Todd Clouser: Musings

Just shipped the new A Love Electric record out to NYC for mastering. Been such a fun and well nurtured project, Im excited about what it became. Some heavy playing happening on there.

Feeling good taking a brief break from playing out, lots of shows this past year, time to re-center body and mind to make things happen this fall. We've got three bands of outrageous players, beginning in September with the US of A A Love Electric lineup, a quartet run with bassist Adam Linz (Fat Kid Wednesdays, Dave King Trucking Company), Pedro Cervera and Roberto Blanco down in the Baja in October, then a lengthy tour with drummer Hernan Hecht and the south of the border A Love Electric.

For now, practice.

Back to Minneapolis tomorrow to get new recordings finished up..... Thanks to everyone who came out for the A Love Electric Tour, be back around in November. Things went off great.

Gonna take July off performing as we get ready for a long run of shows for album releases as fall comes in....so hope to see you out at the few June gigs.

 

First time carousing the streets of Mexico City today. Its a happening town, with an obviously bad rap. Havent seen any of that yet, but naivite can take one a long ways.
We´re on our third show of tour, a short one, and its been killin. Hernan Hecht is a beast on drums and the band gets a long great, not always the case with the pulsing and fragile musician ego. We´ve been playing a bunch of my new tunes and some arrangements of Hendrix, Nirvana, Radiohead, Miles Davis stuff.... getting out and taking risks feels so good. Thanks to everyone who comes to listen and allows their ears to take the unpredictable journey as well. A lot of what we´re doing is the music Ive always wanted to play. I never quite feel at home in the straight ahead jazz house, though the harmonies and rhythmic interplay, along with the way a tune is approached form'wise, I love. So.... its a bit in between a lot of stuff, but it inspires to emote. I lose my shit on stage and great new things are coming out. After these gigs, I feel like Ive sweat out the goods and the bads. It miraculous and medicinal in my case.
Another fine piece has been the health of the band on this tour....in previous days tour meant partying and kind of playing some music. This is all about organized noise, and it feels good.
We´re taking a bunch of video and recording so we´ll get it up soon.
Thanks a ton for your support, this thing is actually working out.
To the streets of Mexico City.
Much Love
Todd

Ive been neglecting this musing page too long, getting my writing fix contributing a couple columns to the Baja Pulse. Been back in Minneapolis a couple weeks now. It was essential I get out of Cabo for a while, six months down there and you can really lose perspective. Its a bit of a shake down town, though beautiful, it has its seediness. That being said, I played about 5 nights a week since November and managed to learn a lot, make a little bit of money, which I'm excited to spend on the record we're finishing up now, and I think grow as a player. 

While the music scene in Cabo can be a bit lacking, not in terms of talent, but in terms of opportunities for players to truly display their talents, there's plenty of opportunity there if you're willing to create something from ground up. Unfortunately tourist music has been accepted as the desirable by club owners in town, so if you don't do Brown Eyed Girl, you dont do the gig. It takes a bit of extra pulling, but we managed to get some nice spots to play somewhere in between what pleases us and what a club owner thinks pleases the audience. The club owner is usually wrong, I always believe, when given the chance, people want to hear honesty. A bit of the money has dried up in town, and people are scrambling a bit. The summer always promises meager income, though this coming season of the burning sun looks to be more destitute than others. Hope it all swings back in November, got a couple ideas we're working on for the fall to coincide with an album release.

I'm in the studio this week with Gordy Johnson on bass and Greg Schutte on drums. Been playing with Greg for quite a few years now, so his versatility and overall musicianship are no surprise, but senor Johnson has been the heat. He slams, slides, swings, does it all, and with an honesty about it. We're just a day in, but I'm really excited.

Steven Bernstein comes to join us this coming Tuesday for a gig and day in the studio. You gotta know Steven if you don't. We did a short tour together this past November and he became like an uncle. His playing is ridiculous, though its his character and persona that make him, in my opinion, the finest and most engagingly modern trumpeter around. When we did gigs in November, my entire perspective on note choice changed. Because Steven plays the slide trumpet, he's privy to a multitude of notes in between the notes. He can shake between a couple notes, or make a run through a whole cosmos of sound we're not used to hearing. Its beautiful. I began to think of music not as a series of twelve notes, but as this giant swath of sound we can lie around in. There's this infinite cloud of sound and we can pick and organize it how we'd like. The 12 notes are just the common tones to the ear. Listen to Hendrix, he did the same thing. His bends shook between two common notes, and often just lived there for a while. That stuff has to come from somewhere inside. Its a force, angry passion and love, a desire to be your own. I love being around people like that.

