Happy holidays, Happy New Year, and news from The Identity Crisis!

Holiday greetings and warm wishes from New Hampshire! It’s been snowing a little bit here and there for the past couple of days, so it’s looking like we’re going to have a White Christmas here. 

Looking back on 2010, it was a good year all in all.  The Italy trip was definitely a high point for me both musically and adventure-wise, and I’m very grateful that it’s been a healthy and good year for my friends and family.  I’m optimistic that 2011 will be a prosperous and bountiful year for everyone!

My first show of 2011 will be with The Identity Crisis at the “Unofficial APAP Showcase” at DROM in NYC.  Joe Abba and I will be joined by vocalist Shayna Steele, rapper and beatboxer Krussia, tenor saxophonist Sean Nowell, and bassist Sam Minaie.  This is going to be a free concert that is open to the public, but it’s primary function is as a showcase for agents and promoters that will be attending the APAP Conference.  Hopefully we’ll get some gigs and additional (as well as much needed!) momentum for this project as a result of this performance.  Please spread the word about this concert so we’ll have a full house!

In other “The IC” news, we’re working on an EP that will consist of four tracks that we recorded this past August at the Institute of Audio Recording.  Sam Minaie is doing an excellent job mixing the tracks and here’s a sneak preview:

Don’t Know : Composed my myself and Shayna, this is my first foray into straight up funky-pop writing.  I’m very pleased with the results.  Let me know what you think!

The Bjorkestra with Dave Douglas in Milan, Italy, December 5, and Italy tour

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I’m up here in NH having a respite from NYC craziness and spending time with my family and New England friends.  Nothing says Thanksgiving like a good ol’ blog too, so I’d like to share with you a very exciting concert coming up that has been a year in the making. 

Aperitivo in Concerto has invited the full 18 piece Bjorkestra to perform at the Teatro Manzoni in Milan, Italy on December 5th.  Also, joining us for this concert as a special guest is world-renowned trumpeter and composer Dave Douglas.  It’s going to be quite an adventure, and the first time that I’ve been able to bring the entire band overseas. 

I’ve also written a new arrangement for the concert, Bjork’s “Unison” is a trumpet feature for Dave.  I’ve also resurrected/refurbished Sean Nowell’s arrangement of “Undo.”  So we’re going to have a Vespertine-heavy concert!

Also, the 7-piece Bjorkestra has 2 additional dates currently booked in Pescara and Naples on December 7 & 8, respectively.  More info about those shows very soon!!!

Saturday Night in NYC: Yutaka Uchida Quartet at Hirai Mong

This evening I had the pleasure of checking out my friend and former Anti-Elevator Mission cohort Yutaka Uchida’s band at this great Korean restaurant on St. Mark’s in the East Village, Hirai Mong.  Awesome food and excellent jazz! The band had some other good friends as well: Sean Nowell on tenor sax, Eddy Khaimovich on bass, and George Dulin on keys.  Check out Yutaka’s website for more info too…he’s got some excellent stuff coming up worth checking out!