David Freeman Music

The Pleaserock Horns (Rob Opitz, Richard Sherrington, and me) took another shot at Miles Davis' Kind of Blue  at Venkman's.  Pretty good playing all around.  The rhythm section for this one was David Ellington on piano, Billy Thornton on bass, and Marlon Patton on drums. Chances are, you weren't at the gig.  You can listen here:

Yacht Rock played our annual Thanksgiving Eve show at Venkman's this year.  In past years, we've done it at the Egyptian Ballroom at the Fox.  Much easier load in Venkman's, and better food.  This gig sold out (approximately 400 people). New tunes:   Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard  (Paul Simon) and Come and Get Your Love  (Redbone).  I like both of these!  This was a good set list--a handful of new ones and another handful of ones that we haven't played in a while. Two piccolo solos ( Me and Julio  and Call Me Al ) in one gig.  Whaaaa?

Yacht Rock made a quick trip to Austin, TX this past weekend for two shows, one private and one public.  I like Austin a lot, and I think we'll try and make it a regular stop on our schedule (if we can find the right room). Friday:  insanely early flight.  Our carpool to the airport left midtown at 6:50 AM.  Ugh.  Worse still, I failed to sleep at all on the flight.  Maybe I'm dying--I always sleep on the plane.  I watched a movie instead. First stop:  our hotel rooms, where Mark Cobb and I discovered that we had those sleep-number beds you always see on TV (but never in person).  100 is hard, 0 is soft.  Cobb's didn't work at first, and mine would change radically...and then we realized that he had the remote for my bed, and I had his. Lunch stop in Austin: I don't remember how you say "shrimp kebab" in Spanish, but that's what this was.  Very good.  This is the kind of Mexican/Turkish delight that The Great ...

David Ellington and I played at Venkman's in Atlanta Sunday night.  Back together again after Dave's multiple trips out of town. I had the burger. Here's the audio: As is often the case, my perception of how I (and we) played was much different from what I'm listening to as I sit here tonight.  Other than my multiple mistakes on The Serpent's Charm , things feel and sound pretty good, and I don't sound as hesitant and muddled as things seemed in my head at the time. Check this out!  A local artist ( you can see his other stuff here ) drew this on the menu while he was listening to us.  Wow!

Yacht Rock had our final run of the year up to Chicago, with stops in Nashville and Columbus, IN along the way.  We had some really nice weather and good crowds at every stop! Thursday:  first stop, Nashville.  The trip began with a quick "acoustic" show at an elementary school.  This was a freebee promo thing we did for a fan who teaches at the school.  Since we were late (no big surprise there), we forewent changing into our stage clothes and did this one in our street clothes.  Three songs, and we were done...and then the autographing began!  The large number of random pieces of paper I signed was way out of proportion to the way I played. From there, on to the Mercy Lounge! Back at our usual spot.  Not the greatest load in--there's a long ramp to the front door, and then either a flight of stairs or a passenger elevator--but the room has a pretty good vibe (especially compared to its larger downstairs neighbor, the Cannery Bal...