On Saturday, the rehearsal for my concert was rough. I had suffered an upset stomach the evening before, and I was very shaky and could hardly stand up during rehearsal. Fortunately the band knew their stuff and we got through it just fine. I just went to bed afterwards to rest. I had to be fit for the show on Sunday. I was the last act to close down the festival and wanted to make sure that everybody stayed to the end and danced. Paul Taylor had joined me on “Pacific Coast Highway” at the All-Star concert. So I asked him to sit in on a couple of tunes on my show, to give my set another dimension, which he did. The concert went very well, the sound was good, the band felt solid and the audience was totally into it.
The whole room turned into a party and we had the best of times. I sold every last piece of merchandise I was able to bring, which is always a good indicator, that I reached the audience’s hearts.

The evening after the last show, Christian invited all the musicians and their partners to a wonderful dinner at this rustic old restaurant. The food was fantastic and the atmosphere had something of a family gathering. It summed up the whole experience in a perfect way. It felt we all got a bit closer to our fellow musicians.We shared stories and wine, with Nate (East), Joey Summerville, Gerald Albright, Steve Cole, Gail Johnson, Paul Taylor and Sandy Shore and Donna from smootjazz.com

Now I’m sitting in the lobby, waiting for our shuttle back to the airport.
After a long series of extended goodbyes, we leaving this beautiful place wishing we could stay longer. We took it all in, the music, the location, the beautiful hotel, but it seemed it went by just too fast.

When we arrived at the hotel it was first class all the way. There was a welcome banquet, and the hotel and staff are just wonderful. Christian Bößner, who organizes these Festivals, really got this one right. I am happy to see that his hard work is paying of. It seems to get better every time I come back.

The next morning we had a rehearsal for the All-Star concert. Everybody got to pick a tune, something simple enough for everybody to learn quickly. Most artists were fighting their jet lag. I was glad that I had a full week in Europe already and was used to this time zone.
The All-Star concert took place in the most spectacular setting. An unfinished church offered the backdrop to an open-air venue with its majestic walls.

The concert was a total blast, we don’t always get the opportunity to jam with each other, so for the artists and the audience this was a special treat. Each night there are two concerts and then an after party. Richard Edwards is really a superb DJ and had the crowd going all night. When I left at 3am it was still in full swing.
I heard it went on until 5 am.

Tonight I have to go to bed just a bit earlier, because I have rehearsals for my show on Sunday in the morning. The festival provides the backing band for each artist. I had played with some of the musicians before in previous years at festivals in Augsburg and Biberwehr. They are very capable players and I hope we can take the show even further now, that they are familiar with my groove.

I will let you know how it went. Til then……