Oct 04 2011

October 2011

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the delay, I hope everyone is doing well. Here’s a quick update on my musical developments. Basically,  the past year-and-a-half I have been touring with young jazz sensation Nikki Yanofsky. We have covered quite a lot of ground in the past year and have played Jazz Festivals and concerts over a large part of the world: Canada, USA, Israel, Japan, France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Holland, Italy, and a few others that I can’t remember as I write this…The tour has been great and I have learned so much from sharing the stage with an amazing singing talent as well as the supremely talented musicians that are in her band: Rob Fahie (bass), John Sadowy (piano) and Rich Irwin (drums). These musicians are not only fine players, but amazing individuals as well. Once again, I am fortunate to be surrounded by that winning combination of great musicians and great people. Be sure to check out Rich Irwin’s website (http://www.richardirwinonline.com).

The concerts with Nikki have been a lot of fun and it has been a great experience getting my jazz playing back to a respectable level. This is the kind of music where if you don’t use that musical vocabulary in a while, you tend to lose it. So it is fun (and quite a challenge) to be able to reconnect with this music that was such a large part of my life when I was at University.

I have also done some recording with Nikki and I have posted a version of “Plus Je T’embrasse” on the Music page of the site.

Besides that, I have been busy playing R&B with some of Montreal’s best musicians and singers whenever I am in town. That’s always a treat because the older and more experienced I get, I realize that that music is some of my favourite to play. I can use all of the musical influences that I have gathered throughout my career when playing this stuff. And I love it when the music just feels good.

I have also done quite a few recording sessions from my home studio for various clients. That is a real treat because I get to work from home (!) and I get to fine tune my studio gear and recording techniques. Most often, clients send me an mp3 of their song and I add electric and acoustic guitars to their track. At that point I send my tracks via the Internet and they can mix them as they feel. It’s a great way to work. Should anyone consider recording with me this way, please send me an email. One such project was a gospel album by a great singer named Jojo Botena. I have posted a few songs on the Music page as well.

I was pleasantly surprised and extremely proud to have been featured in this ad for Godin Guitars. The ad is for their amazing hollowbody guitar, the Godin 5th Ave. What a guitar ! I have one at home and it’s such a treat to play it. I use the one with the floating pickup and it is amazing at how much the acoustic qualities of the guitar come through the amplifier. If you see one in your local music store, give it a try. The photo used in the ad was taken on stage at Place des Arts in Montreal before a show with Nikki Yanofsky.

In my off time, I am so fortunate to stay at home and take care of my twin girls (now 4 1/2 years old !). They are the greatest things in my life and I am lucky to be able to spend so much time with them when I am not on the road.

Lastly, you can follow me on Twitter here: @AndyDac

Well, there you go - up to date !

Andy

P.S. In my iPod: Chuck Loeb - Plain ‘n Simple, Bireli Lagrene - Electric Side, George Benson - Songs and Stories, Soundtrack for Tangled, Fourplay - Let’s Touch The Sky, Coupé Cloué - The Preacher, Gregg Allman - Low Down Country Blues, Larry Carlton - Plays The Sound of Philadelphia, John Scofield - Piety Street