Happy November!
Hoping all the best for you as the Holiday season quickly approaches. I’m currently enjoying some quality time in VA Beach with the fam and Candy girl, who is thoroughly enjoying her retirement with her faves, “mom and dad.”
The last few months were spent in the world of composing and producing film score for a couple projects...a very exciting and very difficult new territory and direction for me! And, the trio just returned from a jam-packed tour of the Dominican Republic where we gave a number of workshops and Master classes and culminated in a headline performance for the DR Jazz Festival. We had an amazing time meeting so many beautiful people and experiencing some top notch grub! I then headed straight to Vermont to be a part of my buddy Brian McCarthy’s brand new nonet project entitled “Afterlife." He really put together quite a remarkable work of art, so be on the lookout as that project continues to develop.
This week, I’ve been hard at work assembling some awesome music before heading into the studio this weekend with Billy Williams, Christopher Smith, and a great friend and truly tremendous saxophonist, Stantawn Kendrick. We will be sharing the music of some truly great heroes and inspirations to all of us, which include Harold Mabern, Mulgrew Miller, James Williams, and Larry Willis. We have all been deeply impacted by the music and spirit of these great pianists and look forward to paying homage to their legacy. I’ll be sharing more as the cd takes shape.
And now for some upcoming shows about which I’m very excited.
November 29 and 30
Mezzrow Jazz Club in NYC
Featuring Jimmy Macbride and Christopher Smith
December 19 Christmas Hang
Contrapuntal Hall in Los Angeles
Featuring Katie Thiroux, Matt Witek and friends
Thanks so much for your continued support and I hope all the best for you during this special time of the year. Hope to see you out there!
Peace, Justin