Getting Warmed Up

There's nothing about driving from Portland to Eugene that inspires one to play jazz, unless signs that say "Carl's Jr. Next Exit," or "Do You Know Jesus?" inspire you to play jazz. However, I had a wonderful time playing trio last night at The Jazz Station in downtown Eugene, Oregon. It was a pretty full house and the audience was sympathetic, educated, and attentive. My musicians, Chris Higgins on bass and Jason Palmer on drums( they are from Eugene but have gone on to other cities..)
were stellar without a doubt. One of the highlights of the evening was our special surprise guests, Tony Glausi on trumpet and Josh Hettwer on tenor saxophone. It's nice to know that there are some young people interested in jazz and keeping the music alive.

I mentioned to the audience that I was treating the gig as a warm up for my Wednesday gig, which is going to be nothing short of awesome; I'm flying to New York early Tuesday morning to perform with another trio: Linda Oh on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. It's rare to see DeJohnette at a small club like the Jazz Standard(116 E 27th St, New York, NY 10016,(212) 576-2232), so it's worth it to come down and see the show. We'll be playing songs from my 24th CD, entitled "The Endless Mysteries, " as well as possible a few cuts from my forthcoming CD entitled "Ask Me Tomorrow" (which Linda Oh as well as drummer Ted Poor appears on), as well as maybe a few other surprises. That's this Wednesday, April 30th, at the Jazz Standard; sets are 7:30 and 9:30 and tickets are $25. I would call to reserve a spot if I were you.

Before that, I will be honored to perform with one of the greatest jazz pianists alive, Mr. Geoffrey Keezer. We are really lucky to get Keezer to be part of our performance series at Portland State University. This Monday, April 28th, Keezer will perform at 7pm in Lincoln Hall 47 with two of our top students, Nicole Glover on tenor saxophone and Jon Lakey on bass( I will be playing drums. Keezer asked me, just so you know, it wasn't my idea....). We'll be playing some of his remarkable original music, as well as some standards. Furthermore, on Tuesday, the 29th, Mr. Keezer will give a masterclass in 47 from 5 pm to 7pm. If you are a pianists, you NEED to check this out; the first time I heard Keezer at Bradley's in 1992, it keep me practicing for many

years. Hope to see you there!