Last night I played a gig at the 5C Cafe with pianist, Jacob Sacks and guitarist, Ben Monder. It was so much fun! It was the first time playing with Ben even though I’ve known Ben for years and it was a real pleasure to be able to interact with him and Jacob together. We had a nice crowd who were very attentive.
I find that this venue is so great when it comes to the vibe of a room but it’s a bit inconvenient for people to get to. It’s a bit far from the train and there really isn’t a bus close by and everyone that I speak to is really not into taking a bus or subway and walking 9 blocks. For all that attended, I am deeply grateful for your efforts and I received a lovely e-mail from a colleague and friend of mine saying how much she enjoyed the performance, so thanks Judith!
One of the things I love most about playing with musicians I normally don’t play with or have played with for the first time, is that it brings something different out of you when you play. Ben is such a creative musician and it was amazing to hear what he had to say on the original tunes and on the other songs and to interact with him. You start listening to the music a bit differently and it brings out musical ideas that you normally don’t play (even though they are inside you the whole time). Jacob sounded different and it was wonderful to hear what he had to say and to play off that too.
Overall, it was a blast! We all had fun and we will definitely be playing with Ben Monder again in the near future.