Restaurant performance at Christopher's Seafood and Steakhouse

I played this weekend at Christopher's downtown. It was a lot of fun, they were extremely busy and the tables were full all night with a line at the door.
I played 3 sets, performing a mix of standards and my own compositions, as well as some fun pop songs and other covers.
At the end of the night I got some of the best food I've had in a long time. Anyone interested in great food and and a high-class atmosphere should check out Christopher's.

NYE jazz 8pm-12 midnight

DJ + SAX + FLUTE = GREAT MUSIC

A few weeks ago I performed a set with a dj down at the Hotel/club elevate for a VIP red-carpet party on a Saturday night. It was a lot of fun and people were very receptive to the sax and flute mixed with downtempo, electronica, and trip-hop.
Since then I've been composing some downtempo songs of my own, and have aquired equipment to be able to dj while performing on the sax and flute. It's a lot of fun for me and a way to create an accessible style of music while maintaining the improvisational quality of a live musician.
Adding a live drummer, the energy goes up even more. I run the "turntables" (digital turntables that is) while performing on the flute or sax with my effects pedals including delays, harmonization, octave dropper, etc; while the drummer keeps the beat going.
Jazz music as a genre has always been about innovation and incorporating new elements. If anyone has heard any of the Verve Remixes, that is the type of sound we are going for. The mix of the organic acoustic instruments (sax, flute, live drums) with the elecronic and pre-recorded sounds sets a very cool ambiance.

Recap and more pictures from the Okayama Jazz Festival Last year

Soul and Jazz singer Alicia Saldenha wrote a great recap of our experiences performing for the Okayama Jazz Festival last year. Check it out for her take on the festival and the great city Okayama for hosting such a fun festival:

http://alicia.kansaiblogger.com/2008/12/06/okayama-jazz-festival-with-rob-bennion-report-pics/