Wow, this has been a busy month--A tour of Japan with the L'Image groups which features Steve Gadd, Tony Levin, Warren Bernhardt, David Spinozza and yours truly at the grill, was not only satisfying musically but it was great to hang with the cats as a group. Just in case you don't know--and why would you as the group never recorded an album--we started this band in the early 70s when Steve, Tony, Warren and I all lived in Woodstock. We began rehearsing in my barn for like 6 months and then did some gigs on and off in Woodstock, Rochester as a trial run. David joined the band a little later when we finally made our NY appearance. We were offered a record contract and everyone scattered.

Just kidding--but in fact we never did record the band until I gave everyone a call (35 years later) and we did record a CD last October and played at the Iridium Jazz Club last Feb. '09. We had such a ball that we set Sept. '09 aside to tour Japan and do another hit at the Iridium. We did record and film all of the 8 Feb. performances and are looking to release a DVD at some juncture. 

At the end of the Japanese tour, I stayed to perform at a temple in Nagoya, thanks to my friend and marimbist, Mika Yoshida. It was attended by students from Nagoya College of Music and also open to the public. It was an honor to perform solo vibraphone at the 400-year-old temple and also jam with bassist Takeda. The topper was a sit down dinner (Japanese style) with the Takeda family after the performance. 

The following 2 days were also interesting--a day in Hamamatsu and the Yamaha factory to check out the new prototype vibraphone frames and bars with my friend Hiro-san. My last day was spent in Tokyo doing a promotional video and interview for Yamaha.

Then--another later that week at the Iridium with L'Image and a quick trip to Europe for 3 concerts with my Dutch bros, guitarist Marnix Busstra, double bassist Eric Van der Westenand drummer Peiter Bast.  

BUY OUR CD!

Marnix and I go back about 6 years when I first appeared as a guest on one of his fusion projects along with vocalist Dianne Reeves. I was invited to perform as a guest the last few years with his 'electric band' and then recorded the CD which is now on sale at our website which is an acoustic quartet project. We just performed in Hamburg, Koln and Hannover and plan more touring in the future: a 'live' CD and video in the works which we plan to release in 2010.

UPCOMING RELEASES FROM NYC RECORDS:

Mike Mainieri "Wise One" (a retrospect of John Coltrane's original compositions & standards that he recorded)

Featuring:

Charlie Mariano (alto saxophone) 

Deiter Ilg (double bass)

Mike Mainieri and Northern Lights "Cat's Eye"

Bendik Hofseth (saxophones)

Bugge Wesseltoft (keyboards)

Lars Danielsson (double bass)

Jan Bang (live sampling)

and guests!