MEZE at MALABOMBA! 2/27/13

Back in 2010, Orkestar MEZE played one of its first official shows at the massive sexy dance party that is MALABOMBA! We are prepared to knock your peasant socks off this Wednesday night...I can't put it any better myself - see what the MALABOMBA! site has to say:

Release the goats and fill your flask with plum brandy, because on Wednesday, February 27th, you’re ditching the farm and heading down to MALABOMBA! L.A.’s favorite international dance party returns to La Cita to get down and dirty with the funky Bulgarian sounds of Orkestar MÉZÉ! Long-time Malabombaderos will remember their magical JBs-meet-Ivo Papasov stylings from the last time they blew the roof off a couple years back. Whether you’re a MALABOMBA! virgin or you love us long time, you won’t want to miss this one! Crooked dances, blazing horns, sultry vocals, and more funky Balkan madness than you can shake a shepherd’s crook at!

 Oh yeah! Entry is FREE before 10pm, and only 5 bucks after that...fits the peasant budget quite nicely. RSVP on Facebook if you please, and check the details below. See you there!

Wednesday, Februray 27th, 9:30 PM until last call
La Cita Bar, 336 S. Hill St, LA 90013 
FREE admission before 10:00 Only $5 cash after 
FULL BAR - FULL BOMBA!

Here's a taste of what went down last time MEZE took over the place!

Two Trios @ Barclay's in Northridge 2/23/13

It was really fun to reunite with Ben and Cameron and do a trio set at the house concert a couple weeks ago - getting back into it with those guys is always easy, having logged some serious playing time together over the years. Here's a video of my arrangement of Thelonious Monk's "Trinkle Tinkle" from the show:



This Friday, February 23rd, we are doing a set at Barclay's Coffee and Tea in Northridge, a great coffee spot with an excellent ongoing music series. I was there last Friday to catch Josh Nelson....woooooooooo doggie! On the 23rd we are splitting the bill with a new group led by Bryan McAllister, making a foray into the world of the organ trio. The group is brand new, but you can hear some of Bryan's previous material on this video:



There is no cover for the show, but we gratefully accept tips for the bands! Come and enjoy a delicious drink (tons of coffees, teas, juices) and support this great series!

Barclays Coffee and Tea Co.
8976 Tampa Ave, Northridge CA
No Cover
7pm - Bryan McAllister Trio
8pm - Michael Mull Trio
RSVP on Facebook

House Concert 2/8/13

Hi folks, it's a bit late notice but if you are free tomorrow night (Friday, Feb. 8th), there is another house concert/party happening in Highland Park, similar to one we had in October last year. This is how fun it was:



This time, we open the show at 8pm with the Michael Mull Trio, followed by the Anthropic Ensemble, and BLockRad. It's going to be a big hang, so bring some friends, bring some drinks, and get ready for some great music!

1604 N Avenue 56
Los Angeles 90042
8pm-late (bands at 8, 9, 10ish)
Bring your own refreshments
Tips greatly appreciated!
Facebook

Orkestar MEZE @ The Foundation Room 2/2/13

It's peasant party-time! Orkestar MEZE's own beloved leader Milen is celebrating his birthday in the best possible way - in a slick Sunset Blvd. club, with tons of friends, and a full injection of PEASANT FUNK! Take part in the merriment on Saturday, February 2nd at 9pm as we play the Foundation Room in the historic House of Blues Sunset. It should be a packed house with plenty of booty-shaking and boozing to go around...

Show the love of commitment! Buy your tickets pre-sale and save 5 bucks off the door price, plus the first 40 pre-sale peasants get a sticker (check it out below, the best sticker ever made). Let's make this a big party!

You can visit the event page on Facebook to chime in and get more info, or see below:

ORKESTAR MEZE + Milen's Birthday Explosion
Saturday, February 2nd
9:00PM (two long sets --- we're playing all night!)
$10 pre-sale, $15 at the door
21 and over only

House of Blues
The Foundation Room Lounge
8430 West Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood 90069-1910

Best of the Blue Whale: 2012

It is my honor to announce the release of a new album, Best of the Blue Whale: 2012. Compiled by videographer and sound engineer Alex Chaloff as a surprise gift to the Blue Whale club's owner Joon Lee, this digital-only release features twelve choice cuts from performances at the Blue Whale that Alex recorded audio and video for. The album includes my composition "The People Who Raised Us" from the Michael Mull Octet's debut performance, and we couldn't ask to be in better company - other tracks include the likes of Anthony Wilson, Ben Wendel, Larry Koonse, Josh Nelson, Larry Goldings, John Daversa and more.

