Lunars Play Sounds of the Zoo

One stop on our Lunar Octet's Michigan tour last month was the central square in Kalamazoo, to play a set at Sounds of the Zoo. 

Jennifer Hudson-Prenkert is the founder and executive director of the Sounds of the Zoo music festival. She seeks to make Kalamazoo a music destination in Michigan by highlighting the state's musical talent. This is the vision that animates her, from the city's website: 

"We endeavor to create change through music and believe music is not only creative art but a means to connect and uplift humanity. We believe music can inspire humanity by creating connections that bridge class, gender and cultural divides. Uniting the community by supporting diversity, inclusion, as well as creating awareness towards environmental sustainability and mental health are core values we will give platforms to."

This was an especially satisfying gig, with a great response to our original mix of latin and jazz. 

We've had various trumpeters performing with us lately. This time, it was the fabulous Anthony Stanco, who developed his playing in Detroit and counted the great Marcus Belgrave among his mentors. As we played, Anthony's wife followed their little daughter around the park. The next day, she gave birth to their second child. Nice to think that our music motivated the baby to take the plunge.

As a jazz naturalist, I'm always checking out the plantlife we encounter on these tours. Near the stage was a big burr oak, probably hundreds of years old, and probably dating back to a time when this park in the middle of the city was a burr oak savanna of scattered trees and a thick understory of grasses and wildflowers. 

A Review of Our Lunar Quartet

Thanks to Joe George of Harrison Township, Michigan, for his facebook review of my compositions. At the Harrison Speakeasy, just north of Detroit, we combined repertoire from the Lunar Octet and Sustainable Jazz and played it all as a quartet, with Keaton Royer, Jeff Dalton, and Jon Krosnick on piano, bass, and drums. This was the first time my music had ever been performed with a quartet. Very rewarding.

"I couldn't help but identify with the music. I never heard a lick of it before, but it still had the familiar sounds of recognizable modern jazz classics like you might hear from Chick Corea or Gino Vannelli. It was absolutely brilliant. The drummer led the band, but each composition was written by Steve Hiltner, who played a mean saxophone, and he wrote the charts for every instrument.

 
This band wasn't just good, they were NATIONWIDE. Steve is from New Jersey, the bassist hailed from Michigan but of late lives in the Florida Keys. One of the guys lives in California, and the last was from BFE or some such thing. But what great music! It was a real showcase for talent, great writing, and dedication like nobody's business. I'm grateful for the fabulous show and an impressive booking.

 
People have no idea what went on. And the people that do know seem kinda casual about it. But I know what went on and it blows my mind. To begin with, writing music takes talent. Transcribing music takes hard work and dedication. But writing music for all the musical parts and transcribing all those parts, and then having it all performed together like a Symphony.....and then have us dancing in the aisles because it swings like Ellington, well that's coooool! Like having Mozart hanging around your local tavern."

The never before heard combined with the never before seen. The Harrison Speakeasy has a deep sea diving theme meant to evoke prohibition days, an idiosyncratic patio with swings for chairs, an outdoor game I'll call "kickpool," and a post-gig photo op. Sometimes a creative, "never before" setting can make you feel at home.

Touring California and Michigan With the Lunar Octet

Our all-originals latin/jazz band, the Lunar Octet, is currently on tour in California, with a two-week tour of Michigan to follow. Drummer and Stanford professor Jon Krosnick booked 12 gigs for us in 11 days in California, including a theater, a college, a jazz club in downtown San Francisco, vineyards, a brewery, and several libraries in the Bay area. I'm musical director for the group, and compose most of the material, along with compositions by bandmembers Aron Kaufman and Jon Krosnick, and a couple covers by Tito Puente. 

Check out videos of some of the performances at the Lunar Octet's facebook page. And please "follow" the facebook page. A large following on social media helps us to book gigs. 

Among the hightlights thus far is the Cameo Theater in St. Helena, with a great audience and standing ovation. 

We've been lucky with the weather, with outdoor gigs at Mission College,

and another big crowd at Portola Vineyard.

The backdrop for a performance at Las Positas was a beautiful vineyard and tawny hillsides.

The jazz club is called Mr. Tipple's Recording Studio, with great food and an enthusiastic crowd. 

July 12: Sustainable Jazz Returns to Salon 33

The fabulous Phil Orr and I will be back at Salon 33 in West Windsor on Friday, July 12, playing original latin and jazz. 

