Posts Tagged: vocalist

The Coffee:

As many of you know, I’m on a life quest to find the consummate coffee shop.  I believe this endeavor to be as elusive as the quest for Camelot but boy is the journey delightful!  While my hometown offers at least 10 mochas worth drinking within a mile of my home, I find it even more satisfying to discover the cafes in the towns that I visit on travel~ and this month has seen a lot of car time. 

In Ashland a few weeks ago that coffee shop was found in all it’s unpretentious glory:  Rogue Valley Roasting Company!    Maybe it was the wonderful group of retirees trading gossip before the 7 a.m. hour had even struck or perhaps it was the extremely friendly baristas, but the latte I enjoyed stood on its own.  It’s definitely not coffee for the faint of heart—that cup was strong but it was balanced with the perfect amount of foam and served in a fantastic glass mug. (the mug is of course part of the experience.)

The August 29th Jazz Show:

I’m back in Portland now for a while and finalizing the set list for next week’s show at Wilfs at Union Station.  I’m excited to be back at Wilfs.  It’s wonderful to be able to perform with stellar jazz musicians Ron Steen (Drums) and Joe Millward (Piano).  The conundrum for an artist like me is always narrowing down the songs to perform.  For sure I’ll be doing some selections from the new album.  I’ll be rounding that out with some classic jazz standards that I love to sing and rip up on my violin and finally, I’ve got a few folk tunes that I am “unfolking.”  I may even have a special guest or two. 

Looking ahead, believe it or not I’m working on Acoustic Christmas plans as well as pursuing opportunities to share the music from the new album beyond my local venues.  I will keep you posted. 

As always, thanks so much for stopping by… and if you haven’t had a chance to check out the new album, you can listen to the songs right here by clicking below. 

Last month I played at Wilfs with the incomparable drummer Ron Steen and pianist Joe Millward.  It was my first time playing with Joe and definitely an experience I hope to repeat!  I was able to record several of the songs we did and have posted them on Youtube.  What a fun and musically fulfilling night this was!

K Bay—working title—is a song I wrote about Honaunau Bay in Kona.  Two of my greatest loves are music and being outdoors.  Honaunau Bay is an incredible place to snorkel.  I found the area to be very mystical—partly because the way the light would beam down through the deep waters below me and partly because it is adjacent to a Hawaiian historical site called Pu’uhonua o Honaunau which is loosely translated “Place of Refuge.”  It is a place where Hawaiians accused of a crime could basically exile themselves and escape punishment—which in ancient Hawaiian culture seemed to have typically been one of a few different brutal executions! 

Parlor Music- a piece I wrote back in the spring of 2009 for my daughter.  It begins with a short classical piece called Ständchen by Franz Schubert.