Thursday 31 March 2011

GIG #89 - Accordionist Rides Storm in NOLA back to the Streets


GIG #89 @ Frenchmen and Decatur Streets, New Orleans, LA. Select repertoire:
I'll Fly Away - Brumley
Down by the Riverside - Trad. Gospel
La Vie en Rose - Piaf/Gugliemi

Wednesday 30 March 2011

GIG #88 - Hump the Sky


GIG #88 @ New Orleans City Park/1225 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA. Select repertoire:
Strange Roots Improvisations
Take Five - Desmond
Prelude II , Book I, WTC - Bach
Strange Cajun/Zydeco Improvisations

New Orleans City Park: Performance in a live oak, courtesy of arborist Rob Crawford of Gulf Coast Urban Forestry.

The Park is home to the largest collection of mature live oaks in the world, some several hundred years old. There are several traits that make the live oak unique among oaks. It is evergreen, or almost so, because the old leaves drop about the same time as the new leaves appear in the spring. Thus, the name "live" oak. It has a distinctive low spread and form, almost sculptural. It is common to see mature trees with lateral limbs that reach the ground. Many old trees have a branch spread which is twice the height of the tree.

Tuesday 29 March 2011

GIG #87 - Let's Fly Down


GIG #87 @ Corner of Frenchmen and Chartres Streets, New Orleans, LA. Select repertoire:
When the Saints Go Marching In - Trad. American Folk/Gospel/Spiritual
Cluck Old Hen - Trad. Appalachian American
Sassy Mae - Memphis Slim



Monday 28 March 2011

GIG #86 - Whisky River


GIG #86 @ Boudin Shop and Country Store, Breaux Bridge, LA. Select repertoire:
Wa Habibi - Trad. Lebanese
Hey Good Lookin' - Williams
Strange Zydeco/Cajun Improvisations

Sunday 27 March 2011

GIG #85 - Put Away Your Umbrella

GIG #85 corner of Royal and Frenchmen Streets, New Orleans, LA. Select repertoire:
Go to the Mardi Gras - Longhair
Flambee Montalbanaise - Viseur
Strange Zydeco Improvisations

Saturday 26 March 2011

GIG #84 - Session on Royal


GIG #84 @ corner of Conti and Royal Street, New Orleans, LA. Select repertoire:
Dan Tucker - Trad. American Folk
Down by the Riverside - Trad. Gospel
Strange Zydeco/Cajun Improvisations


Friday 25 March 2011

GIG #83 - Dressed in Red Shoes


GIG #83 @ Corner of Dumaine and Dauphine Streets, New Orleans, LA. Select repertoire:
Los Suenos - Piazzolla
I'll Fly Away - Brumley
Jeanette - Viseur
Libertango - Piazzolla


Thursday 24 March 2011

GIG #82 - The Happening Part of Bourbon


GIG #82 @ Bourbon & St Philip Street, New Orleans, LA. Select repertoire:
I'll Fly Away - Brumley
When the Saints Go Marching In - Trad. Gospel
Prelude II Book I, WTC - Bach
Go to the Mardi Gras - Longhair

Wednesday 23 March 2011

GIG #81 - Playing for Peanuts


GIG #81 @ A & M Peanut Shop, Mobile, AL. Select repertoire:
Sweet Georgia Brown - Bernie/Pinkard/Casey
Chamame Parisien - Barboza
St. James Infirmary - Trad.

Tuesday 22 March 2011

GIG #80 - To Light A New Fire


GIG #80 @ Tacachale, Gainesville, FL. Select repertoire:
Strange Groove Improvisations

Monday 21 March 2011

Jovano, Jovanke


Traditional Macedonian Folk Song Jovano, Jovanke performed at University Auditorium, University of Florida, Gainesville, March 20, 2011. GIG 365 GIG #79.
Vocal arrangement by Yulene Velasquez.
Vocalists (r to l):
Hali Hutchison
Analisse Reyes
Austin Smithson
Shara Lunon
Shanelle Woods
Yulene Velasquez