Potluck starts at 7, followed by the performance 8-10. This is a donation-based event. Go to this link to register, and to receive location info. 

Lunar Octet at Rancho Tranquilico, Friday, May 24

For anyone who lives in or has friends in southeastern Michigan, we'll be performing in a country setting outside Ann Arbor on Friday, May 24 with a 9-piece latin/jazz group that's grown beyond its name, the Lunar Octet. We've been playing all original music for 41 years, in Michigan, California, Ohio, and England. Shows at this venue frequently sell out. Ticket info below.

Ann Arbor: Enjoy an evening of Latin jazz with The Lunar Octet on Friday, May 24 at 7:30 pm in the 130 year old barn at Rancho Tranquilico, while taking in the beauty of acres of farm and prairie land. The setting is casual…bring your favorite portable chair and beverage. https://bit.ly/4aPSwr8
 

Performances in Michigan and California in 2024

I return to Michigan early this year to perform with the Lunar Octet--the all-originals latin-jazz group now in its 41st year. I'm the musical director and primary composer for the group, which toured England in 2022. 

Dates are Jan. 17 at the Blue Llama Jazz Club in Ann Arbor, and Feb. 8-10 at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe in Detroit. 

Tours in Michigan and California are planned for the summer.

Sustainable Jazz Duo To Perform for Princeton Community Housing Gala

My two lives as bandleader and nonprofit leader have come together this fall. 

Our Sustainable Jazz Duo will be performing at the Princeton Community Housing Gala on Friday, October 6. 

Meanwhile, our nonprofit Friends of Herrontown Woods is developing a trailhead to welcome residents of PCH's Princeton Community Village into Herrontown Woods preserve. First step is an eagle scout project to build a kiosk behind the new affordable housing.

Fittingly, the gala's theme riffs on nature: "2023 Birds of all Feathers." 

Update: Word has it the gala is sold out.

Lunar Octet Plays The Ark

On August 26, our Lunar Octet performed at the legendary Ark in Ann Arbor, MI. 

The Lunar Octet was founded 40 years ago under the whimsical name Lunar Glee Club. It started as a composer's workshop, and still plays all original music. 

Along with many of my own compositions, we perform tunes by band members Aron Kaufman, Paul Vornhagen, and Jon Krosnick. 

Thanks to photographer Chuck Andersen for these photos.

Recent Performances in Michigan and Princeton Junction, NJ

 I'm very fortunate to have such great musicians to perform my original compositions with. 

Our Lunar Octet, now in its 40th year, performed a sold out show of latin, jazz, and funk this past week at the Blue Llama, a gorgeous jazz club in Ann Arbor, MI. Left to right in the photo are Sam Clark (guitar), Jeff Dalton (bass), Olman Piedra (percussion), Aron Kaufman (congas), Brandon Cooper (trumpet), Paul Vornhagen (woodwinds), and Keaton Royer (piano). Jon Krosnick plays the drums. Last year included tours in California and England.

Back in NJ, I teamed up this past weekend with the fabulous Phil Orr on piano, here shown coming up with a setlist for our concert at Salon 33 in Princeton Junction. Salon 33 happens monthly, with potlucks followed by a concert. We played for a great crowd--standing ovation!

Link for Signing Up for Tonight's Performance

Our Sustainable Jazz Duo performs tonight at Salon 33 from 8-10, after an optional potluck at 7. Registration is required by the host: https://lookingglasspond.wufoo.com/forms/x1on5yya1r9z0mo/

The venue is on Alexander Rd on the way to the train station, with details provided upon registration. It's a nice performance space and community of people, and a donation-based event. We'll be performing all original music--some old, some new--spanning 40 years of composing. 

Playing Piano for "People and Stories"

I have two friends named Mimi, and by chance both are part of an organization called People and Stories that asked me to play some solo piano for their spring fundraiser. The forsythia was blooming in vases along the edge of glorious Mackay Lounge at the Seminary, and a grand piano was waiting to be played as people filtered in.

One small admission: I'm more of a reed player than a pianist, but people seemed very happy with the string of original piano pieces I had prepared for the occasion, pieces like Will a' the Wisp, This is Love, Anyway, and Dorothy's Garden. Some of these I play and talk about on my youtube channel. There's always someone who comes over and wants to talk at length while you're playing, and I was glad to see that my chops are good enough to carry on a conversation in the midst of performing. 

