Mahadev & MEZE This Week!

Two fun shows this week, both in the Santa Monica area.

This Thursday, December 15th, catch Mahadev at Bar Pico, a new venue for me. There will be two other acts, on being Amadou Fall, a master of the Senegalese instrument Kora. Rumor has it, he may even sit in with us! Check out the event on facebook, and listen to a rough cut below from our album in the works!

Eastern Promise by davecipriani

12/15/11 @ Bar Pico
2819 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica 90405
8pm --- Amadou Fall
9pm --- Mahadev
10pm --- Matatu
NO COVER

On Saturday, December 17th, Orkestar MEZE returns to Rusty's Surf Ranch on the Santa Monica Pier for a Balkan-Gypsy-Funk Holiday Party! We'll have some peasant surprises and tricks up our sleeves as always, along with new merch to go with the recently released "Peasant Funk" album - T-shirts for men and ladies, posters, stickers, and of course, CD's. Stock up and spread the funk this holiday season.

12/17/11 @ Rusty's Surf Ranch
256 Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica 90401
9:30pm-12:30am
$7 ($12 if under 21 without guardian)
view on facebook

Slumgum and Dan Rosenboom @ Royal T

It was in my calendar for over a month - last night was finally the night. No, not the season finale of Auction Hunters or the release of the iPhone 657. It was Slumgum and the Dan Rosenboom Group at Royal T in Culver City.

Slumgum is an incredible musical force right here under our SoCal noses. I find it difficult to explain this sort of a group in words, or rather, sentences. Here are some words that come to mind; mutuality, sincerity, honesty. This is one of the tightest groups I've ever heard, not in the traditional or immediate sense, but in the way they move from moment to moment so independently, yet so together. There is a joy of intensity in their performance, and as a musician myself, watching and listening, I can feel the deepest love and respect they have for the music and the present. They have one record out and another coming soon, and you should own it.

Following Slumgum was a large musical romp in the form of the Daniel Rosenboom Group. Expanded from his septet (which just released an album) to nine pieces, trumpeter and composer Dan Rosenboom led us into a set of new songs written on the road. Flavors of "In A Silent Way" Miles Davis, hard funk, Led Zeppelin, Spanish and Balkan music, and electronic texture all presented themselves throughout, in addition to those oh-so-difficult-to-name sounds that we composing types are always after. From rockin' and raucous to lean-forward subtle, Rosenboom's music is another testament to the freedom and far-reaching grasp of this creative music world.

Thanks Los Angeles. Looking in the window, it can look a little cold and barren, but there's a hot, hot fire burning in the furnace.

Solo @ Home

The past Thanksgiving week afforded me some much-needed and much-appreciated down time, which for me translates to write and practice! (and have some extra fun too)
Mostly putting in time on arranging music for my new octet and practicing clarinet, I sat down yesterday for a little quality time with my alto sax. I have been mostly working on phrasing, melodic construction, note-by-note improvising, and other such nebulous musical skills on my alto as of late, and that usually means practicing playing a tune with all those things in mind. As it's easy to get stuck inside one's own head dealing with non-specific concepts (or, let's face it, go completely out of your head), I thought I'd record myself for a better outlook.

Below you can hear some solo renditions of the great Benny Golson's classic tunes, Stablemates and Whisper Not. I hit record, sat down, and went for it two times with each tune; these are the "second time through". Comments of any kind are encouraged and appreciated, from "It sucks" to "You dropped a beat on the third bar of the bridge on the third chorus" (made that up just now, but doesn't mean it didn't happen). Look for more of these soon and periodically, if you like.

ZOOM by Michael Mull

Mike Keneally Retrospect

What a month of music for me, definitely a lot to be thankful for! After an incredible "Peasant Funk" CD release party with Orkestar MEZE, it was straight to a week of grueling rehearsals for guitarist/keyboardist Mike Keneally's "The Universe Will Provide". This 50-minute piece for a rock power trio-plus-an-orchestra was set for its US premier on Friday, November 18th at the REDCAT theater downtown, and everyone in the group but Mike was a CalArts student or alumni.  I had my fair share of musical challenges; my part covered alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet, flute, and my first forays into the bass saxophone. A feat in itself, full rehearsals were run Monday through Thursday, and the result was an incredible performance those involved won't soon forget. You can read a lot about the piece and its conception here. The performance was recorded and documented by multiple cameras, so I'm hoping I can direct you to a stream or DVD in the near future. Until then, suffice to say that I am honored to have been included in this performance and am proud of my fellow CalArts denizens for really pulling as much life, blood, and jumps-for-joy out of that music as possible!