 

After we wrap up this record, we have a new quartet "A Love Electric" with drummer Hernan Hecht, www.hernanhecht.com, out doing a little tour in Mexico. You gotta check Hernan out, he's got the screaming in him too. More on that soon.....

If you get to this before May 11th, don't short yourself and stay home.... hit up the Clown Lounge, 10 p.m. for our quartet featuring Bernstein.

Thats for your support

much love

Todd

Lots happening through March and April here in Los Cabos. Most of thoughts have been occupied by whats coming up this Thursday with our VIVE project. We've had a number of rehearsals for the record, its a trip. There's 8 or 9 of us and its an eclectic mix. Our drummer is 14, a student I've had for the past 3 years or so on a variety of instruments, good player. Our guitarist is like an uncle, great and impassioned performer, could be our drummer's grandfather and has a penchant for Jerry Garcia. The violinist is Alex DePue, who tours regularly with Steve Vai and debuted paying at Carnegie Hall on his 14th birthday, prodigous. Samantha Rae is singing some tunes, she was a finalist on Latin American Idol. Seba Dimarco is on bass, from Buenos Aires. Janet Jensen is Canadian, on trombone and a real estate professional when she's not assaulting aural senses from the stage. Juan Orozco joins on percussion. As Don King once said, "only in Mexico". 

A colorful cast of characters. Music's capability to act as a unifying force never ceases to amaze. Going to be fun, blinding energy. Cant wait to make it happen. 

Its been an encouraging past few months and bookings through the fall are coming. Looking forward to getting out in front of new faces as summer comes. 

Thanks for your support.

Its about 40 degrees and rainy here in Guadalajara today, which feels like being paper-mached in ice shear to me. Spoiled by winters in Los Cabos. Its nice how weather affects the music we choose to listen to, and create. Ive buried myself in music to be charted out and completed in the net few days, here in Hotel de Mendoza, cornering a humble and homely windowless church where elderly folks trickle in and out daily to pay their respects. Aross the street is the sprawling city plaza, silhoutted by the cathedral. Its wonderful.

I've decided to celbrate my birthday this year by recording a live record of original and unheard songs joined by a group of 8 or so Los Cabos based musicians. Im about half way through the writing. Im thinking of the Mahavishnu Orchestra playing a Tom Waits record. Its a lot to hope for, and we'll fall short on both writing and performance of the two fore-mentioned artists, but its going to feel unique and hum with energy. Trombones, saxophones, violin, screaming guitars, upright, percussion. See you February 17th, details to come.

Back to the pen and paper. Enjoying these few days to get at it. There's lots of material up on You Tube from recent shows, Arts Day Out, etc.

If you're in Los Cabos, check us out every Friday at the Local Eight.

We made it, ripped it, good people. Too tired right now to write much and figure out exactly what happened this past week on tour with a musical hero of mine, Steven Bernstein, and our quartet. Check back in the next couple days for videos, and everything else modern technology allows us.

Off to a regular gig tomorrow. Be interesting to see how that all feels after what we were able to experience these past weeks.

Thanks a ton for your support. Every show was packed and unique.

On the plane to Guadalajara right now for what, without fail, shall be the finest week of music I've been fortunate to take part in. Playing the next week with Steven Bernstein, www.steven bernstein.net. We have a club show to start it off but should be howling heartily sans-abandon by Wednesday when we get over to the Theater, with 500 plus expected for us and the release of Troker's new record. Feeling good, no nerves, ready to create with a quartet of like-minded playas. 

