…have been a whirlwind deluge of musical excitement.

Friday evening was the Spring Concert for the Willamette Christian School . I played with the accompanying band, while the kids took turns, by grade, singing some fun kids songs, and some worship tunes. There were a few skits, and the school’s band played a short set as well. There were some fun arrangements, and the kids all did a great job…

Saturday afternoon the UO Gospel Singers performed for an event put on by the Black Student Union. It was a luncheon to honor the extraordinary women of the organization. We performed a short (albeit partially impromptu) set to commence the festivities…

Sunday was the always full-day undertaking that is the UO Gospel Choirs’ End of Term Concert. We experimented with some new techniques, had a guest drummer sit in, and some great music. The choirs were awesome, and it seems we got ourselves some new fans. This marks the end of the regular school year for us, and since the concert was a week earlier this term, we have a full 3 weeks before the Summer session begins. This will give me a little time to recharge a little and work on some new endeavors…

Speaking of which, I had my first rehearsal with the Western Hemisphere Orchestra , a large Jazz ensemble at Western Oregon University. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for the drive up hwy 99 to Monmouth (except for the bee who opted to kamikaze itself into my left ear on the drive home). Suicidal flying insects aside, I will be performing with the orchestra and fellow guest artist Marilyn Keller in a ’60s Soul Music Review this Saturday night. The band sounded great, and I am unusually excited about our set; which includes songs by Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson, and one of my favorite songs of all time, “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke.

I must say, the past several days have been surprisingly productive, and I am going to TRY to maintain that momentum as the next few weeks progress. Getting ready for the serious stretch of The Summer of Love 2013 (wedding season) to ramp up for The Essentials, and we’re about to go hard on some new music, as well. Look out, it’s about to get REAL SERIOUS!

Looking to do big things in 2013…