GIG #79 - Connections


GIG #79 @ University Auditorium, University of Florida, Gainesville w/vocal ensemble from the school of music. Select repertoire:
Jovano Jovanke - Traditional folk song from Macedonia region
Lulina - Ward-Bergeman

Sunday 20 March 2011

GIG #78 - Earthman


GIG #78 @ Cinema Verde Environmental Film and Arts Festival, Gainesville, FL w/vocalist Yulene Velasquez. Select repertoire:
Summertime - Gershwin
Dan Tucker - Trad.
Y Tu Que Has Hecho - Delfin

Saturday 19 March 2011

GIG #77 - "Music is Irrelevant"


GIG #77 @ The Fat Tuscan Cafe, Gainesville, FL w/ vocalist Yulene Velasquez. Select repertoire:
When You're Smiling - Shay/Fisher/Goodwin
M-O-T-H-E-R - Morse/Johnson
You Made Me Love You - Monaco/McCarthy
Trenzinho do Caipira - Villa Lobos

Friday 18 March 2011

GIG #76 - No Bones


GIG #76 @ Raymond's Barber Shop, Grand Bay, Alabama. Select repertoire:
Cotton Fields Back Home - Leadbelly
Last Call - Ward-Bergeman
Wham Bam- Ward-Bergeman/Seznec

Thursday 17 March 2011

GIG #75 - Haven for Lost Musicians


GIG #75 @ Jeff's Haven for Lost Musicians, Breaux Bridge, LA. Select repertoire:
Feira de Mangaio - Sivuca
Must Be Time - Ward-Bergeman
Zydeco Improvisations

Wednesday 16 March 2011

GIG #74 - Yay for Beignet!


GIG #74 @ Lake Fausse Pointe State Park, Saint Martinville, LA. Select repertoire:
Last Call - Ward-Bergeman
St. James Infirmary - Traditional
Strange Loop Improvisations

Tuesday 15 March 2011

GIG #73 - It All Comes to Rest Here


GIG #73 @ Old Amys Henderson Express, Henderson, LA. Select repertoire:
Flambee Montalbanaise - Viseur
Chamame Parisien - Barboza
Strange Groove Improvisations

Monday 14 March 2011

GIG #72 - Do You Know What It Means?


GIG #72 @ Lake Fausse Pointe State Park, Saint Martinville, LA. Select repertoire:
Strange Breath Improvisations

Sunday 13 March 2011

GIG #71 - You're A Bad Man With That Thing!


GIG #71 @ corner of Royal and Dumaine Street, New Orleans, LA. Select repertoire:
Federal - Ward-Bergeman
Mississippi Mishap - Brown/Ward-Bergeman
Prelude II, Book I, WTC - Bach
Strange Groove Improvisations

Saturday 12 March 2011

GIG #70 - The Southernmost Point


GIG #70 @ corner of Decatur and Barracks Street, New Orleans, LA. Select repertoire:
Summertime - Gershwin
Chamame Parisien - Barboza
Strange Groove Improvisations

Friday 11 March 2011

GIG #69 - Nothing's For Free


GIG #69 @ Katrina House/The Moonwalk, New Orleans, LA. Select repertoire:
St. James Infirmary - Trad.
Libertango - Piazzolla
Mississippi Improvisation
From Sheldon H. Laskin's New Orleans: Lament for a Royal City

