Smooth Jazz for Scholars 2014 dates/lineup February 18, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal.add a comment
We are exactly two months away from keyboardist Jay Rowe‘s 12th annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars, in its second year as a two-night event. SJFS will be held both nights at the Parsons Complex Auditorium in Milford, Connecticut. The concerts benefit the Milford Public School Music Department.
Jay writes:
This year’s Smooth Jazz For Scholars shows will be held Friday 4/18/14 and Saturday 4/19/14 . Friday 4/18’s show will feature Jeff Lorber, Kim Waters, Chuck Loeb and Steve Cole. Saturday 4/19 will feature Marion Meadows, Nick Colionne, Chieli Minucci and Nelson Rangell. Doors open at 7p.m. and showtime is 8p.m. on both nights. Tickets are $40 each for 1 night and $70 for both nights. Tickets can be purchased by sending a check or money order payable to Smooth Jazz For Scholars Inc. to P.O. Box 3723 Milford, CT. 06460 or at this website on the “Buy” page at eventbrite.com. Tickets will be mailed immediately upon receipt of payment. Call 203-415-8878 for additional information. Thanks for your support and see you all soon.
I plan on being there for both nights, which would mark my eighth year in attendance.
Friday, April 18
Jeff Lorber
Kim Waters
Chuck Loeb
Steve Cole
Saturday, April 19
Marion Meadows
Nick Colionne
Chieli Minucci
Nelson Rangell
Tickets: $40 for one night, $70 for two nights
Tickets can be purchased by check or money order payable to:
Smooth Jazz for Scholars Inc.
P.O. Box 3723
Milford, CT 06460
Tickets can also be purchased at the Smooth Jazz for Scholars EventBrite page.
For more information, call: 203-415-8878
Here are recaps of last year’s first night and second night.
4/24 UPDATE: Here are recaps of this year’s first night and second night.
Chieli Minucci & Special EFX at The Cutting Room January 21, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
For the second time in three nights, I was in the New York City borough of Manhattan for a concert. Thursday, it was pianist Lisa Hilton at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. On Saturday, it was guitarist Chieli Minucci and his band Special EFX at The Cutting Room. Thursday was acoustic. Saturday was electronic. But each were exciting and entertaining, not to mention my first time at each venue.
The Cutting Room was one block south and five blocks east of where I exited Penn Station’s LIRR Terminal. Once there, I was directed to a room set back on the left. It was dark with most of the light coming from the stage. Most tables on facing the left side and center of the stage were full, but my girlfriend and I found an empty table close to the right end of the stage. But whatever side of the stage we were facing, we were going to be treated to great music from a legendary band, celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2014.
Special EFX was led by co-founder Chieli Minucci on electric guitar:
Jay Rowe on keyboards:
David Mann on tenor saxophone…
…soprano saxophone…
…and flute:
Jerry Brooks on bass:
And, as best I could see him from my seat, Lionel Cordew on drums:
Unfortunately, I couldn’t see much more of Jerry and Lionel from my seat. I probably could have taken shots from the right side of the stage behind the column that blocked my view, but I didn’t want to risk getting reprimanded. To make up for the lack of pictures, I’m dipping into the archives with pics of them from Special EFX’s appearance at the Long Beach Jazz Festival in September 2012.
Back on Saturday night, the band played eight songs:
1. Ballerina
Originally heard on: “Just Like Magic,” 1990
2. Courageous Cats
Originally heard on: “Jewels,” 1995 (Chieli solo album)
3. Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers
Originally heard on: “Renaissance,” 1996 (Chieli solo album)
4. Crazy Eights
Originally heard on: “Genesis,” 2013
5. Till the End of Time (preceded by Jay’s intro)
Originally heard on: “Genesis,” 2013
6. Kickin’ It Hard/Spain
“Kickin’ It Hard” originally heard on: “Night Grooves,” 2003 (Chieli solo album); “Spain” is a Return to Forever cover
7. Speak to Me (preceded by Chieli’s intro)
Originally heard on: “Masterpiece,” 1999
8. Bodybeat (preceded by Chieli and Jerry’s intro duet)
Originally heard on: “Body Language,” 1995
#6 and 7 featured occasional vocalization from Chieli.