 

The last 10 days were no cold beans either, with Keb Mo in town. He sat in with our Bright Life Orchestra band last Saturday and played a solo show Sunday that we closed out as folks meandered after cocktail-ing. Was hot. We had a fun "Powerless Trio" going on with bassist Fernando Vinoly holding down some out-loops and Argentine David Cantoni on sax as well throughout the week. Fernando is set to head back to Uruguay for a couple months, so the trio will have to go duo, meaning even less power, leaving things to just David and I. Whats less power than powerless?  There was one gig I'd like to forget the last set of, well actually that was pretty much taken care of moment of, but weak moments come and all in all the week was a success. Lucky to get to spend some time with Mr. Mo outside of the performances as well and left with a renewed appreciation of the artistic and musical journey. It bites, you bite back. It rewards, you keep biting.

 

Arts Day Out Dec 13 is worth every minute of your time. 12 interactive art exhibits, youth bands, and Bernstein and our quartet to close it out.

 

One quick note to fellow musicians and if any students come by to read this. Don't be punks to each other, we're together as artists. I sometimes fall victim to the temptation of judgement as well as that of insecurity towards my art and that of others, but its destructive. Its a dead end, if not a cliff. I've gone out to a couple performances and played recently with some friends to sit-in and been so vibed out by some players self interest and sneer, had to leave. That stuff is not art, its ego, and if you're fortunate enough to have a crowd, they can feel it. They run from it. They want creating and relating, that doesn't just mean relating to yourself. If you think someone sucks, make them a friend and a student if they're willing. If not, go your own way, but don't stomp on them as you head out. I always return to the Bukowski quotes that speak to me in times of self doubt and times of judgement  "do it, do it, do it. Its the only good fight there is. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter...." That fight does not include mockery. Maybe it sounds self righteous, but seriously, play jazz but don't be a "jazzhole", as John Medeski terms it.

 

Ego is the weak sauce on a scrumptious chili relleno, the drain on a well full of creativity and goodness.  Art is communal, it gives back. Thats where the purity of it lies, in its ability to bring us together. I hope this Arts Day Out serves as an example of this, help out and bring some folks down. There will be no money charged there to any family. I love that part.

 

Now to the music!

 

Im going to do my best to update from Guadalajara here and get videos up, etc. Looking forward to performing, learning, and having time to really enjoy the music I like to create. Its fun and Im fortunate to have the opportunity to actually do what I like with organized noise from time to time.

 

Much Love

Todd

If you want to make it as a musician, you have to change your entire understainding of what that phrase means. You will be mocked, shunned, loved, find perspective lovers, lose old lovers, question every note you play, endeavor into the depths of existentiality, have bouts with certainty, and then go on to doubt your sanity. It's as difficult and as beautiful as things can become wrapped up into one mind . And I haven't made it in any way other than to be able to occassionally support myself by doing what Ive dedicated myself to and meet some great people along the way. But its a fight to stay inspired. And it takes fighting, but we're out doing it. There are nights we'll love, I'd trade every self doubt, and ugly anxious moment for all that this thing has ever given me. 

Its no place for creatures of sympathy, but for those of empathy and understanding. The most straight forward people I've met are musicians, as are some of the most shifty. Its manic in every way, but when it hits and its right, its out of body and mind. 

Its transcends music and art into business and all when its real. We're getting there.

 

Much Love

Anyone good with band names? Looking for a new one with a happenin sextet we have. Just finishing up rehearsals and our first show comes Saturday at a healthy sized beachfront club event here in Los Cabos. On vocals is Samantha Rae along with myself and pianist Daryl Curie, with the Ramos brothas, Angel (pronounced Awn-hell) and Geovani laying it down.... and Argentine David Cantoni on sax.

Rehearsals have been fruitful and much more is to come. Have some fun trio stuff going in November as well at a good and forward-thinking little bar, Syriaccus. Not sure what we'll do yet, but most certain it'll be weird, and may leave you asking "can my boyfriend do that".... as my brother told me Prince pronounced from his Paisley Park show the other night. Never been to one, missed the boat. But that man is a master. I remember seeing him sit in with Santana at Northrop Auditorium in Minneapolis around the turn of the century. I knew little of Prince other than his hits and reputation as an enigmatic figure. He came on stage in modest attire by his standards and went ahead and absolutely destroyed the guitar in every positive way imaginable. The man plays, he sings, he writes, and dresses at a level unimaginable to most of us..... I blew it on missing some of his shows growing up. Glad my brother was there to fill me in on his latest happenings. And on another tangent, my brother is also the secret production mind of anything we've ever released.... I mean that in a positive way, not to lay blame. Any blame goes to me.

