I hope all is well. Here’s a quick update regarding what I have been up to in the past few months.

Corneille’s third French album was released on October 19. We were in Paris to promote it in that month. It had been exactly two years since I was last in Paris and it was so good to be back. I took the opportunity to visit some of my friends and to see some of the sights that I had missed so much. Oh yeah, we also did some promo. We did quite a few radio and TV shows and for some of them we were lucky to be able to play with the great Gérald Bonnegrace on percussions.  Some footage of the promo can be seen on YouTube.

In January we did a four-date tour of France (and Belgium) with Corneille. We played Brussels, Paris, Lille, and Cannes. It was a great experience and it was great to be able to perform Corneille’s French songs once again to his public. Lucky for me, most of my regular band members were with me on the tour with the exception of JB Carbou, who couldn’t do the tour because of a prior engagement on a TV show. As his replacement, we got the wonderful Alex Paquette, who did an amazing job on the bass. He impressed everyone in the band and the crew and I’m sure I’ll be playing with him more in the future. Next up should be a tour of some Festivals in France in the summer. I have put up a few photos of the tour on the site.

In December I played a concert with Nikki Yanofsky. She is a 16-year old jazz singer from Montreal and she can really sing ! Her material is part jazz/part acoustic pop. We played at the Salle Pierre Mercure in Montreal and I believe the show was filmed and will be broadcast on the PBS network in the States. Her album, New To Me, will be released soon internationally. I did a few studio sessions for the album and perhaps the tracks that I played on will make the final album.

Speaking of albums, I played the album launch of Marco Volcy in January. The album is called C’est Moi and I played some guitar on a few of the tracks. Marco is generating quite a buzz in Montreal and I think good things are ahead for him. I hope to work with him some more in the immediate future.

I have also begun playing with some amazing gospel musicians in town. They are such great players and the music is so much fun to play. Most of them are from Haitian descent and I learned quite a bit about playing their style of music.

A few more albums that I have played on are slowly coming out. I will try to put up some samples on the site when I get a moment.

Besides all of this, I try to stay home as much as possible to be with my twin girls. They are almost 3 years old, and hopefully they will be teaching me their guitar tricks soon !

Take care,

Andy

P.S. In my iPod: George Benson - Songs and Stories, Chuck Loeb - Between Two Worlds, Michael Bublé - Crazy Love, Legally Blynd - Leagally Blynd, Paul Jackson jar - Lay It Back, Keith Urban - Defying Gravity, Robben Ford - Soul on Ten, Fred Hammond - Love Unstoppable, George Benson and Earl Klugh - Collaboration, George Benson and Jack McDuff - New Boss Guitar, George Benson - It’s Uptown, Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith - The Dynamic Duo

I hope that everyone is doing well and that a great summer was had by all. It’s been a while since an update so here we go:

There has been a lot going on with Corneille in the past few months. We finished recording his third French album “Sans Titre” and it will be released on October 19th France. Once again it was mixed by Russell Elevado (in San Francisco) and was recorded by Dan Cinelli (in Montreal) at Planet Studios (two of the best in the business). There are some interesting songs and a few new directions for Corneille. We will begin to promote it in Paris in the Fall  and we are planning to do a tour  of France in early 2010. I can’t wait to be back in France.

On July 30 we played the opening night of Montreal’s Francolfolies Festival. Corneille was the host of the night and he invited some guests to sing with him. It was a treat to share the stage with Lokua Kanza, Luck Mervil, Jacob and Joclyne from Kassav, Sans-Pression, and Marie-Luce Béland. I was the Musical Director for the show and I hired my usual gang to back up the singers. The musicians once again did a fantastic job and many, many people were impressed at how well the band sounded and how smoothly the night went. It was such an amazing experience to play the artists’ songs and it was extra special to play Corneille’s French songs again. So many people are attached to these tunes. There are some clips on You Tube showing various parts of the evening.

On Corneille’s English side, a lot has been happening, too. We were in Los Angeles in August and we filmed a performance (and Corneille did an interview) on the Tavis Smiley show. Some of it can be seen here. We were also in Chicago in the middle of August and we filmed a one-hour special for the Africa Channel. The show is called “Soundtracks at Red Kiva”. I think it will be broadcast on September 14. We also shot a video for his single “Liberation” in July and lastly we next head to New York for a number of promo shows and an opening act for Leela James in Washington.

In July I was asked to play in a concert at the Montreal Jazz Festival in a band that is made up of the teachers of the Blues Camp. I was actually replacing one of the teachers and I was referred by my great friend Sam Harrisson who is a drum teacher at the camp. We had a blast playing the gig ! It had been quite some time since I played some straight-ahead blues but it felt really good to be playing that style of music again. Some video of the concert:

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In July I played a concert with a Montreal R&B singer named Marco Volcy. We were showcasing his original material at a club in Montreal. I was the Musical Director on that one and I hired Sam Harrisson and JB Carbou to back up Marco. The gig went really well and Marco has some nice songs and he can really sing. I played some guitar on his album and that should be coming out soon. Some photos here (taken by Maciek Wilcos).

Nicola Ciccone’s tour had a few gigs throughout the summer and we have a Fall Tour throughout Quebec. This will be the last shows on the “Storyteller” Tour. I hope to be able to tour with him and his band when the next album is done.

