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.