Cole Porter's "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" with solo vibraphone techniques via Gary Burton. In working on the solo vibraphone book during my sabbatical, I revisited some of the techniques and concepts that I learned from Gary. A few are: filling in the 8th notes between the melody/improv with left hand voicings (left hand jabs), single notes, broken arpeggios and/or counterpoint. (Gary does this a lot in his solo versions of Jobim's Chega de Saudade and O Grande Amor). Also the use of runs and arpeggios to break things up a bit.

I'm about to upload a solo vibraphone version of Tones for Joan's Bones in preparation for Tony's online concert Friday on Facebook, but here's one with my quartet from a bit ago. The vibraphone solo is at 3:10 (because after all this is a vibraphone website). I like playing without other chordal instruments, but there's definitely something very freeing about having a pianist.

Hit the wrong note at the end, oops.

This Friday Feb 28 I have my students coming over and we are going to stream solo performances on Facebook. About 7pm East Coast U.S. Time. Probably go to vibesworkshop.com Facebook group.

I asked my students to record a mini concert of what they were going to play. I think it makes a good warm up for the concert.

Here's mine.

Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz" from last night's gig at Li's with Mark and I. Always a fun night playing duo with Mark and hanging with family and friends. Going on 10 years with this gig and it never gets old.