2010 is off to a great start.  As you may notice from the concert schedule I’m doing a lot of shows this year with guitar virtuoso Frank Vignola.  I’m also playing this month at one of my favorite places in the world to play, The Deer Head Inn, with an exciting quartet called Spatial Edition.  Here’s the story behind these two very different groups…

Spatial Edition Appearing At Deer Head Inn, Saturday, January 16th

I met the drummer and poet (seriously, he’s a professor of literature) Michael Stephans at the Blue Note in NYC after one of my shows with Stanley Clarke, George Cables, and Jeff “Tain” Watts.  Michael had relocated from Los Angeles to the Poconos (in PA) a few years ago and was appearing regularly in the area with musicians such as Dave Liebman, Benny Maupin, François Moutin, and Tony Marino.  Michael and I struck up a conversation about Zbigniew Seifert and soon thereafter Michael introduced me to what is now one of my favorite places to play, The Deer Head Inn.

Michael recruited two other musicians, pianist Jim Ridl and bassist Steve Varner, and we began to play as a group every couple of months.  Before moving closer to NYC Jim and Steve had both been very active in the Philladelphia jazz scene, appearing often wih musicians such as Pat Martino, JD Walter, and Dave Liebman.

Spatial Edition’s repertoire includes original compositions by all of the band members as well as arrangements of standards, pop tunes (Tom Waits, anyone?), free (I mean really free) improvisations, and the music of John Coltrane and Zbigniew Seifert.  We will be playing on the third Saturday of the month, January 16th, at The Deer Head Inn.  If you live in the area, please stop by.  If you live in NYC or other places near Delaware Water Gap, consider this the perfect opportunity to hear some great music and to commune with the historic Appalachian Trail before your schedule gets too busy.

Frank Vignola’s Hot Club Celebrating 100 Years of Django Reinhardt

Frank is one of the most accomplished, multi-dimensional players walking the planet today. Monster player, composer and improviser, Frank plays proficiently in every genre, from jazz to bluegrass, and works with everyone and their brother. Frank’s pedigree is a mile long, but a quick Google will illustrate why he is considered one of the best on the planet.

Whether he is featured on a Donald Fagen recording, a jam with David Grisman, as Les Paul’s right hand man or leading his own groups throughout the years, he has proved himself to be in the elite creating his own unique sound.

My personal story with Frank goes back to my college days at Northwestern University in Chicago (technically Evanston, IL).  While I was working on my classical violin degree I was also seeking out opportunities to play and study with great jazz musicians.  Frank came through town with tuba virtuoso Sam Pilafian.  I had been practicing a lot of guitar at the time and I was blown away by Frank’s approach, both technically and musically.  After a masterclass at the university, I asked Frank if I could jam with him. Seeing me standing there with a violin, he wisely vetted me first by asking me if I wanted to play some rhythm changes.  We stepped into a janitorial closet (buckets, mops, sink, etc.), played Oleo by Sonny Rollins,  and he agreed to give me a lesson.  Frank was very generous and encouraging to me as an aspiring musician and this was a significant meeting for me in my musical development.

I didn’t see Frank for years after that.  I was living in Chicago, getting the Coffee Achievers together, etc., and Frank was out on the East Coast touring constantly. Fast-forward over ten year to last spring: Paul Brady, of the Hot Club of Detroit, asked me to play a few gigs with them and Frank was on the gigs! Frank asked me to play some shows with a new project he was putting together last September.  Now we’re playing at the APAP convention this month and touring throughout 2010 with a new project of Frank’s called Frank Vignola’s Hot Club.

2010 marks the 100th year of Django Reinhardt’s birth (you didn’t know I played Django?) and the group, which includes myself, Frank, Julien Labro on accordion, Vinny Raniolo on rhythm guitar, and Gary Mazzaroppi (Les Paul’s bassist for over 15 years), will be playing arrangements of Django’s muic, as well as some standards and originals.  Come see us whenever you can and check out some of the videos already on YouTube in the meantime…