California Tour 2025

This summer, we had two tours with the Lunar Octet, the band I've been a part of since its beginnings 42 years ago. I write most of the music for the group, with additional tunes coming from our conguero, Aron Kaufman. Occasionally we pull out a beautiful ballad by our drummer Jon Krosnick. Though based in Ann Arbor, the band also has a California version. Jon, a Stanford professor who also has a smaller group that periodically performs with renowned trumpeter Randy Brecker, booked our Lunar Octet for 8 gigs in 5 days in June.

The final gig was in a beautiful plaza in Sonoma, with our all-original music drifting out to a thousand people enjoying a beautiful afternoon.

Other gigs were at the Las Positas Vineyard and a brewery named the SacYard.

It's always a good feeling to play amidst the stacks at libraries, many of which have beautiful central spaces for the community to gather.

One highlight was playing as a sextet at Mr. Tipples Jazz Club in downtown San Francisco. 

To play these tours, members of the band converge from all over the country. Bassist Jeff Dalton flies in from the Florida Keys, conguero Aron Kaufman travels from Michigan. To fill out the band, drummer Jon Krosnick recruited his fabulous California-based colleagues, with Murray Low on keyboard, Tod Dickow on tenor sax, and new addition Chris Aschman lighting up the stage with his trumpet playing.