Barclay's and The Mint

Good morning, I'd like to give you all a quick update on some upcoming gigs. Tomorrow night (Friday, 4/1) I am playing with one of my good friends Nick Grinder and his quintet at a new spot in the San Fernando Valley, Barclay's Coffee and Tea. They recently began having live jazz there, and although this will be my first time, I've been hearing about a great vibe and casual, energetic atmosphere. Details below:


Nick Grinder Group:
Nick Grinder (trombone), Michael Mull (alto sax, bass clarinet), Michael Ragonese (piano), Jak Kyokong (bass), Nick De Ryss (drums)


Friday, April 1st
7:00 PM, two sets
$5 suggested donation goes directly to the band
Barclay's Coffee and Tea
8976 Tampa Ave., Northridge CA 91325
View the event on Facebook


I'll also be joining Thy Oddbirds next Wednesday 4/6 at The Mint in Los Angeles. We're playing one later set amid some other bands, and I'm really excited to sit in with these guys. You should check it out for yourself, but to quote the Mint's site, the music involves "melding cinematic electronic soundscapes with traditional funk and jazz"; there is an open, funky vibe not unlike Miles Davis's classic Bitches Brew recordings, and I think this set is going to be a blast to play and hear.


Thy Oddbirds:
Boyd Peterson (electric bass), Paul Krueger (keyboards), Michael Mull (alto sax, flute), Robert Patrick (guitar), JK Benjamin (drums)


Wednesday, April 6th
11:00 PM
$10 cover ($15 for under 21)
The Mint
6010 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035
Gig info on the Mint's website




In other news, I went out to Vitello's last night to see trombonist Bob McChesney and his quintet. Let me just say one thing about Bob McChesney: if you have not heard him play, you must. Bob is playing the trombone on an unprecedented level, and every time I hear him I still can't believe my ears. His support was incredible as well, with tenor great Bob Mintzer and pianist Andy Langham lending some of the hardest swinging, passionate improvisations of the evening.


I'll do my best to post about Bob McChesney's next show, and we'll all go together. You'll see...


Cheers everyone, I hope to play for you at one of my upcoming gigs.

Fatum Brothers Jazz Orchestra Tour Dates

Here's a rough tour date list for the tour I embark on in a matter of days. It will be with the Fatum Brothers Jazz Orchestra from Chicago, and I'm very excited to play with these great young players and hit some cool venues I've never played. If you are in town and ready for some big-band (or if you're not ready, whatever), come see us on tour!

Aug. 5th: Dizzy's Jazz Club (San Diego) --- 8pm, $15 ($10 students)
Aug. 6th: Day off
Aug. 7th: Travel and rehearsal in LA
Aug. 8th: Thousand Oaks Gardens of the World Summer Concert Series with guest artist Ira Nepus (Thousand Oaks) 5pm-8pm
Aug. 9th: Catalina's Jazz Club (LA) with BOB MINTZER (Grammy Award Winning Saxophonist & Composer) 8pm
Aug. 10th: SOHO Music Club (Santa Barbara)
Aug. 11th: Travel Day
Aug. 12th: NPR Radio Interview & In Studio Performance (Sacramento)
Aug. 13th: 24th Street Theatre CD Release Party (Sacramento)
Aug. 14th: San Jose Jazz Festival

I'll update the schedule as I get more specific details, and if you're on facebook, follow the tour here.

August

Gearing up for some fun times in August...

First, I'd like to thank the audience and the people at Liquid Zoo for a great time last weekend! I had a blast playing with Brandon Sherman, Derek Beach and John Shebalin, and the audience was one of the more receptive groups in recent memory. I feel that the average person is quite open to different and new types of music, but it is often a question of exposure to said styles. I hope to get back to the Liquid Zoo in Van Nuys soon and continue to spread the word of creative music.

If you didn't catch our set at Liquid Zoo (or couldn't get enough), the same quartet will be playing this Sunday evening, August 1st at the last Jazz and Improvisational Music Series at 2nd Street Jazz in Little Tokyo. Three bands from 9-midnight, one charge of $10 ($5 for a drink ticket, and $5 directly to the bands). Here is the info:

2nd Street Jazz
366 E 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Sunday, August 1st
9pm-12am
$10 gets you admission and a drink

In other news, mixing has been going fantastic for the upcoming trio album. Engineer John Aspinall and I are making speedy progress each meeting, and the sounds are incredible! The sound is pure, clean and raw, and places you right in front of the trio. More news as the project develops.

I will be travelling up and down California for the first two weeks of August with the Fatum Brothers Jazz Orchestra on their CD release tour. We are starting in San Diego at Dizzy's and going as far north as Sacramento, but Los Angelinos should keep their eyes open for our gig at Catalina Bar and Grill, as it will feature tenor legend Bob Mintzer sitting in! I will post all of the dates and venues here very soon.

Lastly, I am playing with the Alex Smith trio at the farmers market in Torrance this Saturday morning from 9am-1pm, for those in the south bay area. This is a special gig as one set will feature a brand new duo project my wife Ami Mull has put together with guitarist Joel Mankey. Alex will sit in on percussion on a few tunes, and they are gearing up for a performance at Cafe Metropol later in August. Check out some of their tunes HERE.