I guess you could say I invented the blog. . .upside down - in '98....

Well, maybe it's not really a blog, cuz the visitors can't chime in (yet.!.)

But I do keep it up to date; Click ^ above to see the newer stuff. Thanks!
SINCE YOU'VE BEEN ASKING, THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING LATELY:
The Newer Stuff is on the Bottom.(click to go there now)

1998(approx)

I go to my studio in nyc and hire it (and me) out to people who want to make CD's or demo recordings. It's fantasy time for them. . . if they can dream it, they can be it! I do entire synth-orchestrated backing tracks for them, and they can add vocals and eventually burn it onto a CD, their own CD, at my place. (one at a time however.) With computers,

We make their dreams come true

But it can be boring (for me.)

Back in The Day, I worked on alot of "Jingles" (music for a commercial) - Recently, I've done one for a new Mattel toy this year - it's for a "Woody" doll (no, not THAT kinda woody....the one from Toy Story Two!) and it sings - another for some kind of Barbie. (not Klaus, thank you.)

Also alot of music for TV we do, me and a partner from nearby. Also every Friday night I play rock-tail piano at the Empire Diner, on 10th Avenue and W.22nd Street, in NYC, a restaurant/bar

FLASH! - New Piano Gigs Venue - BLACK PEARL RESTAURANT 37 W 26 8-12 Friday Nights

That one is mostly just for fun and practice. Bluesman Jon Paris and my friend Rafael from Caicos Islands, Grand Turk, have been sitting in. An occasional piano gig (with Sinatra-type singers) at Maxim's (swanky vibe, tuxes please...) or a Cabaret gig with a band doing 1940's love songs with a bassist from Julliard, via New Zealand. Another guy, Bruce Carroll, who is as good as Jackson Browne, but not as pretty, I'm producing his masterpiece du jour, and we do occasional gigs, usually at The Lounge, on W. 72 St. in NYC. Jimmy Rip, from Mick Jagger's solo band

(now he's producin Jerry Lee Lewis!!!!)

plays some great guitar for Bruce. Etc, etc. Oh yeah. also Lydia Canaan, the Lebanese Song Goddess, has been recording at my place, and we're doing fab complete Sade-meets-Madonna-meets-Annie Lenox-type tracks for her . . . There's the occasional rap session with my pal Kirk Yano; actually we just ProTools'd an Irving Berlin tribute record featuring Dick Hyman, Robert White and Marilyn Horn... and of course, I'm playing in the orchestra of my younger daughter's school production of Rogers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella."(That was last year...this year, we just finished "Annie" and my kid wasGREAT in it. Etc.PLUS I'm always home for dinner Mondays & Wednesdays. (Those kids grow up so quickly...) Oh yeah, also an independent CD called "Sheniqua's Having a Baby", about a 14 year old black girl giving birth in a crack house; that one is by a NYC school teacher, David Roter, he's a tough guy-intellectual, and the Albert Bouchard, the drummer from Blue Oyster Cult (and the Brain Surgeons) is coproducing. Just gigged with Roter at Arlene's Grocery, down on theLower East Side of nyc. He's OutRageous live! I also played at the High School Graduation yesterday for David's kids: it was at St. Peter's Church, in the basement of the posh mall-like Citicorp center, on Lexinton Ave. at 54th St. (NYC, natch...) They had a brand new pipe organ, a harpsichord, and this groovy Baldwin grand piano. I had to start off with "Pomp And Circumstance" (kinda like 'here comes the Queen'- remember "Queen for a Day', the TV show?....NO! not the autobiography of David Bowie!) The idea was to turn "Queen for a Day" into "La Vida Loca", ((well, the similarities between Ricky Martin and David Bowie will remain unexplored here, except for the mental association I just fell into!)) The kids were so SO cool, and proud to be makin it thru high school, in this tough city, most of them coming to the midtown school (Landmark) by buses from parts of the cruel inner city where having a baby at 16 is more normal than finishing 10th grade. I cried. This one guy, David Rodriguez, won awards for being the best at athletics AND the best grades, and EXTRA studies on top of it! Also this guy named Diaz, said, (and I quote,) "Remember this, brothers and sisters: 10% of life is what happens to you, and 90% of life is HOW YOU REACT. No really! Check it out!" That made my month. And Diaz isn't even goin to go to college for now (he's workin a job already!) Sad note: David Roter, the teacher and rocker, just passed away.....

Recently created some music for a hypnotherapist who makes tapes that can enlarge desirable male and female body parts. I felt like a puppet, and the music came out "New Age"....but hey, I wasn't really THERE,was I?... Believe it or not, she was on Howard Stern recently....and Then there's Rick's Project, he sings great, and it's all so. . . Bossa Nova! Also Biand Fury's psychedelic thrash sessions at Unique Recording, produced by Alfredo Scotti. And a bunch of other stuff for Alfredo (he's SO musical...) like a co-orchestrating an autistic Hawaiian kid's piano piece as Baroque...And Greg Alexander (from the New Radicals) and Natalie Imbruglia's new song-stab....And a benefit fighting Cancer, which involved swimming across Long Island Sound (4 or 5 miles...i ain't doin the swimmin, just the playin...) It goes on and on. And it better! Fun with Music and Money! wooo! One of the most fun things will be the annual concert in the Spring at my kids' school, where we teach the kids some music, and they teach us what is cool. There's an amazing gospel choir, from the Baptist Strait Gate Church of Mamaroneck, led by the Reverend Dana Powell, that sings with us and teaches us. Oh btw, I just finished the organ and synth tracks on 8 of KP Devlin's tunes. Kenny Aaronson is producing this really young funny smart singer songwriter, who reminds me of Dylan, with a cool but more 'modern' voice. AND, of course, my opus,

SEA of SIMILE, the rock opera-cartoon is completely animated through Act 2 ! *MTV* - Where R U ?

NEWER NEWS: 1999(approx)

More recording with Freddi Scotti and BIOND FURY- it's the Beatles, Soundgarden and Pink Floyd all rolled into one, and if it ever gets released, LOOKOUT ! We're recording real pianos and organs now, still at Unique Recorders, NYC.

Sessions at Planet Sound, 251W.30St., with Kirk Yano, and Juju from the Beatnutz and Delmar Brown, from Mars, and Kirk on wah-wah, me on Rhodes and Bass synths....it's lounge jazz, it's strange, it's There's a Riot Goin On (Sly)....it's goooooood. I think it's for some Japanese Company.

I bailed on Mila Drumkey's new album, sorry Mila.

Big Party at Le Ciel Rouge, Chelsea, NYC, Sat. night...it seems 2 classic nyc babes are turning 30 and want the whole world to know it. Some weird piano player they found at the Empire Diner is playing Take Me Out to the Ballgame, for an asian lad¥ who sings at the ballpark, and the Carpenters and Green Day's greatestits too. Oh yeah, and there's gonna be a clown.

We're trying to create music for a website for this German-Brazilian Aromatherapie Conglomerate masquerading as an Extreme Sports Workout. TechnoTommy? I dunno...

Put B-3 organ and clavinet on David McGrath's new CD at Fearless Music, Film Center, NYC. He's a fine singer, and his bro, Tom, has a new CD out too, "Pictures At the Family House". It's full of wild beats (Tom's a drummer,) world instruments, and Mark Egan's bass.

