Attention fans of good music:

I'm going to be returning to the Parc 55 this Friday evening to play some jazz classics, original compositions, and standards, with the able assistance of Messrs. Shulman and Farrell.

So come on down and experience the awe and terror of their mighty Christmas tree, which is like 500 feet tall and made out of some kind of green plastic. I dare you not to be filled with Holiday spirit after looking at that thing.

What: The Ian Carey Trio
Who: Ian Carey, trumpet and flugelhorn; Adam Shulman, piano; Lorenzo Farrell, bass
When: Friday, December 14, 7-10 p.m.
Where: The Parc 55 Hotel (we're on the mezzanine level), 55 Cyril Magnin St., San Francisco, just steps from the Powell St. BART station. (415) 392-8000
How Much: No cover.

I'm also going to be playing this coming Monday, December 17th with the outstanding Contemporary Jazz Orchestra at Jazz at Pearl's in their final show of the year. Shows at 8 and 10. Check it out!

My CD, Sink/Swim, received a nice mention this weekend on a newish jazz blog called Jazzwax:

Seventies spirit—Ian Carey, who plays trumpet and flugelhorn, sent along a CD he recorded in 2005. It has a rich, introspective 1970s feel—especially with Adam Shulman on the Fender Rhodes piano.

Carey, who knows his jazz history, plays a warm horn with a Freddie Hubbard feel and is backed by Evan Francis (saxophones), Shulman (electric piano), Fred Randolph (bass) and Jon Arkin (drums). Many of the compositions and arrangements are by Carey, and the CD includes tight interpretations of Wayne Shorter's ESP and Herbie Nichols' The Spinning Song.

Jazzwax is written by New York's Marc Myers, and regularly features interesting thoughts on classic jazz (including a great series last week on the under-appreciated saxophonist Hal McKusick). I especially like that it reminds me of recordings I'd forgotten about, and supplements them with possibilities for further exploration. I don't get to talk and think about classic records nearly as much as I did back in my school days, so it's good to have a regular place to get back in the spirit.

(And incidentally, I'll take being mentioned in a sentence with Freddie Hubbard any day.)

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who came out to our shows last week at the Parc 55—I had a great time playing with Adam, Ron, and Noah, and with any luck I'll be able to play there some more in the future. For those of you who weren't able to make it, here's our version of the standard "I Love You," from Friday night.

• I Love You (Cole Porter) With myself on trumpet; Adam Shulman, piano; and Ron Belcher, bass. Recorded live, 10/05/07.

Also: last Saturday, I played with one of three pickup jazz groups (mine had Jeff Marrs, Eugene, and Evan Francis) that performed for the Fillmore Street "Indian Summer" Stroll, which culminated in a wild sidewalk jam session featuring 15 or so musicians wailing away amid the pedestrians. I told another musician it would be cool if random jam sessions just broke out all the time on sidewalks around the city--kind of like "Critical Mass." (Which then led to the mental image of thousands of jazz musicians clogging the streets and stopping traffic to play 500 or so choruses on "Now's the Time," as well as the unfortunate nickname "Critical Jazz.")

For more photos of this and many of my other gigs, visit my Flickr site here.

Hi Listeners: I'm going to be returning to the Parc 55 for two shows this week, filling in for Betty Fu while she travels the globe, secret agent-style.

I'll be joined by I.C. Quintet member Adam Shulman on piano, and either Noah Shenker (Thursday) or Ron Belcher (Friday) on bass, and we'll be playing standards and jazz classics, as well as some originals by myself and Adam.

So stop by, have a delicious cocktail, enjoy some live jazz music, and wonder how the heck it got to be October already.

What: The Ian Carey Trio
Who: Ian Carey, trumpet and flugelhorn; Adam Shulman, piano; Noah Shenker/Ron Belcher, bass
When: Thursday, Oct. 4th, and Friday, Oct. 5th, 7-10 p.m.
Where: The Parc 55 Hotel, 55 Cyril Magnin St., San Francisco, just steps from the Powell St. BART station. (415) 392-8000
How Much: No cover.

In case you missed last week's show at the Parc 55, you'll have another chance to hear us tomorrow evening. I'll be joined by two great young local players: on piano, Michael Coleman (of the Beep Trio), and on bass, Adam Gay (of Spaceheater). We're going to be playing a mix of standards, jazz classics, and originals. There's no cover charge and lots of comfortable couches, so come on by, have a cocktail and drink a toast to the end of the minor league baseball season. Or whatever.

What: The Ian Carey Trio
Who: Ian Carey, trumpet and flugelhorn; Michael Coleman, piano; Adam Gay , bass
When: Friday, September 7, 7-10 p.m.
Where: The Parc 55 Hotel, 55 Cyril Magnin St., San Francisco (Just steps from the Powell St. BART station.) (415) 392-8000
How Much: Zilch.

I'm also going to be playing again this Monday with the great Contemporary Jazz Orchestra at Pearl's in North Beach. So stop by and check out the giant sound of San Francisco's longest-running big band.

What: The Contemporary Jazz Orchestra
When: Monday, September 10, 8pm & 10pm
Where: Jazz at Pearl's, 256 Columbus Ave., S.F.
Tickets: $15

Hi folks, hope you've all been enjoying your summers, staying out of the poison oak, getting your wallet-making merit badges and avoiding the dreaded "Slip 'N' Slide burn." Now that regular summer is winding down and Indian (Native American?) Summer is on the way, may I suggest you celebrate by enjoying a delicious and nutritious after-work cocktail and taking in some fine jazz music? I have just the place in mind. ("How conveeenient," you say.)

Next Thursday, August 30th, bassist Noah Schenker and I will be playing at the Parc 55 Hotel, and we'll be joined by the great pianist Matt Clark, all the way from New York. Matt was a fixture on the Bay Area jazz scene for many years before heading East several years ago, and we're lucky to get a chance to play with him during his summer visit. We'll be playing a combination of standards, jazz classics, and originals.

Most importantly, there's no cover charge, so no one has to know that you nearly bankrupted yourself going to see Harry Potter 30 times.

What: The Ian Carey Trio, with special guest Matt Clark
When: Thursday, August 30, 7-10 p.m.
Where: The Parc 55 Hotel, 55 Cyril Magnin St., San Francisco (415) 392-8000
How Much: Nada.