This Saturday night, I'm going to be playing a late show with Eddy Ellis O'Farrell—an eclectic rock/funk/latin band with a Zappa-esque twinge, led by singer and guitarist Michael Matias—at the Brainwash Cafe (and laudromat) in San Francisco. Evan Francis, my quintet's saxophonist, will also be playing with the group.

Come on down, and bring your laundry!

WHAT: Eddy Ellis O'Farrell
WHO: Michael Matias, voice/guitar; Ian Carey, trumpet; Evan Francis, saxophone; TBA, bass and drums
WHEN: Saturday, September 9th, 11 p.m.
WHERE: Brainwash, 1122 Folsom St., San Francisco. Phone: (415) 255-4866
HOW MUCH: Free.

This Saturday, I'm going to be appearing with Rachel Efron, a talented singer/songwriter/pianist with jazz, folk, and rock influences, at Anna's Jazz Island in Berkeley. It's also a chance to hear Ian Carey Quintet members Jon Arkin and Evan Francis, as well as bassist Dan Feiszli (who engineered our CD).

Hope to see you there!

WHAT: Rachel Efron Quintet
WHO: Rachel Efron, voice/piano; Ian Carey, trumpet; Evan Francis, reeds; Dan Feiszli, bass, and Jon Arkin, drums
WHEN: Saturday, September 2nd, 8 p.m.
WHERE: Anna's Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. Phone: (510) 841-JAZZ
HOW MUCH: Not sure, but probably around $10.

This is just a reminder of our upcoming show this Saturday at the Octavia Lounge--we'll be playing music from our recent CD, as well as some new compositions by members of the band (and most likely a few standards and jazz rarities). It'll be a good chance to hear the group in a nice room with a real piano, and may be our only performance this summer.

Hope to see you Saturday!

What: The Ian Carey Quintet (Ian, trumpet & flugelhorn; Evan Francis, alto saxophone & flute; Adam Shulman, piano; Fred Randolph, bass; Jon Arkin, drums)
Where: The Octavia Lounge, 1772 Market St., S.F. (Directions available here.)
When: Saturday, July 8, 8pm-12am
How much: $10

Hi listeners--I hope everyone is enjoying his or her summers. In lieu of lemonade and hot dogs, I have one gig announcement, one travelogue, and one absolutely-free mp3 download for you.

First, I'd like to announce a performance next month which I'm really excited about: on Saturday, July 8, from 8 to midnight, the Quintet will be playing at the Octavia Lounge on Market Street. This will be our first public performance since April, and will feature some new original music as well as selections from our CD (and most likely a few standards and classics). The regular line-up (myself on trumpet, Evan Francis on alto & flute, Adam Shulman on piano--last chance to hear Adam before he heads to France for the rest of the summer!--Fred Randolph on bass, and Jon Arkin on drums) will be there. There's a $10 cover, but it's a small price to pay to hear the band in a beautiful club (with a beautiful piano). So save the date, since I know Saturdays in the summertime book up fast.

Second, Linda and I just got back from a whirlwind tour of Kansas City, where we were able to make it to several jazz-related events. See below for the full story.

Finally, as a bonus for remembering who we are after these past few gig-free months, here's a complete tune from our final House of Shields gig in April. Enjoy!

• Con Alma (Gillespie) Dizzy's classic Cubano chorale. You might subtitle this rendition "Requiem for a Steady Gig." I especially like interplay between Evan and I toward the end of the tune.

UPDATE: Since posting yesterday's announcement, I've been informed that the House of Shields has decided to cut us loose for the time being, so tomorrow will be our LAST performance there for the foreseeable future. You'll definitely have more opportunities to hear the Quintet, but it may take a while to cultivate new venues, so it'd be nice to have a good crowd tomorrow for our farewell gig, and maybe to demonstrate to the owners that people do appreciate this kind of music. Anyway, thanks for listening during this three-hour tour that became a three-year mission.---Dear Friends and Listeners:I recently discovered that April is the nationally-decreed Jazz Appreciation Month, or "JAM" (Get it?), and some research led me to this information on the subject:

On August 18, 2003, President George W. Bush signed Public Law 108-72, which includes language strongly endorsing jazz and urging that 'musicians, schools, colleges, libraries, concert halls, museums, radio and television stations, and other organizations should develop programs to explore, perpetuate, and honor jazz as a national and world treasure.'

Since I would hate for any of you to run afoul of Public Law 108-72 and possibly end up taking an unwanted vacation to, say, Guantanamo Bay, I'd like to provide an opportunity for you to fulfill your presidentially-mandated Jazz Appreciation Requirement (JAR) by coming down to the House of Shields—a federally recognized Jazz EndorsementEstablishment (JEE)—this Tuesday, where my quintet, a certified Jazz Delivery System (JDS), will be offering actual jazz music for you to "Explore" (but remember, you explore with your ears, not your hands), "Perpetuate" (until 8:30, anyway), and "Honor as a National and World Treasure" (tip jar's on the bar).Anyway, you don't have to thank me for calling your attention to this—it's all part of my duty as a practitioner of this National and World Treasure, which, it turns out, is a metaphor—there's no actual treasure. That information would've come in handy about fifteen years ago.---WHAT: The Ian Carey QuintetWHO: Ian Carey, trumpet; Jon Arkin, drums; Adam Shulman, piano; Fred Randolph, bass, Evan Francis, saxophone.WHEN: Tuesday, April 11, 5:30-8:30 pmWHERE: The House of Shields, 39 New Montgomery, S.F.HOW MUCH: Nuthin'.

So you got downsized. So you lost a fortune betting on Michelle Kwan. So tax day is coming and you're going to have to sell your last kidney. So you spent your kids' college fund to build a Y2K bunker in your backyard, only to learn it already happened six years ago. So your wife left you for Gavin Newsom. So what.Put that all behind you, friend, and come on down to the House of Shields, where everybody knows your name (provided it's "Joe") and they're always glad you came (provided you brought your credit card).And best of all, there's no cover charge, so not one cent will be diverted from your libationary budget to pay for the fine entertainment being provided by none other than San Francisco's own Ian Carey Quintet (minus Evan).----WHAT: The Ian Carey Quintet Minus OneWHO: Ian Carey, trumpet; Jon Arkin, drums; Adam Shulman, piano; Fred Randolph, bass.WHEN: Tuesday, March 28, 5:30-8:30 pmWHERE: The House of Shields, 39 New Montgomery, S.F.HOW MUCH: Zip.