David Benoit at Iridium recap October 25, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
I was at The Iridium last night to see pianist and conductor David Benoit in concert. I hadn’t seen him since his show at Tarrytown Music Hall in May 2010.
It was a cloudy and damp night outside, but the sun shined on The Iridium’s stage.
On the way to Penn Station, I shot this picture as the LIRR train I was on passed over the Van Wyck Expressway (Interstate 678):
David was at The Iridium for two nights with two sets per night. I was at the first night’s first set.
David was joined by another David, David Hughes, on bass:
…and Jamey Tate on drums:
SET LIST
1. Beat Street
Originally heard on: “Full Circle,” 2006
2. Botswana Bossa Nova
Originally heard on: “Earthglow,” 2010
3. Will’s Chill
Originally heard on: “Earthglow,” 2010
4. Napa Crossroads Overture
Originally heard on: “Conversation,” 2012
5. Feelin’ It
Originally heard on: “Conversation,” 2012
6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Originally heard on: “Conversation,” 2012
7. Sunrise On Mansion Row
Originally heard on: “Conversation,” 2012
8. Kei’s Song Redux
Originally heard on: “Conversation,” 2012
9. Every Step of the Way
Originally heard on: “Every Step of the Way,” 1988
10. Waltz for Debby (Bill Evans cover)
Originally heard on: “This Side Up,” 1985; “Heroes,” 2008
The latter arrangement was played.
11. Dad’s Room
Originally heard on: “Professional Dreamer,” 1999
12. Freedom at Midnight
Originally heard on: “Freedom at Midnight,” 1987
I kept waiting for “Moonlight Sonata,” but this wasn’t “The Schroeder Variations” version on “Earthglow.”
13. Q’s Motif
Originally heard on: “Conversation,” 2012
The tempo was slightly faster than the album version.
14 (Encore 1). Carmel (audience request)
Originally heard on: “Shaken Not Stirred,” 1994
15 (Encore 2). Linus and Lucy
Originally heard on: “This Side Up,” 1985; “Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown!,” 1989; “Here’s To You, Charlie Brown: 50 Great Years!,” 2000
“Electric guitar” keyboard solo on “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”:
David H. and Jamey’s “Q’s Motif” call and response:
Acknowledging the crowd at the end of the set:
Me and David after the set:
Listening to David Benoit, whether on an album or in concert, is a heavenly experience for me. I’m into every note and every measure. I usually know what the song is without David telling the audience what it is. Last night wasn’t any different. Thanks to David B., David H., and Jamey for a thrilling set.
WCWP Homecoming, 2013 Hall of Fame Announcement October 23, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Technology.add a comment
Other recaps: 2008, 2009, WCWP 50th Anniversary (2011), 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
2/26/18 UPDATE: Video that I originally produced for DVD is now on YouTube. It’s embedded at the end of this post.
Half a day after CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri aired on WCWP, I headed up to LIU Post for Homecoming festivities and the announcement of the 2013 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame.
The WCWP tailgate table adjacent to the Pratt Center and Hickox Field:
After taking those three pics, I walked to WCWP, located in the Abrams Communications Center.
Following the LIU Post Pioneers football team’s 20-15 win over the Millersville Marauders, Bernie Bernard took over WCWP for the next three hours:
Meanwhile, outside, it was time for the big Hall of Fame announcement.
The announcement began with Pete Bellotti introducing Dr. Paul Forestell, the provost of LIU Post:
Then, Pete read off the names of the 2013 inductees: Steve Radoff, Harry Lowenthal, Bill Mozer (below)…
This picture was taken before Bernie came out to say a few words:
Jay Elzweig, Dan Cox, Pete Bellotti, Bill Mozer, Jeff Kroll, Dr. Paul Forestell:
Shortly after the announcement outside, Bernie broke the news on the air when she did a phone interview with Steve Radoff.
Later, Bernie was joined in the studio by Pete and Bill:
Mike Schanzer (aka Mike Hendryx) was also in on the conversation:
This picture was sharpened a few times to counter the blur:
Congratulations to Steve, Harry, Bill, and Bernie your induction into the WCWP Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, April 20.
