It takes the H1N1 to force a blog update

Here I am, lying in bed with a fever, cough, congestion, and what seems to be the flu. Naturally, it takes an ailment to slow me down and stop pushing forward. It must be time to write.

So what's taken place since the conclusion of the spring semester? Somewhere in there was summer break but for the life of me, I cannot recall what sort of vacation time occurred. I spent quite a bit of time playing in and around OKC, of all places. I played the Music in the Mountains Festival in Durango where I met some wonderful people and enjoyed playing some terrific music at Durango Mountain Resort and the Bootjack Ranch. Other than that, where did the summer go? There were the occasional folk music gigs, pop music gigs, and recording projects, but for whatever reason, nothing is jumping out.... maybe it's the fever.

The school year started with a very motivated drum line, a young but very promising big band, and a very, very busy academic schedule. In addition to nine lessons at the college and three private students, I'm directing the steel drum band, percussion ensemble, big band, teaching a section of music literature, percussion methods, jazz improvisation, and assisting with the marching band. At some point, I have to get the basketball band up and running. In addition, there are the regular trips to Dallas, gigs with Eric Shiveley, some recent recordings at Don Richmond's studio for Michael Hearn, Nick Branchal (ASC faculty member and founder of all of the great Mariachi ensembles in Colorado and New Mexico), and Fred Hargrove.

We've accomplished a very early homecoming concert with the steel drum band, jazz combo, and big band, and another is just around the corner. Hopefully, as I continue to lay here in bed and type, the big band is rehearsing without me! Same goes for tonight's community and college steel drum bands...

Over the weekend, as this flu was starting to settle in, I rehearsed with Denver singer/songwriter, Andy Ard for an upcoming gig in Morrison. He is a wonderful musician and I am grateful to get to play with him. We met years ago at a video shoot for Eric Shiveley's movie, played a gig together with Eric a year and a half ago, and now a trio gig with a Denver bassist, Steve Millin.

It's also a pleasure to have a gradually growing rep with Tracy where we can play without too much preparation or stress. I fact, we recently performed together in Sequoia National Park at a retreat center for a wedding. A beatiful setting for a beatiful wedding. It was memorable for it's uniqueness, as well as the family of bears we came across!

In case I don't get around to another update anytime soon, some other projects include a series of clinics throughout the area, including the Colorado Day of Percussion with She-e Wu. A gig with the Taos chamber music group, Soundscapes, and a few more surprises. It's also time for another faculty recital... perhaps early May? First, I must conquer the flu, then some new repertoire.

One Week to Go!!

Greetings- These blog updates tend to be few and far between. Since the last post, I've been a bit swamped with booking a tour of Oklahoma, teaching classes and lessons, and either directing or performing recitals. The past few weeks included a performance for the dedication of some new Guatemalan marimbas for the valley's Guatemalan community, the final jazz ensembles concert of the year, a performance with saxophonist Ryan Janus, and the capstone performance for my percussionists, the spring ASC Percussion Ensemble and Steel Drum Bands performance. Everything was a success and we are a week from finals. Tracy and I have a duo recital on May 3rd at 7pm Leon Recital Hall which should be fun. We have selected some interesting works, including opportunities for me to play some tar and bendir, as well as the usual marimba,vibraphone, and drummy stuff.

An interesting opportunity closes Tuesday night with my lecture on the music of Pakistan for a class taught by 16 different professors from different disciplines throughout the semester. Could there be a country more important for our future? The preparation for my section of the course has taught me a lot about Pakistan and raised my awareness beyond the headlines.

My to do list for the summer looks promising. I cannot wait to begin!

Pandit Samir Chatterjee Followed by A Noteworthy Evening

This past weekend was packed full of fine music and positive energy for our college. I am always amazed by the many wonderful things happening in our community and how there are so many times I cannot make it to everything I would like. With the college, concert venues, a vibrant community, and of course, the wonderful natural landscape, one can find ways to be double or triple booked on the same evening. And when not attending an event, you very well may find yourself involved in the presentation of activities. In this instance, I was glad to be a part of the offerings.

On Saturday, the college hosted a joint concert by Salman Ahmad from the band, Junoon, and Samir Chatterjee, world-renown tabla virtuoso. Salman has family ties and relationships with our director of student engagement here at the college and seriously, what better story could there be? Combine an Indian from Calcutta performing traditional Hindustani music with a rock star Pakistani from Lahore on stage performing together. Cynicism is easy. Making a difference globally is heroic. These two are making a difference. Salman works on many issues regarding peace, global health, and moderate teachings, while the latest and most inspiring cause I am aware of is that of Pandit Chatterjee's affiliation. He is working within Afghanistan to restore the musical culture, including the state-supported music school in Kabul. If you are interested in supporting this cause, make a donation here. What a cause-- returning the culture to a proud society disrupted by decades of war. Musicians can be the most cynical people on the planet, but music seems to be the one thing void of true conflict. Traveling to a war zone to teach young musicians, especially when fundamentalist religious teachings may see no place for music takes a person with immense character. How can one not be inspired by this global perspective?

Prior to the concert, Samir was kind enough to share his time with our music students by presenting a class on Hindustani music and specifically, tabla. I remember being stunned when first exposed to tabla playing and I hope those in attendance experienced that same feeling. For my students to be able to sit on the floor a few feet from his playing had to forge a connection with the complexities and beauty of tabla playing. I know it did for me! And Samir- what a great person, performer, and guru. Those in NYC and Pittsburgh who study with him are privileged individuals.

Special thanks to Aaron and Masood for making this entire event a success.

The next event was a large undertaking directed by Tracy. On Sunday, the music department hosted the first annual event titled "A Noteworthy Evening" where we were able to raise a healthy amount of money for the music department's scholarship endowment. The event was formal, involved the entire faculty performing a recital, followed by a reception with dancing to our faculty jazz combo. Following the dancing, we moved the party to the brewery to celebrate the success and mingle with friends and guests. As always, it's a pleasure to hear my colleagues perform and so much fun to play with Matt, Johnny, and Mel in the combo. We were even joined by the vocal faculty on some Gershwin and Cole Porter, and Tracy threw down some great flute solos on Moondance!

Based on the feedback of those in attendance, there's no doubt we will continue this event on an annual basis. If you are interested in donating to the music department's scholarship endowment, click here. If gifts are specified towards music scholarships (which I highly recommend), it will help us compete with other colleges in the state in our recruiting and retention efforts. I have no doubt we offer an incredible education here, and our hope is to give our students the best opportunities possible to study, practice, and prepare for their futures without the need to work three jobs to pay for school. The Noteworthy Evening was all about our students and I hope we can continue to identify individuals willing to give our endowment the boost it needs. In the mean time, every dollar brings us closer.

Next up- ASC Jazz Concert.

Thanks for reading!