Well back to the lecture at hand. Sun is setting much earlier here, though we have to wait for you in the states to catch back to us with your daylight savings - not yet saving-ness. We turned the clocks back this past Sunday. The US does this weekend. 

Life is good, November is heavy on quality gigs, and December tour with Bernstein is going to swing. Got no time to write or practice music, but thats what the summer was for. Spring time record releases assuming I can get some time after the holidays to get it all mastered and artwork done right.

Arts Day Out on our fine and grand city plaza stage headlined by Steven and our quartet December 13th is calendar worthy, Id guess. All my students and bands are going to open up for our quartet with Bernstein. Their resumes are taking shape early.

Thanks for reading

Much Love

 

Much love Kirby Brown. Thank you for sharing your passion, support, and positivity with us. It was a gift to have known you. In a day on cynicism, you lived by the law of compassion and a desire to experience. You inspire. See you in another place.

See below for a new approach to the musings page. Student and young friend John S called me out for writing "cheesy crap" on this page and took it upon himself to fix it up. Remarkable job Juan.

But a couple things coming up that we got going on. Early December I'll be out on a short Mexico tour with trumpeter Steven Bernstein (www.stevenbernstein.net). Steven is a downtown NY legend, Grammy nominee, and an incredible performer. Check out his Sex Mob records. I met STeven this summer in New York at a workshop of his, and it turned out we'd played with a number MX players in common. Guadalajara based Troker's rhythm section will round out the group. 

Some local Los Cabos shows are coming this month as well, highlighted by a gig with former Latin Idol finalist Samantha Rae and Argentine sax player David Cantoni. Everything is too quiet
down here right now, though November gives hope. I'll be back at Havana's Jazz Club regularly and just getting dates together for Syriaccus Bar, a happening new place in town.

 

And lastly, I finished up mixing our record last week in Minnapolis with Jason Orris at the Terrarium. Its sounding good, but Im taking the next few weeks away from it before getting on with mastering and release shows as the new year turns.

 

Thanks for your time. I hope that wasnt super cheesy.

This is your humble correspondent
john Schaible

Coming back to a small tropical storm and a nice hot jacuzzi i have realized how nice life is in beautiful mexico. I am now getting ready to my upcoming event witch includes hot dogs football and a lot of drinking of the soda product. But yet i now have to start practicing for my tour in Mexico. we will start of in Guadalajara and end in Mexico City. I will be traveling with the famous Steven Bernstein on first class Mexican Air. All in all it is going to be another great season of excitement and fun.

Yes, yes, yes, etc. Just returning to my adopted Mexican home after a couple weeks in New York. I had the opportunity to study with Medeski, Martin and Wood once again and do some playing with Richie and Eren Cannata and many others. Shared the stage with guitarist Jeff Pevar last night at NYC's The Bitter End and was really happy with how things went. Im lucky to be able to get up to the city and soak up some inspiration. Lots of learning going on and feeling re-dedicated to practice and a forward thinking approach to playing and our possibilities. Look for some video and audio clips up here soon from our time out east. All the playing felt really, really positive.
A few shows in a quiet Los Cabos the next couple weeks with percussionist Cesar Escobedo and his "Los Cosmopolitans". Excited to get on stage down here and share whats been happening. Ive been working a lot on our new record(s), getting it all together for mixing in a couple weeks up in Minneapolis. Im happy with where its at right now, though Ive been playing so much in recent days I cant help but to think there's some pieces I could hit better..... but thats always the case.
Lots of good things beginning to come up for the coming seasons.... visiting artists, tour, record release, arts day out, so on and so on. Stay around to see whats coming.

