First day..

Just came back from my first day of class today, it was a Jazz Composition class by Michael Mossman. Since it's a first class for many of us, ie. new intake students like myself, the class consisted of a placement test. Mike wasn't there, so Antonio Hart passed out the test papers, and a homework for next week! Ack..

Anyway, some updates from the past week:

- Did my first gig in NYC, last Friday! Yeah.. but that's also thanks to Chern Hwei who roped me in. We played at a Korean bar called Maxim at Stanford Hotel West 32nd Street in Manhattan. It was a 3-piece gig, with CH (violin), Michelle Marie (guitar), and myself. Simple gig, we played some standards as well as a couple of CH's tunes. Got $30 from it.. haha... not bad for a first gig!

- Also managed to get another gig for sometime in March, backing an acrobatic dance show. This was also coincidental. Was hanging out with CH, when he went for the demo recording, and I had my horn with me. After a couple of tunes, the bandleader wanted to do some jazz-like kinda piece (most of this were quite improvised, by the way), and he just asked if I wanted to play along. Of course, I agreed. After that, he liked what I did, and he asked me to play this gig as well! Nice!! Thanks to CH again!

- Met Antonio Hart.. finally! If you didn't know already... he's one kick ass saxophone player... played around the scene and the world as a leader, as well as with Roy Hargrove, Dave Holland, Hilton Ruiz, and more. And he's teaching right here in Queens College... and he'll be my saxophone professor! Woo hoo.. can't wait.

- Moved in to the new room, same house. But still not confirmed if I'll get the place. Will be meeting the landlord tomorrow. Wish me luck.. (yes, mom, I'll use the ring!).

- Went to watch some singer-songwriter gig at The Bitter End with CH, as he was playing there with one of them. Sad to say, the fella he was playing with.. man.. really sucked. The guy before him was really good, though. Good guitar player, as well as a singer. By the way, The Bitter End, at Bleecker St, is in between East and West Village in Manhattan. Apparently it's the place where Bob Dylan cut his teeth and became famous! Go figure.. nice rustic little spot!

- I've copied some pics onto my computer, will post them whenever I can. So wait for them... might post them on Facebook first.

Till then..

Later.