The fundraiser event was very impressive--well attended, with a very articulate and moving expression of the organization's mission by one of its leaders, followed by a reading and Q and A by famed author Jennifer Egan. She kept the audience spellbound through her reading, the sort of rapt attention where you could have heard a pin drop. Egan is a gifted writer and an equally gifted presenter. It turned out to be their best attended benefit to date.

Upcoming Performances of Sustainable Jazz

CHANGE OF TIME FOR LIBRARY PERFORMANCE! It's at 3pm, not at 4.

April 16 - Private event (Community Without Walls)

April 29 - Private event (Stonebridge)

May 6, 3pm - Princeton Public Library -- Join us in the Community Room for tuneful, joyful all-original jazz and latin

May 13 - Salon 33 -- a long-standing music series, now based in West Windsor. Potluck at 7pm, concert at 8pm. Contact me for more info.

May 10 -- Blue Llama, Ann Arbor, MI -- I'll be performing many of my original compositions with the Lunar Octet.

Our Lunar Octet Plays the Dirty Dog

The Lunar Octet, our latin/jazz group now in its 40th year, played a four night engagement earlier this year at one of Detroit's premier jazz clubs, the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe. All-original music, sold-out shows, a standing ovation or two--it was a good week.

The photo was taken through the window at the club's entrance, which has musical and canine figures etched in. 

Our Lunar Octet to Perform in the Detroit Area This Month

Some great food and music at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe this coming week, just north of Detroit. Wednesday through Saturday, Feb. 8-11, we converge from California, Florida, Ohio, and NJ to play our original latin/jazz music, which one newly minted fan in England last year called "joy jazz." The concerts are dedicated to the memory of the prominent and indefatigable jazz writer Michael G. Nastos. Tell your friends in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area to come on out. Info below.

The Lunar Octet's Storybook Tour of England

Every tour has an anchor gig--the most significant gig around which the tour is built. For our Lunar Octet tour of England this past September, that would be our appearance on a Saturday evening at the Scarborough Jazz Festival. We played our all-original jazz/latin music to a full house.

Scarborough, known to Americans primarily for the traditional song made famous by Simon and Garfunkel, is a beautifully preserved town on the North Sea, northwest of York. Before and after our appearance at the festival came performances for jazz societies, a wonderful jazz club in Nottingham, along with a couple enthusiastically received workshops at grammar schools. 

It would be easy to think that a grammar school is known for its teaching of grammar, but the name refers instead to students having to test to get in.

At the Bristol Grammar School, students of varied ages listened intently to our original compositions, then got a quick lesson about the core of the samba groove from our percussionist, Olman Piedra. Given all the teachers in our band, the workshops are a natural. Olman's a professor of percussion, our pianist for the tour, Adam Biggs, is head of jazz studies at Bath Spa University. Aron Kaufman has integrated congas into his teaching of Hebrew to kids. Drummer and tour instigator Jon Krosnick is fully engaged in teaching as a professor at Stanford. Multi-instrumentalist Paul Vornhagen has a thriving music studio. 

The climactic moment at Bristol came when many students joined us on the stage to play samba rhythm patterns, with the rest of the audience up on their feet, cheering on their classmates. At Bristol, and also at the Torquay Boys' Grammar School, it was remarkable how attentive the kids were, and how much energy they gave back to us, which is always appreciated by musicians.

Later that day, we played at the Pantiles for dancers. 

The highlight was our performance at the Scarborough Jazz Festival, 

followed the next day by a warm, standing ovation sendoff at a beautiful jazz club in Nottingham, named after the Mingus tune Peggy's Skylight. 

Everything about the club is instantly likable, from the couple who own it--she a chef, he a jazz musician--to the wood inlay staircase.

To increase capacity, they repurposed some seating from a theater. That's our pianist Adam Biggs, who joined us for the tour from his home in Bath, England, and percussionist Olman Piedra hanging with Miles. Adam and Olman excelled at the driver's seat as well as on stage, guiding our vans from gig to gig. 

The piano at Peggy's Skylight, which inspired Adam to new heights, was purchased through crowdfunding, with each contributor paying for a different part of the piano--the pedals, the legs, the keys. One person bought an A minor chord. Having founded two nonprofits in my life, I felt a strong connection to the way jazz gets hosted in England, whether it be a society of jazz enthusiasts raising money to host performances in a local venue, or a privately run jazz club that also draws strength from community support.

