tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78066920276580580292011-04-21T14:53:04.580-07:00Janek Gwizdalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08380188079013536063noreply@blogger.comBlogger61100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806692027658058029.post-26137732360050677122008-12-02T21:51:00.000-08:002008-12-03T00:20:45.185-08:00I think that all of the people that made it possible for me to tour the UK last month should not go unannounced or un-thanked. <div><br /></div><div>Aside from the fans who came out to the shows, without whom no tour would be possible, I have to first thank Sean Rickman and Oli Rockberger for their dedication, outstanding musical ability, and passion for making incredible music happen. </div><div><br /></div><div>I couldn't have made a single sound on some of the gigs without the generosity and help of Dave Marks and his EBS rig which bailed me in a huge way. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pris and Stevie I have to thank for having me back at the UK bassday again. </div><div><br /></div><div>Richard Niles for Accommodation, drums, and general mastery in the areas of moral support through everything!</div><div><br /></div><div>Dazza, for having such a pimping crib and letting be a lodger.......</div><div><br /></div><div>Cat Munro for doing more things than I knew were possible in all areas, and taking care of just about everything!</div><div><br /></div><div>All the club owners and promoters for having us along the way. </div><div><br /></div><div>Steve Gilbertson for a great PA system for our last gig!</div><div><br /></div><div>The ICMP for having me over there, and all the great students. </div><div><br /></div><div>The ACM for their great hospitality and welcome, as well as a great fire drill to end the day with!</div><div><br /></div><div>And of course my mum. none of it would have been possible without her continued support. </div><div><br /></div><div>Easy, </div><div><br /></div><div>Janek</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7806692027658058029-2613773236005067712?l=janekgwizdala.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Janek Gwizdalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08380188079013536063noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806692027658058029.post-61748836790929842652008-09-30T11:01:00.001-07:002008-09-30T11:35:45.907-07:00I'm very happy to let you know about a fantastic artist from Australia that I've just started working with. It's only been a couple of weeks, but we've already done a show at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC, the David Letterman show, and a show in Central Park too. <div><br /></div><div>She has an incredible story being the biggest selling female artist from Australia of all time, she's battled cancer and beaten it, and now comes to America with her new album "Delta" to widen her fan base across the world. </div><div><br /></div><div>You can check out a video of our recent performance on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZb6r_5b6gI">Letterman here</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The Band is incredible and are some of my favorite musicians to play with:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&amp;friendid=183148115">Rob Bailey on Guitar</a></div><div><br /></div><a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&amp;friendid=46889959">Brian Delaney on Drums</a><div><br /></div><a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&amp;friendid=129094398">Rich Sanford on keys and vocals</a><p></p><div><a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&amp;friendid=27398985" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">And Delta on piano and vocals of course!</span></a><br /></div><p></p><div><br /></div><div>And also check out the new <a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&amp;friendID=48782206&amp;albumID=52352&amp;imageID=45555295">Rig and Bass</a> I'm playing from <a href="http://fender.com/">Fender</a> on this gig.....</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And if you're in the Los Angeles area come check out a show I'm doing this coming sunday, October 5th at the <a href="http://www.pasjazz.org/">Pasadena Jazz Institute</a> featuring <a href="http://www.jojomayer.com/">Jojo Mayer</a> on drums!</div><div><br /></div><div>Hope to see some of you there. </div><div><br /></div><div>Easy, </div><div><br /></div><div>Janek</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7806692027658058029-6174883679092984265?l=janekgwizdala.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Janek Gwizdalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08380188079013536063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806692027658058029.post-53513632088304630762008-09-20T23:05:00.000-07:002008-09-20T23:13:24.919-07:00Anyone reading this who might be in the UK in Nov..... I'm excited to announce a rare UK tour with dates across the country. <br /><br />We'll be at the following locations in nov:<br /><br />Nov. 9th - Bass Day UK 2008 @ Royal Northern College, Manchester<br /><br />Nov. 10th - The Cinnamon CLub - Manchester<br /><br />Nov 11th - ACM in Guildford for a masterclass in the daytime<br /><br />Nov. 11th - Orange Street Music in Canterbury for an evening show<br /><br />Nov. 12th - Still waiting to fill this night......