The reason this is a "gift" to Joon Lee is that 100% of the proceeds of the album sales will go toward upgrading the sound and lighting systems at the Blue Whale, meaning a greater listening experience for the music and a greater viewing experience of the ever-changing art installations! All the artist represented on this album donated their tracks so that we all can see, hear, and feel the benefits at the bastion of great music that the Blue Whale has become. Stream and download the album exclusively on bandcamp.com.

2012, Retrospectively Speaking

Since I am working all day tomorrow (and gratefully so), I thought I'd better post before 2013 comes around and gives us all a mischievous but good-natured wet willy. I haven't been keeping up on the blog as often as I'd like these past few months, hopefully something I can get back to more regularly next year. I played a fun show with Orkestar MEZE last week, and we are gearing up for a show at the House of Blues Foundation Room in February. Keep it here for details, as well as a more imminent show with Mahadev next week.

And so, I would like to conclude this year's posts with some reflections, in no particular order or manner, and interspersed with some pictures of me havin' fun. Join me?

2012 has been a musically fulfilling year for me, the most since I graduated from CalArts and entered the "real world". Great times playing with my Trio, Orkestar MEZE, and Mahadev. My fondest reflections are of the enormous amount of writing, rehearsing, practicing and prepping that went into launching the Michael Mull Octet as a functioning group. We had three well-attended, well-received, and extremely fun performances from June up to this point, and I am excitedly working on more material to push into 2013 with this group that has allowed me to reach so many musical places that I have been reaching for. I'd like to personally thank Tim, Emilio, Mike, Adam, Will, Frank, and Harrison for being the music - you guys are the best. Let's record next year!

Michael Mull Octet + Genevieve Artadi @ house party!

Two of the Octet's performances took place at what I (and many others) consider to be the hub of creative music in LA, the Blue Whale. Joon Lee has created not only a great performance space, but attracts an incredible range of talent to the venue because of his honesty and his passion for great music. I saw some unforgettable performances at the Whale in 2012, and what I saw was a fraction of what goes on there. Thank you, Joon, for truly being a champion for music in LA.

Rehearsing with a new project...coming 2013!

Who plays all this great music that we hear at the Blue Whale and elsewhere? Definitely some amazing out-of-towners, but many of them are denizens of Los Angeles. It's difficult to see or to sense the "scene" in LA because of the vast area it covers, but it's there, and it's future is bright. I'd like to give a shout out to "my generation" on the scene, so to speak, who have cranked out some great stuff this year. To name a few, Joe Santa Maria, Brian Havey (Z-1 and Trio), Chord Four, Dan Rosenboom, Gavin Templeton, Slumgum, Louis Cole & Genevieve Artadi and Grampus. These are just some who I can think of off the top of my head, and who have recorded this year; the live music was, of course, even more expansive and fresh. Keep it coming, guys and gals!

Michael Mull Trio @ Barclays

An overarching theme is that music increasingly allows me great opportunities; opportunities to create, to constantly better myself, to hang out with my friends, to work with and for my friends, to travel, to be inspired, and to love the unexplainable. Thank you to my wife, my family, and my friends and colleagues who all stand by me and contribute to these invaluable experiences - I love you all. See you in 2013.

No shoes at P-Nov's house. Feel the love!

Japan and Kneebody

It's been a busy month and it's past time for an update. Happy December, get ready to roll all the way through to 2013!

After a fun and well-attended show with my wife Ami at Barclay's Coffee and Tea in Northridge, Ami and I hopped on a plane and spent the next two weeks in Osaka, Japan. It was a much-needed vacation, a chance to see her family again, and we even got to play a show sharing the bill with Mayu Wakisaka.

Recovering from jet lag is easier if you have fun things to do - fun things like seeing Kneebody at the Blue Whale. I caught them on the last night of their four-night stint at the best club in LA, and they shared the second set with electric space-funk masters Louis Cole & Genevieve Artadi. Fun and exciting are dull words for such a concert, but words are often dull compared to the experience of great music. Kneebody is the tightest unit on their side of the universe. I picked up their latest available release, You Can Have Your Moment.

Seems like it wasn't long ago that we played the 2011 holiday show at Rusty's Surf Ranch, but here we are again! Orkestar MEZE will provide the grooves and goat-fuled jams so all in attendance can get their peasant on. Saturday, December 22nd at 10pm - mark your calendars and cave walls. Let us know you're coming on Facebook.