A small video of myself playing and endorsing the new Godin Spectrum guitar can be seen on their website:

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I have recently done quite a few nice sessions and hopefully those albums will be out soon. I played on a few tracks of the singer Natalie Choquette’s album (along with a great Cuban guitar player named Jesus Perez - he’s the real deal). That was a very challenging session and I even got to record some mandolin on a few songs. I also did a record by a phenomenal singer from Montreal called Dupuis. That could be a very successful project. Dupuis is a hell of a singer and he has amazing stage presence. I am looking forward to hearing that one mixed. I also did an album by a singer named Karine Ste-Marie (website here). This was a interesting one. Karine sings some contemporary French songs that are greatly influenced by the classic Motown records. I was so impressed to hear the songs written by the producer Marc-André Bourbonnais. I couldn’t believe how authentic these songs sounded. They are old-school but contemporary. Really nice stuff.

So there you go. All up to date !

Have a nice Fall Season.

Andy

P.S. In my iPod: Robben Ford - Soul on Ten, Pat Metheny Group - We Live Here, Michael Jackson - Thriller, Rascal Flatts - Unstoppable, Keith Urban - Defying Gravity, Biréli Lagrène and Sylvain Luc - Summertime, Paul Jackson Jr. - Lay It Back, Stan Getz - Anniversary, Roberta Flack - Roberta, David Grissom - Loud Music, Rush - Exit Stage Left, Joe Bonamassa - The Ballad of John Henry, George Shearing Trio - Paper Moon, John Scofield - Piety Street

P.S.S. A few good books I have read: The Alchemist, The Patrick Roy biography, The Duane Allman Biography, Neil Peart - Roadshow

I hope that you are all doing great and are enjoying the upcoming Spring season. I have a few things to report since we last spoke so here we go:

Corneille’s English album was released on Universal/Motown on March 10 and we have done a few days of promo to support it. In December we did a small showcase for industry people in New York City at a club called the Drom. This could be a legendary gig if only by the fact that I helped carry a baby grand piano up on a 5 foot stage (I do it all !). We also did a day of promo in Washington visiting various radio stations. Some of those performances will be available online. We did a show in Washington on the NPR network called Tell Me More with Michel Martin. A video of our performance can be found here. We also did a showcase in London, England in April for the UK release. He is signed to the Island label. That was a fantastic gig. We were able to bring the whole band over for the performance and we had such a good time visiting the city and playing the shows. It was great to be able to play this music with Corneille’s full band.

We have also began recording what should be Corneille’s next French album. It’s so good to hear him singing in French again. I am not sure how many of the tracks that we have recorded will make it to the final album, but what we have done up to now is quite different than the previous albums. I am always amazed at his natural talent. He hears music on a whole different level than most of us. Anyway, I will let you know how that project is coming along. I am really excited at the thought of going back to France. Besides being severely downgraded in my Frequent Flyer status, I miss my friends, co-workers, and favourite restaurants in Paris. I plan to eat until it hurts when I get there.

In February, I performed on a show on Radio-Canada with Corneille in which he invited several guests to sing with him for an hour’s worth of music. I was the musical director on the show and I got to work with Corneille’s amazing musicians on the project. We had a great time and I am proud of the fact that a lot of people took notice of how good this band sounded. Corneille has told me many times, but there really is something special when myself, Sam Harrisson, Allister Philip, Denis Chiche, and J-B Carbou play together. We had a blast backing up Corneille, Luck Merville, Sofia De Medeiros, and a band called Pacifika. Some clips of the show can be found here.

In December I had the great opportunity to perform with a Quebec singer named Michaël. I played a few songs on his last album and I was asked to do the 15-date tour of churches across Quebec for the holiday season. What a treat it was to share the stage with such an incredible singer. There were a few songs in the set which there was no guitar and I took advantage got to listen and enjoy that marvelous voice. I have put up a few photos of the tour on the site.

I am presently in the middle of Nicola Ciccone’s Storyteller Tour across Quebec. It’s great to be back with the boys in the band and crew and to play Nic’s music. It has now been two years that I have regularly worked with Nicola on his live shows and promo work. It’s a different style of music than I am known for playing, but I find it challenging and fun to play.

Also, quite a few albums that I have had the good fortune of playing on have come out. They are definitely varied in style. Some folk acoustic stuff, some hard rock/pop, and some straight-ahead pop music. I have put some music clips on the site.

Besides that, life is good but busy at home with the family. My twin girls will be 2 years old already in April ! I am very fortunate to have a career that for the most part allows me to stay at home and spend so much time with them.

Take care and have a great Spring season.

Andy

P.S. In my iPod: James Taylor - Covers, Bireli Lagrene: Electric Side, Bireli Lagrene - Blue Eyes, Mavericks - What A Crying Shame, Jimmy Herring - Lifeboat, Richard Bona -The Tale, Joe Bonamassa - The Ballad of John Henry, Lee Ritenour - Rit’s House, Perle Lama - Mizikasoleil, Tal Wilkenfeld - Transformation, Brent Mason - Smoking Section, Martin Taylor - Don’t Fret, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price - Last Of The Breed, Ernest Ranglin - Below The Baseline, Pat Martino - Tribute to Wes Montgomery, Paul Simon - Graceland

P.S.S. Good books I have recently read: David Foster Autobiography, Slash Autobiography, Victor Wooten - The Music Lesson, Rudy Sarzo - Off The Rails