05/??/06 Mike Clark Trio @ Lucille's BB King's, New York, NY

This show featured Mike Clark of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters performing with a trio featuring local organ whiz Jerry Z, who I had met when he palyed with Melvin Sparks.

I ran into the hippie duo from my Green Apple adventures and we parked at a table right in front of the stage.

At one point, I drunkenly yelled out a request for "Watermelon Man" which Mr. Clark begrudgingly obliged, but not before sarcastically offering to play the Herbie composition as a 20 minute drum solo. The joke was on me because the song I meant to request was "Chameleon."

01/14/06 Licorice @ Blue Note, New York, NY

Another MySpace blog repost.

After a short, but sweet reefer break in the nearby Sheraton, my good pal Andy and I headed downtown. After a couple of aborted attempts at a good game of Beer Pong and a nacho platter fit for a king at Senor Swanky's we headed to the hallowed jazz tourist trap Blue Note for a Late Night Groove Series event featuring local jamsters Licorice.

On a total side note, for all you music lovers out there, Blue Note Late Night Groove Series (BNLNGS) is where it's at. While not featuring the veteran jazz scenesters of the earlier shows, BNLNGS does feature up-and-comers for a fraction of the price. Recent performers include Adam Deitch, Brian Haas, Marco Benevento, Joe Russo, Cheme Gastulum, DJ Logic and more. Only thing that sucks is the over-priced drinks and lack of dancing room. I did meet Jounce bassist Dan Tamberelli (aka Little Pete from The Adventures of Pete & Pete, a childhood television favorite of mine) there one time. But I digress.

I was pretty exhausted at this point due to a night of debauchery, but I did catch a front row seat. Licorice is a typical jamband which, like sex and pizza, is pretty good even when it's mediocre. They did not disappoint. I downloaded every mp3 off their website the next day and I am a converted fan. They remind me of Phish more than any band out there, especially the piano fills. Whatever. Check 'em out.

Also at Blue Note, a girl next to me accidentally set her hair on fire while leaning in for a picture and some West Point cadets recognized my camo jacket that I stole from their hallowed military academy a few years back. Luckily, they were cool about it.

To cap off the night, Mother Nature provided some white stuff. There are few sights more breathtaking than Manhattan on a snowy winter night. It helps if you just smoked some of those Sheraton bathroom bingers.

And then back to Queens for a recharge before heading back to the dreaded Rocknam early Sunday afteroon, once agin without music.

So here I find myself transmitting thoughts into the infinite expanses of the Internet, I can't help but regret not having gone snowboarding this season. There's still time but it's looking grim.

Until next time, MySpace compadres. I'm off to get twisted, KNAWMEAN!

I might as well post the rest of these MySpace blog posts, even if they aren't all music related.

??/??/05 Adam Deitch Project @ Blue Note, New York, NY

For this show, I managed to drag some friends along, who were blown away by the virtuosity exhibited by Mr. Deitch and company.

??/??/05 Project Logic @ Blue Note, New York, NY

This was another show that I almost skipped due to lack of accompaniment, but I decided to roll out solo and I'm glad I did.

DJ Logic is the favored DJ in the jazz jam scene, having manned the wheels of steel with groups ranging from Medeski Martin & Wood to Ratdog.

This show featured his own full band project.

I managed to snag a ride home with some friends of friends.

10/23/05 Brian Haas & Friends @ Blue Note, New York, NY

10/23/05, The Blue Note, New York, NY
Brian Haas, Jason Fratecelli & Mark Southerland
Davey's Purple Power Line1, The Spark that Bled1, I Mean You1, Monks Mood2, Peace, Epistrophy3, Dino Perucci Birthday Improv3, Rhythm-a-Ning34
1 Haas solo
2 w/Southerland
3 w/M.Benevento, J.Russo, J.Tomsovic
4 w/Becky tease

This was one in series of Blue Note Late Night Groove Series shows I hit up in late 2005. I guess the post-jam scene of the day was intersecting squarely with the illegitimate stepchildren of the early 1990s NYC downtown jazz scene or something.

The groove ruled early on in the late night show with smooth piano jazz licks, but the Benevento Russo Duo came in halfway and stepped it up a notch, certainly not the first or last time those two have taken an already enjoyable musical affair to the next level.

I think it may have been my first time at this legendary jazz haunt, and I snagged a seat right in front of the stage.

WATCH VIDEO HERE!