UPDATE Doublebates at Jazz Festerooni! OHHH mac vouti!
The Twin Cities Jazz Festival is the highlight of the summer for me! It is a hugely popular outdoor festival held in St Paul with performance stages spread across the city but centered in Mears Park in the vibrant lowertown district. I’ve played many gigs at the festival and every year I get to hear…
Bates Update Vote for Summer
Well, well, well. All right, all right, all right. I’m way behind in the updating of my constituency and I apologize. This is in no way brought on by any one else except myself. So, now that we’ve cleared the air let’s get to it. Lots of things happening this summer and this update takes…
Sorry mates, I’m late, for this important Bates Update
March came in like a Lion in my world. I’m cruising along working on my music and gigs, taking care of my family and household. When BAM – a part time job appears that’s close to my house, fits neatly into my available dad hours and it’s in the music industry. So, apologies true believers…
Bates Update Feb 2015
Just finished two spectacular days recording with the Bill Simenson Big Band. It has been very satisfying to hear it all coming together so clearly on all these original pieces written by Bill. I’ve been playing with him for over three years now down at Jazz Central and I have to say that the incubation…
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…
The 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…
The 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…
Working, Working on a Building
Sometimes you have to break hard left or right to avoid the onslaught of normalcy. Stagnation is death, but so often it’s a slow, grinding, morbidly self inflicted death. Living in the shadows of your own stench. Rotting under the weight of creative needs and desires. Like a glacial tsunami it overtakes you in ways…
The 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,…
May 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…
Bates 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…
Jason Melek Memorial Project
In January, I told you guys about reconnecting with some HS friends and working to realize the musical vision of Jason Melek. Here’s a way for you to help us get this project completed. My friends Jason Gerling, Dave Melek and the Melek family thank you. Just follow the link here: Jason Melek Memorial listen to…