Hurricane Isabel rolled through the Washington Metro area on Thursday and killed the electricity in over 1.5 million homes! I unfortunately fell in that number(II am posting this message from a borrowed workstation). Still, I am very thankful that power is the only thing I am lacking. My thoughts and prayers go out to folks in North Carolina and Virginia who lost everything.

The good news… my trumpet does NOT require electricity to work. Since the city was shutdown on Thursday and Friday I was able to enjoy some extended practice time. I did my regular routine during the day and hammered on scales after dark. I couldn't see notes on a page but I heard the sound and created it. Playing in this format is excellent in that you don't worry about technicalities — you let sound guide you. Without the sounds of an electric world it seemed as if my trumpet and I were the only things on the planet.

Sunday I have the pleasure of checking out Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra… ALWAYS a treat.