Whirlwind

What a whirlwind 3 days! I got back to Vancouver at around 3:00 on Friday after a long long flight and a long wait at Customs. I was hoping to get home and get some rest before the gig but id didn’t happen. We were supposed to have a rehearsal with Dr. Lonnie Smith but thankfully he cancelled it. I was a little worried but Lonnie assured me that all would be okay and who am I to argue with a Dr. He of course was right and the gig came off without a hitch. I was really really tired of course and wasn’t exactly thrilled with my own playing but the band sounded fantastic.

Things really kicked in to gear on Saturday night when we played The Wheelhouse Theatre in White Rock. The sound on the stage was awesome and the band really clicked. We played some new tunes which was cool….the most memorable of which was a Taggart feature on Ellington’s “In A Sentimental Mood.” Ross played it beautifully. I love playing with Ross. He really pushes me and drives me and you have to play well otherwise he’ll leave you in the dust. There are as many variables with two saxes playing together as when a drummer and bass player play together. What I mean is that you have to hook up and sometimes you just simply don’t. Ross and I however seem to hook really nicely, our tuning, phrasing and articulation seems to come together without much of an effort.

Sunday we made the trek up to Kelowna and played to a smaller (125 or so ) but really enthusiastic audience. They loved it and its always fun playing for an audience that is into what you’re doing. The organ wasn’t as good sounding as the ones the previous few nights and the Dr. was somewhat limited in what he good do but like always does, he got sounds out of it that most organists don’t even know are possible. I was amazed again and his ferocious groove and how he uses his feet to double his left hand. Perhaps I’m biased but if I can put that aside for a minute and say that truthfully Dr. Lonnie Smith is definitely an underappreciated organist. He understand every single nuance and idiosyncracy of the organ and uses the instrument to its full capability.

Today we are on our way to Cranbrook which I about a 7 hour drive but we have the day off so we’re taking our time . We should arrive there around 7:00 pm and will have time to just relax and hang out which is cool before playing our concert tomorrow night. I did bring my camera but didn’t bring the cord to transfer them to my computer so posting pictures will have to wait till I get home. Some fun ones for sure.

The Dr. is in awesome spirits as he is most of the time hwoever this time takes the cake as he is in a great mood and has been a gem to deal with1

UUURRRGGGHHHH

Well, I almost got out of Cannes without a hitch and was actually ready to admit that the disaster of last year at MIDEM was a thing of the past and that I conquered it this year. Well okay, I'm being a bit dramatic. MIDEM was fantastic this year. Although as I said in an earlier post I didn't actually close any deals, I did manage to get Cellar Live out there in a big way and got our stuff into the hands of people that may have an impact on the future of the label for sure....but....then things kind of came crashing down.

As we do every year, all the folks from the Canada Stand get together for a big dinner on day 4 and hang out. The dinner was fabulous and it was a great hang. Steve, Karen and I then went to a great little bar for a few night caps. We realized that it was around 3:00 when we left and when we returned to our apartment it wasnt really worth going to bed, at least for me because I had to leave for the airport at 5:30. Steve invited me up for a coffee to which I said sure but I had to just go pack up my stuff. I did that and then went back upstairs to his problem. The issue is I shut my door thinking I had my keys which I did not. I was locked out. I waited at Steve's till about 5:00 am and then started banging but to no avail. I missed both my flights.

I did get a hold of her at around 8:30 and she kindly called the airline and arranged a new flight for that day and agreed to take me to the airport. We raced there only to find out that they made a mistake and there were in fact no fligths leaving today. She left so I had a perfectly paid for hotel room in Cannes but now I had to get a hotel in Nice and wait till tomorrow. Its no 2:50 AM and my flights leaves at 7:00!

Eeeesh.

ALL DONE

Well, its come to a close. Midem is done for another year. Its really hard to measure the success of what transpired. I didn't actually do any deals but I got rid of a ton of product and I think I got it into the right people's hands which is a good start. I'm hoping to get some feedback once everyone returns home and recovers. Im heading out tomorrow morning at 7:40 and then its on the road with Dr. Lonnie Smith. Wow, what a crazy couple of weeks.

