Hello all!

I'm writing from Taipei, Taiwan, about to embark upon a 10 day Yellowjackets tour of Asia and Manila. William Kennedy is back on the scene, and it’s been great to rekindle the amazing relationship the four of us have had for the last two decades. When a band has been around as long as the Yellowjackets (30 years), it is always interesting to make changes in the personnel as a means towards having the music go in a different direction. We’re looking forward to writing music together for the next project. This band is one of the truly collaborative bands on the scene today.

Speaking of collaborative bands, I’ve been checking out a great group called Kneebody. This is a quintet of cats that all went to Eastman school of music together. They play a very distinctive and interesting music. I urge you to check them out!

Just finished the Robin Kelley biography on Theolonius Monk. This is a must read for any jazz fan! Robin has delved into the life of one of the jazz icons in an in depth way that sheds light on so many pertinent subjects. There are lots of great anecdotes from musicians, record people, journalists, and all the people in around the scene the Monk frequented. The social and political climates of the various time periods during Monk’s life are touched upon as well. I loved reading about the club scene in NYC during the 60’s, as I was a teenager back then who went to all the jazz clubs (being tall for my age). I remember seeing Monk’s quartet and Miles Davis’ quintet at the Village Gate in 1967. Amazing for a 14 year old to hear and experience this music! I also heard Monk at the Vanguard several times around then. I actually told him once that I truly enjoyed his music. He was very gracious and friendly, which is one of the key elements of Robin Kelley’s portrayal of Monk in this biography. There was quite a bit more to the man other than the quirkiness in his behavior and music. Monk was a family man, a philosopher, and a humanitarian, as well as being a great artist.

A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of performing a piece I wrote for concert band and tenor saxophone (called Go) with the USC Concert Band, Bob Reynolds, conductor. The band did a terrific job. This is the third time I’m playing the piece, and it is beginning to feel comfortable. The tenor part is fairly demanding, and the challenge is to have the complex rhythms line up in the band. The performance went quite well. I was honored to be included in a program with several contemporary composers of note. It was great to hear the other pieces on the program and see just how the other writers used this instrumentation. I think the next piece I write will go further in terms of variety and orchestration. What was most enjoyable was having the ability to write an environment in which I could play the tenor saxophone the way I normally do. The written solo saxophone parts consisted of melodic shapes that I would play in improvisations.

I am writing at the moment for my next big band project, for the Yellowjackets next recording, and some quartet music for an upcoming tour. So many notes to write, so little time! I’m so very grateful to have the opportunity to keep writing and searching for new musical avenues. There is no shortage of inspiration out there in terms of being able to check out what other folks are writing. This generally gives me the juice to forge ahead and try to come up with something on a daily basis. Can’t think of anything better to be doing! It never ceases to amaze me that the health care system in the U.S. denies coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, and can drop your coverage if the prospects of covering you are too expensive.

It never ceases to amaze me that having a catastrophic illness in the U.S., even with the best health insurance coverage available, can send an average American into financial ruin.

It never ceases to amaze me that the U.S. government gave billions of bail-out dollars to Goldman Sachs (an investment bank that employed many of the people that control the fiscal policies in the U.S.), who devised many of the investment instruments that ultimately sent the world into a financial downward spiral, who then hedged their bets against the downward spiral taking place all over the world, and profited on this demise of the world economy.

It never ceases to amaze me that many Americans don’t know this information, and would rather focus on the liberal threat that our current president poses.

It never ceases to amaze me that part of a health care reform bill would include banning coverage for abortions, even if you believe that abortion is something that Individuals should have the right to decide upon for themselves, separate from religious dogma.

It never ceases to amaze me that our Republican congressmen and women would thwart any and every effort on the part of the president to rectify any and all of these dire problems that affect us all.

I truly hope some day that the powers that be will consider doing the gig rather than merely keeping the gig.

Keep the faith!