Woke up this morning
took a 3 hour train to Valencia. We went out for lunch and had delicious
seafood paella! My first paella meal. Very tasty rice. Cafe
Mercedes jazz club is right across the street from the hotel. Very
acoustic stage, intimate setting. Just a vocal mic. We had fun just
jamming for a while getting use to the sound. Now back in the hotel
warming up. Doing two sets starting at 9!
Just back from the gig
and its 2:30 AM. People here like to party!! This gig was so much
fun. I’m really having a ball mixing up the new repertoire (man w the
hat) with all the other stuff of mine (mood changes, every road etc.) Tonight
was so wild!! The first set started at 9 and was fun but the second set
was so amazing. People were packed to the doors the second set and just
whooping and cheering. The energy was fantastic. We were playing in
a great intimate club called "Cafe Mercedes Jazz Club.” The owner is
actually a fantastic bass player, Mario Rossy, I first heard him on a Brad
Meldhau recording a while back. He is a really amazing player. He also
owns and books this club. The inside is decorated really nicely and we
played completely acoustic except for a vocal mic. It’s so refreshing to
play close together with out overdoing the sound. I was told later
tonight that people don’t usually go to bed here until 3 or 4AM. The guys
I was talking to were amazed that the latest a concert goes until is 12 pm in
the states (usually.) At least before it’s called, "after hours.”
There’s something
really relaxing about starting late and people not being in a rush. Great
to just play a set, explore the music and have everyone there with you, no one
looking at their watch. Was a very memorable concert for
sure? Valencia gets two thumbs up for me!