2/26/18 UPDATE: I also shot video at Homecoming, originally made for DVD. I revised it for YouTube:
CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri on WCWP: 2012 edition October 20, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Technology, Video.1 comment so far
Previous CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri recaps: 2011
Early this morning at 2:00, CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri aired on WCWP 88.1 FM. It’s part of the station’s – and its university LIU Post’s – Homecoming Weekend, which started last night at 7:00 and ends late tomorrow night.
I recorded the show two weeks ago, on October 5, as seen in this picture…
And two vidcaps:
All of the above was shot on my Nikon D3100. The vidcaps were taken from behind-the-scenes video of the recording process. Here is the final cut of that video, which I produced last night:
And here is the finished aircheck, as recorded from the board.
As you listen, follow along with the complete playlist with written notes (click to view larger):
The “separate page” with the Jeff Lorber Fusion comparison table (click to view larger):
I’m heading up to LIU Post this afternoon for Homecoming festivities and the announcement of the 2013 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame. I’ll have a recap in a later post.
My experience at Day 2 of 2012 New York Comic Con October 15, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Animation, Books, Comedy, Film, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Technology, Travel, TV, Video, Video Games, Weather.add a comment
Other New York Comic Con recaps: 2014 Day 1, 2017 Day 1, 2018 Day 1, 2019 Day 1, 2021 Day 1
Friday marked my first time at the annual New York Comic Con, held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on 11th Avenue on Manhattan’s West Side. The Javits Center stretches from West 34th to 40th Streets, but the main entrance is at West 37th.
My day at the event was scheduled around the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles panel, which was to be held at 6:45 PM. Bored at home, I left the house just after 1:00, 90 minutes earlier than I planned. I walked to the Wantagh LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) station (a 20-minute walk), bought a round trip off peak ticket in a ground-level vending machine, and waited on the platform for the train to arrive. I saw one person in costume, which meant I wouldn’t be the only one bound for NYCC on the train. With the air temperature in the low 50s and a stiff breeze, I was dressed for winter: a winter coat and a long sleeve shirt, but no costume. As the joke goes, I went as myself.
After an hour-long train ride to Penn Station, I walked up to the street and had two slices of pizza at Famous Famiglia on 8th Avenue, one of many locations in New York alone. It was an appropriate lunch on the day of the TMNT panel.
After passing the Houndstooth Pub at the corner of 8th and West 37th Street, the site of many contemporary jazz shows I’ve attended, I crossed west and then north to walk on the north side of West 37th. There were groups of people ahead of me also heading to Javits. Part of the walk featured an overpass above Dyer Avenue, which leads into the Lincoln Tunnel. Once at the Javits Center, I walked in the green entrance.
Friday was the second day of four of the Con. A sold-out crowd packed the Javits Center, making the indoor temperature feel like close to 80. If only I had chosen a spring jacket and short sleeve shirt.
According to my camera, I took the first picture in this post at 3:18 PM, within 40 minutes of arriving at Penn Station. Let’s see those pics, shall we?
I expected to see press conducting interviews, like Bill Schulz and Jesse Watters did last year, but I only saw crews passing by with their equipment off (seen here after I left the Show Floor):
Taking the escalator to the Show Floor:
Leaving the Show Floor:
The next few pics are LEGO displays built by LUGs (LEGO Users Groups) in New York and Connecticut:
Quidditch:
I put the camera down for the next hour and a half to take in the sights and sounds, and grab an early dinner at the food court.
By the time I got to the conference room where the TMNT panel was, there was a line. I took this pic of the schedule board while waiting on that line, which went on to extend well past me:
As the wait continued, Peter Hastings, one of TMNT’s executive producers, walked by taking pictures of the line. I recognized him from a Talkin’ Toons with Rob Paulsen podcast back in May. As he passed near me, I asked him, “Are you Peter Hastings?” He said yes, then wondered as he shook my hand how I knew who he was. I told him it was from his body of work, and I cited Pinky and the Brain and TMNT; all I could think of offhand. I couldn’t tell if he was scared, shocked, or flattered that I knew of him. It reminded me of when I was at the will call booth at the old IMAC in Huntington before a Rippingtons concert in 2006. (You can see my pics with Jeff Kashiwa and Steve Reid here.) Musician Tom Huber was in line ahead of me and I recognized his name when he told it to the ticket taker. I told him I knew of him through his background vocals on two tracks from Steve Briody‘s (“BRY-dee”) “Keep On Talkin'” album. Tom’s response was, “Are you kidding?” In Peter’s case, he assured me the next day on Facebook that he was flattered. I thanked him for that.
