
HINDSIGHT IS 2020
>Sigh< What a year.
Anxiety, uncertainty, sadness, frustration.
Isolation. Loneliness. Loss. Grief.
Hyper-vigilance. News-bingeing. Doom-scrolling. Self-medicating.
Economic instability. Racial unrest. Joblessness, homelessness, food insecurity.
Explosions. Invasions. Protests. Riots. Wildfires. Floods…
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MY IDOL'S IDOL
Art Farmer talked about Clifford Brown often.
The two were contemporaries, nearly the same age (born just two years apart), and had played in Lionel Hampton’s band together.
But Art spoke of Clifford Brown with a quiet…
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SPONTANEOUS AND INEVITABLE
The interrobang is a punctuation mark that combines the functions of an exclamation point and a question mark.
It's also an excellent symbol of my approach to improvisation.
I intend to “tell a story” with conviction, intentionality…
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A FEW THOUGHTS ON JAZZ & COMPETITION
To my ears, “Jazz Competition” is an oxymoron.
We’re going to have a contest to see who can be the most vulnerable? The most sensitive or sincere?
To find out who among us can best lay bare our…
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2016 RESOLUTIONS
The year of Scout! Train puppy to be a good home dog and road dog.
Coordinate distribution of Jazz Noir to radio and reviewers.
Prepare fresh DMG sets. Focus touring mostly in the northwest region.
Fewer gigs, higher fees, larger…
2015 RESOLUTIONS | PROGRESS REPORT
It's hard to believe that Q1 of 2015 is already behind us.
I set some pretty ambitious goals in January.
Here's where things stand today:
Practice Art Farmer improv method religiously.
I've been inconsistent in my practice. Will recommit.
Finish… Read more
RESOLUTIONS
Practice Art Farmer improv method religiously.
Finish writing Jazz Noir material for 2016 recording.
Create and learn fresh DMG sets: 11 tunes, 2 original.
Pay health insurance first every month, no matter what.
Walk or swim daily. Lose 5 pounds…
Work Station
Pulling together music for our Art Farmer/Jim Hall project today:
Bags Groove
Days of Wine and Roses
Embraceable You
My Kind of Love
My Little Suede Shoes
Petite Belle
Sometime Ago
Concierto de Aranjuez
All Across The City
Simple Samba…