No, I don't often hear from Bryan Adams, but I know he's tearin up the continent and GB as a trio, with Mickey on drums and Keith on guitar, and Jody-Got-Married on everything else.

Writing a book of Song Charts (on music paper) for Meatloaf's upcoming Storyteller's Tour, thanks to my pal Kasim Sulton.

Be sure to check out Eddie Ciletti's site. He's moved to Minnesota, but he's still the best fixer (electronic equipment) in the biz, and he does it by mail-ordure.

Played some Wurlitzer EP and Hammond B3 at my place on Alfredo Scotti's production of this new kid, Dave Phillips. He's pretty good,and way tall! Live gigs on the way, we'll post em here. Kind of like Van Morrison kickin Hootie's butt.

en doing some counselling for a Broken Heart Waitin to Happen. She's got it bad for this guy,and she made one wrong move (or was it just fate?) Now she's tryin to find her way back into his heart; and the road is twisted and fraught with wrong turns and temptation. Good luck,little girl, we're all hopin you'll win this time around...

And Last But Not Least, I entered a TimeWarp....travelled by Ferry Boat to Staten Island, home (and grave) of some of the hardest rockers ever to rock hard....and hooked up with Hilly Michaels, Phil Grande, Kenny Aaronson, John Mombach, Dr. Dave Leonard, John Jarrett , and the amazing Vinny, all of us legends of the 80's who surprisingly made it into the 90's, but aren't too sure about why! Phil's played with Joe Cocker and Blue Oyster Cult, Kenny with Bob Dylan and Billy Idol, Hilly with Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson, Marianne Faithful and Sparks, he's a 'featured artist' in my book too, Jarrett has his own record out on Atlantic Rex, and Mombach knows all but tells no tales. THE REASON for our SAD but POTENT reunion? -> Lifedotcom.com <- David LifedotCom is makin a CD. Check out his (outta)site site; it's up now.

EVEN NEWER: Recorded with Kasim and PATTI RUSSO (Meatloaf's girl singer.) She's hot and you'll be hearing from her real soon, I'm sure of that.

2000 (approx)

Did two or three Tommy Williams sessions at Pie Studios in GlenCove, NY, ( a beautiful studio). This is a workin musician, who, if you close yer eyes and listen, could be Bryan Adams with raunchier guitars and a little less innocence. . .

I've started scoring films again, thanks to my old pal, Freddie Galfas. I know him from when he was John Waite's and then Meatloaf's Tour Manager....He's now teaching film at Hofstra University, and he's started sending me his students who need music for their flix. There are two I'm doin so far: One is about a spirit, giving up the ghost, so that the living can move on with their lives. It's pretty moving, by Joe Sguera. The other one, by Mike Sita and Brian DiLeo, has Einstein, Plato, Hitler, Da Vinci, and Jesus sitting around a smokey card table playin poker while the world goes up in flames. It's a bit more cerebral than Joe's, but I'm still wrackin my brains to come up with (5) musical themes for it. . .

We did the Strait Gate Lions of Judah Chorale comes to the Mamaroneck Avenue Elementary School and brings the house down with the kids singing and dancing too Concert again, on May 19.IT WENT GREAT ! (I say this 2 days after the show...my younger daughter did a great job herself in it...am I partial, being her Dad? no way!) And I did another session, for Mike Nappi, he's good too, kinda subversive. His girlfriend is the AWESOME Camilla, came here from Sweden, and never went back! She's Jack's Nanny. And you DON'T know Jack! Some MIDI work for Net4Music producer, Stephen Flinn. AND an IAN HUNTER gig June 2 at the Bowery Ballroom. Steve Holley on drums, Andy York from Mellen'sCamp on guitar, John Conte, from The Crown Jewels and Company of Wolves, on bass,and me on keys, I guess. IAN again. Wow. I saw his son, Jesse's band American Degenerate, play at CBGB's not too long ago. I guess it's time for IAN to show him how it's done. (Jesse was great, incidentally.) PS> OUR GIG WENT WELL ('cept I lost my 'cell), and it looks like we're gonna play some House of Blues gigs in October. (never happened...)

More work with Kirk.....his Japanese Girl remix, pretty much just me and him is released and BIG. It's called Zooco., she was the lead singer in The Escalators... And now he's moving into .....the Jingle Jungle.....look out Advertizing World. You've met your match.

I'd been filling in for the supertalented Bobby Mayo

, with BILLY REED, a blue eyed soul singing Grandpa, who plays drums like they WISH they could in New Orleans. Tommy Cosgrove is singing his tunes and playing gtar too, and Lincoln Schleiffer and George Lore are sharin the Bass Bin. Billy's got this Hammond M-3 organ that he brings to the gigs and pumps through a Leslie, and when we arrive in his 1970 Convertible Cadillac (RED of course,) he can set that thing up one-handed! (But Steve Siciliano would break his knees if he did, Steve's our over-protective Roadie.)

More Alfredo Scotti sessions too. Baroque arrangements of challenged childrens' piano compositions. Also Greg Naughton sessions (his dad's famous,) and Sam Teller, who is like Chrissie Hynde meets Joan Jett, meets Madame Curie, meets Spider Woman. (Those were Kirk Yano-produced.)

The ever busy Alfredo Scotti put me with MINDY JOSTYN. She plays fiddle, guitar, and sings her sweet heart out. She graced Billy Joel's band for a year or two. This new CD of hers should be out by now.

Just got back from LA, where me 'n' the sultry songster, Rick Miramontez mesmerized a Dizny party of friends and rel's with Tango tunes, sung in Rick's silky tenor, in their original Spanish tongue. Long way to travel for a party, but it was well worth it, even with the 2 hour delay on the runway in Chicago coming back (with my kids!) Rick's voice is sensuous, but he can shake the walls with it too. Just ask his legions of fans, especially the Ohio ones!

And now, (finally) there's a completed TMCD with the Sea of Simile soundtrack pressed on it. It's floating around some angels, along with a CD of Joe's Opera highligts. . . (Joe's Opera was the first popOpera I wrote - it's young & wild.)

"Tearful but Cheerful" my latest CD of synth-instrumentals, is finished as well.

What's diff about T.but C. is that there's real live playing (me). Each track is a piece I composed on Sequencer, and then as it was being recorded, I'd jump around my studio from one synth to another, to the Wurlitzer Electric Piano, to the Hammond B-3 organ, playing along with it, whatever came into my soul at the time. The jamming-on-top idea is what makes it less like musak and more like music, and I hope it invites repeated listening, cuz it's less predictable. (A few of the 18 pieces are JUST me playing live, solonely to the moooooon.)

I recently re-mastered some old recordings, live and studio, by my band, Fluid, you know, from the 60's, and we're tryin to find the guitarist to see if he'd mind putting it out there, on

the Psychedelic Web

It looks like I'll be recording a new CD with Ian Hunter in NYC.

