294:  Friday night I played at a nice little restaurant near 8 Mile and Livernois called 1917 American Bistro.  Jellick hired me for the gig to play with Brandon and Greg, who played drums and percussion respectively.  Nice vibe, and nice music.

295:  Last night I played a really fun Trad gig at the Elks Lounge in Mt. Clemens.  It’s been a long time since I played that kind of music, and it was really refreshing.  The band was killer, and I think people had a good time, although I would have like to see a few more folks dancing.  This gig reinforced my belief that there’s nothing more important than groove, and that early jazz is one of the hardest styles to reproduce accurately.  The band leader, Ron, did open my eyes to a few stock combo packs that are pretty accurately arranged.  Definitely gave me food for thought for the combos for next year.

296:  Today is Sunday, and Jenine is throwing a baby shower for our friend Alta Dantzler.  My performance today will consist of imitating a disappearing magician upstairs while my house is being babified.