Lucky me . . .

Just as I arrived at Canal Days and made my way through the throngs down to the parking lot behind Lickety Splits on the canal, I figured out that Mint Jam was just about ready to go on. I love this group. The leader of the band, Gabe Condon, is all of 16 or 17 years old, but plays with talent, finesse and personality far beyond his years. His band also includes his brother, Matt, on bass and Ray DeSalvo on drums. These kids kick ass.

Their schedule of upcoming shows is on their MySpace to which I have a link on the right hand side of my blog. Their covers include tunes by Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Clapton to name a few. And their original material is absolutely amazing--mature and based on a solid foundation of the classics. Check them out; you won't be sorry.

Got to meet Sean Jefferson of The Mad Jazz Lab (again, check out the link to their MySpace), and I can't wait to see this group. They'll be at the Jazz Fest on a night that I am working at the 90.1 WGMC booth, so I will be sure to catch them. Sean was filling in on drums with the Bill Tiberio Group (Bill, Mel Henderson, Jerry Youngman) at the Gazebo today. BTG sounded great, as usual, even though they were melting. They played one of my favorites, Since I Fell For You, and it was a beautiful as ever. I haven't heard them in a while--everyone was on top of his game, and Jerry has a new keyboard. It's candy-apple red, and it sounds great.

Off to recuperate from the heat.

yours in music,
Tracy