Thanks for your support!
Todd

A few quality August gigs have come up, Im really looking forward to a couple weeks with percussionist Cesar Escobedo and Los Cosmopolitans here in Los Cabos after a brief New York trip that will allow me some artistic nourishment. As much as the solitude inspires and allows time to create, its also easy to grow distant from modernity in music and, for lack of a wiser phrase, whats happening. New York City is an easy spot to grow re-inspired, re-acclimate, and be humbled by the playing of others. I did a similar trip last year and was able to see Bill Frisell play, study with Marc Ribot, and do some playing with Richie Cannata. It was an onslaught, in the positive sense.
These couple weeks have been dedicated to combing through our recording sessions at the Terrarium and getting back to a lot of listening and practicing. November through May finds those things getting lost. A couple records I've been spending a lot of time with are Sonny Rollins' "A Night at the Village Vanguard" and Sex Mob's "Din of Equity". Contrasting eras and, to an extent, instrumentation, but they both feel alive and playful. There's a humor in the jazz thats happening, something that I think the genre has really lost over time. Now too often its nose to the air blowing, seemingly aimed at putting the listener in their place....or something strange I don't get. The great jazz and beyond artists of this day are those who have found a way to communicate across genre limitations, and to a greater extent, communicate more than just themselves and their technical prowess.... thats what it was back then as well, with Miles Davis electrifying, the Motown and rock infused playing, rooted in jazz, of Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett fusing all kinds of creativity into his own, on and on. Anyhow, Frisell, Scofield, Metheny all play guitar far beyond jazz or their instrument, theyre making music that is musical (subjective I know). Its not for a certain listener set as things progress. Aside from fore-mentioned guitarists, Brad Mehldau is maybe my favorite modern "jazz" artist. His playing is so purely emotive regardless of whether he's covering Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun", playing through he and Metheny's changes, solo, or his own compositions. I

Ill be playing some traditional Mexican music with Los Cosmopolitans on these August gigs, which is a bit intimidating given a largely blues and jazz background, but its a group of players aimed at creating and playing with bands not as a leader offers me a different perspective and the chance to get at some new tunes. Our new record comes from all sorts of places, with Julio on piano and percussion, a native of Havana, Cuba, Adam Linz on bass holding down the jazz front, and Greg Schutte keeping us all in line with his genre-bending drumming always played in seamless time. I get to have fun playing over the top.

Be back in Minnesota to mix late August and do some playing as well. Thanks for coming by.

Arriving back in Los Cabos and looking forward to some downtime. Our little Minneapolis run and recording went off really well. Playing the Dakota is always a pleasure, its a great sounding room, people listen, and new folks always come down.
Looking forward to heading to New York for some more studies and playing in a couple weeks, but for now its more writing and preparing to release the new record, most likely not until the new year. Im still writing for the local English newspaper regularly and have a night out/music column you can check out at www.gringogazette.com. Gonna go check out Samantha Rae singing this evening and pick back up the writing we'd been working on. Hope to get a demo out in fall.
Going to take some time to get our new record out on a broader scale and get a real proper tour going. The dream remains Europe next summer.

Thanks for your support.

Check ou thte clandar for whats coming this summer. After a season ending trio show at Havana, I'll be in and out of the Baja for a few gigs, but really looking forward to a couple weeks back in Minneapolis. We have a night at the Dakota once again, July 16th. Its such an incredible and storied room, its humbling to play. Ive always felt really good about our performances there, and feel the new tunes on hand will mark another quality night of progress. Been writing incessantly, never quite sure why that happens, but tunes tend to come out in bunches. I was lucky to hit that state a month or so back and now am refining and rehearsing.
The 318 show we'll get to sing some of our older material and loosen up a bit.

All shows will have Greg Schutte, www.gregschutte.com, behind the drums, and Adam Linz will be back on bass for the Dakota gig. Julio Cesar de la Cruz, a killing Cuban player is coming up to play piano on the new record and at the Dakota as well. Its his first week up in the states after getting his green card, he's not to be missed. We've been playing regularly together for the past couple years.