POSTER HARD AT WORK

Here is Steve's poster that he designed for us.

MORE MIDEM

I'm feeling a lot better about coming over here after today. Don't get me wrong its not like anything BIG happened but at least I met a few like minded people and there are some potential things that could happen. I guess its all about meeting people and just getting your stuff out there. Who knows, I could receive an email or call in a month or so from someone that checked out Cellar Live at Midem and something may come out of it. At the same time nothing may come of it but Cellar Live attended one of the biggest if not the biggest music conference in the world so how bad can it be.

Its been fun hanging with Steve Dawson and Karen Skaret from Black Hen. They are great people and I really admire what Steve has done with Black Hen Music.

A few pics. a) Steve, Karen and I having a great French meal at a fancy restaurant. Food was incredible but I think I can actually feel my arteries clogging and I felt that even before I had the Creme Brule. b) this is the sign that Steve Mynett designed for us. Looks great and its nice to know that we were well represented.

Check it!

France

Im getting heck for not posting while Im here. To tell you the truth there is not a lot going on. I mean I had some great meetings yesterday with television and movie placement people, a potential new U.S. distributor and some other cool things but to report on it would be kind of boring. Its quite funny over there though. There are all the distributors of physical product ie: cds etc and they are all bitter and jaded about the whole concept but then you have all the aggregator's and digital distributors and they are all happy and positive and optimistic. Its quite funny. Its really obvious that the industry is changing. I mean its obvious to anyone who is remotely interested in music that things are changing but when you come to a music central conference it really is overwhelming at the various directions that things are going. Its also amazing to see how fast the various companies have adapted to the various changes and all the potential that exists out there. Tapping into it however is a little easier said than done.

Thats it for now.

DAY 1

Well, the day is 1/2 over. I have to admit its really hard not to get discouraged. You kind of get the same look and same talk whenver jazz comes up. Even if you're talking to jazz specific companies. I mean as if I don't know that jazz doesn't sell. After all I own a club, label and am a musician but I was hoping that in general people were more positive. Its easy to get caught up in the excitement of all thats happening around you and think you're going to hit a home run. There is a fine line between being realistic and being over enthusiastic. Oh well, it is only the first day and I have handed out a lot of packages and met some good people so we'll see. Its SO NICE not being sick. I will try to post some pcitures when I get some good ones.

MADE IT

Well, I made it after a long long long flight. A relatively decent flight. Listened to a ton of music and watched a great Art Blakey DVD with Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter.

Its amazing how your opinion of a place quickly changes when you don't arrive with athe flu. What a great little city Cannes is. Steve Dawson, Karen (his assistant) and I walked around last night and checked out the town a little bit, registered and had a bite to eat. I promptly came home and then slept for oh about 12 hours. Feels great. I'm hoping the adrenaline can keep the jet lag at bay. Its pretty funny being in Cannes watching all the people walk around with their MIDEM bags and badges. The bags they give you are actually pretty cool but then you quickly realize that there are about 5000 other people walking around with them. Im looking forward to being part of The Canada Stand as its a really nice set up and am hoping that it helps us this year. Its hard to go into these things with expectations but I already have twice as many meetings set up this year than last year and most of the them are relatively important so it should be good.

Im much better however when people show interest in what I have rather than me approaching other people. Its easy to get overwhelmed here and also get discouraged but you have to try to remain confident and just go out there and meet people.

Off I go. I will take some pictures later and post them.

