A New Recording for Danny Tobias

On September 10th of this year, I played a concert with Danny and his band, at an historic venue in Ewing NJ which had the dual purpose of being a live recording to be released, as it turned out, rather quickly. It's a fine band, with Joe Plowman, Jim Lawlor, Paul Midiri, Danny and myself. And to my surprise, he included my solo feature on the CD. I was the pianist on Danny's first CD several years ago ("Cheerful Little Earful"). Proud to say I am on both of Danny's releases. Check it out here.

Mainstay Monday 2016 Video Sampler

Mainstay Mondays have been fun, well supported, and fortunately, many have been captured on video. The video playlist, embedded above, contains a sample post from many of the shows, and reflects some of the variety of performance. New video posts will be added as we progress through to the end of the year. Check it out, and check back.
Click on the above image to view, or click here to see the playlist

A New Recording for Mike McShane

It was time for this. The little group that performs as the "Mike McShane Trio", including Paul Midiri on vibes, has gelled into some solid musical camaraderie (and occasional wacky hijinks) over the last couple of years. Looking to push out beyond our regular recurrences at the Cultured

Pearl, and with a couple of concert venues on the schedule (where it is always a good idea to have product to offer), this was the time. If you just looked at the sleeve (packaging), you might think you were looking at a jazz LP from the 70's. Not a bad reference frame. Recorded in one afternoon, this little unit captures it well, with a refreshing variety of grooves and styles. Click here for a track you can stream. For the rest, you'll just have to send Mike an email and order one.   ;)

Announcing "Mainstay Mondays".

Beginning on Memorial Day (5/31) and running through Labor Day (9/6), the Mainstay, in Rock Hall Maryland will be hosting a Monday night concert series where I will joined by a different guest artist each week. Yes, a show every Monday night! Come and meet my musical friends, and enjoy a fresh experience each week, as I bring a bit of my world to the Mainstay.
Visit the Mainstay's Facebook page for guest artist info.
Join and share the Facebook event for this series. 
See the schedule on the Mainstay website

Featured artists:
5/30 - Mike McShane/Paul Midiri - drums/vibes
6/6  - Peggy Raley/Eddie Sherman - vocalists
6/13 - Vince Lardear - sax
6/20 - Dan Tobias - cornet
6/27 - Rhonda Apple - vocals
7/4  - Melissa McGlynn and John Schratweiser - vocals
7/11 - Chick Redd - vibes
7/18 - Roo Brown - songs and stories
7/25 - Donato Soverio - guitar
8/1  - Max Murray - bass
8/8  - Midiri Brothers - clarinet/drums
8/15 - Sue Matthews - vocals
8/22 - Dick Durham - piano
8-29 - Geoff Gallante - trumpet
9/5  - Nevin Dawson - viola 

About Joe (updated bio)

                                                Click on a picture above to enlarge and copy

Joe Holt is an improvisational/jazz pianist, rooted in the classic approaches. Also a Board Certified Music Therapist, Joe performs for the connections that music makes, and a shared experience with his audiences. Known for his imaginative improvisations and a joy of performing, Joe's formal studies span both jazz and classical, and the 
influence of both worlds can be heard. Past experiences include concert 
and jazz festival touring throughout the US, extensive Atlantic City casino 
performing, over a decade  as Cherry Hill (NJ) Mall's food court pianist, concert 
and music therapy related performances in dozens of regional senior 
communities, and various music director/staff positions. Currently, Joe is the host of the "Mainstay Mondays" series at The Mainstay in Rock Hall, MD, performing collaborative concerts with regional guest artists each Monday night. He is a walk on entertainer for American Cruise Lines at ports along the Chesapeake Bay. Joe is a regular sideman with several regional jazz groups and accompanist/musical director for several vocalists and singer/songwriters, in addition to his solo concerts and collaborative performances.  Joe appears on over 30 album recordings. He lives on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
"The ever tasteful pianist Joe Holt is a soloist extraordinaire; an intense musician with terrific chops, who shows you he means business." - Cam Miller, The American Rag

New Video Playlist - Barbara Parker at the Mainstay

On January 31, 2016, Barbara Parker performed at the Mainstay, in Rock Hall, MD, releasing her new CD, "A Little Out Of Focus". 4 selections from the second half of the show comprise the You Tube video playlist, which can be watched in the box above, or by clicking here, to be taken to the playlist page. Enjoy!

Beth and Joe On Both Sides of the Bay

On Friday April 8th, at 8pm, Beth McDonald and I will be returning to the Stoltz Listening Room of the Avalon Theatre, in Easton, MD, and on Sunday May 1, to The Cabaret at Germano's, in Baltimore. 2 of our very favorite venues, each with it's own unique charm and vibe. Click on the highlighted links to be taken to the ticket ordering sites. If you are in the area, consider coming to one of the shows. Or both   ;)

A Return to the Mainstay

I am one of the fortunate performing artists around here (or anywhere) that has the opportunity to periodically appear on stage at the Mainstay, in Rock Hall, MD. I am sometimes there in support of others; such as Barbara Parker's recent CD release concert, or as part of an open workshop for jazz students, or playing a private function. This coming Saturday, though, I'm on the bill, along with Beth McDonald, performing a "Love Stories" themed concert for Valentine's Day weekend. Beth and I last appeared together on the Mainstay stage in 2013, so I'm looking forward to this one. Okay, I look forward to all of them. And this one. Make your reservation by calling (410) 639-9133, and learn more here. 

Barbara Parker - A Little Out Of Focus.

Which may be true, but what I mean is that Barbara is releasing a new CD, with a release concert at the Mainstay on Sunday January 31 at 4pm. The very short version of the story is that Barbara offered me the role of musical director/producer for this project, and I felt I could be helpful in all of that, so I ran with it. A Little Out of focus could be translated A Little All Over the Place, which is a part of what I helped to facilitate, actually, with a stylistically diverse collection (albeit country laced) as a result. Of course, any suggestion I would make to Barbara would have to be greeted with a "yes, please" (and often was) to see the light of day, as this was about bringing to the surface what she wanted to express (and nothing more or less). So now, Barbara has a quality product to help promote her latest (43rd, perhaps - and don't think she puts one thing away to start another, these all run at the same time) artistic endeavor. Check out the new release here. You will like it.   Okay Barbara, focus now (wait, come back here. What, a new painting? Nice. Okay, put that brush down and sing this. Okay then, fine ...)