Had a great time gigging with my friends larry barris and clif metcalf last sunday for the jazz brunch at fishbones in detroit.  great to see some of my michigan peeps out for the gig as well.  this trio under my leadership returns to cliff bells in detroit on january 4, 2020.  going to be big fun!

my site has been totally revamped and is going live today.  so what's new?

-Eight new photo galleries of my latest work

-listings and links to my most recent liner note projects, along with current articles in Down Beat and all about jazz.

-front page with quick access to my current work and music itinerary 

come by for a visit!

The Organic Trio made a return to the Bop Stop on Friday.  It was big fun for sure.  Thanks to Clif Metcalf and Larry Barris for making it a serious hang.  Finally, I got Larry to Cleveland!  Thankful for a great crowd.  Looking to bring these guys to Columbus hopefully later this summer and then return to Cliff Bells in the fall.

Yesterday I worked with  Bob Niederriter on the final gig of the season at Nelson Ledges.  We fortunately had the great Jon Eshelman playing B3 organ with us.  Despite the chilly temperatures, we heated things up on stage.  I love working with this trio as we always inspire each other and genuinely enjoy each others company.  This summer I was blessed to work with Bob at NL for some great sets including one with my brother Tony Monaco!  Yesterday, I also had a chance to try out my new kit from Inde Drums.  Josh Allen custom makes the drums out of Kalamazoo and uses some very interesting design elements and philosophies.  Still tweaking, but they are sounding good.

Hanging with my fellow photographers over at Campus Martius.

Got to meet my fellow drum buddy Ian Levine and heard Jim Alfredson with Alex Harding.

Back at the hotel with the great Pat Martino.

Always great to catch up with my friend and stellar percussionist Daniel Sadownick.

Wow, July was jam packed with many gigs.  I had a blast getting to showcase Derek DiCenzo and Clif Metcalf at the Bop Stop. My buddy Gerard Cox also invited me down to Columbus to feature my trio with Bob Niederriter and Jon Eshelman at his new music space, Filament.  We had a great time!  Our buddy Tony Monaco dropped by to catch a few numbers and sat in with us as well.  Then, the following week I had the pleasure of working with Bob and Tony at the Hollywood Casino in Columbus for a private event.  Another chance for me to hone my skills with some very talented cats!  

As the month of June gets underway, my schedule ramps up with lots of great events. I will be covering both the PIttsburgh and Tri-C jazz festivals for All About Jazz.  There are many Funkology shows in the works as well as gigs with Bob Niederriter and a few shows of my own. Visit my musician Facebook page for all the up to date information.  Hope to see you this summer!

Great times hanging out with Dave Holland (and my buddy George Case) and John McLaughlin after fantastic shows over a two week period at the Michigan Theater!