CANNES, FRANCE

When visiting France staying in one of the picturesque

France timeshares available for reservation can help make your vacation
memorable, since withtimeshares
you get to choose the location and quality of your location--many of the

timeshares in France are quite nice.
Well, this time last year I was on my way to Cannes France and was sick as a dog. This year I'm on my way and I feel great! Im going to MIDEM and am hoping to have a little more success this year. Its a pretty overwhelming conference packed full of exhibitors and people running around doing all kinds of business. It has already been more successful than last year as I have 3 times as many meetings set up as I did last year with what appears to be some genuine interest in the label. We are also better represented this year with a beautiful new compilation CD and an updated 2007 brochure. We will also be a part of the Canada Stand which is a huge step for us. Last year I just went as an independent participant which was cool but being a part of The Canada Stand gives me so many more resources in which to draw from which in the end will make things a lot easier. Im also looking forward to hanging out with Steve Dawson. He is the mind behind BLACK HEN MUSIC, a fantastic label that you should check out when you get a minute! It should be a fun five days over there and to not be sick is going to be a huge bonus! I will try to blog and post some pictures while I'm away. Its gonna be a fun couple of weeks of blogging because when I get home I go on the road with the always unpredictable Dr. Lonnie Smith. Its gonna be a blast!

NO ONE "PHOTOSHOPPED" ME IN I PROMISE

LOU FREAKING DONALDSON!

Thats me wearing Sweet Lou Donaldson's hat! Steve Mynett took the shot!
Well the weekend has come and gone and it was hands down, no question the greatest 3 nights of The Cellar's existence. There are so many thing that made it a great weekend. Obviously sitting there and seeing Lou Donaldson playing and singing on the stage will be a hard one to top. He is a living legend and at 80 years old can still blow that horn and can bop with the best of them. His presence, aura etc is undeniable and what and entertainer!

The band of organist Mike Ledonne, guitarist Randy Johnston and drummer Fukushi Tainaka was ferocious! Lou obviously recognizes the level of musicianship that these guys possess and let them play a few trio tunes and they absolutely blew the roof of the place!

I got to sit in with Lou which was the thrill of a lifetime! We played Bye Bye Blackbird and I though I held my own pretty well. Oddly enough its not a tune that I have ever really played but I fought my way through it. Thats a tough situation to walk into. Cold horn, nervous as hell and Lou Donaldson sitting there watching me like a hawk. Phew. Had a blast but I'm glad its over!

The public response to this weekend was phenomenal so thank you to all of you who came down ! I will post more pics.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2007 has come with a vengence. Zapato Negro did an incredible job of ringing in the new year with a very very spirited performance. The crowd loved it and drank a lot to prove it! It was a fun night and a great way to end the year. The first weekend of the new year has always been a tough one as people are generally tired out. For the first few years we booked alto saxophonist George Robert and it seemed to always do really well. The last few years however George has been unable to come and it has been a tough go on that first weekend. That is until this year. Jill Townsend and her 17 piece big band invaded the Cellar and blew the roof off the place. The band is preparing for their IAJE performance in New York City next weekend so they were well rehearsed and played hands down their best 2 nights of music at The Cellar. Congrats to Jill for all the hard work she does for that band. Taking 17 musicians to NYC is no small task.

On Thursday the 4th of January drummer Morgan Childs brought a quintet to the club to celebrate the birthday of legendary drummer Max Roach. Im kinda choked that I missed this one as it was a great band. Judging my how many people came through the door I missed something really special. There were about 100 people who made it through the doors that night. Hands down a record for a Thursday night!

This is a big week for the club. Im excited, scared, over whelmed and pretty much every other emotion you can feel! The Night Crawlers are releasing their CD this Wednesday and Thursday which is going to be a blast. Resos are good for Wednesday and then of course a weekend I have been waiting for for a very very long time! SWEET LOU DONALDSON comes to the club. This is going to be so much fun I can't even believe it! Mike Ledonne on organ is ripping, Randy Johnston on guitar and Fukushi Tainaka on drums! SWEET LOU on The Cellar stage! It really is going to be a colossal weekend! We are at about 160 people out of 240 that we need but its only Monday and there is an article coming out in the Sun on Thursday I belive so I'm not to worried about it!

Oh yeah and I just booked Joey Defrancesco and his trio. It just keeps getting better and better!