After 3 long, tiring, confusing years I think I finally overcame the effect Kurt Rosenwinkel's music had on me. I feel... strange. I'm digging Dave Holland more these days, partly because he's from Guildhall and mostly because he has exceptional skills in finding the best musical partners -especially tenors- to collaborate. His big band and quintet stuff is what inspires me most these days.

I bought Nicolas Slonimsk's Thesaurus Of Scales And Melodic Patterns. It is considered to be a legendary source of analytical material for composers/improvisers but the first we went through it with a friend we found it was lacking logical clarity in definitions and examples. Nevertheless, it is a book full of -still- fresh ideas and a lot of inspiration.

By the way, we have concerts on the 3rd, the 4th, thr 5th and the 8th of April. We will be playing some big band stuff along with some African repertoire. Nothing new to the followers of Orchestre des Métallos, but a good treat indeed.

Paul Duda is exhibiting in Istanbul either the 15th or the 16th of April and the pictures we took together will be there. As some of you will remember, I started this blog when we were taking those pictures! It will be a great pleasure to be there and see Mr. Duda again.

Finally, Mr. Rosenwinkel will be here in Paris again for a concert with a quartet with Mr. Parks on the 21st of April. A wonderful opportunity for fruitful conversation about Mr.Parks' wonderful album, Rosenwinkel's teaching position in Berlin and Mark Turner's current condition (he had a serious hand injury which stopped him from playing for 6 months).