I’ve been terrible at keeping the blog updated, but for what I hope is a good reason: a lot of travel, networking with fellow musicians, and drawing inspiration to write. My travels took me to several cities in Portugal, Seville and Barcelona in Spain, and Casablanca in Morocco.
I had the fortune to meet a few great people along the way, and connect with a few stellar musicians on the scene in Europe. Keeping the post to the scope of music, here’s what the trip boiled down to:
I spent most of my time in and around Lisbon. I took in a lot of live music, and did my share of playing at various sessions throughout the city. My favorite by far was a late night at Hot Club’s jam session on Tuesday night (click here for photo). I enjoyed the finest local flamenco in Seville as well as exposure to the beautiful people and culture of Andalusia.
I flew all the way to Barcelona to enjoy a concert featuring Joan Chamorro, Rita Payés, and Andrea Motis. The night before the show, I went to Jamboree Jazz Club for their jam session. I sat in and played throughout the night with a wide variety of musicians, all quite talented! Unfortunately, the concert was cancelled due to the civil unrest and Spain’s violent response to the Catalonian referendum. Even though I didn’t get to see the show, it was more than an interesting enough experience being in the heart of Barcelona at such an interesting time. I drew a lot of inspiration from the Catalan people and their message…
Finally, I spent two days in Casablanca, where I spent all of my time wandering the streets and taking in the wide variety of street musicians and culture. I wish I had more time to spend there, and I will definitely return.
Perhaps most importantly, I finally have all of the pieces together to record my debut album I’ve been talking about for longer than I’d care to admit. I’m hoping to finish up with collaborative writing late this year or early next year, with a target of January / February for studio recording. I’ve already poured a significant amount of time and energy into this album, and the music has already been through several iterations (read: improvements). Join me as I complete the journey with my core group of musicians, and a few special guests sprinkled into the mix!
Stay tuned for album updates, insider views of the writing, recording, and release, and a record release party!