I had no idea how it would work. Or if it would work at all.

But singing with "Mad Max" the Trombonist and my amazing piano man John Simon was a total blast!

I mean, how often do you hear a piano/trombone/vocal ensemble? Uh…never?

But I knew I wanted my friend and jazz trombone man Max Perkoff to join John and me for one of our monthly gigs at Upper Fourth. See, for the last three months or so, we’ve been featuring a different guest musician. March was Tony Malfatti, a great sax player. April was Rich Armstrong, one of the most talented trumpet players I’ve ever met or heard. And May was Max! And it was great!

First of all, Max is a ham. He loves entertaining the crowd, talking with them, and being highly expressive in his movements and his playing. But he’s also an incredible musician who is creative and daring in his improvisations. He knows when to create space, to hang back, and when to dive in with his whole heart. I loved listening to him as much as I loved performing with him.

His creativity inspired my own. I found myself vamping and playing with phrases in new, surprising ways. Which, for me, is a big deal. I’m not one to take improvisational risks. That’s not my strength. But when I’m with musicians who are creating a certain sound and energy, it’s easy for me to meet that energy and play off of it.

It was incredible fun and I can’t wait to play with Max again.