David Fountain has an infectious laugh. When he smiles, the wrinkles on his 65-year-old face smile with him. A retired dock worker, he lives off a pension.
I stop to take pictures of the gaudily decorated display in Mr. Fountain’s front yard. Musical instruments, mannequins, a boat -- named, of course, Katrina -- gaily painted and decked out with beads fill the yard. Mr. Fountain is inside the house, entertaining two friends with generous helpings of whiskey. He invites me in.
The water line in Mr. Fountain’s house is at 5 feet, 5 inches. After Katrina, Mr. Fountain returned to a house reeking with mold. He slept on the roof while he gutted the house. The four modest rooms are now surprisingly clean, although, with the exception of the front room, the house has the look and feel of an unfinished basement.
But that front room. It is outfitted with Mr. Fountain’s computer, scanner and fax machine. That, plus his wireless connection and cell phone, keep him connected to the outside world. And Mr. Fountain needs to be connected now, because of the museum.
After he returned, Mr. Fountain started to comb through debris piles, looking for musical instruments, sheet music, posters of local musical celebrities and other paraphernalia of the musical legacy of his neighborhood. Over the past sixteen months, he has accumulated a roomful of exhibits; a trombone, a clarinet and a piano are the mainstays of his little museum. Mr. Fountain politely declines my offer of a contribution, although he proudly shows off the blowup of the $300 check he received from a donor who was wise enough not to offer cash.
I ask to take Mr. Fountain’s picture. He asks to have his wife included. I am puzzled. Wife? I went through the entire house; there’s no one else here. “Oh, yes.” Mr. Fountain insists. “She’s on the roof. I’ll get her.”
So I snap a few pictures outside, waiting for Mr. and Mrs. Fountain. I copy the names off the door lintel -- David and Katrina Fountain -- so I can mail them the photographs.
Mr. Fountain calls from the roof. There he is, in full Mardi Gras regalia, his arm around a gaudily attired female mannequin -- the lifelong bachelor’s wife, Katrina. Mr. Fountain laughs long and loud over what I come to learn from an article in the Harvard Crimson he proudly hands me, is a running joke he’s pulled, yet again, on an innocent rube from the North.

Harvard Crimson Article:
Meet My Wife, Katrina

Thursday 10 March 2011

GIG #68 - Get Under a Work Bench


GIG #68 @ Jackson Square, New Orleans, LA with fiddle player Joseph McGinty. Select repertoire:
Dan Tucker - American Folk Trad.
Mardi Gras Song - Cajun Trad.
Little Buds (Mugur, Mugurel) - Roma Gypsy Trad.


Wednesday 9 March 2011

GIG #67 - Firehouse


GIG #67 @ South Walton Fire District Station #2, Seagrove, FL w/ vocalist Yulene Velasquez. Select repertoire:
Wham Bam - Ward-Bergeman/Seznec
Onde Estao os Tamborins - Caetano
Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee - McGhee

Tuesday 8 March 2011

GIG #66 - Squeaky Wheels


GIG #66 @ The Fat Tuscan Cafe, Gainesville, FL w/ vocalist Yulene Velasquez. Select repertoire:
Y Tu Que Has Hecho - Delfin
No Buts, No Maybes - Longhair
Carreta Gui - Barboza

Monday 7 March 2011

GIG #65 - Crossing by the Backdoor


GIG #65 @ Backdoor Cafe, Micro, North Carolina. Select repertoire:
New York State of Mind - Joel
Train Take My Pain Away - Ward-Bergeman
St. James Infirmary - Trad.


Sunday 6 March 2011

GIG #64 - The Crickets are Loud


GIG #64 @ Books Cafe, St. Luke's Chapel, Queenstown, MD. Select repertoire:
Sonatina in C, 1st Movement - Clementi
Prelude II, Book I, WTC - Bach
Precious Lord - Dorsey/Allen

Friday 4 March 2011

GIG #63 - Dropping Off


GIG #63 @ Borders, Fairfield, CT. Select repertoire:
Libertango - Piazzolla
Flambee Montalbanaise - Viseur
Cotton Fields Back Home - Leadbelly

Thursday 3 March 2011

GIG #62 - Bringing the House Down


GIG #62 @ Concertzalen, Copenhagen, Denmark w/Alisa Weilerstein. Select repertoire:
Azul - Golijov
Trenzinho do Caipira - Villa Lobos


Wednesday 2 March 2011

GIG #61 - Studenterhuset


GIG #61 @ Studenterhuset, Copenhagen, Denmark w/ Cyro Baptista and Jamey Haddad. Select repertoire:
Ama/Terezinha de Jesus - Villa Lobos/Baptista
Strange Groove Improvisations

Tuesday 1 March 2011

GIG #60 - Mmmalbec


GIG #60 @ Malbeck, Copenhagen, Denmark w/ Jamey Haddad. Select repertoire:
Cherogape - Barboza
Lena - Ward-Bergeman
Feira de Mangaio - Sivuca