Now that you’ve seen Jerry Brooks and Lionel Cordew, here are pictures of the rest of the band, starting with Chieli Minucci:
Jay Rowe, seen here during his “Courageous Cats” solo:
It was Jay’s birthday, and Chieli had a present for him:
Jay’s “Till the End of Time” intro:
David Mann:
The last song (“Bodybeat”):
The bow:
As I wrote earlier, it was another night of great music from the legendary Chieli Minucci and Special EFX. I hope to see them again soon.
Lisa Hilton at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall January 17, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Animation, Football, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, TV, Video, Weather.add a comment
Previous recap: June 2011
Later recaps: January 2015, January 2016, January 2018, January 2019
Last night marked the second time I saw jazz pianist Lisa Hilton perform. The first time was about 2 1/2 years ago in Greenwich Village (see link above). This time, I was uptown at Carnegie Hall‘s Weill Recital Hall. It was my first time ever at Carnegie.
My journey began at around 4PM, when I left home to walk to the Wantagh LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) station for a 4:27 Penn Station-bound train. I would have taken a later train, but I wanted to be safe in case any delays popped up during my walk to the station. That’s what happened the day before when I had to take a train to Rockville Centre. But even though there were delays earlier in the day, there were none when I arrived. My trip to Penn Station was smooth sailing. No one sat near me after Freeport. It was a peaceful journey as I took in the sights while listening to my iPod, not a noisy one where I’m surrounded by chatter from people of varying ages. (The ride back was somewhat crowded, but not too noisy. And it helps to have studio headphones.)
I was in a railcar near the back of the train, which meant I needed to walk a little extra from the train to the LIRR Terminal. Once there, I had dinner at TGI Friday’s. Then, I walked up to the subway terminal and took the E train uptown to 7th Avenue and West 53rd Street. The second I emerged from the seemingly endless flights of stairs, I saw the Ed Sullivan Theater, home to the CBS late night talk show, The Late Show with David Letterman. I whipped out my Nikon D5100 and took a picture:
I was fortunate enough to attend a taping with my father back in December 2004, but that’s another story.
I arrived at Carnegie Hall just before 7PM. Since photography wasn’t allowed during Lisa’s performance, these outside pictures will have to do:
Thinking that the time when the doors to the hall are opened was the time to go inside, I waited outside the Weill Recital Hall entrance for 15 minutes. Two couples went inside while I was waiting. Finally, I opened the door and asked if I was allowed to come in. Of course, I was. I got my ticket, went up to the lounge adjacent to the hall, and waited for the hall doors to open.
According to my watch, I took my seat at 7:42. The Weill Recital Hall was not what I was expecting. It was an intimate hall with one row of orchestra seats, where I sat, and a balcony behind them. There were three chandeliers on the ceiling; my seat was between two of them.
The hall was completely acoustic. There were no speakers, no engineer, no amplification, nothing of the kind. I was in for a unique experience.
Lisa entered at 8:06, joined by Ben Street on upright acoustic bass and Billy Hart on drums. Lisa played a Steinway & Sons piano.
The set primarily featured music from her upcoming album, Kaleidoscope. Here’s what the set looked like:
1. Kaleidoscope
2. Whispered Confessions – This one was my favorite.
3. Midnight Mania
4. Bach/Basie/Bird: Boogie Blues Bop
5. Sunny Side Up
6. Blue Horizon
7. Stepping Into Paradise – This was a solo piano piece. Ben and Billy left the stage and took a break. They returned for the rest of the set.
8. Getaway – This was another favorite.
9. Subway
10. When It Rains
11. Evening Song
12. So This Is Love
“Getaway” and “Evening Song” are from Getaway (2013). “Subway” and “When It Rains” are from American Impressions (2012). “So This Is Love” is from My Favorite Things (2005).
“Getaway” was first performed on Seduction (1997) and in a slightly slower tempo on In the Mood for Jazz (2003). “Evening Song” also debuted on Seduction. “Stepping Into Paradise” originated on Getaway.
After the show, I caught up with Lisa in the lounge, and even got to meet her daughter Fiona. Fiona was nice enough to take our picture:
My original plan for returning to Penn Station involving taking the M7 MTA New York City Bus back to 34th Street and walking to the LIRR Terminal from there. But when I got to the bus stop, I had a clear view of Times Square. I could see the Jumbotron, which still had up the “2014” sign, complete with the New Year’s ball frozen in place above it. Forget the bus, I thought. I’m walking back and taking pictures. And I did:
42nd Street Subway Station:
My last two pictures of the night came at the LIRR Terminal entrance:
I initially boarded the wrong train: an express that didn’t stop at Wantagh. Luckily, I was able to grab all my belongings quickly and exit the train (thanks to the doors not closing right away). I quickly found the right train on a different track and barely boarded that one in time. I was bound for home, capping a memorable night. I opened my eyes and ears to a new experience and I enjoyed it. Thank you, Lisa, Ben, and Billy.
