True to form, whenever I decide to post on a regular basis something always intercedes…. basically, everyday life coupled with a nasty bout of pollen allergy. Still, I’m putting this up right now…..

I had a great gig Tuesday with my trio at Witherspoon Grill. This is a real anomaly in this section of the universe: a upscale restaurant that isn’t cheap but is always packed on Tuesday nights. I’ve been fortunate to be onto the second year of bookings here with the trio. While your first impression is Lounge Gig you find out you’re seriously mistaken — we play with our usual intensity, energy and complexity and it goes over tremendously. Waiters come up between tunes to ask that I announce the name of the trio as dining patrons want to know who we are! This was also a first for me as I played a solid-bodied guitar for the entire night… with great results. I brought the Cort-Steinberger out for the gig with a bit of trepidation — I didn’t know if I could stick with it for the entire night and play meaningful jazz. Needless to say it worked — I played ideas and lines and went in directions that were pretty fresh and different. Adrian and Dave liked it. The patrons liked it. And I was exhausted afterward — I actually overslept Wednesday morning.

Thanks to my friend (and bassist extraordinaire) Bill Zola I’ve been immersing myself in the more electric side of guitar music, watching DVDs from Jeff Beck, Alan Holdsworth, Eric Johnson…. there’s a shifting of ideas taking place in the way I’m thinking about playing so it’s time to follow the muse!

Catch up later. Thanks for checking in.