Playing seven gigs in five days, we bonded more deeply as a group. As the week progressed, each band member's personality became more fully realized on stage. Brandon was on fire in his trumpet solos. Stepping to the front of the stage the last night, Jeff showed a mix of profundity, virtuosity, and humor in his solo bass intro to Samba Over Easy. Aron spun rhythmic tone poems on his congas. A recent addition to our repertoire, Funky River, provided a vehicle for Sam Clark on guitar and Paul Vornhagen on tenor sax to get down to it. Paul and I, when not playing, liked to serve as rhythmic interpreters, expressing through dance the rhythms of the music. The logistics of the trip were a challenge, but the music is a pleasure to play. One audience member, seeing how much we love to perform our original compositions, called our music "joy jazz." 

We returned home with the spirit of the British in our hearts. Brits use the word "brilliant" the way some Americans use "awesome." Over the course of the week, we heard many a "brilliant!", a generous sprinkling of "lovely", and only one "bloody hell," which was thankfully aimed at the government rather than at us. 

Along with two tours in California, the tour of England made for quite a year for the Lunar Octet. For now, we've returned to our respective homes in Michigan, Ohio, California, Florida, and New Jersey, to await our next convergence. 

Sustainable Jazz to Perform at eCommuterfest

Fittingly enough, Phil Orr and I will bring our Sustainable Jazz to an event this Friday, September 30, hosted by Sustainable Princeton. Featuring electric bicycles and cars, the eCommuterfest will take place in the parking lot for Westminster Choir College from 4-7pm. 

You can come to test drive an eCar or eBike, get a free tuneup of your existing bicycle, donate an old bike you no longer need, get some food or Bent Spoon ice cream, and of course listen to our original latin and jazz music wafting over the proceedings. Should be a great event hosted by the highly capable folks at Sustainable Princeton

Sustainable Jazz Plays its Original Music in Kingston Park

Thanks to the Kinston Historical Society and Fire Department for inviting us to perform for their first town picnic in eight years, in Kingston Park. The Friends of Princeton Nursery Lands was also there to share information about their work at what was long called the Mapleton Preserve.

We joke that no virgin timbres are harvested for our performances, but we did feel a strong urge to squash a few of the invasive spotted lanternflies that happened by. 

That's Philip Orr taking it to the hoop on keyboard.

Back From the Lunar Octet's Tour of California

A performance at Portola Valley Vineyards on August 21 completed our Lunar Octet tour in California. 

In addition to the vineyard concert, we played Mr. Tipples jazz club in downtown San Francisco, 

the Del Cielo Brewing Company, 

and had some delightful experiences sharing our music with kids and parents at several libraries.

I've been fortunate to be able to add original repertoire to build on our 2020 record release, Convergence. 

Back in the lineup are two tunes from our 1995 Highway Fun release: a ballad called All In a Day's Dream, and an upbeat samba number called "Yes! Yes! Yes!", the latter named long ago by an enthusiastic member of the audience.

We've also added some more recent compositions adapted from my Sustainable Jazz repertoire: Funky River, Sambus Interruptus, and Ruum to Ruumba. 

The band has many strong and original voices that were a pleasure to listen to all week: Ann Arbor-based Aron Kaufman, who tells stories with his congas, Brandon Cooper on trumpet, multi-instrumentalist Paul Vornhagen, bassist Jeff Dalton, who is based in the Florida Keys, pianist extraordinaire Murray Low, Toledo professor Olman Piedra on percussion, guitarist Sam Clark, and drummer, host, and organizational wizard Jon Krosnick. 

Formed in the fall of 1983, the group's been together 39 years by my count. Next up, a tour of England in September.

Start-Stop Samba

This samba keeps getting interrupted before launching into a fullblown groove. Phil Orr on piano is a one-man samba. Composer Steve Hiltner performs on alto sax. Recorded live in April, 2022 in West Windsor, NJ. 

Maybe More Than Maybe, Baby

Phil Orr and Steve Hiltner perform Steve's composition, Maybe More Than Maybe, Baby. The title is explained in the video's intro. Recorded in April, 2022 at a full house in West Windsor, NJ.