In honor of Ron’s birthday I wanted to come up with a Top 10 list, but narrowing down and leaving things out proved to be too hard. So I came up with 12 Top 10 lists, with an extra one to make a baker’s dozen and accommodate some of my favorite tracks that didn’t fit easily into these categories.
Continue ReadingThis is a particularly “transitional” spring, with many of my students preparing to graduate from college, while one of my daughters graduated in December and another is months from wrapping up high school. Amidst this climate, I was asked by a student (well, technically, by his mom on his behalf) for advice relating to this…
Continue ReadingThis soup ultimately began as a means of using up some stuff in the fridge that was on the verge of going over the hill, but it turned out to be tasty and popular in the household. The large amount of onion makes everything very flavorful and the squash not only adds nutritional value and flavor, but does a nice job of thickening the soup.
Continue ReadingRecently I returned to New Brunswick/Rutgers for the first time in seven years, which not surprisingly led to a pretty heavy nostalgia trip. While my relationships with the faculty (particularly Kenny Barron and Ted Dunbar) dominate my memories of my time there, there was much else. One of the main reasons I wound up there…
Continue ReadingI have a particularly strong soft spot for slide guitar, and here is the result of my agonizing attempt to narrow down to a Top 10 list.
Continue ReadingIf you at least tolerate tofu (you don’t have to love it like I do, you just have to not hate it) and want a healthy and tasty and easy-to-make dip, I encourage you to check this one out.
Continue ReadingOne of the purposes of my Top 10 lists is to discuss the music that moves me, whether the influence is obvious in my own music or not. This is a case where the connection is a bit more direct, since I’ve taken a lot from classic R&B/soul records and worked to incorporate it into what I do without casting aside the authentic elements of jazz. Here are some tracks/players that have helped open my ears and expand my vocabulary.
Continue ReadingThis recording from 2006 features Jason Castonguay on vocals, Carl Knox on tenor saxophone, Henry Lugo on bass and Vinnie Sperrazza on drums. I wrote the song and play piano on it. The other vital piece of information is that it is not autobiographical! Yes, I shop in health food stores and yes, my wife…
Continue ReadingThis rich but relatively uncomplicated dessert is somewhere between a pudding and a cake (the top layer becomes spongy/cakey) and unless you dislike citrus and/or tangy desserts, you are very likely to enjoy it. At least virtually everyone to whom I have served it has dug it and come back for more.
Continue Readingmy personal highlight reel from Charles Lloyd’s catalog through the years.
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