Monday 28 February 2011

GIG #59 - The Smell of Twelve Shofars


GIG #59 @ Auditorio Nacional de Música, Madrid, Spain. Select repertoire:
Patagonia - Ward-Bergeman
Tekiyah - Golijov
Ayre - Golijov

GIG #58 - Spaceship Chandelier


GIG #58 @ Auditorio Nacional de Música, Madrid, Spain. Select repertoire:
Youth Without Youth Suite - Golijov
Agonia - Golijov
Azul - Golijov

Sunday 27 February 2011

GIG #57 - Choir Girls


GIG #57 @Auditorio Nacional de Música, Madrid, Spain. Select repertoire:
Youth Without Youth Suite - Golijov
Agonia - Golijov
Azul - Golijov

Friday 25 February 2011

GIG #56 - Reconnecting with Joey


GIG #56 @Auditorio Nacional de Música, Madrid, Spain. Select repertoire:
Youth Without Youth Suite - Golijov
Agonia - Golijov
Azul - Golijov

Thursday 24 February 2011

GIG #55 - Temp Trax


GIG #55 @ Cine Dore, Madrid, Spain. Pre-show for screening of Francis Ford Coppola's TETRO. Select repertoire:
Cherogape - Barboza
Federal - Ward-Bergeman

GIG #54 - Two Chords and Great Energy


GIG #54 @ Hospital del Nino Jesus, Madrid, Spain. Select repertoire:
Hey Good Lookin' - Williams
Come Back - Ward-Bergeman
Feira de Mangaio - Sivuca

Wednesday 23 February 2011

GIG #53 - The Lungs of Madrid


GIG #53 @ El Retiro "The Lungs of Madrid", Madrid, Spain. Select repertoire:
Jeanette - Viseur
Federal - Ward-Bergeman
Besame Mucho - Velasquez

Tuesday 22 February 2011

GIG #52 - Seven Seas


GIG #52 @ Seven Seas Restaurant, Milford, CT. Select repertoire:
The Wind Cries Mary - Hendrix
Train Take My Pain Away - Ward-Bergeman
Strange Loop Improvisations

Monday 21 February 2011

GIG #51 - The Surreal Forest


GIG #51: John Luther Adam's Inuksuit @ Park Avenue Armory, NYC, New York.

Sunday 20 February 2011

GIG #50 - In the Likeness of a Human


GIG #50 @ Westfield Connecticut Post Shopping Center, Milford, CT. Select repertoire:
Last Call - Ward-Bergeman
Chamame Parisien - Barboza
Strange Loop Improvisations

Saturday 19 February 2011

GIG #49 - Elementary


GIG #49 @ Pheasants Landing, Hillsborough, NJ w/ CTP. Select repertoire:
Must Be Time - Ward-Bergeman
Candy from Strangers - Ward-Bergeman
Fools I Love - Ward-Bergeman

Friday 18 February 2011

GIG #48 - Groupies


GIG #48 @ Black Bear Saloon, Milford, CT. Select repertoire:
Drinkin Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee - McGhee
Strange Loop Improvisations

Thursday 17 February 2011

GIG #47 - Sesame Street Plus


GIG #47 @ Westfield Trumbull Shopping Center, Trumbull, CT. Select repertoire:
Federal - Ward-Bergeman
When You're Smiling - Shay/Fisher/Goodwin
Strange Loop Improvisations

Wednesday 16 February 2011

GIG #46 - Turtlestein


GIG #46 @ Genesis Multimedical Center, Towson, MD. Select repertoire:
Country Roads - Denver
When You're Smiling - Shay/Fisher/Goodwin
Strange Loop Improvisations

TURTLE

Tuesday 15 February 2011

GIG #45 - Letting Go


GIG #45 @ Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD. Select repertoire:
One More Step - Carter
Chamame Parisien - Barboza
Strange Loop Improvisations

Monday 14 February 2011

GIG #44 - Oh My Darling


GIG #44 @ Clementine Cafe, Harrisonburg, VA. ; Select repertoire:
Flambee Montalbanaise - Viseur
Dan Tucker - Trad.
Strange Loop Improvisations

