Many of you come to this site by way of Jazzician.org. I hope that you find
this new site easier to navigate and easier on the eyes.   Here is a
brief listing of some of the changes you will find:

• The most recent journal entries and music are now on the front page. 
  If you get behind a week and want to catch up on my exploits, you will find
  a listing of the 2 most recent additions to each section.  You can
  still older material in the Archives sections.
• I’ve added new pictures of my equipment and included some high resolution
  photos for a more detailed view.  The only thing missing from these
  pics are the staples in the middle!  Gorgeous.
• Changed site colors in an attempt to make the site more readable.

Please take a look around and let me know what you think. I would like to
thank Rick G of http://jazz.supernonstop.com
for his advice and suggestions.  To me he’s the Freddie Hubbard of web
development!  I would also like to thank my very good friend R. J. Bell for
his expertise behind the lens.  It takes hard work to make my ugly mug look
good and I think he managed to pull it off.

Please take a moment to look around and let me know what
you think.

Back Still Hurting, More Improv

Unfortunately I’ve done all this web work because my back is still
hurting.  It is better but not good enough for me to get really good
practice sessions in.  At most I play some long tones and easy slurs for 30
minutes just to keep my chops in shape.  I’m hoping to be back on a regular
playing schedule on Monday or Tuesday of next week.

Once I am able to put in a regular practice session I am going to focus on
improvisation more than I have been.  That may mean that I will have less
time to spend on the daily fundamentals but I really feel that this the way to
go for now.  The jazz master class will be here before I know it and I need
to build my confidence.  I will try and post an improv sound file in the
very near future so everyone can see where I am now.  I will be working
primarily from these Aebersold books:

• Jazz: How to Play and Improvise Volume 1
• Major and Minor Volume 24
• Dominant 7th Workout Volume 84

After playing on the B4S Kanstul for a while I found that I didn’t like it as
much as I thought.  The 70C Laskey is back.  Once I put the Laskey to
my lips it was like climbing back into my own bed after staying in a hotel for a
few days.  I may give the 70MC a try.  The cup isn’t quite as deep as
the 70C so that could give me the edge I want without sacrificing big
sound.