Audio: 8LM on Baytaper + Bonus Live Quintet Tracks

Joe Cohen, Me, and Noel Jewkes with 8LM. Photo from Baytaper.com.

Hello, listeners, and a happy summertime to you all. I wanted to share two things with you: the first is that the great local music website Baytaper.com has posted photos and audio recordings from last months 8 Legged Monster show at Club Deluxe. The band featured local luminaries such as Noel Jewkes, Rob Barics, Vince Lateano, and others, and I really enjoyed playing with them. There's also a guest appearance by local trumpet phenom Mike Olmos, who stopped by and sat in on a tune written especially for him by bandleader Mike Irwin Johnson. So swing by Baytaper and check it out (and be sure to browse their extensive library of recordings of other fine local musicians).

Secondly, I promised to put up some recordings from my April Quintet show at Anna's in Berkeley for those who weren't able to attend. The band was smokin' (if I may say so), and we played some interesting new (or new to us, anyway) material. So here are two tracks for your (absolutely free) enjoyment--if you like what you hear, please consider buying our CD (if you haven't already).

• Sink/Swim (I. Carey): The title track from our CD, in maybe the best live version we've done.
• Sockdolager (I. Carey): A disjointed minor blues in 6/4 time, which I wrote in NYC years ago but updated for this group. Personnel on both tracks: myself on trumpet; Evan Francis, alto saxophone; Matt Clark, piano; Kurt Kotheimer, bass; Tim Bulkley, drums. Recorded live, 4/23/08.