27.11.10

Early December

Heya,
Am waiting for the turkey carcass to cook down (broth!) and thought I would update the upcomings.
December:
1 - Stirrup (Macri, Rumback, FLH) at the Whistler.
2 - Michael Thieke, Michale Zerang, FLH at Elastic
3 - Chris Mills and the New Misereable Bastards at the Hideout
4 - Michael Thieke, Aaron Zarzutzki, FLH at Heaven
8 - NRG Ensemble - The Hideout
10 - Lightbox Orchestra - Strobe Sessions
11 - Charles Rumbach 4tet - Heaven
All in Chicago!
F

14.11.10

new/recent/upcoming releases

Just a quick roundup of newish stuff in case you were thinking of picking up something for the collection:
Hug/Lonberg-Holm - Fine Extensions - Emanem
SUIII (McPhee/Zerang/Lonberg-Holm) - Syncronicity - Harmonic Convergence
Vandermark 5 - The Horse Jumps/The Ship Is Gone - Not Two
Vox Arcana (Daisy/Falzone/L-H) - Aerial Age - Allos Documents
Ballister (Rempis/Nilssen-Love/L-H) - Bastard String - self released
Frode Gjerstadt Trio (w/Zerang/L-H) - Sugar Maple - FMR
Philippe Petit & Friends - A Scent of Garmambrosia - Aagoo
Coming in February!
Seval (Jernberg/Strandberg/Thorman/Stackenas/L-H) - 482

And... Flyingaspidistra (cdr) recently released:
Friction Brothers - Strobe Session
Fred Lonberg-Holm - Cabin, Cemetary, Forest
Fred Lonberg-Holm - Audio Letters

okay!

9.11.10

recently

...have decided to revive this blog. Will keep it vague but try to fill in some blanks.
Just got home from 3+ weeks of back to back tours with Survival Unit III and Broetzmann Chicago 10tet.
Lots of good times and the usual amount of less than good times. Between the two bands, more than 20 gigs as far south as Barcelona and north as Oslo. Also got to play a duo gig with Johannes Bauer.
Showed my "Joe McPhee" tattoo to Joe, check out the video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hmK5KO3Qk4
Its good to be home but the border guards are enough to make one wish that moving out of this country and never returning wasn't incredibly difficult.
The border agent at O'Hare asked me if they really let me "play the cello in all those different countries" or was I "just visiting them?".
I guess it seems amazing to those guys as they routinely turn away musicians at their border and assume their brothers in other countries relish the same pleasures. (Incidentally, the US policy on musicians visiting the US is terrible. The government seems bent on isolating the US from the rest of the world culturally. Its not just musicians who have a difficult time. They turn away novelists, dancers, scholars, etc all the time. Symphony orchestras have canceled tours here because of the prohibitive work permit prices and bureaucratic hurdles. Even tourists from Europe have to file forms and pay a visa fee just to visit here.)(but... I digress!).
Anyway, this Friday the Valentine Trio is playing a benefit for Gregory Koger. He found himself in jail (and may return there) because of other policies I don't think are good for America. Info here:
http://dropthecharges.net/
And.. the Vandermark 5 plays in Morelia, Mexico on Wednesday the 17th. Starting the 19 Paal Nilsson-Love and Dave Rempis and I (aka Ballister) do a short midwest run. Here's some info:

11/19/09 - Dubuque, IA
Monk’s Coffee House
373 Bluff St.

11/20 - Milwaukee, WI
Sugar Maple
441 E. Lincoln St.

11/21 - Detroit, MI
2739 Edwin

11/22/10 - Cleveland, OH
Now That’s Class
11213 Detroit Ave.

11/23- Lexington KY.
Collexion
111 ½ E. Loudon

11/24 Chicago, IL
Hideout

More soon!
See you on the road?
F