I ran into an old friend today. Peter used to live on the block behind us; he sold that house but still lives in the area.

He has a dual career as a musician and as a window washer (hard to make ends meet just as a musician); I run into him twice a year when he comes over to my neighbor's to do her windows.

I used to hear him practicing the bassoon (one of my favorite instruments) when he lived in the neighborhood. He cracked me up when he described the agony of playing Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats for the bazillionth time. Besides working in theater, he also plays in the Lyric Opera orchestra, along with other symphony orchestras in the Midwest.

When I saw him today I asked him what he was doing these days in the music world, and he mentioned that besides the usual stuff he's playing with a group called the Metropolitan Jazz Octet. I thought it a bit odd that there would be a place for a bassoonist in a jazz ensemble, but it turns out he also plays saxophone, and that's his instrument of choice in the MJO.

The have one album out, with another on the way. The second album is a collaboration with a great vocalist named Dee Alexander; it's a collection of Billie Holiday songs. I got to hear a couple of songs he has downloaded on his phone. Good stuff.

Anyway, here's a link to MJO's website, which has some samples from their first album which is titled The Road to Your Place . Thought I'd share with folks who like jazz....

https://www.metropolitanjazzoctet.com/

Oh, and special for markj....they are trying to get the new album released on vinyl.....