My recent California tour was simply "off the chain"!  The first stop was the Kyoto in Los Angeles on Nov. 12, where I was the featured artist at 94.7 The Wave's Smooth Jazz Thursdays event.  I had a lot of fun jammin' with U-Nam, who sat in on guitar.  We played several tunes from my new CD, such as "Endless Highway" and "That Wayman Smile," which put the crowd in a dancing mood.  Brian Culbertson was also on hand and joined me on trombone to play a Ronnie Laws' classic, "Always There."  I closed the night on a "funk" note with Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues," featuring U-Nam.  I had a lot of other great musicians in the band:  Tony Moore on drums, Kevin Flournoy on keyboards and Rob McDonnell on bass.  It was great to see Melanie Maxwell in the audience from Smooth Jazz News, who drove all the way from San Diego for the show.

On Nov. 14, I drove up to Stockton to play at Le Bistro Jazz Club.  The place was packed and the fans were terrific!  We had a great night of music!  One of the highlights was the end of the night when we performed "That Wayman Smile" and "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" -- that really got a lot of the audience dancing.  It was fun meeting people and signing CDs.

The final stop was in Long Beach on Nov. 15 at The Cellar.  My CD Release Party was part of The ONE SOUL Jazz Series Hosted by U-Nam.  The atmosphere was full of energy!  The vibe reminded me of a New York club.  It was great to see Gail Johnson (Smooth Jazz artist and Norman Brown's MD) in the audience.  I was reunited with my LA band from Thursday night at the Kyoto, and they sounded fantastic!  It was a fitting end to my CA tour.  I definitely can't wait to get back!

As the holiday season approaches, be sure to get your copy of Tom Braxton's Christmas CD, COMFORT AND JOY.  Share the jazzy sounds of Christmas with all of your friends and family.  This disc makes an excellent holiday gift!  Order yours today from Tom's online store at www.tombraxton.com/shopping.htm.

I had a great time hanging out with Brian Simpson and the Urban Jazz Coalition at the Smooth Jazz Fall Festival in Davenport, Iowa last month.  The concert was SOLD OUT, and the enthusiastic crowd was fantastic!  Everyone jumped to their feet on "That Wayman Smile!"  When we played the last song, the crowd even demanded an encore!  It was fun to meet all the great fans and sign autographs afterwards.  Davenport is a wonderful city for jazz!  Here's a photo with Brian Simpson and the Urban Jazz Coalition.

I was in Tulsa a couple of weeks ago for the banquet gala celebrating Wayman Tisdale's induction into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.  At the Jazz Depot, a commemorative sculpture was unveiled in Wayman's honor.  The induction ceremony was very moving and uplifting.  In tribute, I performed my latest single, "That Wayman Smile!"  I was really honored to be a part of this celebration along with Regina Tisdale and family and friends.  I'd like to extend a big "Thank You" to Chuck Cissel, the Hall of Fame CEO, for the invitation!  Here are photos with Regina Tisdale, Chuck Cissel and the Wayman Tisdale Sculpture.

Congratulations to Tom Braxton for making the cover of the November issue of SMOOTH JAZZ NEWS magazine!  The feature article, written by Brian Soergel, highlights Tom's music career; his latest CD, Endless Highway; and the new single, "That Wayman Smile!" (a tribute to friend and mentor Wayman Tisdale).  Visit www.smoothjazznews.com to read excerpts of the cover story.