We’re taking time off from playing out for the next two of months so that we can relax over the holidays and work up some new material. In particular, over the past couple of years I spent time transcribing the tunes of Stuff Smith, one of the greatest swing violin players from the 20’s through the 60’s. The guys and I are putting together several of his tunes to add to our repertoire. (You can download sheet music for Stuff Smith’s tunes here.)
If that isn't exciting enough, Steve Cournoyer, a fine violin maker in Maine, is building a 5-string violin for me. If all goes well, that violin will be finished by the end of the year. Steve has told me to be cautiously optimistic about that.
We will be back at the Press Room on Sunday, January 14. We plan to debut the Stuff Smith tunes at that time, and I might even be playing them on a brand new 5-string violin. With new tunes and a new instrument coming along, this could be an exciting show. I hope so, anyway. I guess cautious optimism is the way to go.
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Happy holidays.
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