I don’t do a lot of solo restaurant dates anymore — even the most elegant settings prove to be noisy and few are interested in featuring anything other than lounge-esque renditions of standards and old pop tunes (think 80’s). Perhaps I’ve just had some bad experiences…

Avril is different — the husband and wife owners are both artistically-driven and interested in bringing something different to their patrons. The relaxed atmosphere and easy feel of the room proves a great fit for my playing. While I do turn it down just a bit from my concert-level intensity, I still approach with the inventiveness that I want to bring to my playing. The response from the dining audience was amazing — I had more compliments throughout the evening than I’ve ever gotten in a dinner setting.  I will be returning next week with consideration for additional dates in the upcoming months.

Check out the website: http://avrilbyob.com. The menu is French and a la carte and it’s BYOB — it’s the perfect place for a special celebration where you can bring your own wine/beverage of choice.

In the broader view I’m still combing through the tracks from Crossroads, dealing with many hours and several versions of a tune. The improvs are easy, though, as they’re different each time and either good or bad. I’ll probably get tose done first and post them int he next week or so. I always feel like I’m giving birth to a new lifeform when I work on recordings. In a way, I guess I am (or I’m reading way too much sci-fi….).

See you all soon.