1-23-06...CONGRATULATIONS to the Cincy Blues Society for staging the wildly successful MAINSTRASSE WINTER BLUES FEST- SATURDAY, JANUARY 21st in Covington, KY- ten bands in nine establishments, with each club packed to the rafters and lines out the door- WOW!!! Proceeds went to benefit the Blues Society's "Blues in the Schools" program...I get the feeling this will happen again! Here's who played:

John Redell & the Company He Keeps @ Cock & Bull  
H-Bomb Ferguson & the Medicine Men @ Pachinko 
The Vaporizers with Mike Tucker @ Mulligan's    
II Juicy @ Cock & Bull 
Chris Carero's Newport Trio @ Village Pub  
Ricky Nye & the Swingin' Mudbugs featuring guitarist 
                                              Dave Haley @ Cosmo's   
Sweet Alice Hoskins & Unfinished Business @ ZaZou  
Cheryl Renee & Mr. Keith Little @ Fat Shannon's 
Phil Blank Blues Band @ Zola's 
The Sonny Moorman Group @ Strasse Haus   
  
...and thanks to all the establishments not accustomed to having live entertainment for being so gracious...support Mainstrasse and live music!!!

2-08-05...my first trip to Paris was an unforgettable five days (January 25-29) @ the Lionel Hampton Club (Hotel Meridien Etoile) with fellow pianists FABRICE EULRY (Paris) & RENAUD PATIGNY (Brussels), accompanied by the swingin' rhythm section of Enzo Mucci (upright bass) & Stan Laferriere (drums)...billed as the "Boogie Woogie Connexion", it was two ninety minute sets a night under the brilliant direction of Fabrice...with two grand pianos on stage, a baby grand in the audience and a high emphasis on entertainment, the evenings were very impromptu, never really knowing what the next move would be...the week proved to be perhaps the most challenging & rewarding musical experience of my career...

12-10-04...'twas another grand time in the Netherlands with upright bass plucker Nick Lloyd- a "Boogie Train Ride" coming & going from Apeldoorn, with Julian Phillips (U.K.), Jean-Pierre Bertrand (France), young Tim Deelen (who just played at my  Boogie Summit in October), and organizers Martijn Schok & vocalist Greta Holtrop (also at the Summit)- plus the extra-fine accompaniment of  Thjis Verwer on snare drum & Rinus Groeneveld on the tenor sax...

Next was de Oude Veiling on Sunday in Aalsmeer (the town where we stayed), Tuesday @ The Duke in Leiden, Thursday @ Langs de Lijn in Bussum, 
Friday @ Red Kees in Burgerveen w/ drummer phenom Martijn Groen, and winding things up Saturday in Hoofdorp for the 11th Annual Blues & Boogie Night hosted by Mr. Boogie Woogie, Eric-Jan Overbeek...we were happy to be sharing the bill with Dutch group Guitar Ray & The Rhythm Dukes, featuring 
the outstanding Sax Gordon from Boston, and Grams & Krieger, a duet from Tuscon, performing alone & as part of Mr. Boogie Woogie's group The Hot Wings...

The after hours party @ Red Kees, with Sax Gordon & Guitar Ray destroyin'
the house, went way past the time we left (4:30 AM)- ouch!

Huge thanks from me 'n' Nick to Martijn & Greta, Eric-Jan & Peter Smolders for gettin' us organized, and all our great friends in the Netherlands for making our trips there such beautiful experiences...

10-14-04...Another edition of the BLUES & BOOGIE PIANO SUMMIT (#6)
has come and gone- what an amazing evening...incredible acoustics in Xavier University's Gallagher Center Theater, which I know will make for a great recording, and stellar performances from everyone on hand: Renaud Patigny; Martijn Schok & Greta Holtrop; twelve year old prodigy from the Netherlands, Tim Deelen;  Big Joe Duskin; and myself w/ fellow Swingin' Mudbugs Nick Lloyd on upright bass & Tony Franklin on drums...the evening culminated in a finale, with ten hands on one piano (!)...

