Just a few quick notes as summer approaches…

My drumming son David is home from college for the summer, and I’m hoping I can twist his arms into recording a few more tunes with me.  I’m in the process of updating and improving my recording capacity with a new audio/MIDI interface for the computer (an Echo Audio Layla 3G, replacing my hoary old and somewhat problematic M Audio Delta 66 and MIDISport 2×2) and a couple of additional microphones (a pair of Cascade M39 small diaphragm condensers and a Cascade V57 large diaphragm condenser), so I will actually be able to put more than three mics up around the drum kit this time.

I’ll be writing more soon about a couple of other pieces of gear that I recently got – a Roland GR-55 guitar synthesizer, and a Godin ACS-SA Slim nylon-string guitar to drive it with. (I  plan to include a demo audio recording.)

There are a couple of shows coming up that I got tickets for and I’m very excited about:

• On the first weekend of summer I’ll be seeing one of my all-time favorites, guitarist Pat Martino, at Yoshi’s San Francisco…
• … followed the very next day by the Lionel Louke Trio performing at Dinkelspiel Auditorium on the Stanford University campus as part of the annual Stanford Jazz Festival.
• On the first day of August I’m going to catch one of my new favorites, vocalist Gretchen Parlato, also at the Dinkelspiel at Stanford.
• On the second Saturday in September I’m going to see one of my favorite musical groups, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga. (This will be my first time seeing a show at this venue.)
• On the first Sunday in October I’m going to see Wayne Krantz at Yoshi’s in Oakland. (If I’m not mistaken Wayne hasn’t played a show in town since I saw him in 1999, also at Yoshi’s.)