(done, see below)

I'm working at Sarah Lawrence College, outsida NYC, with the foxy theater students there, accompanying, coaching, maybe composing a bit....they're young, they're beautiful, they're talented, sorta like a combination of "Fame" and "Bev Hills 90120".You should hear Lydia Burns sing Bjork,or see Leslie bounce around the stage like a lion cub,or fall under Maude's SirenSongs' Spell.....sexy songs sung like they're s'pposta to be. Not to mention Nehemiah,with the pipes of the Old Testament, to match his name (which means 'builder.') Or Katie, the vulnerable, or Matthew, theBeltingPlaywright...The legendary Shirley Kaplan is my collaborator/gentle-boss.

2001 (approx)

THE LATEST:Joe Blaney, who's engineered for Prince, Keith Richard, The Clash, Charly Garcia, and Shawn Colvin, just produced Pamela Rodriguez, who's gonna be the next Enrique Inglesias, from Argentina. She's actually more like a female Rolling Stone-Small Face-Rockin Goddess, and guys from Keith R's band (Charlie Drayton-drums, guitar,) and Lenny Kravitz' band (Jack Daley-bass) are playin on it too. And Marc Ribot...And Hugh McCracken. And Eddie Martinez. I even got to do some accordion last night! First time since BA Unplugged, maybe. We used Wurlitzer electronic piano alot too, a 60's-70's instrument that Joe B. gets a great sound on. It's easy to play too, - like runnin yer fingers through melted chocolate. So keep an eye out for Pamela. She's an eyeful. (Met her mom too!)

* I'm writing and recording a bunch of Techno-Type tunes these days, thanks to Rebirth™ and Groovemaker™, a virtual drum machine menage á quatre, and a virtual DJ studio, 2 programs for my Macs. (I now use a Powerbook 2000 (the one engineered just BEFORE the new Titanium one,) and a Graphite PowerMac G4/450, (Mac) running Digital Performer software.) but how'r'you gonna hear the music???

+++2 Purim gigs & a picnicgig with Glenn's Klezmer-Ska band coming up in March...and June '01...vocals by Greg Shafritz, the male model with the yarmulke on, and the Hi-IQ.

We're also recording Meghan Lynch, who could be the next Brittney Spears, if she'd only let cynical hacks write her tunes, in the cliche'd Cm-G7 genre that I've been sick of since it first came out...As is, she's 15 and she's got pipes! (and a Cool Dad.) Hey! she just got into college, and you should see her NOW!

I played on Phoebe Snow's new CD last week, Kirk Yano producing. She's still singing great-this one sounds like a classic to me. . .@planet2planetsound (.com).

And in case you're wondering, I've heard from Bryan and Keith by e-mail, and spoken to Dave and Mickey on the phone. I have occasional dreams of Bryan A. too, but as you can see, we're both pretty busy guys. So if you see him, Tell him 'hi' cuz, like Rock'n'Roll, he's been berry berry good to me!. . . . . . . .Tommy

Well, now it's 2001, June. . . things keep rollin on. What's nu?

another KP Devlin CD, he sent me the ProTools file, and I put bagpipes and organ on it and sent it right back to him....

Ian Hunter's CD is released, I'm in there, playing organ and loops. I think he's touring with Ringo's Travelling Show this summer.

There's another David Roter graduation - Landmark School, once again, robbin the inner city of potential criminals, turnin 'em into inspirations. (well that's next week, I'll letcha know if they're still behavin themselves....)

more Kirk Yano ProTools work,

more Empire Diner,

more Sports Muzik,

Tunes coming out of my brain, fingers and Macintoshes...

My girls are growing up. Doin great, thank Goodness. good grades, lotsa sports, etc.

I had a shoulder op, now I'm in physical therapy, at Mt. Sinai Sports Medicine Clinic in NYC. It's really helped.

I can almost scratch my back again!

Me and this Sarah Lawrence singer, Lydia, recorded a great techno-dance tune, with the theme of 'Lolita Matriculates', but I'm not sure

how to market it

. Maybe I gotta stay up late, and go visit

DJ's @2AM in Manhattan's dance clubs

. At least I won't get proofed!

I went to the Bryan Adams show April 27 in New Jersey, and my former bandmates

ROCKED ! ! ! It was great to see

Bryan

Mickey

, and

Keith

, and thanks for the

roses

Having lotsa fun with Photoshop v.7.

Also wrote-sang-recorded a few more tunes....I'm now most-way to another CD-full of T

ommy

ungSong

s.....less synths, more natural. Titles like "

the first time I quit smoking

" (no I don't, never did), '

I'll Wait for You

", "

Listen to Your Heartbeat

" ,"

There's a Reason

" and

"Jule Know".......

(

)

song

2002 (approx)

I'm on the new Joey Ramone record, thanks to my friend Joe Blaney. It's a Christmas tune that Joey and his brother demo'd years and years ago. Sort of like "Free As A Bird", it was finished after he passed away, by adding me and some friends to the original 4-track demo... We used to play with the Ramones @ CBGB's when I was in the Miamis, so I guess it's a fit.

I'm composing music (some of it classical string ensemble) for Margot Roth's art-flick, THE FIFTY NUDE WOMEN PROJECT. It's going quite well, but since the film will be edited to the music, I'm not allowed to see the actual footage.

Played at B.B.King's great club on 42 St, Times Square, NYC, where they really know how to treat musicians, with Jon Paris' band, backing up

Rudy Rae Moore

, the legendary bluesman/comedian/moviestar. He's a mojo man, and he's got a great voice, and a lot of really really really dirty jokes! Some good blues, and old New Orleans Frog Man Henry style Rock and Roll.

Just heard from

Stephen Paley

, famous A&R guru, best man at Sly Stone's wedding, Laura Nyro and Bob Dylan Album Cover Photographer, and Movie Guy. Now he's producing a weekly Radio Show, and

at is coming back to NYC!

Hey Stephen, let's have lunch.

My work @ Sarah Lawrence College is winding down for the year, after 3

Song Nights

, featuring College Kids singing songs by

Laura Nyro

and The Velvet Underground, The Stones, Esthrow, Harold Arlen, The Crystals, and Desir'ee. Just TRY to imagine!

What's next?

The FACULTY SHOW - I guess I'm supposed to play piano behind

drunken Professors making funny fools of themselves

. Watch here for updates!

UPDATE

They were and they did.

Gigging tonight at The Cutting Room, 19 W. 24 Street, NY, NY with

Greg Shafritz Band

Hilly Michaels

is playing the drums, and he's in top form (Just ask him!) We're cutting new tracks at Chris Anderson's Nevessa Studios in Woodstock too.

As you probably noticed, I've finally figured out how to sell my CD's. These wonderful guys in Oregon take some of the bizness off of my hands, so that they (

my hands

) can get back to the keyboards.

Please take a minute to visit

CDBaby.com.

Currently, there are 4

CD's

of songs posted, (

"..id...", Watusi, Every Dog, and The Enlightenment of Age,

) and 6 instrumental

CD's

, some of which are

synthesizer

, & some

piano music

There are more on the way, both from my

wonderful years of youthful passion and certainty
and also from my
mellow middle age of parenthood, angst, acceptance, and wisdom.

