Please come by if you can!

At the gig, Jason brought out the MetroSongs Vol. 2 CD, “Party Train”. This edition includes my piano playing on track 3: “Ice Skating at the Archives”. Please check out MetroSongs.org for more info on how you can get your very own copy (Vol. 1 is available as well).

Back on the jazz side, I’m back at the Black Fox Lounge in Dupont Circle on Friday the 17th, with vocalist Aaron Myers and the Black Fox Ensemble: yours truly on the piano, Percy White on the bass, and Will Stephens on the drums. We’re fresh from our successful performance at the French Embassy Valentine’s party on Feb. 10, so it should be another fun evening!

On Saturday Feb. 11, I’ll be joining Jason Mendelson and the Open Doors to play MetroSongs at Nerd Nite, a celebration of smarts and music at DC9 (9th & U Sts NW in DC). Tickets are $10 for the show, which starts at 6:30 pm. As a former mechanical and software engineer, I feel that I’ll be playing for my people, and am looking forward to the nerdly vibe.

Playing for my people...

In addition to the above, Aaron Myers and the rest of the Black Fox Ensemble are still on track to play at the Soirée Saint-Valentin on Feb. 10 at La Maison Française in the French Embassy in NW DC.

Jason’s next project is to go back to 1977, a great year for rock and pop albums (and yes, I was there at time to hear some of them). We’re still figuring out which album to take on.

One of the perhaps less-notable albums of that year was Chicago XI. That album did have one big hit, “Baby, What a Big Surprise,” and another number, “Vote for Me,” that strangely echoes what we’re hearing this election year:

I’ll give detroit one year
New cars that run on beer
Or anything except gasoline

I’m looking to the sun
More power for everyone
And the cleanest sky that you’ve ever seen

On Wednesday Jan. 25, I’ll be sitting in with the Greater U Street Jazz Collective for their regular Wednesday night gig at the El Golfo restaurant in Silver Spring, MD. I played with the bassist & drummer on New Year’s Eve, and loved what they were doing. Should be a fun evening of straight ahead jazz

On Saturday Jan. 28, I’m indulging the rock ‘n’ roll side I never knew I had, playing keyboards with Jason Mendelson and the Open Doors as we pay tribute to Elvis Costello in a showcase of Classic Albums of 1986, at the Electric Maid in Takoma Park. We’ll be playing highlights from Elvis’ “Blood & Chocolate” release of that year. The suggested donation is $10.

Finally, I’ll be in the house band of the DC Jazz Jam at Dahlak (18th St & Florida Ave. NW) for the fifth Sunday jam on Jan. 29. Will says that we may have some special guests on hand for that session.

Hope to see you at one or more of these events!

Looking ahead to February, I will be performing with Aaron and the band at a Valentine’s Day party (or soirée de Saint-Valentin) on February 10, at La Maison Française, the House of France at the French Embassy in DC. You can find more details about that event on their website.

I’ll also be at the Black Fox with Aaron and the band for our regular first and third Friday shows, Feb. 3 and 17.

I’m also working on putting together a gig of my own at the Fox in late March. More info on that closer to the date.

I didn’t record last night’s performance, but here’s a recording of a previous rendition of this number:

The lead sheet is available on the web site as well, in case you’d like to try out the tune for yourself.