Sunday 13 February 2011

GIG #43 - Here to Play


GIG #43 @ Floyd's Country Store, Floyd, VA. Select repertoire:
Precious Lord - Dorsey/Nelson
Cotton Fields Back Home - Leadbelly
Hobo Heaven - Ward-Bergeman/Seznec

Saturday 12 February 2011

GIG #42 - Conducive to the Nature


GIG #42 @ Madd Corner's Coffee, Tea and Me, King, NC. Select repertoire:
Last Call - Ward-Bergeman
Libertango - Piazzolla
One More Step - Carter

Friday 11 February 2011

GIG #41 - Cutting the Vanderbilts


GIG #41 @ Luella's Bar-B-Que, Asheville, NC. Select repertoire:
Come Back - Ward-Bergeman
Wham Bam - Ward-Bergeman/Seznec
Strange Loop Improvisations

Thursday 10 February 2011

GIG #40 - Take Your Guitar to Clarksville


GIG #40 @ Natalie Jane's Cafe, Clarksville, GA. Select repertoire:
Must Be Time - Ward-Bergeman
Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Armstrong/Green Day
Prelude II, Book I, WTC - Bach

Wednesday 9 February 2011

GIG #39 - Bo, Horatio, and Alpine Helen


GIG #39 @ Cafe La Piazza, Helen, GA. Select repertoire:
I'm in the Mood for Love - McHugh/Fields
When You're Smiling - Shay/Fisher/Goodwin
Over the Rainbow - Arlen/Harburg

GIG #38 - The Road Changes a Man


GIG #38 @ Good 'Ol Days Irish Pub, Cumming, GA. Select repertoire:
Little Wing - Hendrix
Candy from Strangers - Ward-Bergeman
Sultans of Swing - Knopfler

Tuesday 8 February 2011

GIG #37 - Tomorrow is Cumming


GIG #37 @ Signature Health Care, Gainesville, FL. Select repertoire:
Has Anybody Seen My Gal? - Henderson/Lewis/Young
Hey Good Lookin' - Williams
Strange Loop Improvisations

Sunday 6 February 2011

GIG #36 - Good Friends and Good Beer


GIG #36 @ Chiappini's, Melrose, FL. Chili cook off fundraiser for Melrose Public Library w/vocalist Yulene Velasquez. Select repertoire:
Wine Spo-dee-o-dee - McGhee
Yo Soy - Piero
Nostalgia - Petit

Saturday 5 February 2011

GIG #35 - Simple Isn't Easy


GIG #35 @ Kids Safe Zone, American Legion 194, St. Augustine, FL. Select repertoire:
Strange Loop Improvisations

Friday 4 February 2011

GIG #34 - Turning Off The Lights


GIG # 34 @ San Marco Terrace Rehabilitation And Care, St. Augustine, FL. Select repertoire:
Let Me Call You Sweetheart - Friedman/Whitson
You Made Me Love You - Monaco/McCarthy
April Showers - Silvers/De Sylva
Strange Loop Improvisations

Thursday 3 February 2011

GIG #33 - Standing On Doors


GIG #33 @ The Old Library, Jacksonville, FL. Select repertoire:
Strange Loop Improvisations
Federal - Ward-Bergeman
Feira de Mangaio - Sivuca

Wednesday 2 February 2011

GIG #32 - Dancing In The Streets


GIG #32 @ St. Francis House, St. Augustine, FL. Select repertoire:
Sassie Mae - Memphis Slim
Precious Lord - Dorsey/Allen
Strange Loop Improvisations

Tuesday 1 February 2011

GIG #31 - After Hours Drop


GIG #31 @ Shands Hospital, University of Florida, Gainesville. Select repertoire:
Sonatina in C, 1st Movement - Clementi
Take the "A" Train - Strayhorn
Flambee Montalbanaise - Viseur
Strange Loop Improvisations

Monday 31 January 2011

GIG #30 - The Slave Ship


GIG #30 @ Gainesville Correctional Facility, FL. Select repertoire:
Amazing Grace - Newton
Must Be Time - Ward-Bergeman
One More Step - Carter
Strange Loop Improvisations