<br /><br />Nov. 13th - The Jazz Bar - Edinburgh<br /><br />Nov. 14th - The Jazz Bar Edinburgh<br /><br />Nov. 15th - off<br /><br />Nov 16th - Boaters Jazz Club - Kingston<br /><br />The band will feature the Great <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=45608898">Oli Rockberger</a> on keys and vocals, with the incredible <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=13854045">Sean Rickman</a> on Drums. I'm bringing those guys from NYC and will pick up a special guest in each city in the UK that we play in. <br /><br />More info to come.....<br /><br /><br />Easy, <br /><br />Janek<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7806692027658058029-5351363208830463076?l=janekgwizdala.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Janek Gwizdalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08380188079013536063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806692027658058029.post-22787329362381465012008-09-14T19:54:00.000-07:002008-09-14T20:08:19.723-07:00I've finally got my online store up and running. <div><br /></div><div>It can be found at:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.janekgwizdala.com">LIVE BOOTLEG DIGITAL DOWNLOAD STORE</a></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm posting live concerts that my group has played in the recent past. They were recorded on anything from an iPod up to some pretty serious high end gear, and I've "mastered" them and processed them to 256KBPS MP3'S in a zip file for you to download. All tracks that are available have a 96kbps 30 sec preview for you to check out before you buy. </div><div><br /></div><div>Downloads are priced at $4.99 per set, $8.99 for two set bundles, and $11.99 for three set bundles. Sets average about 60 mins with some as long as 70. Once you make your purchase you will be sent a download link and a password to unlock the zipped files. </div><div><br /></div><div>For everyone who couldn't make it out to a show because you live in Tokyo, London, Sydney, Dayton, Spokane, or capetown....... these are for you!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>All MP3's are tagged with metadata so they will load straight into any media player you're using will all the info for the tracks. </div><div><br /></div><div>Please give me any feedback you can on this as it's a new venture for me, and I want to make it as streamlined and useable as possible. </div><div><br /></div><div>Enjoy the music. </div><div><br /></div><div>Easy, </div><div><br /></div><div>Janek</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7806692027658058029-2278732936238146501?l=janekgwizdala.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Janek Gwizdalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08380188079013536063noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806692027658058029.post-37079049977642784992008-07-26T23:14:00.000-07:002008-07-26T23:37:39.480-07:00It is with incredible sadness that I write here about the passing of my long time friend and fellow musician Hiram Bullock. I'm devastated by this news as he has been one of the greatest influences on me as both a musician and a human being. We first met in Boston about 9 years ago to play a trio concert with Kenwood Dennard, and some of the things he said to me that night have stayed in the forefront of my mind ever since. I'll never forget him turning up to the hit about 20 minutes before we were due to play with a list of tunes. He handed me this piece of paper and said "you know all this stuff right?". I nodded and said yes, not knowing about 60% of the tunes on the list. I ran to the Berklee music library and checked out as much of it as I could before we played, and hung on for dear life through the show. Not something you ever forget. <div><br /></div><div>Other musical situations we found ourselves in included an incredible week at the Blue Note in New York city playing totally free music in a trio with Airto Moreira, and also a week at sweet basil some years back with Kenwood, Randy Brecker, Lew Solof, Chris Hunter, and more incredible musicians stopping by than I can remember. Hiram opened up doors for me that I never knew existed. Not just by the kinds of people I got to play with as a result of working with him, but also by his endless knowledge of music. I remember thinking how heavy it was at the time playing with Kenwood and Hiram, but it's really apparent almost ten years later how much that helped my development as a player. </div><div><br /></div><div>The loss of this giant, comedic, and beautiful person hasn't quite sunk in yet, and I'm sure as it does I will find so many more things to talk about this incredible persons life. He touched me musically and spiritually unlike almost anyone I've ever met. Seeing his number on my caller id whether it was for a hang or a gig was always something that brought a smile. A close friend of mine sent me this message today: "I'd like to think he'll always be looking over your shoulder from this point on saying...'keep burning, young gun!'"