I’d like to thank everyone who came out to my Yamaha clinic at Elite Music on Sunday, I had a great time.  Special thanks to Starbucks Danforth for the free coffee!!  Hope to see you at the next one.

Just found out that Shannon Butcher’s latest album, ‘Words We Both Could Say’ (which I had the pleasure of producing and mixing) is on the iTunes Best of 2008 in both the Best Vocal Jazz and Best New Jazz Artist categories…which makes me very happy!

Hoping that everyone is having an amazing time of year…I know I am!

Hi,

Just thought I’d share with you all a fun project I did recently for Bravo TV (I’m actually watching it while I type this…).  It’s called “Christmas at the Concert Hall” and it features me in the house band supporting such artists as Ed Robertson, Serena Ryder, Hawksley Workman, Holly Cole, and Mary Margaret O’Hara.  The website is http://www.bravo.ca/television/bravoconcerthall/feature.asp .  Hope you enjoy it!

 BTW if you’re curious, it’s airing Tuesday December 9 @ 10PM, repeats @ 1AM, December 10 @ 11AM, Dec 13 @ 7PM, Dec 22 @ 8PM, Dec 23 @ 5PM, Dec 24 @ 10PM, and Dec 25 @ 11AM, 4PM.   (all times EST)

I just saw this on a Facebook group but apparently it’s all over the place.  Here are the rules:

- Grab the book nearest you right now.
- Turn to page 56.
- Find the fifth sentence.

- Post that sentence, along with these instructions, in a note on your wall.

NB Don’t dig for your favourite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Here’s mine from the closest (and in fact only) book in my Montreal hotel room:

As Gary Becker, the conservative economist and Nobel Prize winner put it, “We were warriors in combat with most of the rest of the profession”.

 -  Naomi Klein, “The Shock Doctrine”

I don’t know why I think this is so cool, but I do.