NYCC staff opened the doors to the conference room just after 6:20. I managed to get an aisle a few rows in (behind a few reserved rows).
(After the above pic, I switched from my Nikon D3100 to a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 because I don’t yet have a long lens for the Nikon. I switched back after the panel.)
The panel began at 6:47 with the TMNT title sequence projected on screens and through theater-style speakers. The crowd erupted in cheers as Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello approached the dais.
Donnie, Raph, Mikey, Leo:
The panel was moderated by Ray Rahman, a writer for Entertainment Weekly and “somehow, the senior Ninja Turtles correspondent, which is a title I take as seriously as you guys do”:
Here is Ray’s pre-panel write up.
The panel consisted of executive producers Ciro Nieli…
and the aforementioned Peter Hastings:
The rest of the panel was four cast members: the voices of three of the four turtles and their sensei.
Sean Astin as Raphael:
The aforementioned Rob Paulsen as Donatello:
Rob was also Raphael in the original TMNT series that premiered 25 years ago. (Talkin’ Toons podcast live: original cast reunion)
Greg Cipes as Michelangelo:
…and Hoon Lee as Splinter:
Rob acknowledged that TMNT voice director Andrea (“ahn-DRAY-uh”) Romano was in the audience. She stood up and waved to everyone:
(That was the best image I could get. Sorry about the poor quality.)
Greg, Rob, and Sean reenacted a fight scene from the show while watching the scene on screen:
What they were reenacting:
Greg and Sean looked at the screen to their left (above) while Rob looked straight ahead at the reverse side of a second screen.
It ended with Donnie screaming in shock!:
What the scream looked like animated:
Ciro, Greg, and Rob watching the sneak previews:
As quickly as the panel began, it was over.
An hour flies when you’re having fun.
As the crowd left, a music video set to “Gangnam Style” by Psy played on the screens.
Meanwhile, Greg stuck around to greet fans and sign autographs:
Some of my pictures from the panel were vidcaps (or screencaps), pictures captured from my computer screen while playing video, which I then edited in Photoshop (cropping, adjusting color). My camerawork was iffy because I used a mini tripod and tended to shake. Neil Vitale did a much better job than me. Here’s his video:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles airs Saturday mornings at 11:00 Eastern on Nickelodeon.
About ten minutes after the leaving the conference room…
…I was out of the Javits Center.
Fifteen minutes later, I made it back to Penn Station’s LIRR terminal. On the train ride back, I sat next to two people that also attended NYCC. One of them came with a group of anime fans and she was dressed as a character. But I don’t remember which one.
I arrived home at 9:45. It was quite an 8 1/2 hour adventure, one that I won’t soon forget.
We leave you with a picture of the ticket holder I wore and badge that it held:
10/16 UPDATE: Meredith Blake of the Los Angeles Times wrote on Friday about how New York Comic Con is catching up with the bigger Comic-Con (note the hyphen) International in San Diego.
10/19 UPDATE: Andy Levy of Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld was on the Show Floor last Friday when I wasn’t. Click here to see his report.
WCWP show next Saturday morning! October 8, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio.add a comment
I was at WCWP (at LIU Post) on Friday to record the 2012 edition of CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri. The show is part of WCWP’s – and by extension, Post’s – Homecoming Weekend which runs from next Friday night, October 19, through Sunday night, October 21. Like last year, I have an overnight slot: Saturday, October 20 at 2AM Eastern (Friday, October 19 at 11PM Pacific) on WCWP 88.1 FM.
If you’re outside of the signal range, you can listen to the stream by going here and clicking on “WCWP 88.1 FM.”
I’ll be playing David Benoit, Ken Navarro, Jeff Kashiwa, Fourplay, and plenty more in my two hours on the air. The prerecord process was long, but worth it. It took three hours to record two because I made some mistakes that I had to edit out.
Castle Magic, Special EFX at Long Beach Jazz Festival 2012 September 23, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Education, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
This year, the Long Beach Jazz Festival celebrated its tenth year in existence. Of the ten festivals, I’ve been to half of them, all but once at the Long Beach Public Library. The first three times were to see the Dharma All Stars, drummer John Favicchia‘s band. You can see post-set pictures from those first two shows here and a recap of the third here (featuring a set by Alan Bates before them).
