GARY TU: News

I just returned from Michigan after performing at the Idlewild Jazz Festival this weekend. I would like to thank Gad Holland for having us there and also for his tireless efforts in producing the Festival. We performed two sets; one at noon and one at 7:30PM. The crowd was very gracious towards us and we couldn't have asked for a more relaxing setting. The bandstand was in front of a lake facing a hill which gave the audience a perfect view of the stage from any direction. The breeze off of the lake cooled us down just as the rays of the afternoon sun started to peek in from the side of the stage. It was great to be in the "Black Eden of Michigan" where so many legendary musicians have come through and I hope to be back in Idlewild again soon. Check the Gallery section for photos of the Festival courtesy of Tim!

I played my first Andy's gig this afternoon. Tim and Kurt were on the gig; this is our first gig in 5 months and it was refreshing to play with them again. There was a group of high school students visiting from Toronto and they cleaned me out of my CD's. I felt stupid for not bringing more with me. They were very nice and I hope I get to see some of the pictures they took.

Whew, what a great time I had on tour with Pete Carney and Orange Alert. Thanks to John and Irene from the Aberdeen Jazz Festival for everything. I hope we get to come back and do it again.

We hit Aberdeen hard and the audiences were very gracious there. I had fish and chips just about every night--the best in the UK. Sean and I got certificates for eating two Ashvale Whales, and I got a picture of a couple shagging on the beach on broad daylight. I guess that's how they roll in Aberdeen. I don't blame them because the weather was so damn good! There's nothing like seeing people with jackets and no pants on at the beach though. Ask me about it at a gig and I will give you more details.

On our way south we stopped in Edinburgh for a day. We checked out the Rosslyn Chapel from DaVinci Code and hung out at The Jazz Bar.

The Halo in London was our final stop. Next time, Ronnie Scott's, Jazz Cafe, and Pizza Express will be on the list. I wish I got to stay a bit longer to hang out with my family some more. Thanks again for everthing Phil and Maddy. Kieran, Anna, and I will need to all come visit soon.

My Trio will be playing at Andy's Jazz Club in May and June for the Tuesday after-work set. Come and unwind with us!

I am recording a podcast for Chicago Acoustic Underground on March 3rd. http://www.chicagoacoustic.net

My wife and I are proud to announce the birth of our son Kieran Robert Tu. He was born on January 7, 2007 at 9:34AM and weighed in at 7 pounds 6.6 ounces and 21 inches.

I will be going on tour in the UK with Pete Carney & Orange Alert in early March 2007. We will start the tour at the Jazz Aberdeen Festival in Scotland and make our way through Edinburgh and London. We'll bring souveniers back for everybody. I will post more info on the venues that we will be playing at as it develops.

LOOK EAST can be heard on:
WDCB (Glen Ellyn, IL)
WWSP (Stevens Point, WI)
WESM (U of Maryland)
WAER (Syracuse, NY)
WAMC (Albany, NY)
WHUS In The Groove...Jazz & Beyond (Storrs, CT)
KASU (Jonesboro, AR)
KNTU (Denton, TX)
KSMF (Ashland, OR)
KBEM (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN)
KEOS (College Station, TX)
CHRW (London, Ontario)
CFUV (Victoria, BC)
CFBX (Kamloops, BC)
WRTC (Hartford, CT)
WIDR (Kalamazoo, MI)
www.jazzexcursion.com
www.radioio.com

http://www.aajazz.org

I performed with Pete Carney & Orange Alert at Milwaukee's Jazz In The Park concert series this past Thursday July 27, 2006. The concert was almost rained out that day, but it managed to stop raining around the time we were expected to go on stage. As soon as the weather got better, people filled up the park in no time and the concert went on as planned. It was a blast to play for such an enthusiastic crowd and I hope we get the chance to go back again.

My Trio has been invited to perform as a part of the 2006 Chicago Asian-American Jazz Festival. We are very honored to participate and the performance will be on Saturday, October 14 at 2:00PM at the Claudia Cassidy Theater inside the Chicago Cultural Center.