2003 (approx)
Boy, it's been a while!
I played Jimi Hendrix' 60th would-be-birthday, with JON PARIS at B.B. King's club, NYC.
Hiram Bullock came and sat in awesomely. They have a great keyboard setup there-fun for me....
and I brought along my trusty little Yamaha CS-2x to do "The Burning of the Midnight Lamp" w/JP...
We're doing a new Dana Powell-Gospel Choir concert with children, on 3/14/03...AND a CD of it.
Recorded on a new Japanese Album for Sushi Kosugi from Beat on Beat Productions with a cool band:
T-Bone Wolk on bass (Hall & Oates, etc,) Anton Fig on drums (Late Night w/Letterman band)
Jon Herrington on guitar, Roy Hendrickson from the old Power Station, mixing...Akira Sudoh producing.
We recorded at Tony Bennett's kid's studio in NJ. . . the place used to be a train station-
Check it out : the tracks go right by the window.
Played with Benny Landa and Steve Holley at The C-Note, east Village. Lotsa fun.
Still recording TV music tracks; Still workin at Sarah Lawrence College....
Still playin piano at the Empire Diner, w.22 st @10th ave, most Friday nights...
Did I put on a bit of weight..?..Gail is rubbin my stomach like a Buddha.
Diet-I oughta try It...actually I am now officially on a Diet.

My daughters are so strong! One's 16, and awesome. The other's 12 and a-mazing.
I just wish we all could make this world a better place for them. . . They'll survive.
JOHN KERRY COULD have HELPed.

quick insert:

GEEZ, 4 years later, and Now It's

O B A M A

Things look good 19 days before the election.
I'm prayin hard for this one.

back to 2004....

I mini-chat with Bryan Adams from time to time....
I picked up a couple of newish synthesizers (Roland XV-88 and Yamaha Motif) and an old Pump Organ.
But I'm still using MacOS 9.2....
WELL ACTUALLY 10.2.8 on this iMac Flat-Screen, I picked up for nexta nothin at The Wiz...
JUST BOUGHT a Roland V-SYNTH. IT is SOO COOL> (I had to sell my Juno 60 to pay fer it...)
New Sessions:
Hiromi Go, the Legend - and a Gentleman. Thanks for the Saki, Hiromi-san! It was D-licious!
Janie Coulter Ross - songstress, dog-mistress, and compassionate soul...Nancy Bender on Vocals.
Those Rude Boys @ Kirk's Planet - Hey Jonny Boy - where ya sleepin tonight?!!
And how bout Joe D's singer with Sarah Vaughn's pianist, putting Mariah C. to shame? Hope you liked my synth track...
AND the jazz-hop track we did at my place last week too !
Kirsten Thien-her too newCD;BennyLanda,SteveHolley,EricBoyd & me @DumboStudios(!)
In The Pit of :Peter Pan (the show) at Mamaroneck Ave. School - Nov 21-22 !

2004(approx)
I just did an interview with a Bryan Adams fans site - it might answer some of yer questions. . .
I "Spoke" with Bryan just the other day. He's snappin' an' happenin'.
Brady Rymer is this cool guy; a rocker, with a bit of a country influence, who got off the road to have kids (kinda like me, but different time-line) and all of a sudden, his new tunes, were. . . KIDS' TOONS. . . So he makes childrens' CD's now; I was lucky enuff (thanks to Dan Meyers at Dumbo Studios, nyc) to play on his latest batch last week, and we're both still Hi from the experience. Check out his site! gigs comin up.
On March 19, Dana Powell & her Circle of Life Choir, plus a kickin band, featuring Derek Talton (and me!) on keyboards, Matthew's brotherGeorge on Drums and MPC, Curtis Savage on guitar, George Lohre and Tommy Dreds on bass, Steph Chinn on trumpet, and Frank Valdez on percussion, and the Perfoming Artist students from Mamaroneck Avenue Elementary School, will be rocking the house at Hommocks Middle School Auditorium, Boston Post Road (US1) and Weaver Street (NY125), in Larchmont, NY. If you can get there, you will thank me, I guarantee. I'll be there too, to say "told ya so".
Some of our tunes are "You Can Lean On Me" by Kirk Franklin, "Step By Step" by Whitney, "Gotta Use My Imagination" by Gladys Knight and the Pips, "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahantas, (by Steven Schwartz and Alan Menken), and "Random Act of Love" by Al Jareau, written by Siddah Garrett, and 2 original tunes by the amazing Milton Vann, formerly of The Boys' Choir of Harlem.
THE SHOW WENT GREAT, btw.
Tommy Williams, that tireless Rocker is at it again, and. the loon, he's draggin me along with him to make that B-3 blend with his Hamer Guitar, tickling eardrums and memories on The Island.
It looks like I'm gonna be playin with Louie Flek at BB King's on Times Square, NYC, as part of a tribute to Robert Moog, with Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson, Deodato, Jason Miles, Jordan Rudess, a keyboardguyfest. Bob Moog himself was there too, and very accessible. Also Ernie Rideout, the editor of Keyboard Magazine - quite the California Dude, tho he lives here with me in the Big Apple now... May 18, 2004. Bring yer Reggae. Oh THAT was FUN !
Daughter Jade's Bat Mitzvah - One Week from Today ! ! !
She's amazin us all. She ROCKED. So did Dylan's Candy Bar for the Party.

well, now it's August . . . another Japanese record with Sushi - ARASHI -big in Nippon.
working with Tony T and Victor, up and comers, also the Elegante Gloria Chiesi,Still doin the Diner, last night was a Par-Tay, if I do say. Donavon, you're gorgeous.
I've been playin on the new Jeff Salen (from the Tuff Darts) CD; so is Tommy Ramone, Jon Paris, Big Ed Sullivan, and Howie Finkel...The music is raucus and real. The studio, Laughing Buddha, is in this cool building down the street from Studio 54, it's crawlin with music.

Just yesterday, I met the guys from SED They were recording at my friend, Kirk's studio, Planet2Planet, down on W.30 St. After they let me play on a coupla excellenttunes, it sounded like a Nirvana-DeepPurple luvfest. thanks,guyz, and the lovelyAnita too. I'm designing their logo.jk

I'm-off-to-see-the-BryanAdams-band-at-Jones-Beach-2morrow- night.-I-haven't-caught-the-act-since-Bryan-added-back-members-on-bass-and-keys.
I-'ll-letcha-knowh-ow-great-it-was soooooooon...
It was So fun. They rocked. I got to hug Adams, meet Gary, the new keyboard player, ate some of Manu's cooking. . .

I be jammin 8/6 with the John Jared band, with Tony Beard on drums (Hall n Oates), Ray Gomez on guitar (Stanley Clarke) and John Mombach on bass (yo mama.) at the SandBar in J-city. Jared had a few CD's out, and he's just returned from an extended stay in Jamaica. The Island, mon, not Queens.
Then I gotta hustle to make it to the Empire Diner for the usual Friday night piano thang.

Today, I attended WEDDSTOCK, 3 hours of Peace Love and Music in Great Neck, actually the wedding party of Tommy Williams and Holly Ann LaRocka.
I had the time o my life. playin B-3 and diggin everyone's trip!!! Soon, you kin go to tommy's website for the FULL story. See ya later.!.

