April 17, 2006

Hi Everyone,

Hope you're all enjoying the arrival of spring and looking forward to some music outside. It's been several months since I last wrote and there's a lot of news that I want to share with you about projects recently completed and others that are on the horizon.

When I last wrote, I was about to go into the studio with one of my all-time favorite people, Michael Franks. As some of you may know, Michael and I go back to the 1980's when I played in his touring band and I have also worked on some of his CDs, including Barefoot on the Beach. It is always a great treat to work with him and Michael Franks fans will be happy to know that his new CD, entitled Rendevous in Rio, is due out June 27th.

Also, Spyro Gyra's latest release, Wrapped in a Dream, for which I did some writing and production, was released on February 28, 2006. If you're a longtime fan of the group, you will probably enjoy the signature sound – with a twist of Spain added. On a personal level, having been involved with several Spyro Gyra projects, I just have to say how great it was to work these guys once again.

Carmen's new CD, A Matter of Time, is also done and is due out this fall. It features trumpeter Till Brönner, Matt King on piano, Will Lee on bass, me on guitar and keys, and our daughter Lizzy (who, in my *unbiased* opinion, has a dazzling voice) as guest vocalist.

Also, I am currently working on my next CD for which I am setting off a totally new creative path. Lots more on that in the coming months.

On the touring front, some highlights of the last several months have included an awards concert for a women's magazine in Warsaw, Poland, at which Carmen was the featured performer. This concert took place on Valentine's Day (February 14, 2006) and we made it only after many hours of delay on the runway due to a blizzard. But all that was forgotten when Polish President Lech Kaczynski came up on stage and kissed Carmen's hand.

Back home in March, that great experience was followed by a whole series of wonderful moments at this year's Berks Jazz Fest. First among these was the Tribute to Ivan Lins, put together by Jason Miles. It was a wonderful lineup that included Candy Dulfer, Jane Monheit, Eliane Elias, Rick Braun, Brenda Russell, Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo, Uruguayan guitarist Leonardo Amuedo, and, of course, Ivan Lins himself.

I also had the honor and pleasure of putting together a Tribute to guitar legend Wes Montgomery, which was an incredible experience. Six other guitarists, in addition to me, participated: Jimmy Bruno, Larry Carlton, Paul Jackson, Jr., Earl Klugh, Russell Malone, and Pat Martino. We started out by playing the first song as a group, and then each of us in turn played his favorite Wes tune, ending up with several duets and then the finale, Road Song, for which the group came back together. Backing the guitar talent onstage were Matt King on keys, Will Lee on bass, Wolfgang Haffner on drums.

It was the first time I had the pleasure of speaking with Wes's widow and his son Robert, who flew in from Indianapolis to participate. Robert, who was only 8 at the time of his father's death, gave a very moving speech, in which he spoke about the guitarists present as trees that had grown from the roots of Wes Montgomery's life and music.

For an audience perspective, you may want to read Peter Böhi's review of the Wes Montgomery Tribute (as well as many of the other Berks Jazz Fest shows, including the All-Star Jam, which I coordinated) at www.smoothjazzvibes.com.

Ahead on the touring front are concerts at: Trumpets Jazz Club in Montclair, NJ on May 14th (Mother's Day), where I will be performing some new music for my upcoming CD; the Capital Jazz Fest on June 4th, where I will be performing as part of "GUITARZZ" with Chieli Minucci & Paul Jackson, Jr.; the Iridium in NYC June 15-18 with Eric Marienthal, Anthony Jackson, Jim Beard and Josh Dion, and at the Wilson Creek Winery in California on July 15th with my regular band: Matt King on keys, Brian Killeen on bass, and Josh Dion on drums and vocals. (For more details see the Show Schedule.)

Finally, for those of you who want to stay in touch by e-mail, I am now in the process of starting a regular newsletter that will come out approximately bimonthly. Keep an eye on the website for more details.

Be happy and healthy, and stay in touch! Hope to see you at a show.

Love, Chuck

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