We had a great gig last night in Pforzheim.  We played at the legendary club,"Domicile.”  The owner of the club has brought in musicians for the past 35 years. It was amazing to look at his CD collection. It looked like a record shop!  He was telling us about all the people he had Nat Adderly, Phil Woods, Joe Zawinul, and Roy Hargrove, anyone who was in town would pass by.  The audience was so amazing.  I couldn’t hear a pin drop.  They were so attentive and educated. But not only were the observant they would go crazy after songs!  It was a really great vibe.  

We were all exhausted after the gig and were practically falling asleep on the couches there, yet somehow when I arrived back at the hotel I couldn’t get to bed for the next few hours. I stayed up watching TV shows! 

And today I woke up at 3:30 in the afternoon.  Today was one of our days off. Filled with lots of jetlag.  Oh!! jet lag.  We walked around tonight, got some great Thai food and met the club owner of Domicile back at the club.  We then listened to music, talked had taste of beer and the most amazing fresh warmed German bread sprinkled with cheese and olive oil for the next few hours!

Well we had a crazy plane day.  Turns out that the 9:30 flight got pushed to 11:30 and then pushed to 1.  We stood in line and got on another plane to Detroit and then a connecting flight to Nashville.  We did that and got the last two stand by seats on that plane. Caught the connecting flight within 15 minutes and somehow landed in Nashville.

But wait, there’s more!  Our bags didn’t get in.  And let me point out this is the first time this has ever happened.  I have always been very fortunate

Went on a hike up mount M today. It was truly beautiful (once you reach the top (harhar)) Once I started I realized what a steep hike it was. However, it really only took half and an hour to get to the top and once you see the view its all worth it. Some people are really crazy…I saw them run up, stop at the top for 2 seconds and run DOWN. Ayayayyaayyy!!!

Played my own show at Daly Jazz that night. Guess who came by?! Huey Lewis!! I met Huey in Boston when I played the "tribute to James Cotton show” at the house of blues earlier this year. I was playing with James Montgomery, James Cotton, Johnny A and so many other people. It was a huge blues party. I went out to dinner before the show with James and Huey and then played with both of them that night. He’s such an awesome dude…So laid back, nice, funny and incredible artist. He drove an hour to come see the show and we got to hang a little bit. The guy is so humble too. He told me a lot of great stories but one of the best ones was about Stan Getz (since he knows I love him ) I bet you didn’t know Stan recorded with him…

Check out this youtube..

Just got done playing at "Daly Jazz” It’s a Sunday night…played with Lee Konitz and the house band David Morganroth (pn) Craig Hall (bass) and Brad Edwards (drummer.)  It was so much fun.  It’s such an experience to play with Lee.  He is so distinctive, unique and musical.  Nobody else can match his phrasing and melodies.  Before we went on stage tonight he said to me "can we make a vow to only play things we’ve never played before?”

Playing with him always brings out new things in me.  I try to play as spontaneously as possible and he brings that out in the whole band.  The biggest lesson I’ve learned from him is just that.  Jazz is about improvisation, improvisation is about the moment.  Everytime he plays, all he tries to do is open his ears and play something he’s never done before.  He’s such a risk taker and sometimes that’s how the most beautiful moments come out.  I have to say Lee gets funnier and funnier each time I see him.  He had the audience cracking up the whole night.

Buddy DeFranco and his wife were in the audience too. They sat in the front row three feet from us.

I just got home from a 10-day tour with Francisco Mela and the "Cuban Safari trio.”  I was a special guest with Elio Villafranca (piano) Luques Curtis (bass) and of course Francisco Mela on drums.  It was so fun.  For those of you who don’t know Francisco he’s an amazing drummer who’s been playing with all the big guys in jazz…he plays regularly in Joe Lovano, McCoy Tyner, Kenny Barron groups and with numerous other people.  He is a dynamic and such a musical drummer. He wrote all the tunes we played and Francisco and I got to sing a little too.  He usually never sings, but he also has a great husky voice and we both sang nearness of you together!!  It was super fun, we were just hanging out after a gig and singing and we got the idea to do that together. 

We traveled all around Italy for 10 days, sometimes driving 5-7 hours a day, checking into the hotel and then running to sound check.  We only had 2 days off so it was busy busy!  It was an amazing learning experience for me though because being a sideman and playing Francisco’s music was a totally different thing.  I learned a lot from him, and we talked a lot about music, how he wanted it to be created and every night we critiqued it. The trio was great though, it was a very open group and there was a lot of improvisation melded into his music so our imaginations had to run wild.  It was great that this group of cats all had that.  Francisco goes on my list of favorite people…he is so generous, kind and FULL of energy!  You hang around him for an hour and he brightens the room.  You hang out with him for 10 days and its awesome!! I couldn’t be happier to be hanging with him, his vibe and music…I’m really glad the tour worked out. I’m working on putting together some future things with him as well.  He’s a cat I just have to keep playing with!!

Had a really great performance at the legendary "Ronnie Scotts” club tonight.  Totally packed house.   The audience was very energetic and it had a great vibe.  I love walking the streets in London, such a diverse group of people.  There was a street Went by in the morning with a morning market set up…lots of fresh food, fruit outside and cool contemporary clothing shops.  A funky little street.   When we first got into the car Doug went to sit right in the drivers seat.  It was pretty funny, but totally understandable because everything is opposite from what we’re used to!  People drive on the wrong side of the road!! ;-)  London was the last stop on our 10 day European tour. Nice to be home.

Happy Valentines Day weekend!  Playing our second night at the "Duc Des Lombard’s” Club In Paris.  It’s SUCH an amazing club.  It’s a very small club but the setting is beautiful and the sound is incredible.  It’s probably one of the best sounding clubs I’ve ever played at.  The quintet was basically playing acoustically and since we were all set up so close to each other we could just feel the music that much better.  The food is unbelievable too, but come on it’s Paris!  I arranged a special medley of my favorite Michelle Legrand Songs to feature this weekend.  It went well, people enjoyed it.  Ingrid Jensen has been playing her butt off!!  She kicks the whole band up to another level, I love every minute of it, and it’s challenging me in the best ways.