Twitter Births a Jazz Band – We play in Berkeley on Tuesday, Sept. 7th!

On Tuesday Sept 7th, I’ll be playing at the Beta Lounge in Berkeley with guitarist Rob Michael, pianist Darin Wilson, bassist Steve Uccello and trumpeter Dave Hoffman. This gig will be the first time this group has ever played together. In fact, many of us have never even met in person before – we all met each other on Twitter!

Since I joined Twitter a year ago I’ve been amazed by the connections I’ve made. I admit that I was reluctant to join the network. I didn’t see how 140 characters could be enough to communicate anything or form relationships. Boy was I wrong! I’ve met amazing people from all around the world, found new fans and advocates for my music, and connected with like-minded musicians that have inspired and encouraged me to keep doing what I’m doing. I even booked much of the Jason Parker Quartet Spring Tour through my Twitter contacts, and met many Twitpals in person on that tour.

Not only did I get to meet some of my pals on tour, but I even got to play with a few. Rob and Darin both came to sit in with the JPQ when we played in Berkeley, and Dave blew a few choruses with us in Redwood City. I can’t tell you how exciting it was to be able to meet and share the stage with these wonderful musicians, all through the power of Twitter!

When my wife and I decided to spend our one-year wedding anniversary in San Francisco, I sent a tweet to Rob & Darin asking if they wanted to play a show with me while I was in town. They were as excited about the idea as I was, and Rob suggested we fill out a band. So he contacted Steve and drummer Joe Shotwell, and Dave said he wanted in, and lo-and-behold we had a full-fledged Twitter jazz band! I contacted The Beta Lounge in Berkeley, where the JPQ played in May, and they agreed to host the show!

So next Tuesday, September 7th, the band Rob has dubbed the “Secret Society of Internet Jazzers” will make our debut (we were calling the band the Quintweet for a while)! I’m excited to get to play more with Rob, Darin and Dave, and to meet and play with Steve and John, both of whom I admire greatly. We’re going to pick a few tunes each, both originals and standards/covers, and see what transpires. I have no doubt there’ll be some serious musical magic happening!

If you’re in the San Francisco area, we’d LOVE to see you at The Beta Lounge on Tuesday at 7:30pm. But if you’re not in the area, don’t fret – we’ll be streaming the entire show live on Ustream! I hope you’ll join us from wherever you are.