Performances
The Bates Update: Mega Year End Appreciation Edition
It’s been an unprecedented year for feeling totally and completely overwhelmed by human stupidity, ignorance, violence and racism. Without going into any more detail I think we can all agree that our personal choices are the only thing we can actually control in these situations. I find myself engaging with people more directly on these…
Read MoreThe Bates Update – Holidaze
Greetings all! Welcome to winter and the holiday season. It’s a splendid time of year and I hope you all get to spend quality time with your families and loved ones. Lots on the plate (pun intended) for this month and this first week is a doozy. Here’s the game schedule: Monday Nov 30th…
Read MoreThe Bates Update – October 2015
Greetings. Fall is creeping up on us like a phantom. The chill is in the air and we’ve got that midwestern nesting instinct faintly glowing in our ether, like a phantom. I’ve been getting in my last faint whispers of summer as it fades into time (like a phantom). I would be remiss if I did not mention…
Read MoreThe Bates Update – August 2015
Holy cow. I just let July fly by. I took my first vacation in a long long time this past week and it was super refreshing. Looking ahead into August and beyond there are some great things brewing in the music still. For the record I did not bail on the Bates update last month,…
Read MoreMay the Bates Update be with you, always.
Greetings! Happy Spring! Rebirth and renewal abound! Everything is so exciting don’t you think?!??! Well, it’s been a helluva month. Thanks to Jason Squinobal I had a great weekend at the U of Mn Morris Jazz Festival with Chicagoans Scott Hesse -gtr and Rob Haight -sax, and the great Phil Hey. I got to play the beautiful…
Read MoreBates Update – April 2015
Just the details please! As I said last month there’s a lot going on. It continues into spring and I will spare you the gory details of life, liberty and the pursuit of balance. Saturday April 4th: Steve Kenny Quartet @ Black Dog (Steve Kenny, Brandon Wozniak, Babatunde Lea & CB) 8:30pm $10 All Ages Monday…
Read MoreBates Update March 2015
Not much to say right now. Super busy. New gigs posted on the calendar thru May. Lots to look forward to. I got adjusted last month by bass chiropractor Mark Dresser (www.markdresser.com). It was truly a pleasure to play for him at a master class at the UofMN (thanks to Chris Brown) but it was…
Read MoreThe Bates Update – February 2015
Working hard on so many projects right now. The Jason Melek memorial I wrote about last month is moving right along and continues to reward us all with unexpected niceties. Dean Granros’ Tall Tales is recording this week for a new album to be released later this year on Shifting Paradigm Records. Enormous and Framework…
Read MoreThe Bates Update – Jan 2015
Happy New Year everyone! Gather ‘round for a tale of tragedy, triumph, tribute and revitalization. In this age of social media and transitory relationships we are often feeling more connected and yet perhaps we remain farther apart than ever before. Through my use of social media though, I have managed to reconnect with many of…
Read MoreThe Bates Update – Late September, 2014
The Bates Update – Late September, 2014. What’s on my mind, you ask? Death. Death is on my mind. It has been a seemingly unprecedented year for it. From celebrities and dignitaries to the innocent deaths of thousands around the world from natural and political disasters, death is everywhere. Maybe I’m just paying more attention…
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