Bridging Hemispheres

I just got home from a session of Ego @ The Door where I played with Marcus L. Miller (drums), Dawn Norfleet (flute/vocals), Rod (electric bass guitar), Keven Brennen (sax and more), and Jas Shepherd on a variety of instruments (including the gong). I met Jas last summer on his radio show, Forward Motion, on KPFK. Up to now Jas has recorded Ego @ The Door sessions (which take place once a month) at KPFK, but tonight (Thurs June 26) we were at Keven Brennan’s studio “F.Boo” in Burbank. I’m not able to make it to the session every month, but I’ve been to a number of sessions and you never know who is going to be there, so it is never the same. It reminds me a bit of the Wednesday night sessions in Cambridge, MA that I often attended at the Lily Pad (back then it was the Zeitgeist). During Ego @ The Door, we don’t have any preconceived repertoire. Everything is improvised – it is about connecting with, reaching out to and responding to the other musicians. Tonight I felt like I was in a really good space and it was such a great experience. There was something about each person’s contribution that felt inspiring. I’m glad to be meeting and playing with so many wonderful musicians here in LA. Little by little, I feel like I’m becoming part of a community here on the Left Coast.

Let’s get started with some good news. I just paid off one of my student loans! Even though I still need to make payments on other student loans, I’m going to savor this feeling for at least a few days.