Well, the CD is off to print and I should have them around the beginning of August.

I also joined ASCAP and learned about copyrights and song licensing sort of in a crash-course manner.

The best part though, was getting to talk to Frank Foster on the phone about licensing his tune "Simone." He even offered to send me the official lead sheet. He was really nice and I tried hard not to gush.

Tonight was the craziest night ever. It was even more out of control than the "Coldplay incident."

Sometime during the second set, an obviously inebriated woman walked up and started playing plunking away at the piano while we were playing. FIRST RED FLAG. I saw her from my periferal vision and thought that maybe she was leaving a tip, until I heard piano noises coming from that direction. I told her to please stop playing about 3-4 times. However, as soon as I turned my back and resumed playing, she snuck back up to the piano and started plunking away again. SECOND RED FLAG. The general manager intervened at this time and very politely told this woman to stop playing the piano. But as soon as the manager walked away, she came up to me and began to talk gibberish (while we're still playing) and I had had to shush her myself "shhhhhhhhhh!" The manager walked up again and exchanged a few more words with her, then I heard:

"F*** you, get the f*** away from me. Go ahead and call the f***** cops" etc. THIRD RED FLAG!

At this point I looked over and saw this woman kick the manager in the leg. Next, she went over to the dining room and started chugging other people's drinks. Security was called and when they tried to escort her out, she punched the general manager in the face and gave her a black eye. Worst of all, I think she managed to leave the building before the police could apprehend her.

What really bothers me is the sense of entitlement that these crazy rich people feel that they have.

I really feel disrespected because of this incident. Now granted I didn't get punched in the face or anything but nobody thought it was necessary apologized to the band for the crap WE had to put up with.

It was a long night at Blue Water tonight. Kurt and Joe were on the gig and we had fun, but once again, clueless patrons were running amok.

Some woman came up and asked me if could play "Clocks" by Coldplay. I said "No, we're a jazz group" but she insisted on playing the piano and wanted us to back her up. I insisted that she NOT play the piano but the other drunks in the place were all shouting "Let her play" over the band's objection to this spectacle. So she proceeded to play "Clocks" by herself and we just waited for her to finish.

Why do these downtown trixies think they can get away with doing anything?

As Joe and I were leaving we saw actor Matthew Modine walking out the door at the same time. He said he enjoyed our music and was in town promoting his new book about the movie Full Metal Jacket. It prompted me to want to tell him to show me his war face. Even though I was pretty star struck I managed to restrain myself.

Tonight was my first gig at Pete Miller's Wheeling. The place was pretty loud when we first started playing but at least the audience was gracious and attentive.
I had Patrick and Andre with me tonight so it was a blast to play this gig.
Some lady came up to request some Clapton, Santana, Jimmy Page or Buddy Guy. I told her we'd play a blues....
People are so freakin clueless!

The first chunk of the recording is done. I'll probably do another session to finish it off.

Smoke Daddy was fun tonight. I had a great time playing with Joe and Patrick and those guys sounded great too. My friend Madeline, who just moved here from Miami, came by with her friend and hung out. Fred, the new manager, seemed to like us so that's a good sign.

It's been a while since my last entry. I've just been so busy with work and dealing with my car accident that I haven't been in the mood to write about my gigs.

Blue Water was fun tonight. Joe Adamik and Hyosub Kim joined me on the bandstand. I suffered a waredrobe malfunction.

Tonight was the last night at Blue Water until October. Alex Bednarke played with Andre and me on very last minute notice. Thanks Alex. The crowd was very receptive tonight and mostly very gracious. Sometimes I think people just say the dumbest shit ie: "You guys sound great but you really shouldn't play that elevator music." Ignorance runs rampant.

I will hopefully be doing a recording session in these next two weeks to start the process of getting my CD together. Time to document the trio. More on that later.

Nice attentive crowd on this Jazz Fest weekend. Lots of eye candy to be distracted by, so I took my glasses off during the sets. We also signed autographs for some kids and had our picture taken with them. It's all about the kids.