I am still feeling the great vibes from last Saturday night!

The band performed at Middletown’s Buttonwood Tree. Its a performance space right on Main Street that neighbors many local bars and restaurant. I’ve played at TBT numerous times with my quartet and my experimental group, The Zero Dollar Trio.
Most times there hadn’t been much of a crowd. It always felt like there would be a couple people who politely listened for a tune or two then left. In terms of ZDT, we actually made 4 people walk out due to the absence of open mindedness and musical taste.

This last weekend was a very different surprise. We had one of the most receptive audiences I’ve ever had. Normally I don’t care if there’s people listening; the band is always playing our hearts out regardless but I mean come on, let’snot kid ourselves here.

We played music from the two albums and two brand new compositions that had only been played once before. The band aced them like they had been in the book for years!!

One of the new compositions was the Mwandishi influenced ‘Esoteric,’ a tune with multiple cued sections that rely more on group improvisation than changes and structure. The other, ‘Brand New Package’ is more along the lines of an early 70’s funk tune a la “Willie Nelson,”  “Its About That Time,” or “Spanish Key.” I was very pleased by the results.

Although the CD release is coming up, it was the first gig that our new record was available at and the response was incredible. People have been commenting on the “fluid and original” writing of the compositions and the high level of playing. I can’t not stress how humble and in awe I am. I can’t wait for the CD Release!

Cheers