5-5-04...Thanks to MARTIJN SCHOK for my inclusion in his first INTERNATIONAL BOOGIE WOOGIE FESTIVAL HOLLAND, held in Bussum on May 1st, 2004 at the five-star Jan Tabak Hotel- a smashing affair! Also on the bill were German boogiemeister AXEL ZWINGENBERGER, Switzerland's SILVAN ZINGG, JEAN-PAUL AMOUROUX from France, and, coming out of retirement for this very special show, the legendary LITTLE WILLIE LITTLEFIELD- also great piano contributions from JEROEN SWEERS, puttin' on some pre-show boogie!
The show was made even more special with syncronized swing dancing from Amsterdam's dance troupe SWING CLUB BOOGIEWORLD, and representing what, at least in the U.S., is seeming to be a lost art form, mezmerizing tap dancing ("claquettes") and vocalizing from France's PHILOU...

12-6-03...Back from another amazing experience across the sea...first in the Netherlands, performing a series of one-nighters with my bassist pal and cohort NICK LLOYD, thanks to the organization and gracious hosting of pianist MARTIJN SHOCK & vocalist GRETA HOLTROP (plus many thanks to Dick & Diana, Peter & Carla and Monique!)- then off by my lonesome to perform at RENAUD PATIGNY's BRUSSELS BOOGIE PIANO SUMMIT, with the likes of France's brain-damaging REMI TOULON and U.K. wunderkid JACK CARTER at the breathtaking THEATRE ST. MICHEL...Renaud really outdid himself this time, with attendance at nearly 1000!!...looking forward to May 2004, performing for Martijn Schok's First International Boogie Festival...stay tuned!

(dated 9-3-03)... August was a busy month...a set on the Arches Boogie Piano Stage @ The QUEEN CITY BLUES FESTIVAL Saturday, August 2nd- then shows in Switzerland with Silvan Zingg and off to France for the LAROQUEBROU BOOGIE WOOGIE FESTIVAL- finishing the month w/Little Frank & The Premiers for dates in South Bend, Indiana...too much fun!

(dated 9-16-03)... and it was a BALL! with Robin Lacy & DeZydeco at the co-CD RELEASE PARTY on Saturday, September 13th @ the MADISON THEATER in Covington, KY, celebrating new releases from Ricky Nye ("QUICK 'N' DIRTY" and "HIGHLIGHTS from the FOURTH ANNUAL BLUES & BOOGIE PIANO SUMMIT") & Robin's new disc ("HAVE NO FEAR")...individual sets from both groups with LOTS of musical mingling...but the real star of the show was MR.PIG and his crew, out on the sidewalk with his smoker & steam table, servin' up ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, red beans & rice & greens all night long! Sorry if you weren't there...

(dated 11-23-02)... the FOURTH ANNUAL BLUES & BOOGIE PIANO SUMMIT, held Saturday, NOVEMBER 16th, 2002 at the HISTORIC SOUTHGATE HOUSE in Newport, Kentucky was a SMASHING success!!! Thanks to all who attended! The lineup was SILVAN ZINGG from Lugano, Switzerland, MARK BRAUN (also known as "MR.B") from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Cincinnati's RICKY NYE, and back for a return visit, CARL SONNY LEYLAND, born & raised in Southampton, England and presently residing in Orange, California- super-fine accompaniment by Tony Franklin on drums & Eric Sayer on upright bass... thanks to Frank Seta at Seta Music in Cincinnati, who provided two excellent Baldwin grand pianos to play- halleluiah!...thanks also to York Vision, Chez Nora Restaurant, Marsh Inc., CityBeat Magazine, Mansion Hill Tavern, WXIX FOX 19 and WNKU 89.7 FM and WAIF 88.3 FM for their kind support- can't do it without the sponsors- thank you so much!

(dated 10-17-02)... Just back from another tremendous time in Europe- first in the Netherlands with MARTIJN SCHOK & vocalist GRETA HOLTROP (guesting with them in Weesp, and with Martijn's Trio in Doesburg), having a general good time in Amsterdam, then a train ride to Brussels, Belgium to play at RENAUD PATIGNY's three-day piano FESTIVAL DE BOOGIE, witnessing the delights of France's FABRICE EULRY, JEAN-PIERRE BERTRAND, JEAN-PAUL AMOUROUX, PHILIPPE LEJEUNE, and performing Saturday evening with SILVAN ZINGG, along with guesting on Thursday & Friday's finales- got to make some new friends (thanks Peter & Carla in Aalsmeer!) and catch up with some old ones- BIG FUN!!!!