Hans Ottsen: Upcoming Shows

What a wonderful place! Sabrina and Hugo, the husband and wife team who own and run Chocolatine in Thousand Oaks, outdid themselves Saturday night. It was an intimate dinner, just a few tables, music and gourmet food. Ashley and I played for about two hours (which was terrific - I love playing music with that gal!!!), then we sat down for dinner. Crab cakes, rack of lamb in a tangy cranberry vinegar sauce with mashed potatoes and shallots, YUMMY!!!! I'd have done it for the food alone! This venue is something too. Ashley and I are trying to arrange a concert there. It's a charming place, very European and the acoustics are great! Lovely art on the walls. More to come from this unique little restaurant.

What a terrific class! Ashley and I had so much fun trying to cover the evolution of secular improvised music in America (in just over an hour)!!! Since there's no way to even scratch the surface in such a time frame, we just had a good time. We played and talked about tunes from 'Nail That Catfish To The Tree' to 'Interplay' by Bill Evans. Celtic music to bluegrass/blues/jazz and anything in between we could get to. Quite a distance to bridge but we did it!!! Thanks Kuan Fen!!!

Had a great Halloween playing a gig with Kacey Cubero and Ashley Broder. Both those gals are so musical and creative, how could I not have a ball??? We played tunes off Kacey's new album, "Fill Your Cup". AMAZING RECORD! And that's not just because Phil Salazar and I are on it:) I highly recommend it. Check out Kacey's stuff at http://www.kaceycubero.com/

I had a ball last night playing with Brad Ranola and Greg McFall. The 'guitar trio' is one of my favorite ensemble formats. Thanks, Joel, for the chance to play with your killer rhythm section. And thanks to those of you who came out to hear us last night. What a fun night!!!

Well, Lorenzo let me hang on to Tal's 'Tal Farlow' model Gibson a little longer so I used Tal's guitar to play this dance with my big band. A truly enjoyable evening, even though we were playing in what I'm convinced used to be an actual basketball court. They want us back next year but they're gonna try to find a different venue. Live and learn!!!

Just got back from the Tal Farlow gig. What a great time! I played that beautiful guitar for over an hour (twice the time I was asked). I coulda played it all night. The film was extraordinary. Ok, I'd seen it before, but it had been 12 years or so and I enjoyed it infinitely more the second time. Since I loved it the first time, that says a lot. Thank you, Lorenzo DeStefano, for the chance to play Tal's lovely Gibson.

Killer gig. Phil was great, Randy was great, and I felt good too. The steaks and chicken were BBQed by the head of Homicide for the Ventura Police Department. I think he could cook full time if he wanted to.

This was a lot of fun. A fund raiser for a children's hospital, I got to play some jazz with a terrific quintet. Guitar, bass, piano, drums, flugelhorn. What a blast...

Waaaaay too much fun! Thank you, Zoey's!!! Full house, great people, killer music... what else could you ask for on a Friday night?