Also, more music coming up early next year......Trio, Octet, MEZE, Mahadev, the new project with Brice Albert and Justin Janer, and another group to record led by Frank Silva. Keep your eyes and ears here!

Blue Whale Tomorrow Night 10/17/12

Just a quick reminder: the Michael Mull Octet will be returning to the Blue Whale downtown tomorrow night! The first set of the night (at 9pm) will feature A Giraffe, whose debut recording shows of some mean playing and writing, and whose saxophonist Joe Santa Maria is back in LA after a stint in NYC; let's welcome him back! You can find details for the show on Facebook, or simply look below our good friend Brendan, who is displaying his note to Octet and Giraffe drummer Mike Lockwood:

9pm - A GIRAFFE

Joe Santa Maria - alto sax

Steve Blum - piano

Emilio Terranova - bass

Mike Lockwood - drums

10:30pm - MICHAEL MULL OCTET

Michael Mull, Frank Silva - woodwinds

Harrison Kirk, Will Wulfeck - trombone

Adam Ratner, Tim Fischer - guitar

Emilio Terranova - bass

Mike Lockwood - drums

Blue Whale

123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St. Suite 301

$10 cover, no minimum

21+ (under 21 can be accompanied by a guardian!)

Parking on 2nd Street, look for the yellow "P" sign

House Concert Videos and 10/17 Gig

I wanted to share some iPhone videos from the house concert in Highland Park on September 19th. It was an absolutely fun time, and had the casual but energetic atmosphere I was hoping for. I'm looking to put together another one in December, so keep your eyes here for the rest of 2012!

The Michael Mull Octet will be returning to the Blue Whale this month on Wednesday, October 17th! We are really excited to come back to the best jazz venue in LA, and will be sharing the night with A Giraffe, a fine quartet of musicians playing truly new music. Bassist Emilio Terranova and drummer Mike Lockwood from my Octet are a part of A Giraffe, along with Steve Blum on piano and Joe Santa Maria on alto sax (back in LA now, and we're glad to have him!).

Here is a new tune we tried out at the house concert, "Charlie Visits Plovdiv". It's an off-kilter, Bulgarian-influenced bounce that, in my favorite manner, smashes together several things that I love.

This is a shorter clip of tenorman Frank Silva getting outrageous on my arrangement of "Caught Up In You" by .38 Special. Catch more of Frank and the gang at the Blue Whale on October 17th, and check out the related videos on my youtube channel in the meantime.

Octet Returns

Lots of music going on this month, just like it should be! I wanted to drop a quick note about a house concert I organized that is coming up on Saturday, 9/22. There will be three diverse groups performing throughout the night (the third of which is my Octet), and in between sets it's just a big hang! I'm expecting a fun, casual vibe with some great music.

1604 North Avenue 56, Los Angeles 90042
Doors open 6pm
Bands will gratefully accept donations throughout the evening
Bring your own refreshments

6:30ish - ANTHROPIC ENSEMBLE
     This engaging Los Angeles-based quartet consists of guitar, clarinet, drum set and up-right bass. The identity of the ensemble is established by the individual, multi-faceted identities of each artist—Maxwell Gualtieri (Stupid Man Suit, Ladies & Gentlemen, A.K.A., King and the Cattail) on guitar, Andrew Conrad (BLockRad, Chord Four) on clarinet, Colin Woodford (Chord Four, Solo Percussion, Sogo Takeover) on drumset, and Emilio Terranova (A Giraffe, 3tet, Big Enough Band) on up-right bass. The compositions are held together by the tenacity of the close friends who realize them. Music played by this group is rich in artful improvisation and tactful negotiation of curiously irregular metric landscapes.

8:00ish - GENEVIEVE ARTADI
      genevieve artadi makes the same music you would if you were her. on september 22nd, at the house in highland park, she, andrea calderwood, sean fitzpatrick, aya toyoshima, and louis cole will show you what that sounds like!

9:30ish - MICHAEL MULL OCTET 
     Coming back with a few new tunes. Visit http://www.youtube.com/user/michaelmullmusic/videos to watch the Octet at the Blue Whale. Michael Mull, Frank Silva - woodwinds; Harrison Kirk, Will Wulfeck - trombones; Tim Fischer, Adam Ratner - guitars; Emilio Terranova - bass; Mike Lockwood - drums and percussion