Per usual, @Kosine Palacios knocked it out of the park with tonight’s session. So many nuggets to digest and grow on. In the spirit of tonight’s session, I’m sharing this cover I preformed 3 years ago of John Mayer’s Daughters. Perhaps @Kosine Palacios could do a sax duo to it as his homework for next week. That would be pretty dope. 😏 Have a great rest of your week everyone. 💫💫💫 https://youtu.be/-Bhm4mGFNmg?si=BKdSIIqHMLSZQnZY

Yesterday I walked into USC Thornton without a ticket. Tim Kobza walked us right in to a master class hosted by Greg Phillinganes. He played keyboards on Thriller. He's in the Musicians Hall of Fame. He put me on his bench, his inner circle for masterclasses. John Mayer broke down songwriting in a way I've never heard before. I took extremely detailed notes. Just for this call. Just for you. See the flyer for tonight's full breakdown.

Yesterday I walked into USC Thornton without a ticket. Tim Kobza (25 years at Thornton, Musical Director) walked us right in to a master class hosted by Greg Phillinganes. If you don't know that name, he played keyboards on Thriller. He's in the Musicians Hall of Fame. He's the one who put me on his bench, his inner circle for masterclasses. John Mayer sat down and broke down songwriting in a way I've never heard before. I took extremely detailed notes. Just for this call. Just for you. Tonight we're covering: - Count the Choices: how to listen to ANY song and decode every decision the writer made - Asymmetry and variance in songwriting (why your songs might sound too predictable) - Why Mayer says "don't play in time, play more freely" - Nadia Boulanger, the woman who taught Quincy Jones, Leonard Bernstein, and Aaron Copland - The quote that hit hardest: "You're never more of a musician than you are a human being" - Songs we're breaking down: Fleetwood Mac "Dreams," Prince "17 Days," Rolling Stones "Start Me Up," The Spinners "I'll Be Around," George Benson "Gimme the Night," Bill Evans, and more - Royalty recovery update: we found 7 unmatched recordings on ONE track. Money sitting uncollected. We're fixing it. You should be too. - El Rey Theatre, March 8: I'm hosting the USC Thornton Senior Showcase. Working on getting exclusive passes for Academy members. At least one guest confirmed. Possibly more. Stay tuned. This is what the Academy is. I go in the room. I take the notes. I bring it back. We all grow. 5:15 PM PT. Zoom link below. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89536201687?pwd=7bvHU6yqjfcvXBBajJDTERsas0LSRc.1 Meeting ID: 895 3620 1687 Passcode: 456407 Write Ya Life.

Yesterday I walked into USC Thornton without a ticket. Tim Kobza (25 years at Thornton, Musical Director) walked us right in to a master class hosted by Greg Phillinganes. If you don't know that name, he played keyboards on Thriller. He's in the Musicians Hall of Fame. He's the one who put me on his bench, his inner circle for masterclasses. John Mayer sat down and broke down songwriting in a way I've never heard before. I took extremely detailed notes. Just for this call. Just for you. Tonight we're covering: - Count the Choices: how to listen to ANY song and decode every decision the writer made - Asymmetry and variance in songwriting (why your songs might sound too predictable) - Why Mayer says "don't play in time, play more freely" - Nadia Boulanger, the woman who taught Quincy Jones, Leonard Bernstein, and Aaron Copland - The quote that hit hardest: "You're never more of a musician than you are a human being" - Songs we're breaking down: Fleetwood Mac "Dreams," Prince "17 Days," Rolling Stones "Start Me Up," The Spinners "I'll Be Around," George Benson "Gimme the Night," Bill Evans, and more - Royalty recovery update: we found 7 unmatched recordings on ONE track. Money sitting uncollected. We're fixing it. You should be too. - El Rey Theatre, March 8: I'm hosting the USC Thornton Senior Showcase. Working on getting exclusive passes for Academy members. At least one guest confirmed. Possibly more. Stay tuned. This is what the Academy is. I go in the room. I take the notes. I bring it back. We all grow. 5:15 PM PT. Zoom link below. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89536201687?pwd=7bvHU6yqjfcvXBBajJDTERsas0LSRc.1 Meeting ID: 895 3620 1687 Passcode: 456407 Write Ya Life.