Friday, July 23, 2004

Summer update

Hot weather comes to the Pacific Northwest! Today's high will crack 100 degrees. Fortunately, this kind of weather never lasts very long here. A few days, then it's gone.

The big-band work continues to be fun. The band is called the 7th Street Jazz Band. My buddy Ethan Richardson got the guitar chair in the band, and he's turning in some excellent Freddie Green comping and some tasty soloing when he gets the chance. We've played a few outdoor festival-type gigs and we've gotten good feedback from the audiences. Of course, my bald head takes a bit of a beating from the sun at these gigs, but I got permission to wear a hat, so that helps a bit.

Fortunately, I get to sit down to play with this band, since I cannot stand or walk for more than about 10 minutes at a time now. My doctors have made a diagnosis, and I will be having an operation to de-compress a pinched nerve bundle in my back in mid-September. I'll have to miss some gigs, though, so if anyone knows a bass player in the Portland area who can read and works cheap, please let me know!