We are currently living in an era of acquiescent mediocrity.  This is brought on by the allowance of businesses and corporations to run our society as well as our government.  Nothing is of value unless it has commercial value.  Put another way,  only those things that generate what is seen as adequate sums of money are considered valuable.  To most corporate types, the arts or even competent governance is of little value; only money, profit, and power are of value.  True mastery in our era is…

On Saturday evening July 14, 2018, I recorded my 20th CD in front of a large and appreciative audience at the now legendary SoCal venue, Alvas Showroom in San Pedro, CA.  Even though I have some milestone gigs this year, such as completing a one year residency at Hotel Normandie, a LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) concert in the Fall that will be recorded and broadcasted by KKJZ 88.1 FM, as well as my first NYC performance in 35 years headlining a concert in October at Fordham University; this…

It’s Blue Interlude time at the Hotel Normandie for the Dale Fielder Quartet with Rita Edmond as we are now on hiatus after our April 14th performance.  I have to admit; it’s a pretty gratifying feeling to see a project conceived and make it to fruition.   I remember how it all began back on Halloween of 2016 when I was driving Uber and got a call to go there to pick up co-owner Christian Page.  I liked him immediately and we clicked right away, especially when he mentioned looking to put live music in…

A pleasant surprise this year was our concert at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse as the finale in their Summer Jazz Series. Kudos to Anna Cross, Jonathan Salisbury, and staff for putting together an excellent production.  It was truly great to get world class treatment 23 miles from my house! Also thanks to the LA Arts Commission for funding the grant for the Mission Playhouse’s month long Summer Jazz Series. Unfortunately, this will probably my only featured ‘front line’ concert of the year…

Profane (definition): treating (something sacred) with irreverence or disrespect.  

Make no mistake.  Many times I feel as though I am being totally “profane” in regards to the music business and standard music practices.  This is not something I have recently come up with, but have been so throughout my so-called music career for many years. For me, there is no other way for me to move through the world of music I find myself in the midst of. In my last blog, I wrote about the importance of a band…

It is a well-known fact amongst fans and followers of the DFQ that what modicum of success and notoriety we have is a result of our almost 10-year residency at the now legendary 5th Street Dick’s Coffee Company in the Leimert Park section of LA.  Having a steady gig for 2 nights every week from 1991 through 2000 is truly a musician’s dream. Most importantly, it is the single-most factor in my growth both as an instrumentalist and composer.  For almost 10 years non-stop, I’ve enjoyed the pleasure of…

Playing this music called jazz is not for the faint of heart.  I have watched throughout the new millennium the marginalization of this music with each passing year.  To be sure, there is an overarching misunderstanding as to what the true nature of music is; it’s spiritual nature, purpose and proper alignment in the human world.  This has always been since the days of antiquity.  Many loved, yet feared it’s beauty and power and sought to covet it down through the…

“Wow!!! A packed house and great night of hard-hittin’ jazz at Vibrato Grill Jazz!!! Dream night!”

I’ve mentioned before that 2016 was a challenging year gig-wise.  But we also had some very…

Video #1: My personal/documentary video from my Zoom Q4 

Video #1 is from my personal/documentary video collection recorded on my trusty Zoom Q4 audio/video cam, which has the more superior audio and video quality of the two cameras in use filming the performance. Video #2 is from Bob Tucker’s Zoom Q3 Handy Recorder…

I first heard the sound of Pepper Adams when I was six years old back in 1962.  My brother, who had just returned home from a 4 year stint in the U.S. Airforce, was a saxophonist and moved into my bedroom.  Seeing my interest in his Mark VI Selmer alto and his extensive jazz record collection, he allowed me access to his records, teaching me the correct way to hold the LPs and not scratch them and thus opened a whole new world to me.  He came back from the Airforce with a Voice Of Music stereo component…