January 2012

After a busy 2011 – 18 flights in the first half of the year and trips to Italy, Texas, Seattle, New York, Massachusetts, and up and down California a few times – I am settling in for a few months at home focusing on family, teaching, and some local projects I’d like to mention here…

First, thanks to a Subito Grant from the American Composers Forum, we have officially launched the new Bakersfield-based creative music label Epigraph Records. The first release is Ritual Inscription, a live recording from a trio concert with guitarist Jeremy Drake, percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani, and myself. Limited to 500 numbered copies on limited-edition 12″ vinyl, go to epigraphrecords.com to hear it.

I hope you’ll take a listen, and consider buying a copy! All profits from the sale of Epigraph LPs will be directed toward future releases, expanding the roster of artists and the scope of creative music events offered in the Bakersfield community. We have an exciting few months ahead, with concerts featuring multi-instrumentalist and Nine Inch Nails collaborator Alessandro Cortini, Bay Area saxophonist Phillip Greenlief, avant-percussionist Gino Robair, ethereal guitarist Jim McAuley, trombonist/composer Michael Vlatkovich with tuba master William Roper, Tatsuya Nakatani with his Nakatani Gong Orchestra, local composer James Sproul, and local jazz-funk ensemble The Invisible Astro Healing Rhythm Quartet. Check my events page for details.

Info on recent happenings can be accessed via the Posts menu above. For example, select the Compositions category above to see an expanding overview of recent works with score excerpts and streaming audio, or select the Concerts category for a recap of recent performances and tours.

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Thanks for stopping by,

–kt