A beautiful bossa composed by Luiz Bonfá, featuring my newly designed leather mallets.
A classic and lovely ballad by George Gershwin
This is the second video featuring my new leather headed mallets, completely unlike the rattan/ball/yarn designs of the day. Still getting used to the touch and feel of them, but encouraged by the possibilities.
(I’m Getting Sentimental Over You, by George Bassman)
Great interview with Mike Mainieri. I'm probably the only person who hasn't seen it already but I thought it was excellent.
An admittedly wacky improvisation to see where the energy and freedom would take me...
National Science Foundation contacted me at the fire house in McMurdo Station and asked if I would put something together for International Jazz Day from Antarctica. This was at the end of my shift on 4/25. They said they needed two-and-a-half minutes of recorded music by the afternoon of 4/26. I got off work the morning of 4/26, went straight to the Chapel Of The Snows (where I keep my vibraphone and practice), got four volunteers from the firehouse to hold camera phones while I played.
A kind of independence exercise in 9 that I turned into a mini tune/interlude for my CD "Cubist." Also features African balafon and Indian tabla, with Randy Roos on guitars.
Benny Golson, Philly native sax player, composer and arranger was in town for Penn States annual jazz festival 10 days ago. Benny wrote many classics including Killer Joe, Whisper Not, and I Remember Clifford. At 90 years of age, he still played great sax solos and told rambling stories about how he came to write each song. It was great inspiration for guys in our band, several of whom are in their nineties, to see Benny still going strong. His work is all over YouTube, including Lionel Hampton introducing Benny’s rendition of I Remember Clifford.
A beautiful and challenging jazz waltz by Bill Evans.
I remember going to Dave Liebman's house for an all day private lesson. What a GREAT player and great human being. That was my take. At one point, I sat in a chair and he preached to me about his thoughts on music. Next, I pulled out my vibe and we played together. You can only learn so much in any lesson because 99 percent of doing anything well is all about the kind of heart you have and desire to achieve.... practice, driving 1000 miles for a lesson, risking everything to "say something" in your art and craft. That's what it's all about.