all that jazz
the 2023 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival marked my first as a part-time resident, and it was special indeed! the karma kicked in from the minute i got to the airport in boston, and the new-to-NoLa spell got broken with new friends, high times, and the return of synchronicity. old pal tom hambridge popped up on the jumbotron, drumming with buddy guy on the mainstage, the highlight of the weekend, and i got to hang out with family and friends like a local. i got a few more sticks of furniture and picked up my new Guild D-25, and started writing. the new pad started to feel like home. after i returned to boston, i got connected with one of NoLa’s top guitarists, cranston clements, (annie’s dad), and i’m looking forward to hanging out with cranston when i get back to town in june for my son’s birthday. life’s next chapter is unfolding.
the van gogh brothers have canceled all summer dates this year due to a band family illness. we are planning to resume shows in september. please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. we appreciate everyone’s understanding and support, especially our family at Vincent Worcester.
we will continue recording this spring and summer despite the health setbacks. kerri powers joins us at woolly mammoth in june to add her magic to “sinner girl,” the song inspired by her amazing story, and we go on from there to complete the mix of “one way street,” the third and final song of our recent tracking trifecta. if time and circumstances permit, we will lay down basic tracks on a couple of “lighter” pieces that don’t require full band sessions, and we will also begin rehearsals for shows this fall with guest players to fill in if and as necessary.
i will also begin looking for players in new orleans to form a side project as i did in los angeles during the years i lived out west. a new chapter with new possibilities, and a healthy dose of change and challenge, which always keeps things fresh. as my los angeles pal tom says, “keep moving!”
happy unofficial summer to all. i hope these warm days bring you joy, peace, love and music.
jc