For the first installment I’d like to introduce my parents, Demarre and Ira Carol McGill. They were my first teachers and the biggest influences on my music-making. In many ways they have already taught me so much about music and life. These two wonderful things, as I would discover in this conversation, are improvised everyday. My parents’ experiences as extremely creative artists gave them the ability to show me the way. We discussed this a few months ago before my concert in Jefferson City, MO over lunch. I took out my iPhone and recorded some of the conversation. This is what was...

I just finished moving today and for some reason I thought I should definitely get back in touch and talk about a great night out I had two weeks ago.  I had a night off from the Met so in pursuit of some great listening and learning I would check out a concert a friend emailed me about. The concert was an appearance by Ron Odrich, a periodontist and jazz clarinet player who I knew of but had not heard live. He was to be joined by Eddie Daniels a famous jazz clarinetist.  What a great night. I met my girlfriend at a small Italian restaurant on the east side at around 7 and was in for a real treat....