Just about 2 days over a year ago now Daryl Shawn and I officially met after working on the music we call Chinapainting.   For 8 months totally through the networks and switchpoints of the Internet, he from his home in Oaxaca Mexico and I here in Brooklyn New York we connected every week or so capturing an hour of free form improvisations in realtime from nothing more for a lead than hearing each other through speakers and headphones. 
 
We decided to officially meet in July 2007 to take Chinapainting live before audiences and too to record songs for a future CD, for the first time in the same time zone, location and room.  He arrived here in Brooklyn on the afternoon of July 27th, we said hello, setup our gear and did a brief rehearsal for the first official Chinapainting performance to be later that evening at the Center for Improvised Music.  From the first notes it was like we had played together forever and there was no difference between live in person and 4,000 miles apart.  A joke we had over the wires was we can do all this through the Net but what if we get in the same room and the magic ain't there.  Well as said that was not the case.  We did the evening show to a small gathering and officially christened the Chinapainting voyage as a live concert event.
 
The next day we arrive at Pete Caigan's Fly Max studio in Woodstock NY to kick off @18 hours of recording what was to be our first in-person CD.  From our hours of Internet sessions we had already released 2 CD's, an initial demo and the CD we titled Trick of Amethyst done in participation of an International  web event called the RPM Challenge which challenged musicians to produce/release a body of work within the 28 days of February.
 
Now a year later after culling down the final 8 tracks, mastering and a graphic concept caringly created by Douglas Witmer, we are proud to announce the official release of a CD we titled Night Blooming Cereus, named after a mysterious flower that was growing in Pete's house at Fly Max.  The Night Blooming Cereus only blooms once a year and dies all in the wisp of a lunar cycle.
 
This is undoubtedly the best body of music I have ever been a part of and it is finally ready.  We are very pleased to coincide this record's release with this our 3rd mini-tour.  Though we are now well into it concluding this weekend in Boston, copies of Night Blooming Cereus will be available at the Saturday (August 2nd) evening concert.  For those not able to be there the CD is available for on-line ordering.  Go to www.chinapaintingmusic.com/music.htm where you listen to a 3 sample songs and http://kunaki.com/sales.asp?PID=PX00QID9H0 to purchase a copy.  This link is also on the sample page.
 
In a few weeks Night Blooming Cereus will also be available as single song download or complete CD download through iTunes and several other e-stores.  Additionally our Trick of Amethyst will also be available through iTunes and these same e-stores.
 
Most exciting news from such a chance meeting that had it not been for the breakdown of the Cold War and the availability of the Internet to the masses, might never have happened.
 
So it has been so great to meet up with Daryl these last few days.  We've had 3 great shows in the NY area all very different venues and audiences but all equally inspired.  We have one remaining show this trip up in Boston this Saturday along side 3 other musician friends.  Should you be up there or have friends or family in the Boston area please tell them to come and experienced the music of Chinapainting.
 
The who, what, when, where…
 
Saturday, August 2nd, 7pm, Five Knaves @ the Nave Gallery, Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church, 155 PowderHouse Blvd in Somerville, MA.  The evening will feature Chinapainting, Dennis Moser, Tim Nelson and Rob Byrd.  The music a range of World, Experimental, Organic Americana and Free Jazz influence. 

Please consider supporting our work through this exciting new CD.  Have a great week and thank you all who came to our past 3 recent shows.
 
Jim