How do you keep the music playing?
This page chronicles the music made during the pandemic.
In 2019, I was performing live over 20 times a month. After March 15, 2020, live gigs stopped existing.
But musicians don't stop being musicians. I'm fortunate enough to know many world-class players, and we made music. I made arrangements of tunes, demos, and videos with jazz chanteuse Paula Johns, Gesenia Erolin and our musical cohorts in Ronstadt Revue, my group Musical Collusion, and The Divine Hand Ensemble, as well as played some streamed concerts on my own.
Check it all out below, I think it's some of my best work yet.
In-studio performances
Here's a couple of videos I did over these months, as well as selections from some live home shows: I did a concert, 2 virtual restaurant gigs, a Fender Rhodes concert, and a backporch concert so far.
Also, here's a link to my YouTube Channel where you'll find a playlist of the complete pandemic concerts if you like the samples below.
"Favela" - by Antonio Carlos Jobim
A duet with myself on Chapman Stick and guitar, playing a favorite bossa. Josh Orlando joins in on hand percussion.
Click to play"Daddy Wallets" - original composition
An original tune with Carl Cox, Josh Orlando, and Miles Hartl, named after the nickname I earned when I pull the cash out to pay the fat cats for everything.
Click to play"The Zen Cabby" - original composition
Here's a duet of myself on synths and Chapman Stick, Carl Cox on soprano sax, and Josh Orlando on drums. It was inspired by a cab ride in NYC, driven by an enlightened man.
Click to play"Forsooth" - original composition
Here's a duet of myself on overdubbed synths and Josh Orlando on drums. This was inspired by old synths and Soft Machine.
Click to play"I Want to Talk About You" by Billy Eckstine - guitar & Chapman Stick
Here's a duet of myself on guitar and Stick, playing an old favorite ballad.
Click to playBartok: Rumånische Weihnachtslieder, Suites #1 & 2
With the pandemic on and not playing in public, for the first time in my life I didn't have to play Christmas music this year! So I chose these 2 suites by Bela Bartok of Romanian Christmas Carols.
Suite #1 - Click to play
Suite #2 - Click to play"Estaté" by Bruno Martino- guitar and Chapman Stick duet
Here's a duet of myself playing both parts of a guitar and Chapman Stick version of a great tune.
Click to play"Soledad" by Astor Piazzolla
I did an arrangement of this for the Divine Hand Ensemble, then adapted it for accordion and synths.
Click to play"I Don't Know What I Said (I Don't Remember)" - original composition
I took a notorious speech by some clown and processed it into a melody, which gave up this little ditty. Trying to make lemonade from some really foul lemons.
Click to play"Breath of Helios" - original composition
With the world gone mad, I felt the need for an Eno-like ambient piece of music. "Breath of Helios" is an oasis of calm for me.
Click to play"Ready, Step, RBG" - original composition
Hearing the cadence of the honor guard moving Ruth Bader Ginsburg's coffin up the steps of the Capitol on September 25 gave me the rhythm I needed to make this spontaneous requiem for her. My rhythm mates Andy Lalasis and Josh Orlando surprised me with tracks as a gift and nailed it.
Click to playSelections from the home concerts
Click to play the entire back porch concert from April 22, 2021.
Click to play Charles Mingus - "Reincarnation of a Lovebird" (accordion) Concert #1, April 7
Click to play Horace Silver - "The Preacher", Concert #1, April 7
Click to play "That's All", Concert #2, April 15
Click to play Duke Ellington - "Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me", Concert #3, May 6
Click to play Chick Corea -"Spain", Concert #4, May 25
Click to play Frank Zappa -"Big Swifty", Concert #5, July 12
Musical Collusion
My original funk-jazz group put out a disc last year called "Guilty As Charged" and found our live shows shot down by the pandemic. So we started developing the next project, trading files with Carl Cox, Andy Lalasis, Josh Orlando, and me. Here's some rough demos of what's coming up!
Click to play video of our cover of "The Great Curve" by David Byrne and Brian Eno.
Click to play video of our cover of "For What It's Worth" by Stephen Stills.
Click to play the audio of our cover of "Time of the Season" by The Zombies.
Click to play the audio of our cover of "Desert Rose" by Sting.
Ronstadt Revue
One of my groups is Ronstadt Revue, a Linda Ronstadt tribute group that really gets it right. We lost a lot of live shows this summer and consoled ourselves with some online projects.
Click to play the video of "Heart Like a Wheel" by Anna MaGarrigle.
Click to play the video of "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" by Jimmy Webb.
Click to play the audio of our duet of "Sorrow Lives Here" by Eric Kaz.
Paula Johns
I've been playing with Paula Johns regularly for several years, and dearly miss our weekly hang at SOUTH Jazz Kitchen. During this lockdown, I've done some backing tracks for her streaming concerts, accompanied by Grant MacAvoy on drums and Andy Lalasis on bass. Here's a medley of two Chick Corea tunes, an old Tony Bennett number called "Laughing at Life", and a vocal/accordion duet on Charlie Chaplin's "Smile".
Click to play video of "You're Everything Humpty".
Click to play video of "Laughing at Life".
Click to play video of "Smile".
The Divine Hand Ensemble
I've been making arrangements and playing accordion for this eclectic ensemble. During the pandemic, we've been unable to rehearse the new arrangements, but we did get some videos done.
Click to play video of "Under Pressure" by David Bowie & Queen.
Click to play video of a performance of "Pure Imagination" and "Blue Skies".
The Hot Club of Philadelphia
I did only one gig this summer, a hit with Barry Wahrhaftig and his gypsy jazz group, The Hot Club of Philadelphia. Modelled after the jazz played by Django Reinhardt and associates at The Hot Club of France in the 1930's, this is an incredibly popular and fun group that I'm honored to occasionally be part of. Here's a taste of the group playing "Nuages", recorded at a live concert at Awbury Arboretum on August 16, 2020.
Click to playGhosts of the Past
With some time to kill, I finally starting archiving the many hours of tapes from a lifetime of music.
Click to play the Bally's Grand Trio backing up the vocal team of Group 5, doing an Ellington medley arranged by Mike Abene.
Click to play this version of Joe Zawinul's "Young and Fine", played by the Bally's Grand Trio of me, Andy Lalasis, and Paul Jost in Atlantic City in 1988.
Click to play a cover of Prince's "I Feel for You" by the Kathy Wilson Band in 1985. This was one of the hottest groups I've ever been part of.