Hey Y’all. Hope all is well. I’m about to embark on a whirlwind few weeks that will take me from Manchester, UK, to Lisbon, to Guadalupe, to London, and back to New York, including some Yellowjackets and some big banding. During this period the Yellowjackets will be preparing new material for a new recording to be done in December. There should be some interesting music on this one. I think we are all getting a bit more daring in our old age.

Also during this time I plan to write a new etude book. (Lots of time on airplanes). The focus will be hard core tenor madness: lots of burn and swing-out. It feels like its time to do a book that reflects the way I play rather than something I would like to show someone. We’ll see what develops.

Gently, the new big band CD, is about to hit the internet, and will be in the stores in February. I listened to it again recently, and it still sounds good to me, a good sign. The soft-burn concept is really appealing to me.

Lately I’ve been listening to Gregorian chant, and some Duke Ellington. Nothing like variety! The Gregorian chant music is so incredibly beautiful, totally unpretentious, and to the point. The Duke recording of the music from Anatomy of a Murder is also incredibly beautiful, and incredibly colorful. This is one of the best examples of a fusion of jazz and classical ideas.

I’m a bit concerned about our current government, and the marked shift towards the right. It seems like tough times ahead. I thank god every day to have music and the arts to focus on. Life would be really bizarre without that. I wish more Americans could visit other countries and see that there are other ways to do things. It would help the situation we are in right now an awful lot. Anyways, keep swingin, and do the right thing!