Coming soon: my octet, take two. People are on board, music is being written and arranged (including some Placebo and 38 Special), and we'll see an inaugural performance early 2012. Two woodwinds, two trombones, two guitars, bass, drums...here we go!

"Peasant Funk" CD Release 11/11/11

The time is finally here! Orkestar MEZE is geared up for an incredible show this Friday night, 11/11/11, at the Key Club! We're proudly releasing our debut album, "Peasant Funk", as well as some killer merchandise like T-shirts, posters, and stickers, all adorned with that classy peasant look you've come to expect from MEZE. Check out the event on facebook, and get cheaper pre-sale tickets at http://www.milenkirov.net/, our leader's website. We'll have some incredible special guests sitting in with us as well, not to be missed. It's bound to be a legendary night...get a piece for yourself!

The album cover!

FREE SAMPLE at Webers Place 10/27

This Thursday, enjoy a brand new musical excursion, FREE SAMPLE. Led by guitarist and video game enthusiast Brice Albert, the music is a funky-fresh mix of electronica meets acoustica, analog synths and grooves. This is the least "jazz" band I'm in right now, so you should take a gander and see what lies beyond. Webers Place is a sports bar in the San Fernando Valley with a laid back vibe, tons of good beers on tap, and some delicious fried munchies, not to mention this killer new Thursday night music series.

Gonna be at least this exciting

10/27/11 Thursday Night @ Webers feat. FREE SAMPLE
8pm --- Red Bike
9:45pm --- Free Food
11:30pm --- FREE SAMPLE


21+ No cover, $10 minimum (pretty loose)
20- $10 cover
Webers Place

19312 Vanowen St

Reseda, CA

Check it out on facebook

New Music

A quick hello and some recent/upcoming happenings!

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing and experiencing an album pre-release show by Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi. Their second album, "Think Thoughts", should prove to be a continually strong follow-up of their self-titled debut, a roar of analog synth meeting groove-crushing drumset with voice weaving in, around, and through. These two are really into something fresh and invigorating, and their multi-media set last night shows their increasing ability and strength in a live setting. Get a piece of their youtube channel and get you ears around their albums!

I'm gearing up for a couple of maiden voyage performances with a new group. Led by guitarist Brice Albert, the group Free Sample draws heavily from electronic influences, especially the musical machinery of Bjork and the crunchy analog of 1990's video game music. We're doing an hour set at noon this Friday (10/21) at CalArts, and the following Thursday we're performing at Weber's Place in Reseda. This new Thursday night series has produced some great nights already, so we're excited to jump in...more details soon.

Mahaev @ The Joint with Mr DanZ

Everyone needs something fun to do on a Friday night, so I've got you covered this week. This Friday, September 30th, I'm performing at a relatively new venue called The Joint with Mahadev, the wonderful world-groove-jam quartet/quintet led by guitarist Dave Cipriani. We are followed by the talented fusion slam-dance that is Mr. DanZ, led by my good buddy and trio bassist Ben Shepherd and another fellow Orkestar MEZE member, Milen Kirov.

Here's the best part...tickets are FREE if you contact me before the show and say "ooh ooh me me I want to go!" Please leave a comment here, look me up through my website, facebook, or any other means and I'll get you a ticket. You can hear some Mahadev on the facebook page...see the event here! Here are the nitty gritty details:

Mahadev @ The Joint with Mr. DanZ
Friday, September 30th
Mahadev starts at 8pm, Mr. DanZ follows
FREE tickets by contacting me (leave a comment!) OR $5 at the door

The Joint
8771 West Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA

Mahadev with special guests

Gutbucket Chamber Ensemble Press

Some better-late-than-never press about Gutbucket's show at REDCAT in May, which featured myself and 11 other CalArts students/alumni augmenting the quartet:

http://www.sibeliusblog.com/people/gutbucket-rocks-redcat-at-disney-hall-with-a-little-help-from-sibelius/

I wouldn't mind a little Sibelius endorsement too, eh? Eh? Eh? Thanks again Gutbucket, hope to see you again soon!

Pictures from Boo Boo Records

Here are a few pictures from our show at Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo on Friday 9/9/11. Following an awesome set the night before at the Santa Barbara New Music Series (with Cameron Hicks on drums), we swapped out Cameron for Mike Lockwood on the drums and played another rocking set in Boo Boo's great vinyl room. Thanks to the fantastic audiences at both gigs, hope to see you all again soon!