I went home for almost two weeks for Christmas, so I took a bit of a break from writing here during that time.?? Then, I got back around New Years and dove straight into a brand-new exciting project, which I will tell you about when I get clearance to release the news.?? That is why I still haven’t managed to write anything till now, but I hope I can get moving again soon.?? There’s certainly a few things starting to stir on the scene, so it’s not for lack of things to write about…
It’s good to be back.?? I got to play with Matt Harding over at the Cotton Club for the first time last wednesday, and boy what a fun time it was!?? He’s in town for a month or two, filling in on lead vocals since Terrence moved to Germany.?? This is the man who started the Cotton Club band about ten years ago, brought Greg over here and got Terrence singing in the beginning.?? He’s got a funky fun style and a rich, deep voice that gets you deep in your soul.?? I’m looking forward to joining them again the next couple wednesdays while he’s still in town.?? And while I’m still in town…I’ve got a trip of my own coming up soon (but don’t worry, I’ll come back).?? More details to come about that.
Also good to know is that our pianist buddy Aron Ottignon has decided to extend his trip another week or two, so he’ll be playing with us again this thursday at JZ.?? I think this will be his last time playing with us this trip, but his next trip is not too far away on the horizon.?? Luckily for us, he fell in love with a woman who lives here and plans to spend half the year here from now on.?? So expect to see him coming back for a bit in March, and then again in the summer and fall for longer stints.?? Now folks, this is exactly the sort of thing we need more of, great musicians falling in love with Shanghai residents and deciding to move here or at least show up a lot more often.?? Let that be a lesson to all of you who have come and not returned for a long time.
I believe Shanghai’s favorite trombonist Andy Hunter is on his way here in the not-too-distant future as well.?? Word on the street is, he intends to take a band on the road.?? It’s been a while since we spoke, so I can’t remember exactly how long he’s planning to stay but I think he should be here before the end of January.
More news as the week rolls along.