Bendelow Road had our monthly hit at Lakeland Steak and Ale tonight. This was our first outing with new drummer, Ryan Marsh. It was with Ryan that I played the Red Rose Room last Wednesday. This was a quite successful hit. Our second set was definitely shaky, but we haven’t sounde ... Continue Reading
My alma mater, Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL, has been seeing some press lately in relation to its proposed performing arts center. The property directly to the north of the University has been owned by its affiliated church, the Assemblies of God (for the sake of disclosure, I ... Continue Reading
Got a call last night to be a last-minute sub for Alejandro Arenas for the Mars’ Trio’s steady at the Westchase Starbucks. I found out today that USF drum instructor, Steve Davis, would be playing drums on this gig. This was quite a big deal for me, as Steve has played with s ... Continue Reading
The USF Jazz Blog got a much appreciated nod from be.jazz, a Belgian jazz blog. Check out this visually appealing, insightful blog. Continue Reading
If you haven’t done so already, please add me as a friend on your myspace. I can be found here. Continue Reading
Oh, how I miss Cleveland right about now! Tonight I saw the Cleveland Orchestra for the first time since 2002. It’s been five years! Just four days ago, I heard that The Orchestra would be playing at St. Petersburg’s Mahaffey Theater this evening. Instead of writing a me ... Continue Reading
As an undergrad, I talked a lot about the fact that music students do not get the kinds of breaks that math, education, business, etc. majors get. We have to practice through Spring Break and Christmas Break and all Summer; meanwhile, the others are at Panama City Beach or skiing in Vale. ... Continue Reading
Last night was a hit at the Westchase Starbucks with Rich Van Voorst and Mark Feinman. I have played with them at the Waters and Anderson Starbucks as a sub on several occasions and enjoyed this change of scenery. Westchase is one of those upscale suburban developments that thinks it is ... Continue Reading
How Low Can You Go? Anthology of the String Bass (1925-1941) Most people around me know that, after the Ben Jaffe MNJ and Masterclass, I’ve developed a bit of an affinity for trad jazz and early American Music. Dust to Digital records from Atlanta, GA has produced this excellent ... Continue Reading
Today was (reportedly) the last Taste of the Arts event hosted by the College of Visual and Performing Arts at USF. Taste of the Arts is an afternoon of free food and entertainment from the CVPA designed to bring students and staff from across the campus into the CVPA. Local Restaurants o ... Continue Reading
The Jazz Bass Book I have been telling my students for several semesters now that listening is possibly the most important activity in which a musician can engage. As bass players, it is important that we understand our heritage and recognize the names, sounds, and styles of our musical ... Continue Reading
Bassist and Director of New Orleans’ Preservation Hall, Ben Jaffe, appeared at the USF Monday Night Jazz Series on Monday 24 February 2007. Every Monday Night Jazz program this year has been excellent, but this one was by far the best for a multitude of reasons. Being a bass player ... Continue Reading