Hello again- it's getting chilly here in November in NYC.
The election really threw us for a loop. How could it have happened?
Gotta keep working for sanity and peace. That's what I think. But it's amazing how far we have to go. . .
Oh well, lotsa gigs to keep my mind off the divided and misled state of our country:
Kirsten Thien - more sessions - this time at my place - putting down some real Hammond B3 organ tracks through my old Leslie speaker...And that old beige Wurlitzer electronic piano from yesteryear decided to tone down it's buzzzzzzz to a minimum, so we could put it too, on Kirsten's chic yet heartfelt and rockin toons as well.
Zack Resnicoff, the cutting edge filmmaker has been over here doing tracks for all sorts of productions.
Scott Morehouse, who knows more Asian Dancers than Gammy Lahn, just left. I played synth bass on his new toons. He played synth-colors. He's quite a drummer too - we work at Sarah Lawrence together when they decide to do a show...
Mamaroneck Avenue School is doin Cinderella again, and me and my Yamaha Motif synth are 1/5 of The Pit. Luckily I kind of know the songs from the last time we did this Rogers and Hammerstein Show there. . . Steph Chinn is the maestro, and Maria McDaniel, Julliard graduate and grandmother, is the hot pianist. Her son, Bruce is slummin on bass.
Looks like I'll be doin doo-wop adaptations of some speeches from The Taming of the Shrew, for Dee O'Brien, Mamaroneck's most beloved Director, and my kid's English teacher. I'm gonna call it Shrew-wop! Gotta get to it.

Well, I'm off to brunch with mom, see ya later!
Now it's later. Just jammed with Jon Paris at BB King's Christmas Eve (after the Empire Diner.) I'm told it was good...
Wrote a new song or two. Will post the mp3 here soon?
SawIanHunteratBBKing's-greathugs,androckinband.Goodmemories.
NEW YEAR'S EVE GIG - (after the Diner) - (also with Jon Paris) at The Cutting Room, 19 W. 24 St, NYC - 212-691-1900.

2005 ??????!!!!!!
Well here we are: February Already!@!
Kirsten Thien keeps writing these great tunes, and my organ aches to play on them. (actually, the last 2 sessions we did for her, the organ broke both times!!!!- well, the Leslie Speaker the first time. all fixed now!) She came over today with ANOTHER one!(tune, not organ). And her BassMan, Eric. . . it's gonna be SOME album: &nowIT'sDONE!
Ryo Hayashi, the moviemaker associate of Zack Resnicoff has made his own short:
It's very cool, a bit X-rated, and it's called The Workout. We're doing some soundtrack work at my studio, featuring Jon Paris on guitar me on B-3. (and MOTU's Digital Performer v.4.5.2 sequencing (D.A.W.) program.)
Gonna be playing on Greg Pickard's new album. He was in The Revelons, a CBGB's band, and a neighbor of Jimmy from the Miamis, also a CB's band. Greg's a visual artist, and a dad too. thanks for the tasty soup, Mindy.
Speaking of Greggs, there's a Gregg Shafritz Band gig at Cutting Room, NYC, on March 10. (same night that my old bud and boss, John Waite is playing at BBKing's Blues Club on Times Square....drat!) The last gig I did with Mr. Shafritz, Cindy Blackman from Lenny Kravitz was the drummer. This time it's gonna be Kevin Hupp. whooo! I played with Kevin, once with Boppin the Blues and Jim Gregory, R.I.P. the bass player with The Smile. Miss you, Jim. Kevin's got a studio upstate a bit, where you send him your ProTools session, and he plays and records drums on it, and sends it back. And he only does COMPLETE TAKES! the flow rules.
Jim Keller, from Tommy Tutone (637-5809-i-i-ine) and me reconnected after many years. There's a jam session he's been running at The Conte Brothers' space. He's written some James-Tayloresque songs that I really like too.
I wrote this cool new song, starting with a U2 like groove on the Yamaha Motif sequencer, then added vocals reaching out to all my brothers and sisters everywhere, lettin them know that secrets are cool, but it's also cool to let it out and tell it like it is, and then put the V-Synth, the Hammond B-3, a heavily chorused Roland D-550 module, and a vintage Prophet T-8 on it. Called "Keep It In Yer Pocket" or as my lady likes to call it, "Secret in yer Pocket."....I'm in luv with it, but I'm not sure how to post it here for you to hear. So that makes 7 new ones since the cdBaby and iTunes Store release of "The Enlightenment of Age", my last vocals CD, including NFD (not funny, dad) - a rap I did for my daughter, "Your Love Is Like a Stone", this melange of Paul Carrack, Country & Western music, Spike Jones, and the Monkees, inspired by my indescribable feelings for the infinitely charming Gail, "Money", an instrumental designed to attract just that, but hopelessly naive in that conceit, "Get Rid of Bushman", a remake of my 70's smash, "Mother Me, Baby", with obvious lyric intent, and the a capella masterpiss in the Leon Russell/Willis Alan Ramsey mold, "It Might As Well Be Christmas" . . . Oh, and XmasLonely too, a sweet li'l 1 minute ins-true-mental So that's my songwriting status at present...
Just did a session with Bandcamp - here's their site.They're a really cool self-contained 4-piece band with 2 guitars, and one of the guitarists and the drummer are brothers. They write some really powerful and heart twingin songs. And cute ?!?!?!?! ubet. Anyway, check em out. They wanted an Alien Touch on the new CD (I think it's on Atlantic or an Indy distributed by Atlantic....) So their producer, Dave McNair, (he's produced Good Charlotte and John Mayall) called me up to play a bit of piano. Never had so much fun (or such good coffee, as the day before yesterday, thank you, Andrew....) at Brooklyn Recording studio. You gotta see this place! ! ! ! ! ! I don't know which is more mind-staggering: owner Andy Taub's vintage keyboard collection(Ace Tone organ, 2 kinds of vintage Wurlitzer electronic pianos, B-3 (of course), pump organ, Octagons, 2 farfisas, red sparkle top (custom) Rhodes Suitcase, eminee organs (i could pass on those...) or the sheer size and opulence of his multi-loft building in Brooklyn (check out the site, I guess, and decide for yerself.) Seems I'll be goin back there next week - one more song needs that Octogenarian Tommy-Touch. can't wait.
Turns out I played on a few other tunes, including a combo organ track that kept me dancin below the waist.
And thanks Gerard, for your generosity, in the face of Atlantic's bogus jive walkin. Matty! Sean! SEE YA SOON?!!!

Now it's almost 2006, and I'm back playing GOSPEL MUSIC with DANA POWELL and the kids at Mamaroneck Avenue School again.
"Performing Artists" we call em, and the show is in April. Milton Vann, Kathy Savage, Joan Chess & George's Band also star.
Just finished doing The Wizard of Oz at the same venue. I used my Yamaha Motif. Bob Leinback's daughter played violin.
Brady Rymer's new CD, EVERY DAY IS A BIRTHDAY is coming out REAL soon. Will Lee told me he digs it.
Ricky Shutter (the original Godspell drummer) and Boppin Becky Beaudin and Bro and I are rockin
THE HARVARD CLUB, NYC on New Year's Eve, or so it seems.....
Did I tell ya I played B3 for Sushi'sBEAT on BEAT Productions at AVATAR Studios, which was the studio we recorded a lot of Bryan Adams' Albums at when it was called POWER STATION back In the Day?
The CD was for Satori Shiraishi, from Orange Range.
And of course, Sarah Lawrence's college students are singing up a storm in Dave McRee's class.
You gotta hear Erica, Emily, Hunter, Danielle, Sarah, Amanda, and the rest of em. Wish Icould singlikethat!
O I wrote a coupla new songs, since Keep it In Yer Pocket. And an instrumental is in the works too.

