Sometimes my own test emails land in the spam box (see below).
Sometimes despite my best intention and your permission I can’t get word to you…for some reason (either there’s a technical glitch or a simple war from big tech to have me pay to interact with you).
I’ve been here along through covid with online concerts, 3 original records and 4 cover records (the covid relief playlists).
And there’s more to come.
While putting together a special “Best of” CD for the March Chatelet concert I scrolled through all the recordings from my past, listening to this and that, making decisions about what would be on it.
New and old together.
An email comes in from a decade ago. How’s so and so?
So many people who were here and now are there, how can you keep track…
Someone else asks about the Peter Frampton opening set from the North Shore Music Theater.
I email it to them because it’s out of print. And then there’s this gem.
You can celebrate the past without being nostalgic for it.
Best of:
Lovely Heart
Let Me
She’s on fire
Let’s burn everything
There’s no reason
Voices in Paris
Lift
Desert
Middle St.
Sailing again
But some news gets out there first (such as the video shoot that happened last night)
Today marks the 5th year since the last Blue Taleh jazz night (Jan 24th, 2018), it was always on Wednesdays but the date happens to fall today (despite being a Tuesday).
The Wednesday night jazz night became a jam and went on for 9 years at the Blue Taleh in Lowell MA (when I was out of town touring I had one of the guys run it for me so it was always going). I found a bootleg from the last night and posted the last song (from the last night).
While I’m here….A big thank you to so many people who were there, (in no order and apologies if I forgot anyone): Charles Langford, Stanley Swann, Thomas Hebb, David Landoni, Steve Langone, Ralph Funaro, Dan Webster, Benny Sharoni, Molly Rose, Carol Leary, David Moore, Greg Toro, Mark Zaleski, Artie Barbato, John Fugarino, Michelle Tucker, Sven Larson, Ken Steiner, Jake Galloway, Lura Smith, Frank Wilkins, Les Harris Jr., Benny Benson, John McGovern, Nick Goumas, and many more.
PS -That’s Saxophone player Chuck Langford holding my Gibson Super 400!
I know a great musician who never plays for anyone.
I know a great writer who won’t even write a blog.
And, I know a talented actor who sits and waits for someone to choose her.
Don’t we all know someone who fits a version of this story?
These days I find myself referring to myself as an “artist” (when asked) instead of a musician. It’s an automatic response, and I think it comes from a place of knowing when it’s art and when it’s not.
You can spend decades perfecting the perfect song, and you can play it only for yourself in solitude to your hearts content but, It won’t be art until you play it for someone.
This was the original version of “Lift” before it became what it become on “FuturePlaneta,” more like the sketch.
It’s the entire “Rise” record set to Mickey Mouse cartoons.
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My friendship with the BackBeat Brewery in Beverly MA goes back a year now and ironically I didn’t drink dark beers before covid.
In the early times of lockdown and paranoia I got into Guinness and when I met owner Pete Harkins he assumed I was always a stout lover, and so he named one after me.
It’s nice to have a beer named after me but you’d have to ask him how that name came to be (either I’m knowledgeable about some things or I’m just a wise ass when it comes to others).
Whatever the reason…people seem to dig it and “Just Ask Evan” has now moved into cans so you can take it home with you.
