I’ve decided to try to keep a blog of this tour, to give you a sense of what it’s like to be on tour, and to relay to you some of our experiences. I’m hoping that some of the other artists will chime in as well with their experiences and points of view.
I arrived yesterday morning at Burbank airport, where Billy picked me up. (Billy told me that when he departed New York the day before, two Bay Ridge teenage girls were yelling, “We love you Jet Blue!” to the curbside baggage checkers. And we do.)
I didn’t play today, but Billy had a concert at the home of a wealthy arts patron in Encino. Dottie Grossman also performed. She is a poet who will be on this tour with us. She performed with trombonist Michael Vlatkovich (who will also be on tour with us), up and coming guitarist Tom McNally and trumpeter Jeff Kaiser.
At the beginning of the program, the host, Mimi, introduced Billy as a “colorist” on the drums. She looked at Billy for confirmation, and Billy replied in a toneless voice, “I don’t know”. For those of us who know him this was classic Mintz. Billy once said in a press interview,”I’m just a guy who likes to play the drums.”