My fourth trip came last year, after a three-year absence, to see Chieli Minucci & Special EFX at the Library. (Chieli had also played guitar for Dharma All Stars.) I was unable to get a good seat because I arrived a short time before their set. I refused to make the same mistake this year.
Before I get to pictures from the two sets I saw on Friday, here’s how I got to Long Beach:
In 2008, I took the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) to Rockville Centre and hoped to meet a friend there for a ride down to Long Beach. Traffic delays held her back and I ended up walking through RVC, Oceanside, Island Park, and across the Long Beach Bridge before meeting her at the bridge-side McDonald’s. It was a five-mile trek, but one that gave me a nice tan and plenty of exercise.
The plan on Friday was to take two trains to Long Beach. The first leg took me from west on the Babylon Branch from Wantagh to Lynbrook. At Lynbrook, I walked down the stairs from one platform to another and waited for the Long Beach-bound train. This was my first ride on the Long Beach Branch. One day in February, I researched the railcar models the MTA uses for LIRR trains, specifically the M7. After finding out about that, I looked for YouTube videos of the M7 in action. One of those videos was this one on the Long Beach Branch (but only as far as Island Park):
Until Island Park, I sat on the opposite side of the YouTube user that posted the above video. I brought along my Nikon D3100 again for the Festival, but took some test pictures on the train ride:
The Long Beach Bridge:
I was in Long Beach with time to spare and got to the Long Beach Public Library shortly before the doors were opened to the performance room.
Before Special EFX, the audience was treated to Castle Magic, an upright bass trio, something I hadn’t seen before.
The trio was led by Santi Debriano:
with Harvie S.:
Call and response between Santi and Harvie:
Guitarist Steve Adelson, the founder and organizer of the Long Beach Jazz Festival, joined in on the last song:
Steve played the Chapman Stick:
Now, I know what an upright bass trio sounds like. Santi, Harvie, and Essiet were fantastic; as was Steve at the end.
Next up was Chieli Minucci & Special EFX, introduced by Steve Adelson, before he left for a set with his Stick-tet across the street at Lola’s Kitchen:
Chieli played electric guitar:
Jay Rowe on the keyboards:
Jerry Brooks on electric bass:
and Lionel Cordew on drums:
SET LIST
1. Courageous Cats
Originally heard on: “Jewels,” 1995 (Chieli solo album)
2. Bodybeat
Originally heard on: “Body Language,” 1995
3. Greenway North
Originally heard on: “Modern Manners,” 1985
4. Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers
Originally heard on: “Renaissance,” 1996 (Chieli solo album)
5. Mirage
From an album that will be released in 2013
6. Rush Hour (Chieli/Jerry duet)
Originally heard on: “Sweet Surrender,” 2007
7. The Night is Ours
Originally heard on: “Without You,” 2010
Here are sets of pictures from the set, starting with Chieli:
Jay’s solo pics from “Courageous Cats” and “Bodybeat”:
Jerry’s solo pics from “Bodybeat” and “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers”:
Lionel’s “Bodybeat” drum solo:
Chieli asked for some water music from Jay to lead off “Greenway North”:
The “Rush Hour” duet:
The last note of the set:
It was an exhilarating set, as always; the perfect capper to an adventurous Friday that began in the late afternoon and concluded in the middle in the evening.
Here’s to ten more years of the Long Beach Jazz Festival!
Brian Simpson concert recap 2 September 9, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Golf, Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel.add a comment
Previous Brian Simpson recap: April 2011
Later Brian Simpson recap: February 2015
Last night, I returned to Houndstooth Pub to see keyboardist Brian Simpson. His show marked the anniversary of Midtown Groove.
Brian played the keyboard…
and the keytar:
Matt Marshak was on guitar, as he was last time:
John Dillard on bass:
Courtney Williams on drums:
And Brian Lanier on soprano (seen below) and alto sax:
I was on hand for the first set. Here’s what Brian and the band played:
1. It Could Happen
2. Here With You
3. South Beach
4. Funkology (by Matt Marshak)
5. Can’t Tell You Why
6. Blues for the Houndstooth Pub (written for the show)
7. Let’s Get Close
8. Saturday Cool
Fasten your seat belts because it’s time to ride through the set via my cameras’ viewfinders. That’s right, I used two (but not simultaneously).