Expanding my Christmas album collection December 11, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Christmas, Jazz, Media, Music, New Age, Personal.add a comment
Christmas Night in 2010
For over 25 years, the holiday season is my favorite time of year. One reason for that is the music; sans vocals.
In my formative years, The Weather Channel would replace their regular Local Forecast (later, Local on the 8s) playlist for most of December with instrumental Christmas songs. Over the years, viewers heard excerpts from Christmas albums by David Benoit (Christmastime, Remembering Christmas), Eric Tingstad and Nancy Rumbel (The Gift), Mannheim Steamroller (Christmas), Chet Atkins (East Tennessee Christmas), Vince Guaraldi (the soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Christmas), and compilations put together by Narada (The Narada Christmas Collection, … Volume 2) and GRP (A GRP Christmas Collection, GRP Christmas Collection II, …Collection III).
Between 2002 and 2009, I bought those albums and compiled them onto personal CDs to play at Christmas parties and at my house on Christmas Day. I even bought albums with music not played on The Weather Channel. Those include Russ Freeman (Holiday), Craig Chaquico (also Holiday), Kim Waters (Home for Christmas), Peter White (Songs of the Season, Peter White Christmas [with Rick Braun and Mindi Abair]), Ken Navarro (Christmas Cheer), Nelson Rangell (All I Hope for Christmas), Bob James and Hilary James (Christmas Eyes), Plan 9 (The 9 Days of Christmas), Fourplay (Snowbound), and Spyro Gyra (A Night Before Christmas).
Last year, I took a big digital step and made an iTunes playlist for my iPod, which took the place of the CDs at future parties and Christmas Days. Last week, I decided to take another big step and expand my Christmas album collection even further. I bought four Windham Hill albums (The Carols of Christmas, A Windham Hill Christmas, …Christmas II, …The Night Before Christmas), two Boney James albums (Boney’s Funky Christmas, Christmas Present), another GRP album (Making Spirits Bright: A Smooth Jazz Christmas), and one by John Boswell (Festival of the Heart). My favorite song so far on those albums is “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” by saxophonist Richard Elliot. I’ve heard many arrangements of that tune, but never with the Jeff Lorber sound. Jeff arranged Richard’s rendition with Steven Dubin. (12/20 UPDATE: Inspired by Music Choice’s smooth jazz channel, I made one more purchase: Trippin ‘N’ Rhythm’s The Very Best of Christmas. My favorites thus far are U-Nam’s rendition of “This Christmas,” and Gregg Karukas’ cover of “The Christmas Song.”) (12/21 UPDATE: Further inspired by a post on Smooth Jazz Magazine’s Facebook page, I bought an MP3 album: the instrumental version of Peggy Duquesnel’s All I Ask for Christmas.) (12/21/14 UPDATE: This year’s additions to my collection were A Smooth Jazz Holiday compiled by Nu Groove; Grover Washington, Jr.’s Breath of Heaven: A Holiday Collection, and A Soulful Christmas from Brian Culbertson. Tracks from those three albums, plus additional tracks from albums I already had, increase the duration of my iTunes playlist to 13 hours and 34 minutes!)
‘Tis the season for great music, great joy, and gratefulness. With the purchase of eight additional albums (plus five since this was originally posted), I have more music to share with my friends and family every year.
Matt Marshak at Houndstooth Pub: 2013 edition November 19, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
Other Matt Marshak show recaps: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015
For the second year in a row, Matt Marshak performed at Houndstooth Pub on the weekend of my birthday. Last year, the show was on my 31st birthday; this year, it was the night before my 32nd.
