My good friend Steve Standiford, ragtimer and cancer physician, got a nice article written about him in the a Philadelphia newpaper.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/brainfood/20080716__Steven_Standiford...
See also http://youtube.com/watch?v=g4ad7alZ5K8
Paramount issued the first official posters for the upcoming NEW Star Trek movie (for May 2009). This new project will clearly reset the Star Trek universe and get it going again.
Been busy as always with a neavy day-job work schedule, but that has settled down.
I left the Hots Dance Orchestra after months of wrestling with the idea. I was finding that the huge breath of ever-changing repertoire was taking up way too much of my time, and having some affect of my solo work and other projects. So with some huge regret I left the band after the last recent concert at the Spanish Ballroon in June. I learned a whole lot playing with that group, and really enjoyed performing with everyone in the group. It was a very tough decision!!! I wish them well, but I know that somehow I'll be making music with many of them again somewhere down the road a spell...
So I've got more time to spend on solo repertoire, basic musical development (the kind of stuff one should be doing in the background all the time - e.g. jazz scales and progressions, etc.). I'm also going after more band music that better suits my style and doesn't require the enourmous practive time needed by the old band charts, such as Dixielend and traditional jazz (Jelly Roll Morton etc). I'm also better setup now timewise to finish my CD project.
I'm catching up on other projects, like finishing up recordings made months ago by JSS and Reverie. We might even have enough good material for a CD for JSS, based on recordings made at our last gig at Beans in the Belfry..the recording conditions were perfect. The stuff is moving fast now!
Not much going on in the ragtime universe. I've got no ragtime festivals officially on my schedule until January, which in a sense is fine with me because I can focus on learning new stuff and recording. However, I'm available.
BTW, last night Cindy and I attended a show performed by "1964: A Tribute". This is the original Beatles tribute band that has been perfoming for 23 years! Well I simply could not believe how good they were. They have worked out every single little nuance from the Beatles recordings. They have a great sound, are extremely professional in their presentation, and reproduce the Beatles experience EXACTLY. I just kept say "I can't believe the sounds they are making" - and I try to imply a lot of stuff by saying that. I hugely recommend you'all go see them when they come through town. They are back in the D.C. (Northern VA) area in December at the Birchmere.
Richard Dowling is coming to the NVRS this coming weekend. www.nvrs.org
Sorry for the lack of posts. I just got back from the Midwest trip and immediately went into overload and exhaustion from everything happening here in the "real" world. I'm collecting pictures, some of which are being made into a little movie, and collecting videos from YouTube.
For now, go to YouTube.com and search "dave tucker" and you'll see some new videos that have popped up (more on the way). I'll be trying to organize such things later into a more easily presented format.
I'm getting active on Facebook.com. You can find me there by searching my naming and asking to be a "friend". I think I might drop this other ragtime network that I tried to start.
THREE GIGs this coming weekend. Reverie Trio plays at an antique & art deco show on Saturday afternoon (12-3pm). The Hots play at the French Embassy (open to the public) at 6:45pm in the grand ballroom. On Sunday the Hots play the monthly Glen Echo gig in the famous Spanish Ballroom. The thing is that I don't really know any of the music so I am cramming with rehearsals and can't see how I can pull it together, but I always seem to find a way. Some 45 tunes readied for Reverie and 30+ mostly-new pieces for Hots, and tough stuff too. Details of the schedule on the Performances page of my website.
We have big plans for the beach house this summer but won't get to working on it until July.
Christina is teaching dance at Brown Academy this summer. Michael is talking about moving to San Fransisco. Cindy and I are exhausted. But life is good and we're trying to live it to the fullest.
A special thanks to all those who attended an impromptu birthday dinner in Versailles on June 10th. I sincerely appreciate it!
Yes, one day soon I'll write a report on the Midwest trip. I'll never forget seeing Neville Dickey in a frog costume, complete with aquatic flippers - and playing the piano!
Dave
Just checking in quickly to say that I'll still immersed in the big Midwest trip. Everything has been incredibly great. I'll try to write a nice report on the trip once I return. In addition, we have literally hundreds of photos and I now plan to produce a little slide-show style movie upon my return home.
We just left the Lake of the Ozarks where we witnessed an amazing concert with Jeff Barnhart, Brian Holland, Anne Barnhart and Danny Coots. Today we will be in Versailles for two days of concerts with Mimi & Friends.....whoops, I have to wait 'till I get back to chat about this trip...
Dave