Brian addressing Matt before “Funkology”:
Brian made his way toward one of the premium seat tables during “Saturday Cool”:
The last note of the set:
Before I left, I had a brief chat with Brian and we posed for a pic:
It was another wildly enjoyable set! Thanks to Brian, Matt, John, C-Will, and Brian for a great show.
(By the way, I was wearing a souvenir shirt I bought last Sunday at the final round of The Barclays, a PGA Tour event held this year at Bethpage Black Golf Course.)
Derecho flashback July 1, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Radio, Sports, Weather.add a comment
Friday’s derecho that plowed through the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic took me back fourteen years to a derecho that impacted Long Island.
“Derecho” is a Spanish term that has many translations, including “straight.” The “straight” translation gives the long-lasting weather event its name because of the straight-line winds it produces.
The derecho I remember hit in the mid-afternoon of September 7, 1998; Labor Day. But I didn’t even know of that term, or the swath of damage it caused, until last winter while reading up on major storms that have hit Long Island.
Outside of looking at the radar on The Weather Channel and hearing the thunder, I was oblivious of the derecho’s effects. I was in the basement of my friend Joey’s house, a few blocks southwest of my home in Wantagh. The basement was basically his apartment. It had a bedroom, entertainment center (where we were at the time), and bathroom. I sat at a table while he sat on the couch. I flipped back and forth from The Weather Channel and ESPN, the latter of which was carrying a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. Mark McGwire hit his 61st home run of that season in that game.
Despite the strong winds and lightning, the power never went out at Joey’s house. My house wasn’t so lucky. We did lose power. Considering what I learned recently, I can understand why and why it was out for so long. Power was not restored until around 4AM, about half a day after the derecho hit.
YouTube user Eltiempo10 has video of a Weather Channel Local Forecast at 2:58 PM:
The forecast begins at 0:38, following a station promo featuring Mike Bono, who is now at YNN. (Click here for my December 2005 interview with him.) The JFK “Current Conditions” observation at the top of the forecast is from before the derecho. At 0:50, you’ll notice the temperature went down 11 degrees and the wind speed was 51 MPH! Much of the last 90-seconds is the 90-minute radar loop. The music excerpt used is “Secrets” by Brazilian jazz guitarist Torcuato Mariano, from his 1995 album Last Look.
Acoustic Alchemy concert recap 3 June 22, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, News, Personal, Travel, Weather.3 comments
Other Acoustic Alchemy recaps: June 2008, October 2010, November 2016
Yesterday was a day I had been looking forward to since mid-March when I bought my ticket: Acoustic Alchemy‘s 8PM set at The Iridium. It was their third night of three at the club.
But there is a prelude to the photo recap of their show.
This was the middle day of a three-day heat wave in the Northeastern U.S. The evening before, the power went out at my house for three hours, from 6:20 to 9:20 (both approximately), except for two minutes around 8:45 when there was power before losing it again. 45 minutes later, the power was out again, but back within a few minutes. The next time I lost power wasn’t until 2:25 yesterday afternoon. LIPA (the Long Island Power Authority) estimated that power would be restored by 5:00. According to the alarm clock in my room when I got home, it returned at 5:13.
But I couldn’t wait two hours in a gradually heating up house until my planned train ride at 4:59. So, within 15 minutes of the outage, I got ready to go (with only sunlight to work with) and got a ride to the Wantagh LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) station at around 3:15. The train left at 3:27 and I was at Penn Station by about 4:15. While in Woodside, my train passed over I-278, the B.Q.E. (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway):
This was my second attempt at a picture over there. My first try came on the way to Shilts’ show at Houndstooth last month.
I took the subway from 34th Street to 42nd and walked toward 6th Avenue. From there, I passed News Corporation, McGraw-Hill, SNY (SportsNet New York) and Radio City Music Hall, before turning back toward Broadway at 51st Street.