Matt was on guitar:
Etienne Lytle on keyboards, who was also part of Steve Cole’s band five weeks earlier:
…and Carl Anderson on drums:
The show was engineered by Neal Newman:
With the help of his son Dale:
SET LIST
SET 1
1. Cadillac Kid
2. Down in Delaware
3. A Silent Knowing
4. Time for Takeoff
5. Listen to the Music (The Doobie Brothers cover)
6. Sanibel
7. Funkology
8. I Will Be With You
SET 2
9. Put It Where You Want It (The Crusaders cover)
10. Feelin’ It
11. Hold the Line (Toto cover; Matt had a more jazzy arrangement than Toto’s original version)
12. I’m On Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover)
13. Wind Chill Factor
14. You’ve Been Had (Kenny Harris’ song)
15. Kiss (Prince and The Revolution cover)
16. Sleepwalk (Santo & Johnny cover, notably covered by Larry Carlton)
As I’ve started to do in recent show recaps, most of the pictures below are grouped by artist.
Kenny Harris:
Etienne Lytle:
Carl Anderson, during his “Sanibel” solo:
The blur was intentional. I wanted to show the rapid movement involved in Carl’s drumming.
Matt & Kenny performing back-to-back on “I Will Be with You”:
Matt & Kenny’s “Feelin’ It” vocal break:
Matt’s “I’m On Fire” vocal:
“Kiss”:
For this song, Matt and the band were joined by guest vocalist Anastasia Rene:
“Sleepwalk”:
At one point, Matt left the stage and played his way through the audience:
He returned to the stage for the end:
Between sets, Matt and I posted for this picture:
After the second set, I took pics with Carl Anderson:
I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present than the two hours of music I saw on Saturday night. Thanks to Matt, Kenny, Etienne, Carl, Anastasia, Neal, Dale, and to Steve Butler.
2013 LIU Post & WCWP Homecoming, 2014 Hall of Fame Announcement October 22, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, Technology.add a comment
Other recaps: 2008, 2009, WCWP 50th Anniversary (2011), 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
Later in this recap, I share the aircheck from my Homecoming Weekend show and behind-the-scenes pictures from the pre-record. 2/26/18 UPDATE: Video that I shot for DVD has been reworked for YouTube and is embedded before my aircheck and behind-the-scenes pics.
I was at LIU Post on Saturday for their annual Homecoming celebration. I was there primarily for WCWP’s barbecue and announcement of 2014 inductees to their Hall of Fame.
I arrived on campus at around 2:30. After getting situated, I decided to head to Hickox Field for a little while:
In the lower right window of the press box are Neil Marks, Jeff Kroll, Dan Cox, and Pat Kroll:
Jeff Kroll described the above picture this way when I posted it to the WCWP Alumni Association Facebook group (account links removed):
We’re on the lower level of the press box…..hard to see clearly, but on the far right side, that’s Pat Kroll, sitting next to her is Dan Cox, standing next to Dan with the red shirt on (glad I had red on that day for identifying purposes) Jeff Kroll, and Neil A. Marks is standing next to me. Sat 10/19/13. Post 58 Pace 0. Pat was coordinating with Joel Feltman (down on the sidelines) for field interviews. (sign still says CW Post Campus!)
He later added:
If you look at the upper level of the press box, toward the left side, the third person in….that person is operating the scoreboard from what used to be the WCWP booth until the 2000’s. THAT was really home!
11/10 UPDATE: Jeff had one more thing to say about this picture tonight:
I received this note from Dan Cox today:
“I saw Bryan Collins today at the Field Hockey final. He told me the grandstand demolition begins next Monday. Looks like new press box by next fall. I hope!” If that happens, the press box goes with the entire grandstand. And this great shot will be a timely memory for those of us who have spent so many fall afternoons there. Thanks Mike Chimeri! Great timing to have taken that picture last month!
I’m honored to have taken it.
10/21/14 UPDATE: The press box was still there this year, but probably for the last time.
As Jeff noted, the LIU Post Pioneers dominated the Pace Setters (get it?) 58-0. I was at the field in time to catch the Pioneers’ second-to-last touchdown.
Touchdown!:
The extra point is good.
Satisfied, I walked back to WCWP. The Pioneers’ last touchdown came during my walk back. I could faintly hear the public address announcer declaring, “touchdowwwwwwwwn!”
Maura “Bernie” Bernard brought photo albums of past Homecoming weekends at the station:
She also prepared for show in Studio 1 following the Homecoming Game:
Meanwhile, in Studio 2, alumni interviews were recorded:
The interviewee here is Jay Elzweig:
The Hall of Fame plaque, introduced at this year’s ceremony:
Plaques dedicated to the late Dr. Herb Coston and Bill Epperhart:
Joel Feltman and Jay Mirabile look through some of the albums:
At 5:00, Pete Bellotti and Bernie Bernard announced the 2014 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame:
The inductees are Rita Sands, Frank D’Elia, Bill Epperhart, and Ted David. Bernie interviewed Ted over the phone.