Check out The Slave Ship: A Human History by Marcus Rediker

Sunday 30 January 2011

GIG #29 - Raccoon Chili


GIG #29 @ Keystone Heights Farmer's Market, FL. Select repertoire:
The Wind Cries Mary - Hendrix
Onde Estao os Tamborins - Caetano
Trenzinho do Caipira - Villa Lobos

Saturday 29 January 2011

GIG #28 - Zenith


GIG #28 @ Zenith School, Kissimmee, FL. Select repertoire:
Strange Loop Improvisations
Little Wing - Hendrix

Friday 28 January 2011

GIG #27 - Kick That Devil


GIG #27 @ Kickin' Devil Cafe, Gainesville, FL. Select repertoire:
St. James Infirmary Blues - Trad.
Chamame Parisien - Barboza
Strange Loop Improvisations

Thursday 27 January 2011

GIG #26 - Hare Krishna Bo Diddley


GIG #26 @ Union Street Farmer's Market, Gainesville, FL. Select repertoire:
Dan Tucker - Trad.
Last Call - Ward-Bergeman
Strange Loop Improvisations

Wednesday 26 January 2011

GIG #25 - Lightning Salvage Tornado


GIG #25 @ Lightnin' Salvage, Gainesville, FL.  Select repertoire:
Strange Loop Improvisations
Wham Bam - Ward-Bergeman/Seznec
Y Tu Que Has Hecho? - Delfin

Satchel's Pizza / Lightnin' Salvage is one of the most unique places I have ever been to. There are bells hanging from the ceiling, magical doors, colored lights, a junk fountain, a tree house and a host of other things right out of my dreams. There is also a lite-brite. I was truly at home with my GIG 365 stage.
Earlier in the day I clanged some of my cowbells at the Coalition to End the Meal Limit NOW! protest during the mayor's speech at the hippodrome in Gainesville. I met one of the organizers at GIG #24 @ 8th Ave. Bike Shop & Cafe. It was a thought provoking scene as two men inside an art gallery with their dog (who was also in one of the fine art photos hanging in the window) watched the homeless being served food on the sidewalk, most of who then took their food under the steps on the side of the hippodrome to take shelter from the rain...further on in the view from the gallery the protest was chanting and marching away in the front of the hippodrome in a very orderly fashion, and was made up of what I assessed to be very few homeless (because they were too busy eating!!!)

Tuesday 25 January 2011

GIG #24 - To Be Amazed


GIG #24 @ 8th Ave. Bike and Coffee House, Gainesville, FL.  Select repertoire:
Cotton Fields Back Home - Leadbelly
Candy from Strangers - Ward-Bergeman
Prelude II, Book I, WTC - Bach
Strange Loop Improvisations

Monday 24 January 2011

GIG #23 - $23.23


GIG #23 @ Waldo Farmer's and Flea Market, Waldo, FL.  Select repertoire: 
Dan Tucker - Trad. 
Federal - Ward-Bergeman
Strange Loop Improvisations

Sunday 23 January 2011

GIG #22 - The Other Side of Orlando


GIG #22 @ Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, Orlando, FL.  Select repertoire:
Strange Loop Improvisations 
Jingle Bells - Pierpont

Saturday 22 January 2011

GIG #21 - Tuning In


GIG #21 @ Devereux, Melbourne, FL. Select repertoire:
Strange Loop Improvisations

Friday 21 January 2011

GIG #20 - Buddha Stick


GIG #20 @ House of Joe, Melbourne, FL. Select repertoire: 
Flambee Montalbanaise - Viseur
Come Back - Ward-Bergeman 
One More Step - Carter
Strange Loop Improvisations

Thursday 20 January 2011

GIG #19 - Loud Enough To Be Heard, Quiet Enought To Be Ignored


GIG #19 @ Brewbabies, Cape Coral, FL. Select repertoire:
Bring Me Flowers While I'm Living - Wheatstraw
April Showers - Silvers/De Sylva
Take Five - Desmond
Strange Loop Improvisations

Wednesday 19 January 2011

GIG #18 - Lite-Brite


GIG #18 @ Sacred Grounds, Tampa, FL. Select repertoire:
Strange Loop Improvisations 
Peasant Under Grass - Ward-Bergeman