It was only 5:15. I still had an hour and a half before show attendees could go into Iridium. So, I killed another hour at the Applebee’s a block away. Then, I waited for a half hour outside the next-door Winter Garden Theatre. Finally, at 6:50, the first wave of attendees were let in. After seltzer, water, and pizza, it was time for the show.
Greg Carmichael, the Boss of the Band, played acoustic guitar:
Miles Gilderdale played electric guitar…
And acoustic guitar:
Fred White on keyboards:
Gary Grainger on bass:
And his brother Gregory Grainger on drums:
The set:
1. Homecoming
Originally heard on: “Reference Point,” 1990; “Arcanum,” 1996
2. Overnight Sleeper
Originally heard on: “Natural Elements,” 1988
3. Angel of the South
Originally heard on: “The Beautiful Game,” 2000
4. Jamaica Heartbeat
Originally heard on: “Back On The Case,” 1991
5. Marrakesh
Originally heard on: “Roseland,” 2011
6. One for Shorty
Originally heard on: “Roseland,” 2011
7. Passion Play
Originally heard on: “AArt,” 2001
8. Ariane
Originally heard on: “Blue Chip,” 1989
9. The Stone Circle
Originally heard on: “Red Dust & Spanish Lace,” 1987
10. The Beautiful Game
Originally heard on: “The Beautiful Game,” 2000
11. Tuff Puzzle
Originally heard on: “AArt,” 2001
Encore 1. Casino
Originally heard on: “Natural Elements,” 1988; “Early Alchemy,” 1992 (recorded circa ’82); “Arcanum,” 1996
Miles’ “Overnight Sleeper” solo:
Greg C.:
Gary’s bass/scat solo on “One for Shorty,” a tribute to his late niece, Gregory’s daughter, Dianne:
Greg G.:
Click here to learn about The MusicianShip, the non-profit organization co-founded by Greg, Dianne, and Jeffery Tribble Jr.
Fred’s “Passion Play” solo:
The Graingers’ bass/drum jam during “Tuff Puzzle”:
Miles’ wild “Tuff Puzzle” solo!:
The encore: “Casino”:
It was quite a show. The band was fantastic! And I heard from Fred that the 10:00 show was just as great!
David Benoit, “Conversation” May 29, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal.add a comment
Album cover from Benoit.com
The winning streak continues! Jazz pianist and conductor David Benoit’s Conversation album was released today.
Here are the tracks:
1. Napa Crossroads Overture (3:46) – David and guitarist/vocalist David Pack (previously with the band Ambrosia) wrote this tune two years ago and it finally found a home on Conversation. Pack is featured on guitars with a little help from Pat Kelley.
2. Feelin’ It (3:57)
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (3:07) – This is the theme from the movie of the same name, composed and originally performed by Theodore Shapiro. It featuers a wild guitar solo by Jeff Golub and violin from David’s daughter June.
4. Kei’s Song Redux (4:49) – The title is self-explanatory: it’s a new version of “Kei’s Song,” originally recorded for Freedom at Midnight 25 years ago, but it isn’t exactly a carbon copy.
5. Sunrise On Mansion Row (4:10)
6. You’re Amazing (3:21) – A tribute to David’s friend and site webmaster Jean Wang. In addition to playing flute and piccolo, Tim Weisberg also gave David Lee Roth-esque “shoutouts” like “well, all right!” and “come on!”
7. Q’s Motif (3:11) – “Q” is for Quincy Jones; based on a boogie-woogie motif he wrote. This is my favorite song on the album so far, not just because of the synthesizer solo, but the piano, as well.
8. Let’s Get Ready (4:47)
9. Conversation (From Music For Two Trios) (4:55) – Another self-explanatory title. It’s a musical conversation between pianist Robert Theis, violinist Yun Tang, and cellist Cathy Biagini; and David, bassist David Hughes, and drummer Jamey Tate. The former performed in the classical style while the latter performed in jazz. Will the two trios converge? Listen and find out.
In addition to the musicians mentioned above, you’ll also hear Brad Dutz on percussion, David Sills on tenor and soprano saxophone, and the following classical musicians:
- Violinists: Yun Tang, Michelle Wood, Eleanor Dunbar
- Violaists: Xiang Wang, Ilona Geller
I highly recommend Conversation. You won’t regret your purchase. And if you’re a diehard jazz fan like me, you’ll be listening again and again and again!
MikeChimeri.com 
