I really enjoy watching the process of creating a broadway musical. The attention to detail, the precision of the choreography, the musical intent…all of that leading to the emotional connections that are made between the performers and the audience. It all fascinates me. We are in cast rehearsal now. Sometimes I have to pinch myself….
Read moreMy Yamaha Drums
These drums…I can’t tell you how much I loved playing them every night on the road at my show Ain’t Too Proud. I just set them up in my drum booth at their new home at The Imperial Theatre in Times Square. I can’t wait to get started again. Finally!!!
Read moreIt feels good to get started on the broadway production of this show. It’s been a long journey, but I feel it’s worth it. We started with a workshop in January of 2017, then we traveled to Berkeley, CA to mount a full production at the Berkeley Rep. We took time off due to no…
Read moreReminiscing – Ain’t Too Proud rehearsal in Berkeley
Reminiscing-day one of orchestra rehearsal in Berkeley for Ain’t Too Proud back in 2017. What a great band we had. It was so interesting hearing all five orchestras interpret the music for this show. You’ll hear the SIXTH starting at out first preview on February 28th at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway. See you then!…
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The Tempts!
“Through their sterling catalog and Trujillo’s exquisite recreation of their iconic steps, Ain’t Too Proud both delights audiences and highlights the immense legacy the group has left for acts that followed. To borrow from one of Baskin’s monologues, the Temptations have always been greater than the sum of their parts, and DC (and soon Broadway)…
Read moreSmall Disasters By Anya Singleton
This is one of my favorite tracks from this record. I remember during the session we used a really deep, almost marching band sized snare and put a lot of muffling on top to get that 1970’s snare drum thud. It was a lot of fun laying down tracks for this project. The song is…
Read moreMemphis Tony Awards Performance 2010
This is one night I’ll never forget. Being on the stage of Radio City Music Hall? Playing on national TV in front of millions. Seeing 6,000 people in the audience in the audience? Looking in the first row and seeing Beyonce and Jay-Z? Mmmmm, mmmm, mmmm. I almost got distracted by her when I glanced…
Read moreAudra McDonald Sings Billie Holiday – From Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar And Grill
In January of 2014, I got a call to work on a new musical about Billie Holiday that would feature Audra McDonald. I had no idea just how huge the show would be—what an experience. Audra is a force of nature and was on top of her game every single night. It was amazing to…
Read moreI Miss My Kids
One thing I learned from being away from my kids since July 9th is that I’ll NEVER AGAIN take chances on future success. Never again. NE-VER! My days of “hoping things will work out” ended as of right now. I won’t do anything with the hope that things will get better in some unspecified…
Read more“The Temptations Were Our Beatles”
“The Temptations were our Beatles” I stumbled across a series of Behind The Music episodes on YouTube last night and watched the story of Hall and Oates. Wow, I forgot how many hits they had. I loved so many of their songs. But, The Temps… I really didn’t know how much of an influence they…
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