Last night's gig, May 14

At the Heathman Hotel

Joining me was the rock-solid Bill Athens on the bass, and guest artist Cory Sterling on guitar. We played some new arrangements I've been working on for the new CD, a few new folk tunes, some classic jazz standards, plus a bunch of tunes Cory brought to the group. I really enjoyed learning some new (well, new-to-me) jazz tunes, and he had a cool original blues tune with some great rhythmic sections. Cory's off to play guitar in New York in the fall, so I'm glad he could join us at least once.

My 2 sisters showed up at the end of the night - they completely surprised me, because one of them lives in Boulder, Colorado. I knew she was flying in that night, but thought it would be too late for them to come. At 11:30 PM, there they were, just dancing along to the music. No, we're not triplets.

Hope to see you at our next gig, June 11 at the Heathman!

I heart Madeleine

I really like Madeleine Peyroux’s style and approach to jazz music. Here is one of her album covers. Truly beautiful and so artistic. I’d love to do the same thing for my album, complete with a poofy gold dress, red flowers and bare feet, except I’d want to be sitting on a beach instead…

I was inspired by some reviews of her music:

“Norah Jones and Jane Monheit may have spawned a cutesy genre of jazz-lite chirping, but it’s one that Peyroux neatly sidesteps. Here, less is definitely more. Accompanied by piano, guitar, string bass, lightly brushed snare drum and occasional gospel organ, Careless Love has the same live-in-the-studio ambience that made Peggy Lee’s Black Coffee a benchmark album. An interpretive artist as opposed to a nothing-to-say singer-songwriter, Peyroux avoids the overworked wine bar songbook, bringing new sensibilities to Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me To The End Of Love” and Dylan’s “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go”.”

“In recent weeks, “Careless Love” (Rounder), a record on an independent label by a sophisticated pop-jazz vocalist named Madeleine Peyroux, has quietly edged past 100,000 sales with almost no radio airplay. It’s become an out-of-left-field hit in cafes, wine bars and spas, where its smoky ambience suits the mostly post-college-age clientele.

“People who have heard the record in these places have had an immediate reaction: Who is that? Where can I get that?” says Paul Foley, general manager of marketing for Peyroux’s label, Rounder Records. “We’re looking for an upper-demographic audience that is not being served currently by the record industry’s marketing schemes.”

“With the release of her long awaited follow-up album, Careless Love, Peyroux’s potential as an artist is truly realized. Her smoky voice and knowing delivery make each song her own, whether she’s singing vintage tunes by W.C. Handy and Hank Williams, or contemporary songs by Leonard Cohen and Elliott Smith. Producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Shawn Colvin) weaves strands of acoustic blues, country ballads, classic jazz, torch songs and pop into a vibrant fabric that is both timeless and thoroughly up to date, with Peyroux’s arresting vocals always front and center.”

Yep, I heart Madeleine.