It's Springtime! Is't that a good reason to have a recital?

Yes, it has been Spring for a while. But we're just now getting our act together. As if we needed a reason!

Of course, my life has become even more busy and wonderfully complicated since the birth of Arthur. Even so, things are beginning to stabilize into a routine. Even so, making regular posts to this journal has gone the way of the dodo. Maybe it will come back. Maybe not. As if I needed a reason.

There's a new group playing this time. We're working on a name for our little jazz quartet. Steve likes "Bluecat Combo". I'm not certain if that will stick. We'll see. Otherwise it's Steve Swenson on drums, Gary Myers on bass, Don Jones on trumpet, and I'm on piano. It's a fun little combo.

Otherwise, it's the usual suspects, Jenna Barber, Julia Ghering, Mesa Winds. One third of the Tempe Guitar Trio is on a very exciting trip to Europe, so we won't be performing anything this time.

Come to our recital: Saturday, May 17th 2014 at St. Mark's Episcopal Church. Begins at 4pm.

The recital this past Saturday went very well. Thanks to everyone who attended! I'm very proud of my students and pleased with the way all of us made some music.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE RECITAL PAGE

I have some strong thoughts about how music is used in our society, and I shared some of them with the audience towards the end of the recital. I jokingly referred to it as a "sermon" and I guess it is something like that. I hope, however, that it makes people think.

It is a shame that so much of the music people enjoy is separated from the rest of their life. Making music is a joy that should not be reserved for only the professionals and highly-trained among us. There was a time when music-making was enjoyed by all, whether trained or not, whether wealthy or poor, no matter what class, gender, race. The poorest commoner sang to the love of his life just as frequently as a wealthy man would have serenaded his mistress. Unfortunately, today both rich and poor alike prefer to passively rely on recordings for their musical needs.

So I have issued a call to everyone to engage with music. This first and foremost means to make music, whether singing or playing an instrument. Don't tell me you can't sing: everyone has the necessary tools. A bit of advice: this is best done with other people.

Secondly, however, everyone should listen to live music. It doesn't have to be an expensive concert--there's plenty of inexpensive and free options around if you look. Here's another piece of advice: Go to church. You'll almost assuredly encounter some live music there as well as some people to share it with.

Anyway, I've posted the audio of my 'sermon' on the recital page along with recordings of the music.

I'll end this post with a YouTube video of a flash-mob performance. Maybe someday I can get one of the groups I work with to do one. They look like a lot of fun and what a great way to share music with the community!

It's been a year since I became the organist and music director at St. Mark's. (I was only the band director before). Needless to say, there's been a lot of changes over this past year in my life. However, I really feel good about the changes that we've made and I truly feel that my organ technique has improved a lot.

Thinking about my own growth as an organist (and, generally speaking, as a musician) reminds me about a guiding philosophy that I hold: Everything about music is connected to growth and development. A musician ought to embrace change and have an honest assessment of their own abilities in order to be in a proper state to facilitate their own improvement. A common mistake that I frequently encounter is people too afraid to try new things because they are afraid of revealing that they aren't perfect. Perfection is a fine carrot to dangle in front of your eyes, but there is wisdom in not planning on getting it for dinner.

This is probably true in all fields of work, but I especially see it among the musicians with which I work. Too many people waste their energies in trying to appear to be good at something, when instead they ought to work at actually getting good at it.

By the way, we're having a recital in a few weeks. Save the date!

Saturday, August 24th • 3pm

We'll be featuring the usual crowd of musicians: Jenna and I are doing some neat duets, and she's got some nice solo pieces too. Julia and I are doing a Beethoven duet, and she'll be singing a song. The Mesa Winds have some fun stuff, including a jazzy rendition of "Satin Doll". The Tempe Guitar Trio also has a jazzy number we've been working on. Of course there's more, and refreshments after the recital.

Hope to see you there!

Go to the Recital Page to listen! Pictures will be up soon.

Happy New Year!

It's the time of year where friends and students gather and make some music! Come and see what we've been working on. Several of my students will be performing as well as some of the groups with which I work: The Tempe Guitar Trio, The Mesa Woodwind Quartet. I even have a special piece I've composed for my son -- a surprise! :)

We'd love it if you could join us: Saturday, December 15th at 2PM - St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Mesa

It's been a good summer so far, with some fun gigs and lots of time spent with Elmer! This past Thursday, Swing Memories played at Warren's Jazz Bistro to a full house. There were so many people that came to listen and dance, they ran out of tables! I've posted a set of pictures on the Swing Memories website, so go take a look!

I was talking to the manager after the gig and he was very interested in having us play there every month. I'll definitely let everyone know next time we go back.

Also I've been working on music for St. Mark's, recording and writing several new songs, practicing instruments, teaching students and rehearsing with the band. Elmer is a great little companion throughout the day. He reminds me, now and then, that there are other things that in life other than music. (Like feeding him, playing with him, changing his diaper... etc.)

I've started feeding him some rice cereal each day, as you can see from the picture here. He's getting better at it; the mysteries of swallowing solid food are slowly revealing themselves to him.

If you haven't already, go check out the photos and recordings from our Spring Recital! It was a great success and we had the biggest audience yet! I'm very proud of all my students and grateful to all my colleagues for their hard work.

Elmer, of course, made an appearance. He was a big help throughout the whole process of rehearsing and working on the music. I've attached a few photos of his efforts:

My Spring Recital is coming up - Saturday, May 12th at 3pm, located at St. Mark's. Click the image below for the flyer with all the details. Several of my students will be performing as well as the usual groups with which I perform: The Tempe Guitar Trio and The Mesa Winds.