Hey All,
Janis Siegel, Laurel Masse' and I had such a wonderful time at the Performance and CD signing of JaLaLa's debut outing, "That Old Mercer Magic." We had an incredible turn out - standing room only - and got through what was our first ever live gig. No pressure.
We were joined by the trio that we were so lucky to have on the recording, Yaron Gershovsky, Dave Finck and Matt Wilson. These guys are so tasty, yet really know how to turn it on, and they did a lot of both in the set.
Much to my surprise, cuz I didn't get the last email that came in before the gig, Jon Hendricks stopped by and then sat in on Janis' feature, Jeepers Creepers. What? Suddenly Border's Book Store becomes a mahogany, candle lit jazz den. It was really something else. I stood agog as much as the next person. I love this city. Stuff happens here, and always when you least expect it.
Besides being starry eyed of Jon's presence, I must admit I am a fan of Janis and Laurel. Spending time with them over the last couple years has been an enormous joy and learning experience. I hope we can do more shows and present all the music that we have been writing and developing over the last couple years.
People are beginning to tease me about my appearance in yet another vocal group (Moss being the other - while still primarily a member of NYV) Isn't one enough, one could ask? Apparently, not for me. But honestly, it's about the people and it's about the collaboration. I love hanging out with people that I admire and bouncing ideas around. That it has been so fruitful is amazing to me, too, but I'm not about to start monkeying with the Karma.