......  </div><div><br /></div><div>I would like to think he'll be looking over all of us with that big smile and laugh of his being as encouraging as he always was. YAOOWWWWW!!</div><div><br /></div><div>He was a gentle giant of the guitar and I, as I'm sure all his friends, will miss him every day. </div><div><br /></div><div>Peace, </div><div><br /></div><div>Janek</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7806692027658058029-3707904997764278499?l=janekgwizdala.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Janek Gwizdalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08380188079013536063noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7806692027658058029.post-43154597654196088712008-05-20T13:16:00.000-07:002008-05-20T13:35:48.339-07:00in fact it feels like it's been going for some months more than it actually has. <div><br /></div><div>January brought with it the winter NAMM for which I only attended the first two days as I think I value my hearing and my sanity a little more than the four day attendees. </div><div><br /></div><div>I followed that up with a masterclass at LAMA in Pasadena which was short and sweet, and then took a few days break at my place in Hollywood before coming back to NYC for the madness.....</div><div><br /></div><div>Couple of hits with Mike Stern in early Feb followed by a tour of Japan with Takanori Niida and Tomo Fujita. It was great to finally go to Japan for the first time, and to eat some of the greatest food known to mankind! </div><div><br /></div><div>The schedule was nuts though. We played every night we were there, and then I flew back on a monday morning from tokyo via San Fran, got into JFK around 11pm, home around 12:15 am, did laundry for a couple of hours, and then jumped in a cab straight back to JFK to leave on the road with Mike Stern to Mexico. I think our flight was at 7am or something so by that point I hadn't slept in about 2 days and was feeling the burn. There's nothing like going on tour with one of your heros to a really warm and sunny place with great food to wake you up though. We played to a packed house the next night in Guadalajara, and the flew to Mexico City to play two nights at Club Zinco which was fantastic. Some of the best audiences I've had the chance to play for. </div><div><br /></div><div>As soon as we were done I got a great break in Cabo with my lady for a week before heading back to LA. </div><div><br /></div><div>Jojo Mayer was in town in LA at the same time as me so we got together and performed on this clinic he had booked at west LA music. And I also had a chance to hook up with some local musicians for a session while I was in town too - Dennis Hamm and Eric Valentine. </div><div><br /></div><div>I headed back to NYC in the middle of march to work some more on an album I'm producing for Justin Vasquez, and to give a couple of clinics and do some hits with my own band, with Violinist Christian Howes, with Sax player Bob Reynolds, and with the band Sveti. </div><div><br /></div><div>March ended annd April began with a one off in LA, a quick in and out trip with red eyes galore. April was pretty quiet on the whole, a few hits at the 55bar with Ada Rovatti, with my band, and with Sean Nowell, and some things in CT with Damon Grant and with the Bombsquad. </div><div><br /></div><div>Back to May in the beginning of May to play on a few cuts for the new Jem album, a mastercalss at MI, and even a night off to catch a Dodgers game! dodgers beat the mets 6-5 I think..... </div><div><br /></div><div>As soon as I got back to NYC I went straight into the studio to make a record for Ada Rovatti with Randy Brecker, Adam Rogers, George Colligan, Christian Howes, and Obed Calvaire which was a lot of fun. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm currently finishing up the acoustic side of Justin Vasquez's album with three days of mixing this week, and then we're tracking the electronica side of the album next week with Jojo Mayer and Deantoni Parks which will be totally out of control! </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, this has been my first blog. I'm sure I'll get around to writing about something besides the schedule and alll the madness, but that does occupy quite a large portion of what's going on right now. </div><div><br /></div><div>Lots of cool gigs coming up including a trio gig of mine with Adam rogers on the 26th of June at the 55bar. </div><div><br /></div><div>So keep checking the blog, and the myspace page   www.myspace.com/janekgwizdalaproject for all the latest updates. </div><div><br /></div><div>Easy, </div><div><br /></div><div>Janek</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7806692027658058029-4315459765419608871?l=janekgwizdala.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Janek Gwizdalahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08380188079013536063noreply@blogger.com4