One of the highlights of my 2023 has been getting to hang out at the U.S. Open with my favorite tennis player, the Dutch doubles specialist Matwe Middelkoop, a meeting spurred by the recent release of the debut album by Stankeye Jones and the Vagabond Librarians. The album features my song “Agony Of Defeat,” written…
Continue ReadingI am thrilled that Sunny Jain will be visiting Wesleyan University’s campus for a concert this Saturday afternoon and then coming back throughout the academic year for a residency. Best known for leading the band Red Baraat, he is a remarkable drummer, composer, dhol player, bandleader, entrepreneur, and activist. I also have the privilege of…
Continue ReadingI have loved Peter Gabriel for most of my life and on some level have only in recent years realized the degree to which that’s true. It’s a funny thing about inspiration, something I talk about often when teaching jazz history or other sorts of history/appreciation courses – the narratives favor clear-cut lines of influence,…
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