Gigs you want to go to

If you don't know who Diane Moser is, you should.

Check the link while I cut to the chase: she's dealing with some health issues, and -- surprise! As a professional jazz composer / pianist / bandleader, she is in no position to handle the costs alone.

There is a blog where you can donate, and also where you can learn about the two benefit concerts that are happening next week (May 11 at Trumpets in Montclair, NJ; and May 12 at our own beloved Dizzy's in San Diego, CA).

Did you see some of the folks on board for these gigs?

Again, if you don't know Ms. Moser, you should (I myself met her the first time the IJG toured the east coast, in 2005 -- she offered a lot of helpful advice that facilitated the experience for me). A glimpse of her personality comes through in this blog post:

At some point in my hospital stay, I had an echocardiogram-my first one ever-and I thought it was pretty cool-the sound it made. So when the cardiologist came in after wards-I asked him if I could get the "music" from that echocardiogram. Obviously he looked at me with a funny look on his face (by the way-I think he looks like Peter Sellers and my oncologist thinks he looks like Stanley Tucci)-so I told him I was a composer, and I was wondering if they could burn a cd with the sounds from my echocarigram test-becuase I wanted to use it in a composition.

She's an awesome lady. Help her out, fer crissakes.

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If you don't know who Darcy James Argue is, you should.

But who am I kidding? You do know Darcy (and his band, Secret Society) by now, don't you?

What's that, you say? You don't read Newsweek? Well, fuck you, then.

But seriously, the CD release show for the much-anticipated debut recording from this totally bitchen ensemble is tonight. If you still need convincing, here's the streaming version.

Personally, I've been convinced for some time now. Though I have to say that checking out the new recordings online is a bit like being introduced to the band all over again -- especially since, by the sound of it, Darcy had the good sense to recognize that the studio itself is, basically, another instrument. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that's kind of a rare thing in jazz. Anyway, the results are very tasty. Very tasty indeed.

Don't listen to my occasional griping: it's a really exciting time to be in this damned business.