Spent some long overdue and profitable time with my "Chaplain" travelling to and from the concert at the Hollywood (MD) Church of the Nazarene, on Sunday evening. David Sparks is a former pastor there, but now (and for some time) a chaplain at the Dover air Force Base mortuary - and truly doing "God's work". Long time listeners to "Joe Holt's Notes on the Radio" may recall the segment: "The Irregular Chaplain" (not an advertisement for Metamucil). The concert itself went well - all things considered - and should have posts up on all 3 video channels (inclu. GodTube) in the coming days.

Winding down late Monday evening (the post listing as Tuesday because it's now after midnight). Have lately taken Monday as my "day off" (when I try to wrestle myself from the routines), but have postponed that until later in the week, in part, to deal with the end of the month stuff. I feel good (though, honestly, somewhat vulnerable) about the current vision, and general state of things regarding my career and creative expression. Wrote a long e-mail to someone today about where I feel I am now. Looking at it, upon completion, as apt to copy in a portion for "public view":
"This has been an intense few months, and now the "smoke is beginning to thin", and I can begin to access the landscape. Perhaps the most important recent "development" is the dissolution of my involvement with the Midiri Brothers touring band. This was settled upon - amicably - a week ago upon returning home from Sun Valley. Lots of implications and possibilities here. It really does seem time now to go full tilt toward building my future on solo piano concerts (while, of course, continuing to participate in other adventures). Am looking to my concert at the Prince on 11/14 as a potential turning point, on several levels. Stylistically, and in approach, I am looking to push the borders (starting with the Prince): both in the movement toward more contemporary tunes, and in improvisational performance beyond the trad conception of jazz - including beginning to incorporate classical literature. Have to say that I feel wholly in sync with the concepts expressed by Keith Jarrett in the "Art of Improvisation" interview. Though it all may still correctly be considered "jazz" (at least broadly), the use of that term does not invite the connection to a broader audience that I intend to build. Notice the title of the Prince concert (both on my site, and theirs): "An Evening of Piano Improvisation". Am hopeful for, and am working toward a strong turnout on 11/14 (a full house?). I continue to embrace that God is at work."
Amen.

Final photo taken by Ed Wise. Click on any picture to enlarge.

Back home from the Sun Valley Festival. I purposely did not blog from the trip because, initially, of the uncertainty of my relationship with the band. As the trip progressed, however, the uncertainty faded into an embracing of the current reality: that my time (as a regular - at least) with the Midiri Brothers touring sextet was finished. Tensions have been building throughout the year, but handled professionally, on both sides, to my view. On the trip home, we both (discovered that we) planned to broach the subject to each other. In my case, the determination was solidified during the festival, in their’s, it was a predetermined move. No bridges were burned, at least in our personal rapport, which (the brothers knew) was my first priority. There are a lot of implications to this, of course, and without expounding now, I’ll just say that God is at work, and it’s all good. With the exception of local sideman work, my focus now will be solo piano concert performances. I’ll soon be tweaking my web schedule to reflect this. One disappointment here will be the disruption of my rapport with those outside of my local area, with whom the festival traveling allowed me to visit. God will work that out too - we’ll just have to wait to see how. The Midiri band is in a very good place now, in several respects, and I wish the guys a great ride! The next post will be selected pictures from the festival (that I hoarded instead of immediately posting), posted without comment.

Riding in the dark back to the airport, From Hannibal to (meet me in) St. Louis. 58 miles to go. Another successful gig to an enthusiastic crowd last night. After the gig, while trying to find a place to eat that was open, we stumbled onto Joe’s Diner. This was a real deal, blue collar, Hannibal, MO, greasy plate Joe’s diner. Jimmy had his second fish sandwich of the day (first cod, then catfish). Danny’s pancakes were the diameter of a small car tire. The pie was great. Then back to the hotel to collapse. Roomed with Jimmy last night. Ed (in the adjacent room) set his alarm for 5am and said he would wake us up. At 5am there comes a bang on the wall. Our wake up call, perfect for Hannibal, MO. Speaking of Ed, it didn’t take long for him to fire up his I-Pod, and grace us with his 40 million jazz toon library, as has been the atmosphere for all the car travel. An enthusiastic chap, Ed is. Required, at some level, for this business.

