December News: End-of-Year Wrap-Up and a Peek at 2010

Hello Newsies!

It's nearly 2010, but there's still time to squeeze in a December newsletter before the ball drops. There's not much to report, but this seems like the perfect time to send out a huge "Thank-you" to all of you for your support over the past year. 2009 was a huge year for me and for my music, and I owe to all of you.

I started off the year with the release of the Nickel & Brass Septet's (and my) first CD release "Four-Color Heroes!" and ended it with the debut of Zubatto Syndicate, a new 12-piece band that you'll be hearing more from in the coming year. In between there was a bunch of music-writing, CD-promoting, money-raising craziness.

Some other recent highlights:

* The Seattle Times recommended "Four-Color Heroes!" in it's "Top Jazz CDs of 2009" list.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2010525936_topjazz2...

* My friend and colleague, Jason Parker, included "F-CH!" in his "Top 10 Seattle Jazz CDs of 2009." The feeling is mutual. Check out Jason's new quartet/quintet CD "No More, No Less" - it's a fantastic record from the hardest working band in town.
http://oneworkingmusician.com/top-10-seattle-jazz-cds-of-2009

* The SunBreak recommends "Four-Color Heroes!" and its "bold, brawny sound" as a last minute holiday gift idea. Hope I can get it to their readers in time!
http://thesunbreak.com/2009/12/21/last-minute-gift-ideas-from-the-sunbre...

I am happy to report that the Zubatto Syndicate premiere concert was a big success, despite the last-minute venue change. We had a great turn-out and the audience seemed to really enjoy the new music. Going into the concert, I wanted to see if there would be enough demand for another large ensemble and a strong enough reaction to the music, to justify trying to make this a regular thing, and not just "a Very Special Episode." The answer, from where I was sitting, seemed to be a resounding "Yes. More please."

Also, my personal goal of creating a new Big Band sound that would have the young people dancing in the aisles was even more successful than I could have dreamed, as demonstrated in this amazing YouTube video from a concert-goer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWPbPNfngzQ

If you missed Zubatto Syndicate or live outside of the Seattle area, don't fret! The concert was filmed by the Seattle Channel and is going to be broadcast and released on the interwebs in January. Exact date to follow as soon as I have it! Also, there will be many more opportunities to hear the band in the Seattle area in 2010. If you want to hear the band outside of the Seattle area, that may be possible too - but we'll leave that until a later newsletter.

2010 is going to be Year of the Zubatto, but there will be some other cool projects as well. One is so awesome, I'm afraid that even alluding to it at all will jinx it. And I don't want to do that!

So, that's the not-so-much-news. Have a safe and happy holiday season and I'll see you back here in 2010!

best,
-andrew boscardin
http://www.boscology.com/d/