When you play in NYC it’s never quite the same as any previous time.

I was here recently with Charlie Haden and his family at Lincoln Center. Also along were my pals Stuart Duncan, Sam Bush, Dan Tyminski, and Bryan Sutton. And that was on the end of a whirlwind week of a Hall of Fame show, South Carolina and  Boone, NC.  The time before that was with Sam Bush and Edgar Meyer when our trio played  Carnegie Hall.

I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how this was going to go. Would the audience have trouble with our music? Would it not be the Jazz they were expecting?   Would they get up and walk out or would they get into it, give it a chance and love it?  Luckily for me, they went for it.

Our guests included saxophone player Bill Evans, Rosanne Cash, John Leventhal, and our own Gabe Witcher. When it all comes down at the end of the day, Bluegrass and Jazz are very interconnected. Both  are based on improvisation and, let’s face it, whatever it is that I’m playing, I’m going to try and make it challenging, yet accessable to all.

We packed  two shows each of the four nights, making for a successful and satisfying run there. The staff is a finely tuned machine. They are very professional and really made us feel at home. I noticed that as we were playing the wait staff stood and watched us and applauded with the audience, even to solos when one of the guys would set one on fire. I think they were really glad to have a fresh breeze come through the place and we were happy to be there. It certainly was a major step in my musical education.

My good friend Walter Holton treated us to a lovely time at his sister Lucy’s on the Upper West Side one afternoon. Her husband,  Mark Ptashne, a respected doctor and an accomplished violinist, surprised Luke with the loan of a 1734 Stradivarius to be used as his second fiddle for the Blue Note shows. I’ve never seen Luke so nervous, though grateful to be the bearer of such an historic instrument.  Maybe we’ll publish some of the pictures of Luke and his buddy here in our new digs. It was a treat for me to hear him playing that instrument in my left ear. They are as good as they say.

Thanks Mark. And thank you Walter!