John Mertz and Bobby Guthenberg listened along:
The announcement and interview with Ted can be heard here:
2014 WCWP Hall of Fame Announcement
Later, in Studio 2, Jay Mirabile and I were interviewed:
Thanks to Zach Parker for taking those pictures during the interview.
Here is that pre-recorded interview, which was later edited by me, but my edit isn’t the one that aired:
Interview with Mike Chimeri & Jay Mirabile
As Bernie’s show drew to a close, she posed for this picture with me, Jay Mirabile, Bobby Guthenberg, Barry Albano, and John Mertz:
The final aircheck of Bernie’s show:
The Disco and Funk King Show was next:
I had a wonderful time at Homecoming this year. It was great catching up with my fellow alumni, and meeting some in person for the first time.
2/26/18 UPDATE: Here is video that I shot for DVD and have reworked for YouTube:
The rest of this post is devoted to my Homecoming Weekend show – CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri – which aired at 3AM on Sunday, hours after I left campus.
I recorded the show back on October 4.
I took some behind-the-scenes pictures while recording, starting with this self-timed shot:
Here is the playlist, complete with my copious notes to mention during the show:
I made sure to mention whatever notes I wrote down, but unfortunately, I had to edit some out for time. Each pre-recorded hour had to be exactly 59 minutes long.
Here is the aircheck from the 2013 edition of CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri:
The file is downloadable here.
It’s mostly from the console when I pre-recorded the show, but I mixed in elements from WCWP’s stream as the show aired.
Steve Cole at Houndstooth Pub recap 2 October 14, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
Previous recap: November 2011
Saturday night marked my first visit to Houndstooth Pub, a few blocks north of Penn Station, since my birthday last November. I was there to see saxophonist Steve Cole, whom I last saw perform two Novembers ago (see link above). The show was a release party for his new album, Pulse.
The fun began just after 8PM.
Steve’s saxophone of choice was tenor:
Etienne Lytle played keyboards:
SET LIST
SET 1
1. Off Broadway (NY LA, 2003)
2. So Into You (Between Us, 2000)
3. Curtis (True, 2006)
4. Thursday (Spin, 2005)
5. Angel (Sarah McLachlan cover) (Moonlight, 2011)
6. Do Your Thing (Pulse, 2013)
SET 2
7. Just A Natural Thang (True, 2006)
8. With You All The Way (Pulse, 2013)
9. Undun (The Guess Who cover) (Moonlight, 2011)
10. The Way You Look Tonight (Fred Astaire cover)
11. Sugar (Stanley Turrentine cover)
12. Bounce (True, 2006)
13. (Encore jam)
Most of the pictures below are grouped by artist.
Naturally, we start with Steve:
Etienne Lytle:
Bernard Davis:
Wide shot during “Do Your Thing”:
The last note of “Sugar”:
Shots from the finale (“Bounce”) and encore:
That’s it!
Between sets and after the second set, I caught up with Steve.
This picture is from after the second set:
Thank you to Steve, Etienne, Dave, Bernard, and to Steve Butler. It was another fun few hours at Houndstooth.
I’ll be back there on November 16 to see Matt Marshak.
WCWP Homecoming Weekend show to air October 20 October 7, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Phone, Radio.add a comment
I was at WCWP (at LIU Post) on Friday to record my annual Homecoming Weekend radio show. CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri will air very early on Sunday, October 20, at 3AM Eastern (midnight Pacific) on 88.1 FM WCWP.
If you are outside of the signal range, you can listen here or browse for it on the TuneIn mobile app.
In the two hours of CJazzPlus, I’ll be playing Chuck Loeb, The Jeff Lorber Fusion, Spyro Gyra, Steve Cole, and much more. The show took 2 1/2 hours to record and an hour and 15 minutes to edit. There was also an additional 15 minutes of editing (and one minute of re-recording) for hour 1 at home on Saturday and another 10 minutes of editing for hour 2 yesterday.
I’ll be on campus hours earlier – on Saturday, October 19 – for Post and WCWP’s Homecoming festivities, the latter of which includes the announcement of 2014 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame.
