2021 - Didn't we do this already? Rinse and repeat...

So another year goes by and we're still in the covid stranglehold.  Swell.

There were a few bright spots.  Once vaccines got rolled out it felt like things might get back to normal for a minute, but - nah!  I was able to get in some gigs while things were going ok, and even thought my playing was better.  Many thanks to Vince and Mike for calling me so often.  And the Stone House.  And of course to the CBQ - Concord Blues Quartet.  That's a nice new thing that has promise.  Getting to play the kind of music I love maybe most of all.  

Got to do some online teaching which has been a blast.  Film Music over the Summer, and Fun Classical Music in the Fall.  Looking forward to Jazz in the Spring.    

Did a fair amount of musical house-keeping.  Put together the "Real Stinky Book" - all my jazz tunes worth playing again.  Sorted through ALL my jazz tunes - 300 or so.  Also got to copy out and edit some stuff that had been hanging around, but more to do. 

Managed to get 2 records out.  

 

 

Finishing the Symphony was an accomplishment. 

Music had some serious losses this year, most notable to me being Chick Corea and Pat Martino.  

Listening - the Shostakovich/BSO/Nelsons recordings are amazing.  The Mercury Living Presence/Dorati/Bartok recordings made me get back into that in a big way.  Picked up some scores - Liszt, Stravinsky (Symph in C, Symph of Psalms), Elgar's Enigma, Rimsky Scheherazade.  Leonard Rosenman film music. 

Reading - finished all 40 Spenser novels for the 2nd time, starting 3rd time through as year ends.    

Had a few losses close to home.  Our wonderful Breakfast.

And of course, Billy

You will be missed, buddy.  Love you. 

 

How am I ending the year, you ask?  Positive. 

 And in quarantine.  So really, this year can't be gone soon enough.  Here's to 2022.  I guess.