I said I'd post this, so I am. :)

This is going on my daughter's FB page as a little 'gift' for her birthday. Thank you David for the inspiration! And the writing...

I wish I'd had more time for a 2nd take, haha. Not terribly satisfied but getting closer to making music the way I'd like. This is a tough instrument!

Blow over the first 30-45sec or so, which is a bit of a personal message to her. (FWiW, this recording was done with my trusty and "high tech" i-phone!) :)

What about appearance/clothing on gigs???

o What are the factors that go into this decision?

Should we play crazy tempos/odd meter tunes???

o What are the factors that go into this decision?

Amplification/mics, only play acoustically, or have mics and pretend they don’t exist???

o What are the factors that go into this decision?

Hard mallets, soft mallets, different mallets on different tunes???

o What are the factors that go into this decision?

Now that I have reentered the world of being a musician who is uninterrupted by a day gig, I have been thinking about what I could offer this site. In the recent post about 4 vs. 2 mallet playing, something surfaced. It occurred to me that much of what is presented here focuses on technical aspects of playing the vibes such as grips, stickings, or composing for the vibes (such as the lines or harmonies we create while we improvise). I would like to focus on the aesthetic elements.

Big shout out to Joe's Shoe and Luggage repair on Huntington Pike right outside Philly.

He went above and beyond to help fix up my old (1977) cases for my M55. He put on new handles, fixed up the straps, patched some holes up, and best of all... He did it at a tiny fraction of the cost of new cases.

He says he is game to work on anything. He does zipper work on soft cases and can order handles for anything we got. He is a local, private businessman and very accommodating.

"You Are My Sunshine" - I love the piano trios with pianists like Oscar Peterson, Gene Harris and Monty Alexander. Straight ahead jazz with an easy and swingin' time feel. Also of course in this category would be the Ray Brown trios with Gene Harris, Geoffrey Keezer and Benny Green. Here's a clip with that style in mind.

Check out the Beginning and also check it out at about 42 minutes.