Thanks for coming by, stay in touch

Living in the Baja requires adaptation and understanding, whether it be cultural or personal... suppose they're intertwined, anyhow.... My automobile decided it needed a really healthy nap, not the first time, two days age when arriving on Highway 1 in Los Barilles, a small largely ex-pat fishing town located about an hour and a half north of Los Cabos. Its still there. Sure, we had the local mechanic there within an hour, an obvious inconvenience as Mexico had just reached halftime in its football match (thats right, Im that cultured that I dont call it a soccer game any longer). The mechanic was hammered and brought only a screwdriver. It ended up with him belly down hitting the gas tank with a rock in hopes to stir up the apparently bad fuel I that had clogged the lines. With that, what must be said is that he charged nothing when nothing worked, offered me and friend a ride back to our little hotel, and the owners of the restaurant where our car decided to rest were eager to call us other mechanics, push my car up the hill to their home's parking lot, and all this on their own accord and full of understanding. So while timeliness and tools may be at a premium here in our smaller towns of the Baja, humanity is not.
Well I hope to get back on the road and teaching tomorrow, but the extra day's stay has given me a chance to work on the charts to record and shows we have coming in the states this July.

When I left Minneapolis in May of 2006 for Los Cabos, I had conceded to frustration and cynicism and fully convinced myself I was to be a hobby musician. Id grown predictably disenchanted with the mediocre gig rock band scene in Minneapolis and living in an unhealthy manner. Functioning in that way and trying to remain inspired to create, stay close to yourself, and keep quality in craft is something I found impossible. I remember being confused and performing daily exercises in self doubt beyond the necessary amounts. I was empty in my writing and existential in regards to music.
With today's happenings, I feel close to recovered as ever after a long haul. It took me a year to get back to playing after settling here in Mexico. I started with solo guitar gigs, sheepishly running through some jazz standards, but got paid some (always feels redeeming, whether right or not) and rediscovered the guitar, how it helped me emote, and all that Id yet to learn with it. Los Cabos gave me the opportunity to slowly nurture back confidence and I ended up getting some quality gigs, getting back playing as a guitarist with some old hand rockers. We did the Baja album the following summer, and while my playing on there is a bit timid and anxious and Ive progressed beyond what I had to work with then, I had the chance to get with Linz, Schutte, and Weinbeck, and became certain again music is what I should be doing. Writing came easier and playing gigs no longer required straining over anxiety and self doubt. I felt comfortable in putting a couple bands together down here and for whatever reason, people really seemed to like it...... it felt like a surprise then. Teaching kids grew confidence as well. Your students become your teachers, your fans, and an avenue to rediscover what we got into this for.
Ill spare the rest of the story to you and myself, but Im in a reflective state tonight after having Arts Day Out today, performing with students and their bands and a really self satisfying night at Havana's. The show tonight was only decently attended ("decent" a feat unto itself against the backdrop of swine flu hysteria keeping our town void of any guests), but, with a clear head as now, and a humble trio joined by upright and drums, I lost myself completely in playing. I felt comfortable and engaged, and perhaps even a little proud in what was coming out of the guitar. Its been a good couple years of practice, work, and working to get myself healthy, but today felt as if all these things culminated into a night of playing that I could enjoy, on my own. No matter who was or wasnt listening, it felt really really good..... and it feels things will continue to go that way.

A busy March and April have given way to bit of quiet here in Los Cabos. Took me a healthy amount of time to recover from the 2 weeks with Linz and Schutte in the Baja and Guadalajara preceded by a little run with Richie and Eren Cannata and some concert production work prior to that. All of it came off great, if a bit taxing.
Nice to have some time to get back to the growing legion of budding young musicians we're fostering her in San Jose. We have the second Arts Day Out here next Saturday, May 16th. Kids show up and participate in a number of musical and visual arts and dance activites, forced to do none, but offered all, and for free. Its of course rewarding for me to watch these kids perform and take pride in their time and effort. It took a lot of us a long time to get to a stage and feel comfortable performing, starting young is a gift. Partly due to the seeming inability of anyone coming of age in Mexican culture to feel embarassed, and perhaps equal part the unique blend of unique character we have here, these kids rip wholeheartedly.