Tuesday 18 January 2011

GIG #17 - Donuts and Dancing


GIG # 17 @ Love Bugs Donuts and Bakery, West Melbourne, FL. Select repertoire:
Jump in the Line - Kitchener
Paisanito - Flores 
Georgia On My Mind - Carmichael
Happy Birthday - Hill

Monday 17 January 2011

GIG #16 - Wheelchair Willy and Krip


GIG #16 @ Churchill's Pub, Miami, FL. Select repertoire:
Strange Loop Improvisations 
Los Suenos - Piazzolla

Sunday 16 January 2011

GIG #15 - Giant Lobster Capsizes Canoe


GIG #15 @ Rain Barrel, Islamorada, FL.  Select repertoire:
Minute Waltz - Chopin
Prelude II, Book I, WTC - Bach
Cotton Fields Back Home - Leadbelly
Strange Loop Improvisations

Saturday 15 January 2011

GIG #14 - Wet Camera


GIG #14 @ Sweat Records, Miami, FL. Select repertoire:
Federal - Ward-Bergeman
Strange Loop Improvisations

Friday 14 January 2011

GIG #13 - Pooped Out


GIG #13 @ the Rum Barrel, Key West, FL with Tony Roberts. Select repertoire:
Centerfold - Roberts
Recitation of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
Train Take My Pain Away - Ward-Bergeman
I played in Tony's band Mindflow when I was living in Boston during the 90's. Check out his website here: Mindflowmusic.com

Thursday 13 January 2011

GIG #12 - Shaman


GIG # 12 @ Mallory Square/Coffee Plantation/The Porch, Key West, FL. Select repertoire:
Feira de Mangaio - Sivuca
Libertango - Piazzolla
She's Too Fat - MacLean/Richardson

Wednesday 12 January 2011

GIG #11 - Good Friends and Good Times


GIG #11 @ Island Dogs, Key West, FL with Tony Roberts. Select repertoire: 
Better Place - Roberts
Taste of Alcohol - Roberts 
Scarbelly (Strange Loop) - Ward-Bergeman
I played in Tony's band Mindflow when I was living in Boston during the 90's.  Check out his website here:  Mindflowmusic.com

Tuesday 11 January 2011

GIG #10 - Frolicking with the Spaniards in the Swamps


GIG #10 @ Little Bar Restaurant, Goodland, FL.  Select repertoire:
Fools I Love - Ward-Bergeman
Come Back - Ward-Bergeman
Orange Blossom Special - Rouse
Closed the show backing up Raiford Starke performing Orange Blossom Special.

Monday 10 January 2011

GIG #9 - ESTA in Caracas


GIG #9 @ Joanie's Blue Crab Cafe, Ochopee, FL. Select repertoire:
Lena - Ward-Bergeman 
Hey Good Lookin' - Williams 
Under the Boardwalk - Young/Resnick
Strange Loop Improvisations

Sunday 9 January 2011

GIG #8 - Virgen Coromoto


GIG 8 @ the wedding ceremony of Miguel Angel Serrano Jacono and Liseth Yereli Laguado Iturrate, Caracas, Venezuela with vocalist Yulene Velasquez. Select repertoire: 
Bridal Chorus - Wagner
Wedding March - Mendelssohn
Ave Maria - Bach/Gounod

Saturday 8 January 2011

GIG #7 - Guitar God


GIG #7 @ Taima Pizzeria Cafe Concert, Caracas, Venezuela with Biella Da Costa and band. Select repertoire:
Candy from Stranger
s - Ward-Bergeman/Omar/Barrett
Mystery Train - Parker/Phillips
Think
- Franklin/White
Little Wing - Hendrix
Band: Alvaro Falcón - guitar
Carlos "Nene" Quintero - percussion
Victor Mestas - keyboards
Miguel Antonio de Vincenzo - drums
Edwin Arellano - bass

Thursday 6 January 2011

GIG #6 - Blowing Up Balloons


GIG #6 @ Hospital Domingo Luciani, Caracas, Venezuela with vocalist Yulene Velasquez. Select repertoire:
Trenzinho do Caipira - Villa Lobos
Venezuela - Herrero/Armentero
Choo Choo Ch'Boogie - Darling/Horton/Gabler

Wednesday 5 January 2011

GIG #5 - A Dose of Venezuela


GIG #5 @ Hogar Abuelos Virgen de Coromoto, Caracas, Venezuela with vocalist Yulene Velasquez. Select repertoire:
Federal - Ward-Bergeman
El viejo puente en La Pastora
- Gerry Weil
Ingrid's journey towards opening up the house she grew up in to care for seniors began when her father became ill with Alzheimer's disease years ago.

