Fraser MacPherson Scholarship Rides Again!

Some of you who read this blog may recall that a year or so ago I made a somewhat panicked call for volunteers for the Fraser MacPherson Scholarship Fund board.  Some members of the old board had retired and my friend and board member, Jeremy Hepner, tragically passed away.  At the time of that call for volunteers, I had very little response or enthusiasm and even as recently as August of this year, it seemed the organization would cease to exist.  Those of you who knew me 'back in the day' know that Fraser MacPherson is one of the main reasons I play music today and I didn't want to see this great memorial to his life and music fade away.  Fred Stride and I decided we'd make one more attempt to keep it going.  

It brings me great pleasure to announce that after taking a year off for restructuring and renewal, the Fraser MacPherson Scholarship Fund is back.   It is great to have so many new people on board who are willing to help including Cory Weeds, James Danderfer, Guy MacPherson, Fred Stride, Dennis Esson, Dave Robbins, Alan Matheson and others. There are lots of exciting plans on the horizon.  In addition to the scholarship, we will be offering a series of free workshops and masterclasses for student musicians. the first of these will happen on Dec. 7, 2013 and will feature legendary drummer, Louis Hayes.  Check out the new website for details on application deadlines, application forms etc. and come back frequently for updates.

http://frasermacphersonjazzfund.ca/

ZAP! CD Release gig Sept 6

Hello Everyone and Happy New Year to my Jewish friends.

I'm back on the blog after a much-needed summer break.  There are lots of new things going on in my life right now, but the most interesting one this week is the release of the Dave Robbins Electric Band CD, "ZAP!", on the Cellar Live label.
I'm really proud of what we have done on this recording and truly feel honoured to be in the company of such fine musicians. The CD release gig is at the Cellar Jazz Club on Sept. 6 - a great way to end your Rosh Hashanah holiday!
To reserve a table at the club, call 604-738-1959

You can order the CD or purchase a digital download here:
http://www.cellarlive.com/discography.php?section=Discography&page=94

If you can't make it to this one, we'll be at Pat's Pub on Sept 14 and Presentation House Studio on Sept. 25.