wow, I finally fixed the mp3 links... nothing new, but the links are all back and working, so listen/stream/download as you wish!

I'm updating and fixing the webpage in basic html source code these days, which is quite, um, physical. It feels like 1995 all over again....

I was watching a surfing documentary last night, "Step into Liquid". It occured to me that the wipe-outs are often just as satisfying to watch as a "perfect" ride. It's the combination of all of it: the wave, the camera, the ride itself. The actual outcome is a minor part of the experience of watching it. Furthermore, the wipe-outs themselves are just alternate conclusions to the ride; and can be powerful and interesting in their own way.

It made me think of improvising, and how if audiences could embrace it in this way, I think it would definitely transmit its energy to them, as opposed to confounding or alienating them.

yeah, the site is still broken.

I've been gigging too much to sit down and really fix anything. So, that's a good excuse, right? :)

I picked up a set of SONOR Designer Series drums from CollAudio on rental for the next week or so, nice drums. I'm just taking a vacation from my SONOR Phonics, that's all.

So, the next orders of business are starting promo for the CC+MO gig and rehearsing with Arwyn. Then, in November I hope to finish the long-delayed MOVE vol.2 CD. I'm not committing to much more than that for now, as I am starting to get a handle on just how much free time I have in my new life; which juggles my family, my "work" gigs, and my creative gigs.

Hot Buttered Soul is doing its last couple of dates next weekend, and then there is nothing else on the horizon for a while, as yet. The Trio resumes in its intended lineup (me, Mike Pelletiter, and MO), and hopefully we'll be free of any subbing for a while. Not that having subs isn't fun, but part of the appeal of the steady gig is that the group itself can really develop a "sound", in the absence of rehearsals, which there simply is no time or money for.

take care

wow, I'm having a bit of trouble keeping up with the day-to-day right now, lots going on (I guess, it's sometimes hard to tell from inside it all).

the website is still in disarray, as I am still waiting for an upgrade/replacement for my webpage software. so, things are developing offline, as it were.

...MARK YOUR CALENDAR: nov26 cc+mo will perform at the Dancemakers Studio in the Distillery District, Toronto. Arwyn Carpenter will be our guest, and we'll perform (at least) our current dance "aware", and maybe something else if preparation time permits.

the Trio is still working, doing the Thursdays (MO has been absent a couple of times recently, and Bruno Ierullo has subbed. This week I am not sure who is with us, yet. MO is performing with Arraymusic (a new music orchestra), and MP and I are still looking for someone), and we're doing a gig tonight at, of all places, an Acure dealership. There's a car launch, and we provide the background music. It's a good gig (straightforward, reasonably well-paying, and the client is very upfront and easy to deal with), but it's really hitting home these days that the best-paying jazz gigs I can get for my Trio are the ones that require us to be seen and not heard (the presence of a band is more important than the sound of a band at these gigs). Basically, play as quietly as possible, with NO DYNAMICS. :)

alot of my time has been consumed by ugly administrative work (chasing down cheques from gigs that are almost distant memories), which rapidly erodes any financial gain from the gigs (by the time I add in the admin hours to a gig, I'm working for minimum wage). I have to develop some more efficiency in this regard, or simply raise my price. ;)

ok, stay tuned, there's a few more gigs on the horizon, but nothing concrete to speak of as yet...