2014 was a great year, and I am thankful more than ever for your support - for listening and coming to shows and downloading songs from iTunes -- and especially for those of you who st

ill believe in that wonderful old fashioned notion of buying CDs!

One of the highlights of my year was being asked to join the board of the Jazz Drama Program - a New York based organization dedicated to bringing jazz to young people through music, theater, dance and storytelling.  We had a benefit in the fall honoring WBGO's legendary Dorthaan Kirk, and featuring some of the talented kids,  which I hosted.

On the recording front, I have been hard at work on a new album with a working title of "Resilience"  for my label, Motéma Music.  As always, it will have a bunch of original tunes mixed in with some great standards.  The idea of resilience kept coming up in every conversation I overheard this year - whether in response to natural (or manmade!) disasters, personal setbacks, or just getting through a tough day.  Recent breakthroughs in science and logic show that the more we can bolster ourselves and our planet by creating new paradigms - working together, in concert, being the key here - the better our chances for survival.  

Believe it or not, there were a bunch of songs that sprung out of this thought process, and I can't wait to share them with you.  I've had the great good fortune to be continuing my collaboration with guitarist Dave Stryker (whose solo CD "Eight Track" topped the charts this year as well) and we should have some tunes for you soon.  

Oh - and for those of you who remember my days as a journalist for ABC News, I am returning to the field as a cultural reporter, which is what I originally intended to do 25 years ago.  My dear friend and former ABC News colleague, Susan Barnett, is producing a series of artist interviews that will air as podcasts on my website this year.  We just shot our first interview with the fabulous singer Ann Hampton Callaway - so stay tuned!

All is well on the home front, though I must admit it's a challenging time, as our 17 year old daughter Emma prepares to flee the coop!  She is in the process of college apps and audition prep for theater programs - a highly stressful experience on all fronts.   I'm getting the chance to put my personal resiliency techniques to good use almost every day!

I hope to see you all and hear from you as the coming year unfolds.  I promise to be better about keeping you up to date on tours and news in general.

Cheers!