The pianists are most inspiring. I remember being in my early teens viewing the piano as a flimsy wristed study in how to be relegated to social obscurity, and was wrong. Now my wrists flam all over the thing, limping out tunes I wish Id learned when I was 12. Apparently the kids here have some foresight, being eager to learn and study on the instrument.... the desire to learn guitar being more predictable. Let me know when a corporation puts themselves on the line with the release of "Piano Hero". I want a copy...... (rereading I feel the need to defend the guitar, the hero of many's sanity, insanity, and an emotive tool that suites me without fail)

While admittedly over-philosophical about music, something my students can attest to in our lessons, we've begun something good and unique happening here. When those two words operate as a pair, the outcome is quality. Come check it out, and leave your medical mask at home, we're healthy.

We're booking dates in the states for the summer. Look forward to getting back up for a few shows.

Everyone is healthy here in Los Cabos, come down, go see music, enjoy the beaches, kiss somebody...... we got no swine flu, though unfortunately we got no tourists either due to panic and the 24 hour news cycle having little to do other than create hysteria.

The tour in Guadalajara ended succesfully. Touring in Mexico isnt all that easy, though with ample patience and understanding the hiccups and changing nature of plans, promotions, etc. can be seen as adventuresome rather than nuisance. I arrived back in Los Cabos sick with a mean flu and am just getting around to kicking it.
We played to a beyond full room at Primer Piso Friday, the stairs heading up to the venue lined with folks, which was nice, but it was a surprise to be sharing the night with another group. Rolled with it.
Musically, we had a great mesh of players and were able to take a lot of chances. There's not a big market or understanding for jazz and playing out down here, but with the energy we brought, people were able to connect and open up a bit. The grooves are always dug, by us and audience. Im getting some clips up soon.
Looking forward to another mini-tour run up in the states this summer and a full last couple weeks here in April.
Thanks so much for your support, happy spring and thanks for an incredible winter for us musically!

Just heading off to sound check at Primer Piso, a cool little room here in Guadalajara. Last night lacked the chainless energy experience of our first night here, but we ran some different tunes and engaged some folks. Tonight and Saturday promise to be full rooms. Thats all I got for now, thanks for coming by.

Im in our old hotel lobby right now, downtown watching a pigeon snack on the little nut bowl they brought me with my Dos Equis Lager. Fearless little flier that he is, giving the high heeled, not quite bleached but tinted blonde waitress fits. She's chasing it with a little spray bottle. He's winning.
We had a great night of music last night playing at a bar called Rusty Trombone, coincidentally the name of our first gigging band, and creators of the oft un-acclaimed record "Las Balas des Platas". Scotty Moe is missed.
We ran through a bunch of tunes on the new record, some Baja stuff and a couple old electric era Miles Davis tunes, Mccoy Tyner's "Passion Dance", and some others that escape. The crowd was really responsive and supportive, made some headway with contacts for festivals around the country, all positive. Playing with Schutte and Linz, and joined by Julio is a really strong like-minded combination.
We're all staying in the same room, 4 beds, and a lot of hilarity ensues. The usual antics of Linz and team are only compounded by the colorful nature of Mexican culture and its workings. He's playing a silver glittered electric bass with a strap claiming "Do not cross line". The rest of us have pretty normal setups.
Its fun playing to young crowds and getting loud, there's no being careful here.
Ive been doing some amateur recordings of the shows Ill get up when we return to los Cabos and our concert producer, mainland manager, master conversationalist, Cesar Ortiz Ortiz has been taking to all his professional photo gear.
Having the urge to sing some old tunes tonight, gone to the website to recover lost lyrics.

Thanks for your support

Been too long since I posted anything here, though March's festivities provide an ample excuse for website neglect.
Finally feel like Im settled and able to just concentrate on playing and learning for a few days here away from home. Im up on the roof top of our ancient hotel here in Guadalajara, looking over at the ornate old colonial era Cathedral.
Adam Linz, Greg Schutte, and Cuban master musician Julio Cesar de la Cruz are here to form the quartet we'll be performing with for the next 4 nights. Something about being a large, somewhat foreign feeling city to play music inspires dedication to making some unique things happen musically. Practice and work gigs are coalescing into a chancd Ive always aimed to have, playing our music to new faces in new places. Cant wait to get on stage with these guys and get on with it. Sure to be the first run in many longer ones to come.
Ill try to post here after the shows with photos and some clips. I have a few from our gigs in the Baja Ill get up soon.
Thanks for all your support and coming by. All the best
Todd