The biggest thing I've done this year is obviously the work on my vocal/trio CD.  There's plenty of originals there and I am proud to say that I won 2nd place in an international song writing competition sponsored by The Salt Queen Foundation.  I will be honored at a dinner in Manhattan sometime in the year 2007. 

I've been working with a really nice singer and person that goes by the name of Suede.  She and I have been doing all sorts of gigs….. 4 nights at the Plush Room in San Francisco and a couple of sold out houses at Joe’s Pub here in NY.  Out to Long Island for a fund raiser on the North Fork of Long Island, up to Connecticut to play at the Wolf Den in the Mohegan Sun Casino and down to Washington to play at the Birchmere… to name a few.  We’ve played as a duo, but also have been joined by drummer Tim Horner and a few bassists- Max Murray down in Washington and Mary Ann McSweeney here. Suede and I will be doing her CD in the near future.  We are also working on a film score. She is as funny and good a person as she seems... singing in tune with all kinds of energy- lots of different styles. And, she lets me just go, go, go and it doesn't throw her.  So, I'm a happy girl when I'm playing music with Suede.

I’ve had a few individual “hits” that have been fun. I played with drummer Art Lillard’s trio at the Garage here in town. He is always interesting to play with, as he’s one of the few folks with his own fake book of tunes.

Then there was a nice duo hit with the beautiful singer, Sarah Partridge at Shanghai Jazz in NJ and at the Cornerstone in Metuchen. She is very easy on the ears as well. And speaking of singers and the Cornerstone, I had a beautiful time backing up the great vocalist Roseanna Vitro at the same club.

Also, my friend for years, saxophonist and vocalist, Sheila Cooper and I did a nice hit at the Scranton Jazz Festival.  We had Marko Marcinko on drums and Tom Hubbard on bass.  Sheila has since moved with her hubby Andy, a saxophonist as well, to Vienna where I know she'll cook up some nice work. 

There’s been a number of great jobs with one of my most favorite people, singer, Al Lambert, from Staten Island… a nice outdoor fund raiser, Italian festivals and nice evenings at the Shore Club in NJ. If you haven’t heard Al, and you’re a fan of an easy on the ears, in tune, smooth male sound (from a person that you can’t help but like), well, go hear Al (hopefully with me) when you get a chance.

You never know where your fun hits are going to be.  I did the most fun Bar Mitzvah gig (and I don’t usually do Bar Mitzvah’s) with Frank London’s band.  It was Frank London on trumpet, Greg Wall on clarinet and sax, Marty Confurious on bass and Aaron Alexander on drums… Since then I've done quite a few nice jobs with Aaron Alexander.  He has a beautiful CD of original music that I've really enjoyed playing.

Though I haven’t been working that much with these folks, I have been enjoying the regular challenge of playing in rehearsal situations, like the big band compositions of Bill Warfield. It’s nice to go in there and have to sight read etc. I’ve been doing a lot of that kind of thing with the Tim Ouimette Big Band as well. He’s working up a project that he’ll be recording (and hopefully I will be on it) that features drummer Mike Clark.  Plus, he’s also getting together a nice private party kind of club date band. It’s funny, both Tim and Bill are both great trumpeters and composer/arrangers… and, like most everybody I work with, I sure like them both as people too.

Recently I worked with the great harmonica player William Galison and we did a nice private party gig.  We were joined by a real poppin’ bass player- Stephen Crump …. so much fun! William is something else. A character… and a most talented and musical one at that.  I also love his tune on the CD that he did with Madeline Peroux.  (spelling?).  It's called "Shoulda Known."

One of my most favorite people and trumpeters is Barry Bryson. We’ve been doin’ some little private functions joined by Murray Wall on bass as well as others. Barry comes from the more traditional school… great tunes, great melodies. We’ve been doing big band in the school gigs, where we try to show kids the history of the Swing Era. 

A few months back, singer Judi Silvano did a live recording at the club Sweet Rhythm of our band called Women’s Work. She'll be putting it out in 2007 as a CD.  I hope so.  I really love the feeling on this CD.   It features the great drummer Allison Miller and groovin' bassist Jennifer Vincent.  We did lots of nice hits in 2006… Italy, Enzo’s, Dizzy’s Coca Cola Room, Sweet Rhythm to name a few. Our hit at Dizzy's Coca Cola Room went well.

I got to do a couple of nice gigs in Italy fairly recently. I played with the Italian bass player Giovanni Tommaso at a fun festival in Lucca and the tour before it with Judi Silvano was also fun.

Speaking of going out of the country, I hope I will go to Japan again.  In 2006, I did some nice tours in Japan. Once I was there accompanying the three female singer group called String of Pearls (that you got to love).  They do a lot of the nostalgic stuff, but also have some great modern Brazilian arrangements. See the way these things work?  The promoter for that tour liked me and then asked me to come back and accompany vocalist Nicole Henry from Florida.

I've also been doing some gigs with Nicki Parrot. I know, I know… she’s drop dead beautiful. She’s also an extremely strong bassist. We’ve done quartet hit at the Cornerstone in Metuchen, NJ featuring cornetist Warren Vache’. Plus, there’s been some nice gigs in the schools to help kids see women in the Jazz Work Place. The band is called the All Female All Stars….. I like it. It has a ring to it.. And I don’t know, it gives me the urge to throw a basketball thru a hoop.  Be that as it may, it’s fun.
 

Oh, and I can’t forget nutty Carol McDonald at Iridium.  This woman has that drinkers/smokers voice that is so bluesy and soulful.

In 2006 I got to arrange an entire CD for a vocalist named Janet Villas.  It was 16 Christmas tunes and I lead the recording session that had on it Barb Merjan on drums and Brian Glassman on bass- two of my favorite people.  We also were joined by Jessica Jones on woodwinds.  I'm proud of my work on this CD- both the arrangements and playing.  That was a lot of tunes!
 

I’m still teaching a whole lot and I couldn’t be happier or prouder of my students. I love them all.  They each have their own project that they are into and I want every one of their dreams to come true.

Every Friday night, for the most part, I’ve been working out at the beautiful Bernard’s Inn in Bernardsville. It’s solo and I sing.  It’s a nice venue for me.  It leans towards the upscale.  I like the people that have hired me there and I feel very appreciated.

So, it’s been busy 2006. It’s been good and, as always, I am so grateful that I get to do this music stuff.  I hope that this year bring me even more fun opportunities.  Thanks for reading and I hope to see you at some show coming up. Check the schedule. OK?