Tuesday 4 January 2011

GIG #4 - New Friends


GIG #4 @ Hogar Edad de Oro, Caracas, Venezuela with vocalist Yulene Velasquez. Select repertoire:
Y Tu Que Has Hecho? - Delfin
Flambee Montalbanaise - Viseur
Los Suenos - Piazzolla

Monday 3 January 2011

GIG #3 - Pasta Shakers

GIG #3 @ Hogar Bambi, Caracas, Venezuela with vocalist Yulene Velásquez. Select repertoire:
Trenzinho do Caipira
- Villa Lobos
Chamame Parisien
- Barboza
Onde Estao os Tamborins -
Caetano

Hogar Bambi, a non-profit private Venezuelan Civil Association, is focused on the total care of under nine year old children who are deprived of their family environment. Click here for more information. Donation information at the bottom of their page.

Sunday 2 January 2011

GIG #2 - One More Step


GIG #2 @ Santuario de Betania, Miranda, Venezuela with vocalist Yulene Velásquez. Select repertoire:
One More Step
- Carter
Soy Yo
- Piero
Yawheh, the Faithful One
- Schutte
Nostalgia
- Petit

Saturday 1 January 2011

GIG #1 - Welled Up

GIG #1 @ Corpus Christi Church, La Urbina, Caracas, Venezuela with vocalist Yulene Velásquez. Select repertoire:
Ave Maria - Bach/Gounod
Esta Bella Noche - Galián
Precious Lord - Dorsey/Allen
Venezuela - Herrero/Armentero

Friday 31 December 2010

"Warm Up" GIG



MJWB performing Candy from Strangers on a "warm up" gig for GIG 365 at Hog Heaven Bar & Grill in Caracas, Venezuela, December 30, 2010.
Featuring the Biella da Costa band:
Alvaro Falcón - guitar
Carlos "Nene" Quintero - percussion
Victor Mestas - keyboards
Carlos Sanoja - bass
Miguel Antonio de Vincenzo - drums

Friday 6 August 2010

Gig 365 Statement

Short is the little time which remains to thee of life. Live as on a mountain.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

The journey of creating music with people in a live setting is the closest I have come to experiencing a universal truth on a consistent basis. While the music usually has a personal meaning for each person involved in experiencing it, everyone shares in the witnessing of its creation through the act of collective listening.

I have reached a point in my life where it is time to take deeper and more mindful steps along the road I have been traveling since I first started creating and performing music as a child. For me, music has become a vehicle and facilitator in the search for a greater truth about ourselves.

Almost everybody walks around with a vast burden of imaginary limitations inside his head. While the burden remains, personal success is as difficult to achieve as the conquest of Everest with a sack of rocks tied to your back.

J. H. Brennan, author

So why 365 days?

24 hours is one day. A day represents one complete rotation of our planet earth on its axis. 365 days represent one complete revolution of the earth around the sun. We call this complete orbit a year. All of our lives are measured in years. The seasons, birthdays, and holidays come around every year, without fail. Perhaps we live in circles of 365 degrees, not 360?

I believe that we carry meaningful experiences within our flesh, our words, our actions. We carry meaningful people within our hearts. Creating music in diverse settings with people from a wide variety of backgrounds over 365 consecutive days will be a journey of discovery. The music will reflect the experiences and cumulative energy gathered over the year. My hope for the audience (whom I consider collaborators), other musicians who participate, and myself is that this journey will lead to an increased understanding of the nature of music, humanity, and individual identity.

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.

Edmund Hillary (first to successfully climb Mount Everest in 1953)