Wow, it’s been a long time since I put anything up here, so I’ll do a big update.  In December I was fortunate to get to travel to Beijing and perform as part of the Booey Lehoo Arts week in support of the State Department’s 100,000 Strong Initiative promoting cultural exchange.  It was an incredible week, and I was lucky enough to have some time between performances to do some exploring as well.  It was my first time to China, and I hope to get to go back soon!  The main concert at the end of the week featured performances by will.i.am, apl.de.ap, John Legend, and Chinese starts Shunza and Sa Dingding.  I got VIP access to the after party, which was a blast.  It was fun to see will.i.am do some guest djing!

In other news, I finished all of the mixing and mastering for the Drexel Project last fall. I haven’t had time to get it out yet, and I’m still deciding on the best way to distribute it, but there will hopefully be an update for that very soon.  Tony, Jim, Rob, Leslie, and Andre did some fantastic playing/singing on our dates at Electrical Audio.  It’s been one of my favorite studios in Chicago, and I’m really excited to get our project out.  Carl Saff also did a great job mastering it.

Speaking of Electrical, Jazzformation also recorded an upcoming album there.  Jim has started a website for the band here. So look for updates on our performances and recordings there.  He also has some nice youtube clips of our now defunct residency at Smokedaddy.

Last fall I also started teaching at Wheaton College as a Guest Lecturer.  In addition to ensemble teaching, I teach private bass lessons there.  If you’re interested in learning more about bass or jazz studies at Wheaton, or are interested in private lessons with me outside of the college, use the contact link above.

Next week I’m excited to hit the road with Dean Windemuller and Open Land for some shows across the Midwest.  January has been very busy with gigs and recording sessions, but I’m looking forward to getting a little more time in February to work on getting the Drexel Project album out and lining up some shows for that band.

Here’s some pics from China: