It's 2013 (has been for three months now), and this year has brought several new musical things for me which are of significance. Firstly, I have recently been engaged by reedman/composer Sheldon Brown to participate in his excellent and far-reaching endeavor, Distant Intervals, which consists of Sheldon on saxophones and clarinets, Dave McNabb and John Finkbeiner on guitars, Michael Wilcox on fretless electric bass, Vijay Anderson on drums, and Andrew Joron on theremin (!) and poetry recitation. This group is largely focused on playing compositions built from melodies which are culled from recorded poetry recitations by Joron, Clark Coolidge, Philip Lamantia, et al. My job is to add my own "language" to the mix, while playing as accurately as I can these melodies, which are at once densely chromatic and highly "sensible". YUM! The first gig went really well, with Clark Coolidge participating, even! And there will be more. Secondly, the Holly Martins (myself, Eric Vogler, Kasey Knudsen) are hard at work devising a few more long-ish form structured improvisations for several upcoming performances. And last (but certainly MOST!!!), I have discovered, in a serious way, the absolutely fantastic AND HORRIBLY UNDERRATED chamber music of Erno Dohnanyi (aka, Ernst von Dohnanyi). This cat was a MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. For real. Many are familiar with his semi-celebrated Serenade for String Trio, and that piece is indeed worthy of (much more, even) attention... but don't sleep on the 3 String Quartets. OOOOOHHHHH YEAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!