Hi ya. Still in the sun-shiney state o' Florida ... Hey, why don't we count those votes! (Painful ol' joke - ugh.) Anyway, moving right along, did everyone see the Grammy's a night or two ago? There was an All-Star jam with Edge from U-2, Elvis Costello, and Bruce Springsteen - and MY MAN BIJON WATSON PLAYING TRUMPET! Way to go, baby!!! (You can go right now to our mp3 section and listen to him playing on my song, "Helpless.") I know you're reading this, Bijon, and I just wanna say I'm PROUD of you!!! That's wild, man - pretty big time. He's the big, BIG guy with the big sound, and his trumpet looks like a tiny toy up next to him. Any of you out there with Calico Soul's "Mona Lisa," "Noam Chomsky," or "Don't Do It For Me, Do It For You," well - that's all Bijon, too. You should also check out his main swing-thing, The Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, where Bijon plays lead trumpet. These guys will knock the socks right off you, your ma, your pa, and any and all left 'round ya. Yes, they ARE simply that good. Bijon is the best trumpet player I know (and I know more than a few!) and he can play anything. Absolutely anything ... One time I'd just written a fiery new horn chart, and I ran in there to record it, before I had even transposed the horns. (B-flat to C for those who don't speak Chinese, meaning all the notes were exactly one note off.) Bijon looked at it and transposed it WHILE HE WAS PLAYING IT. And it was a difficult horn arrangement I'd cooked up, lemme tell ya. He's the best, and I feel honoured to have him on my last three records. (Eat your heart out, Boss!) Called him up to congranulate him, and he was already in DC for the next gig, saying, "Well, Todd, I appreciate that ... we HAVE been through the trenches together, eh? It's about time we BOTH made it, don't you think!" So here's hats off to a talented musician and real friend - Mr. Bijon Watson - SIR! "We rock, we swing - we can play anything!"

Keep on swingin' Dawg ... -Todd