On the road again. This time for our final concert in Hannibal, MO this evening. Some of the crowd last night were the agenda driven trad fans. There is an inner fundamentalist in many, if not all of us. When it “escapes”, it defines value by adherence to preference. The crowd, as a whole, truly enjoyed and appreciated the group, despite that it wasn't Dixieland (as I overheard someone say, in essence). Jimmy is now laughing uncontrollably (he does that sometimes). For the most part, though, he is driving relatively straight. Only a few rumble strips :)

Riding again, this time on a 5 hour trip from Decatur to somewhere in the Ozarks for another concert tonite. Last night was my first gig w/ the Midiri band since the Orange County, Ca festival (2 months), and it went well. The turnout was strong, and the reception was enthusiastic. Shared a couple of my solo CDs with Bill Hickerson, who hosts a jazz show on WQNA Sundays from 6am to noon central time (small staion but with internet streaming). Had a short interview and read a promo spot. See, I knew I’ve been practicing my “radio voice” for something!
Quote from Jimmy (just in): “Nothing like water to make the inside of your mouth feel all wet”.

We’re off now, and in the air from Phila to St Louis (for a weekend of concerts in the Midwest with the Midiri band). Plunged back into my “world” with jazz gigs starting Monday (the day after the show closed). The theatre was quite a different approach to things than is the norm for me. Among the most striking; the idea of the “project” which starts and stops, having a defined beginning and ending. I am made aware, thru this experience, that (improvisational) performances (for me) are a continuum. The playing stops and starts, but nothing opens or closes. Neither are there “stages of development” where things gradually come together, eventually reaching the point of “presentable”. In my “world”, it’s more like a teacher extemporaneously lecturing in a classroom, or a panel discussion on a “talking heads” television show. The preparation for the presentation is the life you have lived up until that point (or, perhaps, the sum total of the experiences related to what you are doing). Some years ago, before Miles (Davis) passed, he was the recipient of some sort of lifetime achievement award. As part of the ceremony, he would be presenting a concert. I happened to see an interview by a young (trying to be “hip”) reporter who asked Miles “How long do you practice for a gig like this?”. I remember bracing myself for what might come out of Miles’ mouth, but his answer was perfect: “30 years”. This past Sunday, during the closing song of the final show, I saw (in my mind), while we were playing, the image of a “finish line” - which we all crossed successfully (and uninjured). Now that the “structure” has been built, furnished, exhibited, closed down, and “sealed up”, I am back to my familiar place - where the door is off the hinges, and the windows are always open.

It's over. And a great experience it was! Click on the photo to enlarge.
Bottom, from left: Ray, Tom, Kerissa, Shannon, Nina, Rebbecca, Samantha, Felicia, Stacey, Trevor, Ron.
Top, from left: Steve (fearless leader), Jane, Brian, Marsha, Josh, Owen, Ryan, Herb, me, Kate, Charie'.
Everyone agrees that we broke new ground (for Church Hill Theatre) with this show. Ultimately, both Steve's vision, and my own, were realized (to, at least, a considerable extent). The cast worked long, hard, and sacrificially, and, at the end, owned this performance. The musicians moved this score beyond a "proper" reading of the printed music, to a place of genuine "Island" authenticity. One cast member joked that prior to the arrival of the "orchestra" for dress rehearsals and performances, they were preparing "Once on This Cul-De-Sac". In the end, we accomplished what I laid out to the cast in our first music rehearsal: we found consensus, and the groove. Kudos to all!

The cast and crew for "Once on this Island" - posted outside the theatre. Click on the image for a larger view. That's Charie'(!) on the third row.
One weekend to go. Historically, for this theatre, we will have our largest audiences this weekend, possibly multiple sell-outs. The excitement/buzz has been growing from show to show. Audiences increasingly enthused, and performances (generally speaking) increasingly solid. Am looking forward to this weekend - then back to the (my) “real world”…