Spring is just starting to spring up in Milwaukee, my home town and base of operations during this sabbatical year (now nearing its denouement) from my professorship at the Frost School Of Music in Miami. As those of you who keep tabs on me know, I’ve been fairly busy during my time off from the “day gig”, but as of late I’ve cleared the deck on performing activities for the next couple of months, giving me time to sort out some health issues and focus on other facets of musical life, notably on composition. I’m working on a trumpet concerto that will be premiered in March of next year by the Frost Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Gerard Schwarz, a trumpet legend in his own right as well as a great conductor. I’m very excited about this piece and am now knee-deep in the process. I hope to have a few things to share soon as I go down the long road towards unveiling my first full-length orchestral piece!
Author: blynch
Ides Of March; More Lonnie and Charles; Enter C Sharpe
Associations: Mingus, Hobart Dotson, Lonnie Hillyer, Charles McPherson, Torch Bearers
I’m gratified by the positive response I’ve received from folks on Substack to my initial, somewhat tentative forays on the platform. I can see how good this can be for developing rudimentary writing skills — the challenge is finding enough time to post with any regularity. I’ve been pretty consumed the last couple of weeks getting a certain project (which I’ll reveal a bit about later in this post) to its final stage before release. I’ve also been reading and digesting the many fascinating writers on this platform — about music as well as other things — and been engaged in various other enterprises while doing a bit of travel. Here’s an attempt to sort it all out and perhaps provide something of interest:
New York City – People, Places And Playing
New York City is still the world center for musical activity and community, especially for the kinds of music that I gravitate towards. 2026 started on the right footing for me with a round-robin of gigs, sessions, and hangs that sharpened my reflexes and nourished my soul. Here’s some highlights:
Sunday, Jan. 3- John Hicks Salute @ The Cutting Room
Arnie Perez’s “Sunday Serenades” have been a NYC area institution over the last (getting on 20?) years, fulfilling a niche for veteran musicians and audiences alike with its emphasis on OG players and themes. Hats off to Arnie for continuing to present this much-needed series – even while battling health issues he keeps on keeping on, and our music community is so much the better for it.
¡Que Viva Venezuela!
For musicians, many things in the world that may be abstractions or that seem remote to others’ personal experience feel much closer. Venezuela and its people, especially the musicians, are very close to me. Many of my most valued colleagues come from that country’s rich musical soil, and the contributions of Venezuelan musicians to la música Latina, jazz, “classical” music, and other idioms are irreplaceable. The sounds coming from that land itself, whether folkloric, popular, or art, are a shining jewel in the crown of music of the Americas and of the Afro-Atlantic diaspora. Venezuelan musicians are erudite, supremely skilled, eloquently expressive, and possess both refinement and fire. Audiences there are discerning, cultivated, and “down home” in equal measure. I have had uniformly rewarding musical experiences there over the years, dating back to the early 1980s.