Saturday, January 01, 2005

Happy new year!

Happy new year, everyone. There are a number of things to talk about now.

First of all, it is clearly NOT a happy new year in southeast Asia. I hope a lot of people will donate to the groups that are helping out. Links to two worthy groups are on the right. Northwest Medical Teams is a particularly good group -- about 96% of your donation goes to direct relief.

Well, I've finally released The Ivory/Bobbidazzler Archive Project. This is a 3-CD set containing -- as far as I know -- all of the material released on vinyl by the 70's groups Ivory and Bobbidazzler, including singles and a strange hybrid project called "Departure." There's also some fun "bonus material" on the CDs. I've been collecting the vinyl records for several years, and finally had enough material to complete the project. I am more than happy to send copies of this to anyone who requests them.

Speaking of the old band(s), I've had terrific phone conversations with some of the guys from Ivory lately. That was a very special time in my life, and I'm really happy that I can still talk to these folks who meant so much to me, and still do. Brian Whitcomb, the pianist from Ivory and Bobbidazzler, just sent me a copy of his new CD, and it's terrific! He's taken a group of songs and re-worked them into very beautiful, simple arrangements that are both very accessible and musically very solid. Brian has a knack for finding the beauty in songs that others may have missed. I can also send copies of Brian's CD to anyone who requests it.

I'm still recovering from my back operation, and I think I've stabilized to the point that I can function pretty well, and know my limits. At least I can carry my own instruments into rehearsals now.