_

Transmitting From Las Vegas, NV... The final stop of this tour of casinos, having arrived today. We're at the Hilton which brings back fond memories as I worked here many times with Gregory Hines, usually opening for amazing acts like Ray Charles, Bill Cosby or Gladys Knight. It's also nice as it's located off the strip, away from the top-tier of Vegas madness. We're doing 2 shows here, tomorrow & Sat. before heading home Sunday. Following this trip, a special treat for me will be diving into a recording session the next day in NYC with my old buddy Lee Musiker (Tony Bennett's musical director). Lee is truly one of the great accompanists of our time, in my opinion. His knowledge of both jazz & classical combine into some breathtaking moments. Even though we've played together many times over the years (in fact, a trio CD we did from '98 is starting to garner some airplay), I always feel lucky to get the chance to create some music with him & he never fails to play something that takes my breath away. He's a really special musician. Tonight is a night off so I'm off to try to create some dinner plans. There's a great Italian place named Piero's that we used to frequent during the Gregory days that's close by so that's an option. Also, on these casino gigs, we often get coupons that give us free access to the buffets & discounts at many of the hotel restaurants. We'll see how it all goes down soon. The last major trip of the year will be happening in a couple of weeks & I'm sure I'll have something to report so stay tuned!

Leave a comment