February 2012
1 post
Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?
I never really understood the title of this tune until last weekend. I made my first trip to the city where this music all began, and got to experience the city as a performer. To say that it changed the way I look at things would be an understatement. Not just the way I view the city, but also the way I see the black/white line in jazz, the aftermath of Katrina, the importance of this city...
January 2012
2 posts
2011 Yielded Great Things
What better way to decide that I’ll blog about my art some more than to just do it? Some insane things have happened in my music lately and it makes me wide-eyed with excitement to think of all of the possibilities that 2012 will bring.
Last year, I accomplished a lot of goals that I had written down when I moved to Minnesota. I’ve always wanted to play with the Pete Whitman X-Tet and...
4 tags
Post from SoKillingMan.com: If I Were a Classical...
Next month, I will graduate from the U of MN with a Masters degree in trumpet performance. My studies in my Masters program have been primarily in the classical trumpet field, though I did serve as the jazz theory TA for a semester, and have taken jazz comp lessons for three semesters (I have a BA in Jazz Studies). So when I say “If I were a classical musician….” I mean to say that I do not...
June 2010
1 post
Post from Lulu's Playgblog: On Life and Music
After a nice week on tour with the pop/rock band Fatbook (www.fatbookmusic.wordpress.com), I’ve been thinking a lot about life and music. Though this isn’t necessarily a post that logically fits on our Playblog, I thought I’d post here anyway. I’ve been faced with some interesting dilemmas dealing with music, its place in society, and being away from home and on the road.
I suppose there is a...
March 2010
2 posts
RE: Free Improvisation: do you “get it?”
The following is my response to Cory Grossman’s article on the Lulu’s Playblog about free improvisation:
Since the beginning of my formal education in jazz, I have been attempting to listen to “free” music. I had to take a jazz listening course in middle school for two weeks at a camp I was attending and there I was exposed to the music of Cecil Taylor (who has been...
#newmusicsundays is Lulu’s Playground’s grand...
February 2010
1 post
My Lastest Newsletter
Hello friends, fans, and family! This is going to be an exciting couple of months for the Adam Meckler Quintet. After some wonderful reviews of our record (http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/8593/115/, http://twincitiesjazzscene.com/AdamMeckler.htm), and an extensive interview with Jazz88fm (http://tinyurl.com/yast2cg), the AMQ is becoming known as a band to watch in the Twin Cities. We have...
January 2010
2 posts
The Current State of Jazz
The beginning of the end is spawned with their fingers. They are rich for it. The future of our country, our culture, lies in ours. Yet we are shunned. Laughed at even. We work, we sweat, we are sleep deprived, we struggle. And thats just it, isn’t it? The struggle. Thats what makes our music important. Our music is what defines our culture. The American dream, really. We are American in this...
The Best Steak House
Ok, so this my first blog post in a while, and its not about music (sorry). Those of you who know me know how much I love food, so here goes my first restaurant review. Forgive me if it sucks.
I want to talk about one of the best eating experiences I have had since moving to the Twin Cities. I’m not an expert, but I have worked in the food industry for several years as a server, both in...
December 2009
1 post
Interview With Jazz88 →
Last week I was asked to come in to Jazz88 studio to talk about my new release, “For Dad.” I spoke with Maryann Sullivan on her show, Corner Jazz about my record, influences, beginnings, and inspiration. Click this link to hear the interview in its full form. Maryann did a wonderful job in preparation for the interview, and I think it turned out great. Thanks for listening!
September 2009
1 post
Re: Defending Jazz From George Foreman's Fighting...
I saw a great video yesterday from the TED talks by Benjamin Zander. His talk is on Classical music, but his points drove home for me when thinking of the way people view jazz music, and the way jazz musicians portray themselves. Mr. Zander states that the real reason people aren’t getting classical music is not because they are tone deaf (he says no one is tone deaf, I agree), and it is not...
August 2009
2 posts
School to the Stage: In The Studio
Considering that I have really only been “in the studio” a handful of times for major projects, I am not going to pretend to be an expert on working in the studio environment. I will, however try and give you an idea of what it was like for me to be in the studio recording my music using my own money. The Details I chose to record at signaturetone studio in Richfield, MN. Signaturetone...
This my free online only download track titled...
July 2009
5 posts
“Pittsburgh’s Song” from the...
“The Call” from the Dakota gig.
School to the Stage: Playing the Dakota
I’ve seen Nicholas Payton, Roy Hardgrove (3 times), John Scoffield, Christian Scott, the SFJC, Joshua Redman, and many others including tons of great local musicians at the Dakota. Naturally, the thought that I was going to be playing from the same stage, one of the most reputable in the Midwest, was a bit daunting. Not to mention this was my first real performance as a composing improvisor...
June 2009
10 posts
This is a track from my submisison to the Carmine...
“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to...”
– Abraham Maslow
School to the Stage: First Off
I’ve been trying to make it as a musician for a little over 2 years. The following is an attempt to tell you what I’ve learned since graduating while its still fresh in my head. 1. Quit using your credit card. Poker is not going to pay rent, its not going to pay the bills. I don’t care how many books you’ve read or how many episodes of High Stakes Poker you’ve...
Some good news today, it looks like I’ll be working with the Nova Jazz Orchestra on their next recording project! More details to come, still haven’t had a chance to rehearse with them because they cancelled today’s rehearsal. Looking forward to making music with new musicians though!
Just rehearsed with some awesome guys this afternoon in search for a new project. Brian Claxton and Aaron Hedonstrom form Eau Claire, Matt Perterson from the Zacc Harris Trio, Evan Montgomery, and Ben Doherty. A few more players and we could call this the Twin Cities Jazz Collective! We played originals by a few different people in the band, and everyone there writes. I am hopeing that this will...
Starting to feel better after a week and a half long fight with Swine Flu. I’ve been making fun of it since they started advertising its potency months ago. Never thought I’d get it myself. Wasn’t fun. Needless to say, I am looking forward to getting the horn back on my face and getting back to the Twin Cities for some new rehearsals and gigs. I am playing this weekend with the...
First Post
July 17th 11:30p-1:30a the Adam Meckler Quintet is playing at the Dakota for the first time. The show will feature many of my new compositions and some of the Twin Cities’ best small group jazz players. Don’t miss it!
In a couple of weeks I am meeting up with some musicians from Eau Claire, Lawrence, and the Twin Cities, and we are going to try and put a new group together. Some of my...
“Traveler, there is no road. A road is made by walking.”
– Dave Douglas