In a word I have been ‘busy’ as they say. The Spring semester has really sprung up and proven another challenge is in the midst until May. I will be thankful once it is over, but for now I am enjoying the busy schedule. It’s hectic to be here and there without any real day off, but it is better than the alternative.
March is starting to sound busy as well. I have four gigs in the first two weeks before a relaxing Spring Break starts during the third week. First up on at 8pm on March 5th at Zannotti’s Wine Bar in Stillwater, OK, I will be playing a show featuring my girlfriend, Melissa Brumfield, on vocals for one of my two sets. We are both really excited to be working together again after our show several months ago for Cimarron Alliance. On March 9th, back up I-35 to Stillwater again for a private event, playing with Walter Kelly at the new Conoco Phillips building at OSU. It is a formal event, which means playing a lot of standards, but it should also be a lot of fun. Walter and I do not play together much, so I look forward to playing together and trying out some different tunes.
During the second week of March there will be two gigs at the Jazz Lab for my performance degree requirements at UCO. They are on March 12th & 13th and I will be performing as part of the Jazz Guitar Ensemble and Jazz Repertory Combo III. I’m not sure how I feel about these gigs right now, but I prefer the combo setting as it allows us to stretch out and explore improvisation. Guitar Ensemble requires a bit more structure, as we have five guitarists in our group, which leads us toward playing strict arrangements without much room for error. Both settings are enjoyable, but I much prefer exploring my instrument in a freer setting.
The Princeton Reverb chassis I ordered from Collins Amplification should be ready by the beginning of March as well. I really look forward to building the cabinet when the amplifier is finished. It will be a standard spec cabinet built out of pine instead of baltic birch plywood. Right now, I am toting around my Deluxe Reverb Reissue, which sounds great, but is ultimately too heavy for a daily haul. A Princeton is simply a vibrato channel only version of a Deluxe Reverb. It will be lighter, not quite as loud, but still retain all the Fender tube amplifier greatness. I am really excited about it!
I need to finish up some transcriptions of Wes Montgomery that I started during my winter break. I would love to start transcribing Jim Hall’s solo on I Hear A Rhapsody from Jim Hall: Live! but I have to start finishing projects before starting another. School has really taken up a lot of time lately though. My core courses are taking up more outside school time then I thought they would. My Spring Break already sounds packed full of transcription. It needs to be!
That’s the news! Head out to a show if you’re in or around Oklahoma. Some interesting arrangements in the works for my solo section of the March 5th gig.
Beilen Guitars 