Busy mid-to-late summer for album releases September 23, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Media, Music, Personal.add a comment
Between July 30 and September 17, seven albums were released by my favorite contemporary jazz musicians.
Needless to say, I bought them all. They vary in style, but were all satisfying.
In order of release date, they were:
- Earl Klugh, HandPicked (July 30) – Mostly covers with a pair of original compositions, and a remake of “Cast Your Fate to the Wind,” which he first covered on Magic in Your Eyes (1978); duets with Bill Frisell, Jake Shimabukuro, and Vince Gill (who also sang one verse)
- Chuck Loeb, Silhouette (August 13) – A series of tracks recorded with various bands backing up depending on the track; his wife, Carmen Cuesta, and their two daughters, Christina and Lizzy, are also featured
- The Jeff Lorber Fusion, Hacienda (August 27) – The third album since the Fusion were reborn in 2010; surprisingly, the album lacks remakes of original Fusion songs, but it doesn’t matter because every song is a thrilling adventure; “King Kong,” a Frank Zappa cover, features violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, who originally covered the song on King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (1970)
- Pieces Of A Dream, In The Moment (August 27) – Has the signature Pieces style that I know and love; guitarist Rohn Lawrence featured prominently
- Jessy J, Second Chances (September 10) – Features Jeff Lorber, Jimmy Haslip, Johnny Britt, and Norman Brown; album title and its title track refer to never giving up on the first try, if at first you don’t succeed, etc.; the running joke in my head is the album should technically be Fourth Chances, since it’s Jessy’s fourth album
- Steve Cole, Pulse (September 17) – Collaborative effort with David Mann (co-producer, co-engineer, writer or co-writer, backing saxes and flute); “With You All the Way” is based in part on “All ‘n All,” David’s composition for Nelson Rangell on Far Away Day (2000)
- Oli Silk, Razor Sharp Brit (September 17) – Features Elan Trotman, Chuck Loeb, and Paul Brown (no relation to Norman); I was amazed how Oli was able to write (and perform) in Chuck’s style on “The Prestige,” the song featuring him
Besides these magnificent seven, I also finally bought Quartette Humaine by Bob James and David Sanborn, their follow-up to Double Vision (1986). It’s a straight-ahead, acoustic album, which initially drew me away when it was released in May, but I made the right decision in buying it last month.
Tomorrow, Spyro Gyra’s The Rhinebeck Sessions album comes out. Based on the previews I heard on Amazon, I’m in for a treat with that one.
MikeChimeri.com 
2013 in review December 31, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Art, Audio, Commentary, Film, Health, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, New Age, News, Personal, Phone, Photography, Radio, Technology, Travel, Weather.add a comment
The following is an excerpt of an end-of-year post WordPress created for MikeChimeri.com. Scroll down for my editorial.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
Click here to see the complete report.
2013 was the first full year for the WordPress version of MikeChimeri.com. April was a transformative month that saw my upgrade from a Nikon D3100 camera to a D5100, and finally join iPhone nation. I upgraded from an LG enV3 to an Apple iPhone 5. (I ended up giving my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 to someone very special.) A week after those two upgrades, I documented the 2013 WCWP Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. A week after that, I was in Milford, Connecticut, for the first two-night Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert series. April also marked five years since The Mike Chimeri Blog was launched; MikeChimeri.com launched in May 2005, seven years before merging with the blog.
In addition to some new contemporary jazz releases, I broadened my musical horizons by adding Return to Forever, Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, and various Christmas compilations to my collection. I posted more expressway and parkway pictures. I spent most of the summer scanning old 35mm pictures and recording cassettes and microcassettes to one of my hard drives. I returned to LIU Post and WCWP in October for my annual Homecoming Weekend Show and Homecoming itself. I attended Charlie Fillizola’s art exhibit at Wantagh Public Library. And besides SJFS, I attended concerts in August, October, and November.
I didn’t mention this in any post, but there was one dark spot in 2013: the loss of my paternal grandmother, Marilyn “Mazz” Chimeri (née Garing), in early July. She was the last of my grandparents remaining after I lost my maternal grandparents, Lennie and Arthur Rose, in June and November 2010, and my paternal grandfather, Carmen Chimeri, in December 2011. I miss them dearly, but feel lucky to have known them for as long as I did. I love you all.
I hope for the best in 2014, not only for myself, but for each and every one of you visiting this site. Have a happy and healthy new year.