For me there is always one gig on the road, hopefully early on, where the conditions enable you to completely loosen up and take the music to a level of complete intuition and impulse, where your conscious mind gets out of the way. You’re finally rested enough, and you have a great piano, and you have two sets, and the audience is accepting, and something just clicks. And then you know you’re going to be okay for the rest of the gigs. I try to get there from the first note of the first gig, but it isn’t always realistic. Finally last night I got there on the Soka Univerity gig. Jim Merod videotaped and recorded us so I’ll try to post something. As Jim pointed out, live music is always better than the studio (as proud as I am of the CD).
Gotta run. We are leaving LA for Berkeley this morning. Playing the beautiful Hillside Club tonight which has a 9-foot Steinway and where we will also be recorded.