Alexy Kogan is rockin Soho's most beautiful ProTools room, VodaMuzik, courtesy ofme and my friend, Alfredo Scotti.
His music sounds like a cross between Aerosmith and Shostakovitch.
Speaking of old Dmitiri, Iwas just reading this "fictional" book about him at Borders...
Called....er....I'll have to get back to you with the Title. Sorry. Alzheimers.
EUROPE CENTRAL, by William Vollmann That's It!

Next on th List, BRADY RYMER - check out his website.
I think I've played on his last 3 CD's, and now some gigs are coming up.
He writes really rockin KIDS' SONGS!

I played with The Drifters over the weekend.
The current ones are 4 great black singers, and they can dance too...
We did Up on the Roof, On Broadway, There Goes My Baby, and other hits of theirs.
Funny 'bout the Drifters - they had many big hits in the 50's and early 60's,
But their lead singers kept getting 'solo deals' : goin off on their own and making hits.
Ben E. King; Clyde McPhatter, TommyMandel, all started out as lead singer for the Drifters.
Just kinda drifted off on their own I guess.
Oh wait- Tommy Mandel never was a Drifter*But he did PLAY with em Saturday Night...

My Latest CD of songs, called
Curio-City
~or~
How I Got Myself Killed
Is now available at cdbaby (hard copy) and the iTunes Store (Digital Download)
Pick one up. It's got some cool stuff on it. Lotsa politix too, I'm sorree 2 say...
Matter of Fact, my whole 'catalog' or most of it, is also for sale there.!.
See all my CD's at the Apple iTunes Store online, or u kin search for "Tommy Mandel" there...

Well, I've got one daughter (the Pre-Med one) doin Organic Chemistry at the kitchen table
And now I gotta go pick up the little one (the basketball hiphop Chinese whiz), so

LATER

Had some (more) fun at Fred Smith's playing surreal keyboards for Greg Pickard of

The Revelons. The Giants won too! Mark Suall, who played exemplary guitar, was therre too. . .it struck me as a Production Troika vibe.

CD coming out soon

U REST IN PEACE HILLY. . . Thanks for all the Support you gave us

Wow- I just got out of Planet2Planet, playing for DJ Logic...his new one...
It was this Billie Holiday song, but the music was ALL different, and...um....Logical.
Sweet.
Then I tumbled up to BB King's Blues Club in Times Square and Jon Paris was kind enuff to invite me to play the 2nd set with him. Jimmy Kunes (from the new Cactus) was singing like Paul Rogers, Amy Madden on Bass, Andy Bigan on drums, and Jon was, as always, being. . . Jon. Fun.
Next@Mamaroneck Avenue School? ~ Seussical ~ Bruce McDaniel ~MD-from NineMensMorris Band!
Laurie Gage and Steph Chinn, Greg Antonelli and 2 other Local Heroes Fill the Bill

Is it really 2007?!?!

anyway...

i did sit in with my old band, Bryan Adams, including Bryan, Mickey Curry (drums), Keith Scott (lead guitar) and the 'new' members -

Gary Breit and Norm Fisher, when they played @ The Beacon Theater in NYC this past January. It was fun and surreal.

What else? Nine Men's Morris hosted a show featuring Vanese Thomas and I got to play with both acts. Vanese is an incredible singer,

her father is Rufus Thomas (of Walkin the Dog fame) and her sister, Carla, sang Gee Whiz, one of my favoritely wistful sexy ballads of all time.

Brady Rymer has a new CD that's in the final stages, with Dan Myers once again co-producing, this time in this hidden high-tech studio in the basement of building in Hell's Kitchen, where you open the door and expect to see the Janitor's broom closet, and instead see vintage Studer Analog 24 track tape machines, Trident consoles, ProTools, real pianos - it's called Threshhold, but we thought TimeWarp might be a good moniker. This time, I was adding organ tracks to his live keyboardist, Seth's excellent already-recorded tracks, and it was the usual fun-love fest. Brady also takes me along occasionally to play live, like in December in Montauk for the Elvis Presley of Socialism, Vic's 90th birthday party. This guy has started unions, taught in the NYC school system, and I hear he does a mean cha-cha.

Some great acts I've been lucky enough to see/hear lately: Ellen Foley

@ The Lakeside, in Alphabet City, in fact here's a video we did in the early days of rock videos, in some loft

Bob Duncan and Scott E. Moore double bill @ The Sidewalk Cafe, also in the East Village. Mikey Ice's International Rap Fest in Tribeca, The Apple Developer's Conference, midtown...

<>Played live with Kirsten Thien, and her boss rhythm section of Johnny Pisano (bass) and Dylan Wissing (drums) at Penang, Benny Landa recording awesome Beck-like guitar tracks (Jeff, that is!) and musing on the strangeness of our world in general - girls and music business in particular...A touch of programming for Patti Smith's Tony Shannahan before their Bowery Ballroom New Years gigs...A bunch of keyboards, including my Hammond B-3, at my place, for
David Abbinanti
- a talented singer/songwriter from the Island. Should be out soon. . .

