Hi Music Lovers,
I noticed that it's been a long time since I've posted and that my last one was exactly a year ago covering my trip and performance at the same event. Well, this year's was every bit as exciting and then some!
Naturally, I relish any opportunity to travel with great cats and make some satisfying & challenging music. This year's Java Jazz Festival came through on both counts. The performance schedule encompassed over 5 days of intense rehearsing and performing, all with the wonderful Ron King Big Band (of which I've had the pleasure of being associated with for over 3 years now).
As with last year's festival, we were contracted to back up a few other artists as well as performing a set of our own. Once again, we served up a swingin' affair with vocalst Gary Anthony whose tribute to Frank Sinatra just gets better and better. Also in the schedule was a quartet show which paired the rhythm section (Jamey Tate/drums, Cho Yeung Soon/piano, and of course yours truly on bass) with our leader the terrific Ron King on trumpet. We played several of Ron's contemporary-sounding compositions to a very appreciative audience. Ultimately though, the highlight for me was the thrill of backing up the masterful vocal group The New York Voices.
I cannot do justice in words to describe how truly fantastic they (the NYV) were! Complex, inventive, and fresh-sounding arrangements coupled with some of the richest vocal harmonies I've ever heard were the order of the day. We had one rehearsal before the big concert and, as I somehow knew we would, we nailed it! Kudos to my immensely talented colleagues & friends in the Ron King Big Band for rising to the occasion and making me honored to be part of such a fine group.
On a somewhat personal note, I had the thrill as a composer to have one of my tunes, "The Road Home", from my last album Ritual, played during our band set. Special thanks to Bill Fulton for doing such a fine arrangement and bringing it to life in a big band setting as only he can. And, thanks to Ron for generously including it in an already crowded repertoire of wonderful tunes & arrangements.
So much more to share but I'll save that for future postings as I try to check in with a bit more regularity. So now, I'm back in L.A. doing that thing I do (what exactly is that, anyway?) and basking in the warm glow of family, friends, and a healthy amount of work.
Until next time, your friendly neighborhood bassist...
--Adam
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