OK. On the road now. For real. Just started the 7 week tour. Between now and July 23rd, I’ll be coming home only once, and that will be for less than 24 hours. This will be far and away my longest tour since my son was born. Ouch! I guess I’m pretty much in denial. Just trying to take it one day at a time. Easier said than done… But we did have a couple of nice gigs to kick things off. On Saturday night, Reuben, Eric and I had a really great show in San Francisco at the Palace of Fine Arts. Everything was very “fresh” and “raw,” but in the right way. We hadn’t played together as a trio since last August, had no rehearsal, and barely even had a chance to run anything during soundcheck. But the set was surprisingly focused, as well as being naturally free. It felt loose, organic and energetic; but also cohesive, reflective and purposeful. Joe Lovano played half of the concert with us, which was of course the ultimate honor, inspiration and education. Joe is one of the greatest living tenor saxophonists. Period. Brilliance, spontaneity, passion and virtuosity - all beyond measure. A force of nature. A true titan. The entire history of the tenor saxophone, channeled through a sound and conception which is utterly personal, innovative and inimitable (though many have tried). Sharing the bandstand with Joe is always such a thrill. First, because it’s an amazing opportunity to witness (at point-blank range) a grand master at work. Second, because he exudes the warmest and most generous spirit, musically and personally. Third, because his creativity is contagious - he’s so great that he raises the level of everyone around him. And finally because he approaches the two-tenor thing in the best way - as a dialogue as opposed to a duel, a conversation not a competition. (Thankfully, because if it had been anything resembling a battle I would obviously have been chopped to bits within the first few notes.) It was great to play with Joe again. . . . And it’s great to be back with Reuben and Eric again. We’ve all played so much together, in various contexts, for so long. And this is the trio that actually worked the most together in the months leading up to the “Back East” recording. It’s with Reuben and Eric that I really developed a lot of the newer originals and arrangements and began to explore some new possibilities for the saxophone/bass/drums configuration… Our second gig was Monday night at Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, one of my favorite places in the world to play. A home (not too far) away from home. Honestly, that night I felt like I was struggling a bit musically. (Well, I’m always struggling, but maybe I was struggling a bit more than usual…) I just didn’t feel as focused and connected as I wanted; and after the gig, I was pretty down on myself for the way I played (nothing new there!) But still, I had a great time, in no small part because the Kuumbwa audience is so wonderful - supportive, attentive, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, sensitive, respectful… everything a jazz audience should be. They kept me going. As did Reuben and Eric, who were spectacular, as always. And for the last tune of the second set, we had a very special guest come up and sit in: Bob Reynolds. Bob is a fantastic tenor player and composer, and I’m a big fan of his music. His debut recording, “Can’t Wait For Perfect,” is one of my favorite CDs of recent years. Bob and I first met almost 8 years ago, but this was actually the first time I’ve gotten a chance to hear him live. And it was blast to play together. “Tenor Madness”. Hard to go wrong with that!…