This Thursday, I'm goin into the Juvie in Brooklyn to teach the young inmates
Midi Programming and Digital Audio Recording trix. . . We can't make CD's, because they haven't been sentenced yet, and if they get off, there has to (legallly) be no record of them ever having been incarcerated. Strange, but I'm hoping to learn as much as I teach. (if I get out alive!)
OOOOWWWW! - that was just amazing - sad and deep.
The young inmates walked around like they were whipped puppies
Well, not all of them: out of 10, there were maybe 3 or 4 PROUD ones.
But all of them were very curious to reach out and be reached out to by someone from the Outside.
This place was in a not so great but not so horrible section of Brooklyn, behind barbed wire.
Old brick building. Inside, (after the metal detectors and double locking bulletproof glass doors)
it was kind of like a 50 year old elementary school or a hospital in decor.
These 10 teenagers were brought in to the small classroom where I had set up my rig for the day
(Apple PowerBookG4 Ti/667DVI with Digital Performer,
Ensoniq ASR-x sampling drum machine,
Shure SM57 microphone,
Yamaha Motif 6 synth workstation,
Roland MA80 (i think) Powered Speakers.)
The social worker-inventor of this program, Alex Rivers, a cool young guy, talked for a while,
I showed some old records that I had played on (Alex said that would give me street cred)
Then I tried to show em how sequencing worked and explain the difference between MIDI and Digital Audio recording,
And gradually they started drifting - you know, losing interest a bit....
So Alex goes - HEY LET'S MAKE A BEAT!
So this really tall Asian kid with glasses makes a beat with his mouth, and I don't sample it, but I transcribe his 'notes' into a 2 bar MIDI sequence - playing a Hip Hop kit on the Motif.
Then then start to come alive! (They can relate to this. . . )
(the startling part's coming up)
A few minutes later, one of the other guys has come up saying "It needs a snare"
(it already had a snare!)
But I show him the drum pads on the ASR-x and say 'You put one in.'
We can't find the sound he's looking for, and it turns out he means "a hi-hat cymbal".
So he records one, and it's cool, but i wanna jazz it up,
so we record its Audio into Digital Performer, and I REVERSE it (in DP - a plug-in.)
So now we've got the 'mouth beat' and this kid's reverse hi-hat track, kind of Beatle-y,
And - that seems to be enuff in the Music Dept.
NOW IT NEEDS A VOCAL.
no one will get up, so me, I do the dumbest rap that comes into my mind/mouth for 4 bars.
Once they see how lame THAT is, then they ALL wanna do one themselves!
So first one kid gets up, I give him the mike and he does 16 bars IN SPANISH!
And like, it's totally crafted - all worked out - like he's spent his miserable days inventing this crystalized perfect embodiment and expression of his pain and 'understanding' of the world and the way it works.
ONE TAKE.
it's done.
Then this other guy gets up, and I give him the next 16 bars, and
HE DOES HIS THING.
Same deal- completely rehearsed, in perfect rhythm and rhyme, tuff funny and very sad.
Angry of course.
But nothing like the 3rd and Last Guy,
The Big Asian.
"I'm a Gangster" he goes.
And then 32 bars of the meanest most misguided but well thought out rhyme and rhythm rapping.
I put different electronic effects on each of their parts.
And it's mixed and done.
Alex Rivers says - you know these guys are Juveniles, and legally, there can be no public record that they have ever been incarcerated until they are of age.
So no recording of this can leave this facility.
Time to leave.
"Come back," one of them tells me.
But by the time I do, it will be a new crew-
those young men were only in there awaiting sentencing.
That period is usually about 2 weeks.
The one other thing I will say, is that the few staff members that I met in the place, were all, in my 1st impression, very very good people. I'll leave it at that.
end of story.

Here's an interview I did with Bryan Adams' Dutch fan club. There's a link to their site at the end.

Current Giglets: James McGovern @ the Slipper Room, Michelle Myers Benefit @ The Hudson Theater,
James Tommy (TuTone) Keller @ Brooklyn Shiatsu Center, and the Diner as Usual.

'M BACK AGAIN - Almost October (2007)

some Brady Rymer Gigs
!! VOTE for BRADY for a GRAMMY !!
best kids' record of the year
2 new Piano Songs (since I gave up my addiction to Day Trading stox)
And another one, called "You Smiled" but I'm not sure how it goes from there!

oh yeah:

You SMIIIIIIIILED at me and really blew my mind:
What was I to do?
Such a SMIIIIIIIIILLE
mmm-mm-mmm-mm-mmm-mm

(yeah, need more lyrix, i guess
But the music is sweet : )

stopped Making up RingTones
more fun grabbin em off my record collection
New Song recording session(s) with Hilly Michaels - AMAZING power pop ballad
Bandcamp demos for their new CD - did I already mention that?
Indro gig in the Village - CD release party - pretty interesting
Recording my Pump organ for Sesame Street or some such show
BeatleStock fill-in - Tommy as Billy Preston (I wish!)
13 new awesome singer-actor students at Sarah Lawrence
Didn't play there, but witnessed Evertt Bradley and Alex Alexander's wild jam in that park in the East Village..
But i *did* play a bit - sitting in with an excellent band, at my HS Reunion. Thanks to Joe Rinaldi,
he was the other hot organist in my class at Mamaroneck HS back in the day.
My kid's playing BASS now! and I'm a proud poppy over THAT one!
Been to Colorado, Michigan and Massachusetts and back.
I been working with a fine singer and human, Mr. William David McCree.

Well here it is, Passover, 2008, and it's time to tell you the new stuff:
Empire Diner cheaped out - no more piano players, but luckily my pal Dave Leonard hired me to play Fridays at his cool seafood restaurant nearby,
BLACK PEARL
It's in the Flatiron district, not far from the Empire D, but the vibe is richer younger and hipper. And the food is mmmmmSoYummy.
Well, THAT gig ended after the summer - they up and SOLD the place!
Here's my new location:

TOMMY MANDEL - SOLO PIANO
DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON
at

INDIAN ROAD CAFE & MARKET

It's UPTOWN, and it's COOL.
Manhattan, NYC, NY, USA, NA, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, Universe #93,000,623, G-d's Mind
Real good Food, Great Bartender hip staff, Nice Piano, friendly eaters and drinkers, er, patrons.

Just finished playing in Bruce McDaniel/Steph Chinn's pit-band for Sound of Music.
Rogers and Hammerstein really knew how to write tunes, I'll say.

I been Playing B-3 on sessions for Euphoria at Acme Recording Studios.
That is one class act, Euphoria. And Acme has an amazing and aesthetic set-up for recording Hammond Organ.
Peter Dennenberg, the co-owner/engineer, did Spin Doctors and Mick Ronson's last mixes.

Bryan Adams has a photography exhibit in NYC, as well as an acoustic gig here both in May.

I'm going to Sweden to play with Ellis Hooks. Tommy Williams is the band-leader on that one.
And I think the bass player is Muzz Skillings from Living Colour.
And an AMAZING AMAZON young girl-drummer from Roy Ayers.
But before that, it's time for the Traditional Gender Bending of another
Sarah Lawrence College Song Night - May 1,2,3 !

Speaking of Sarah Lawrence, The Music Dept. has been kind (and smart lol) enuff to hire me to work with
Thomas Young, the vocalist and professor. Words can not describe this guy.
I'd suggest going to his website, and checking him out.
When I get the strength, I'll try to put a page up about him.
He's hip, smart, and has an infinite amount of experience and wisdom to impart to his lucky students.

Nick Barnes' new CD is coming out soon.
He's a street-smart Brit with a heart the size of Kansas. I help him out with keyboards,
(he sends me his songs as mp3, and I add my music to them, mix it up, and send them back to him.)
we may have met once (he insists we have, but my memory ain't that good!) back in my Dire Straits days...
But since that was 25 years ago, I guess you could forgive me for forgetting : )
It's different, working on music with someone without even being on the same continent as them
(does that mean we're incontinent? hope not...)
But it seems to work. Nick has also been cool enuff to plug a few of my tunes on his radio programs.
(Oh did I tell you - he's become a dj too - in Canada, England and Holland.)

over and out

Wow, the Revelons' CD just came out and it's awesome! (to use an overused and possibly, by now, anachronistic, epithet)

Hilly Krystal, the mellow biker, founder of CBGB's passed away, as you probably know by now.
He was always open to new and off the beaten path ideas, like The Miamis, for example.
Bye Hilly. Looking Up to You.

I been playin with this great bass player, Lincoln Schleifer, (thanks to another one, Zev Katz!)
Saw Steely Dan last night at The Beacon Theater-
but the biggest thrill was watchin my girlfriend dance to (i'm never goin back to) My Old School - their Finale.
(Actually her HS reunion was 2 weeks ago, and we DID go!
Met Adam Nagourney of NY Times there.
Made him smile. Well, he was smiling already.
I guess I broadened the smile a bit.)

