The premise for Jazz Canvas is simple: A swingin’ jazz trio, a guest performer and a visual artist share the stage for a two-hour performance. Throughout the course of the show, the band does its thing and the artist creates a painting in response to the music being played. Both the music and the painting are immediate in nature. It is the ultimate improvisational interplay of mediums. Jazz Canvas is the brainchild of drummer Terry Marsh and artist Leigh Knowles Metteer. After presenting a few…
I recently sat down and wrote a letter to my muse, kindly asking her to please return. At some point in the spring, she wandered off. It seems I wasn’t paying enough attention to her. My mind was so engrossed in just trying to survive the last few months of my teaching gig that I didn’t notice she was gone right away. That is, until I needed her. It took a little work to coax her back. She rightly wanted to know, “What’s in it…
About once or twice a week, I receive a notice, usually either via my Facebook page or email inbox, that some musician friend has been nominated for some kind of award in some kind of competition. These notices typically come with a friendly request that I click on a provided link and cast a vote for that person. I receive these on a fairly regular basis. If it’s a friend, then it’s no problem. I’m happy for them and I’m down. I click and vote…
The Earshot Jazz Festival is in full swing with outstanding jazz performances taking place at clubs and concert venues across the city. The roster of artists is exquisite as usual. Although it will be impossible to hit all of the shows, I will be making noise about some of the performances that I think are worth checking out. I am all about the locals and I’m happy that Earshot is featuring many hometown artists in the festival this year.…
I’m depleted. I’m talking about that all-consuming exhaustion that creeps into the bones on a cellular level, sucks the very life out of a person and basically renders her brain dead. My body is running on empty at present and even the smallest exertion of energy feels hopelessly cumbersome. If I stop for even a second, I risk stalling out completely. Worse, my mental faculties are completely dulled and foggy. Some kind of base, reptilian autopilot is running the show. It’s a wonder that I’m…
I had originally written this post as a last minute reminder for everyone to come out to the Pony Boy Jazz Picnic, which took place yesterday (Sunday). Due to a sizable snafu at my web host Go Daddy and the attendant loss of much data on my website, that post never saw the light of day as it were. I am rewriting and reposting now because I think that although the picnic is…
