This week we’re first playing the first show of the tour at The Merc in Temecula on Thursday. I’ve gotten word that this concert is SOLD OUT so if you we’re thinking of going, instead consider our Friday night hit at Canyon Crest Academy in Carmel Valley. There are still tickets available plus we’re adding a couple of special guests into the loop at this show. Canyon Crest is an arts magnet high school and after playing there and doing a few master classes I’ve gotten to know the director and some of the fine young musicians that attend the school. We’ve invited two of the students to join us for a song and it’ll be a thrill to have them shredding on the blues. We’re playing my tune “Joe Farrell” and it’ll be Alex Kneib on saxophone and Daniel Friedman on drums. Look out!

On Saturday night we make the drive to L.A. to play our last show of the tour at Vitello's Jazz & Supper Club in Studio City. It’s a fantastic listening room and this will be my first time playing there. I know it’s a long distance away but if you know someone in the L.A. area that might be interested, It'd be great if you passed along the word—just trying to drum up some noise in L.A. Also they have 50% off tickets for students and Musicians Local 47 members. This might sweeten the deal.

We’ve been getting some good media buzz lately including:

Cam Miller’s recent piece in the North County Times about the String Consort.

A great Wild Blue review written by Dan Adler in the New York JazzInside Magazine. 

Don Heckman gave our upcoming Vitello’s concert the “Pick of the Week.”

And if this week wasn’t full enough already, along came an opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up.

I have a friend that's always sending me YouTube links, enlightening me to new upcoming musos. When I followed through on the link about Emily Elbert I was blown away at what I heard. Here is a young gal, schooling it at Berklee School of Music in Boston, who is 20 years old but really looks to me like she's 17 at most, playing guitar without shoes on (a young hippy angle) and singing up a storm. Her VOICE! Fantastic! So soulful and fluid and her spirit in making music is just the way you want it — playful, effortless and in sync with the poetry of the song. She’s young and she HAS the magic.

And then the details all started working out in our favor. It turns out that Emily is in L.A. playing a gig with the young phenomenal bassist Tal Wilkenfeld and has this one free day and would love to come down to San Diego to play music. Next, my favorite spot for putting on shows, the Tango del Rey, had an open slot and from there I gathered 'bro Tripp and Gunnar on bass and now we have all of the elements for a special night of music. We'll play some of Emily's music, a few of mine, some folk tunes and a few Jobim classics. I'm stoked that she's into Brazilian music too.  

Here is Emily's site.

And you've got to check out a few of her videos:

Thriller!

Love this one on an early TV show.

Dig the way she sits in the chair and check out her scatting at the end. Love it!

Kylie, my cool 16 year-old daughter, is fairly ho-hum about old daddy Peter and his career of a zillion concerts. She makes it out to a few but can't keep up with the rest. When she heard Emily's video and found out that we are doing a hit together she enthusiastically piped up, "Oh I want to go, I want to go! Can I bring all of my friends too?"

Indeed, you can all come and I sure hope you do. It'll be a ton of fun and it'll be a treat to hear a young inspired muso hanging out with a few oldsters.

That’s it, Peter