I've been fortunate enough to be working (again) with matthew bair, the lead singer/guitarist from Bandcamp.
I played on their CD's (augmenting Sean Gould, an interesting musician on many levels!)
Well Bandcamp is now defunkt, but Matt is doing all sorts of amazing things.
He's in EVE6 now ! Going to Japan like, yesterday.. .. ..
He's also gonna be on The Real World next Wednesday (June 25 -same day I go to Sweden - DRAT! I'll miss it.)
Anyway I'm helpin out on his solo project, it's called SEQUEL.
More soon on that, like, links, etc.

More recent gigs and giglets included
The Hot S**T All-Stars-
Deep Purple Tribute at BB. Kings
Jimmy Kunes (Cactus) vocals, Greg Smith (Nuggent & Movin Out) bass & vocals,
Angus Clark (TransSiberian Orchestra) extreme Guitar, and Young Charlie Z drums.
(love how they feed the musicians at BB's -
He must have promised himself at one tuff gig on the Chitlin Circuit (or 1000) that when he struck it rich and had his own club,
no musician would ever go hungry there. It's heartwarming how well everyone there treats the bands. Like a family.

*
Julian Civange French GlamourGuy from La Place -
Our last CD's tracks are on a Space Probe that just passed Saturn, or will soon
More recording at Tommy's Place, NYC -
into Logic
And Beyond!

*

James McGoven and Kirsten Thien gigs around and about town.

*

Mini-Tour of Sweden with US Blues-Rock Street Hero Legend
Ellis Hooks
with Bass Player from Living Colour and Camille Gainer on Drums and of course Tommy Williams MD/Guitar

*

Sarah Lawrence has started up again, some great kid-singers this year,
For me to accompany, coach, turn on to the great music of yesteryear (they're open to it too!)
And for me to get turned on to some more recent goodstuff:
sample:
Conor Oberst, lotsa Gwen St., John Legend, Alicia Keyes (well, I'll hafta get backatcha on that one...)
Vintage Nirvana, Jeff Buckley, Aretha singing Sam Cooke, Bowie of course (they all like him)
One kid writes her own stuff on ukelele, and she's a real rocker, I worry for her.
Then there's this divine born again who sings like the 2nd coming, and
a blonde from SoCal with a voice and the gift of drama,
and a guy who could be the X-Man that sings,
and another hard rockin guy and
a repeat offender who sings
The Pretender
all genders
tender
is th
ni

*

The Miamis Greatest Hits CD
soon to be released
(We played at CBGB's and Broadway Charlie's in the days of Blondie, Takling Heads, Richard Hell, post-NY Dolls)
(and David Johansen used to come in and sing Sinatra's THAT'S LIFE w/us)

*
LOVE AS LAUGHTER - HOLY - Recorded at Joe Blaney's Studio - Me on Joe's Old Piano, and Hammond B-3.

*

Pretentious? Moi? ME: - SOLO PIANO
DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED (I'm hoping for THURSDAYS)
at

INDIAN ROAD CAFE & MARKET - in the Inwood neighborhood, Manhattan

Try It - You Gonna Like it!

Manhattan, NYC, NY, USA, NA, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, Universe #93,000,623, G-d's Mind
Real good Food, Great Bartender hip staff, Nice Piano, mello eaters and drinkers, er, patrons.

Gigi Fouquet is rockin her early-twenties lifestyle, eighties-lovin sweet-singin good-loookin ♫ chick-a-rina world -
aaaand she's lucky, smart and tasty enuff, ♫to have ME in her band! (along with Alex A. Keith G. and Kareem Devlin, q.v...
Check us out at her next gig - she sings like the love ♫child of Counting Crows' singer (Adam) and Janis Joplin.
But with better rhythm (she velly fun-kee) and much better pitch. ♫Great songs too,
My favorite one is
Surrender...

<><><><>

CD sessions:
♫Alan Wauters Project♫
♫Danielia Cotton♫
Live:
@ B.B. Kings
Tommy Williams/Kenny Forgione Present
Bangladesh - The 3rd Year
@all over town:
Big Beat featuring vocalist extraordinaire, Peter Brown

IT's BEEN WAY too long. . .
Tomorrow, 2010 occurs

But the end of 2009 brought some really gratifying work my way.
Specifically 3 gigs:

Holidelic -
Everett Bradley's tribute to Christmas and Funk, can best be described by his site, so I will say no more. Go. Now : )
PS. the gigs were fantastic - GREAT band

Alex Alexander - drums
Keith Golden - bass
Vini Miranda - guitar
Me - keys
Conrad Korsch - upright bass, bg's
Nicki Richards - bg's and occasional lead vocals
Celia Chavez - bg's and creative organization
Amanda Homi - vocals and exotic percussion
Daniel Mintseris - keyboardist emeritus

guests:
Lucy Woodward - Mother Mary and Sheila the Schwinger
Jonathan Arons - Trombone and Dance
Elaine Caswell and Shawn Pelton - vocals and SpaceDrum Grooves
William Galison - Chromatic Harmonica
Kiku Collins and her Amazon Horn Section

<><><><><><><>

Chipp Kidd and Mars Trillion's Artb reak may be an acquired taste,
but like good scotch, I acquired it, and will be coming back for more.
We played Dixon Place last night, with a great rhythm section, whom I know
mostly from Kirsten Thien's band:
Dylan Wissing - drums
Johnny Pisano - bass
Paul Shellack - guitar
Chipp is another unique and tough-to-describe artiste.
Kind of like Tom Jones and Truman Capote all rolled into one.
I was assigned to trigger Mars' beautifully nightmarish samples,
but I did get to rock and funk out too.
Plus Marco's and Paul's kids were there!

<><><><><><><>

&
Finally,
Fabulous Freddie Khaw
put together another steady but wild bunch
of responsible crazies that used to be musicians but are now family men,
to back
up 3 fine chinese
recording stars in Atlantic City
and I was one of these crazies. I say crazy,
because it's a full 20 hours between pickup and dropoff,
and if you get 2 hours sleep you are extremely extremely luck, cuz
it's all
driving, linecheck,
eating, rehearsing, rehearsing more
(with the artists, some of whom have just gotten off
of the plane!) then eating more, changing into gig clothing in room,
and finally, PLAYIN YER *SS OFF! - hitting the stage at 1:15 AM ! ! ! ! !
(but)
with the fabulous
"STAGE CREW" dancers
from Queens, no one was falling asleep, believe me!
dig
the
xms
tree
vibe?

back home

I guess you could say I invented the blog. . .upside down - in '98....

But I do keep it up to date; Click ^ above to see the newer stuff. Thanks! SINCE YOU'VE BEEN ASKING, THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING LATELY: The Newer Stuff is on the Bottom.(click to go there now)

LATER

Had some (more) fun at Fred Smith's playing surreal keyboards for Greg Pickard of

The Revelons. The Giants won too! Mark Suall, who played exemplary guitar, was therre too. . .it struck me as a Production Troika vibe.

But I do keep it up to date; Click ^ above to see the newer stuff. Thanks!
SINCE YOU'VE BEEN ASKING, THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING LATELY:
The Newer Stuff is on the Bottom.(click to go there now)