Boy, it’s hot. Hope you all are doing well, despite this crazy weather. Just wanted to give you an update about my upcoming shows in July. I’m especially excited about the last two shows of the month, which will be taking place at a brand-new venue in Greenfield, the Arts Block Cafe. This new spot is the venue partner of the label (Arts & Music Factory) that funded my second CD. This place has all the right tools to become a major venue in the local music scene and is already doing great things to support local musicians. I’ll be playing a bunch there, so please come out and support the new venue as it opens up!

The first show at the Arts Block Cafe is on Thursday, July 29 and I am honored to be playing with the Geoff Vidal Quintet which features some amazing musicians from the Valley, past and present. The group is lead by and will feature original music by Geoff Vidal (tenor sax), a Valley All-Star who now has a successful musical career in NYC. The group will also feature Paul Chase (bass), Joe Hundertmark (guitar), and the amazing Bob Weiner (drums). Don’t miss this one. I know I say that a lot, but this time I mean it. Really. See below for details.

And I’ll be playing at the same venue the following night, Friday, July 30. I’ll be debuting a new concept of mine, a project that I’m calling J.DOT (The Jeff D’Antona Organ Trio) This group will feature the incredibly talented Darby Wolf on organ and Sturgis Cunningham on drums. It’s my aim with this project to mix my original compositions with more groove and hip-hop based drum beats while still keeping it spontaneous and open, all the while not playing smooth jazz (smile). So…we’ll see what happens! Hope you can join me for this experiment, or experience should I say?

Anyway, here’s what’s in store for the entire month…

Monday, July 12 at the Sierra Grille. Monday Night Jazz with Leah Randazzo (vocals), Darby Wolf (organ), and Sturgis Cunningham (drums). Strong Ave, Downtown Northampton. 9-12, No cover.

Thursday, July 15 at the Esselon Cafe. Duo Alchemica (Michael Dunning-bass & myself on piano) with Leah Randazzo (vocals). Route 9, Hadley. 6-8, No cover.

Saturday, July 17 at the Black Lobster. With the North Shore Roots Band. Roots reggae music and other cover songs with my old college buddies. If you’re out in the North Shore area, come and check us out! We play from 8-11. Salem, MA.

Monday, July 19 at the Sierra Grille. Monday Night Jazz with Tyler Heydolph (bass) and Alex Snydman (drums). Strong Ave, Downtown Northampton. 9-12, No Cover.

Monday, July 26 at the Sierra Grille. Monday Night Jazz with Zack Danziger (guitar), Tyler Heydolph (bass) and Alex Snydman (drums). Strong Ave, Downtown Northampton. 9-12, No Cover.

Thursday, July 29 at the Arts Block Cafe. Geoff Vidal Quintet feat Jeff D’Antona (piano), Paul Chase (bass), Bob Weiner (drums), and Joe Hundertmark (guitar). 8pm. 236 Main Street, Greenfield.

Friday, July 30 at the Arts Block Cafe. J.DOT (Jeff D’Antona Organ Trio) feat Darby Wolf (organ) and Sturgis Cunningham (Drums). 9pm. 236 Main Street, Greenfield.

And as always, please check myspace.com/jeffdantona for updates and thanks for all your support.

hi y’all: here’s what I have lined up for June shows so far…hope to see you at some shows!

Monday, June 7th: Monday Night Jazz at Sierra Grille with David “Goody” Goodrich (guitar), Jamie MacDonald (bass), and Doug Raneri (drums). 9.30-12, no cover. Strong Ave, Northampton. This group has some of the Valley’s best musicians and is always filled with energy, spontaneity, and plenty of surprises.

Friday, June 11th: Bishop’s Lounge with the Ryan Hommel Group. 10pm, $5. An fun opportunity for me to play some funky groove-based music as I sit-in with the incredibly talented guitarist/vocalist, Ryan Hommel. I’m very much looking forward to this one, Ryan’s got a great lineup of musicians and it’s sure to be a blast.

Monday, June 14th: Monday Night Jazz at the Sierra Grille with Leah Randazzo (vocals), Sturgis Cunningham (drums), and Darby Wolf (organ). 9.30-12, no cover. Strong Ave, Northampton. One of my favorite line-ups to play with at Sierra Grille. Darby and Sturgis holdin’ it down for Leah’s amazing vocals, and I get to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Saturday, June 19th: Eclipse with the Alex Snydman Trio. 8pm-Midnight, Downtown Northampton, next to Harlow Luggage. Fine dining with great music while you eat and drink.

Monday, June 21st: Monday Night Jazz at Sierra Grille feat. with Alex Snydman (drums) and Tyler Heydolph (bass). 9.30-12, no cover. Strong Ave, Northampton. Back to the Trio, my bread and butter, for the last two Monday’s of June…Alex, Tyler, and I have been working together a lot recently and are starting to develop a great sound and cohesiveness as a unit. Come check out a bunch of new tunes and originals.

Monday, June 28st: Monday Night Jazz at Sierra Grille feat. with Alex Snydman (drums) and Tyler Heydolph (bass). 9.30-12, no cover. Strong Ave, Northampton.

just wanted to share some exciting news with you all…

my CD, “Ocean Rising” was recently given a five star review and chosen as an “editor’s pick.” at CDBaby.com i am truly grateful for this recognition as CD Baby is one of the largest sellers of independent music on the web.  to be picked out among the many many artists that use this website to promote and sell music is certainly an honor.

in addition to that, the CD was given a great review by the staff at CD baby, which you can check out here:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dantonatrio2

but there’s more!  you can help!  just having this sparkling review by the editors of the website has greatly increased my sales at CD Baby, so i was hoping that if YOU enjoyed the album, perhaps you wouldn’t mind taking a couple of minutes and writing a Fan review?

you can log or register as new customer here:  https://www.cdbaby.com/login.aspx

the more positive fan reviews means more sales, and more sales means the sooner i can get back to doing what i love to do most….write and record more music!

thanks for all of your help.  jeff D

Hope this finds everyone well. I’ve got lots of exciting upcoming shows, some with new projects and at new venues, so I’ll just get right to it…

THIS WEEK…

Monday, April 26th - Sierra Grille, Northampton, MA - TRIO with Alex Snydman (drums), and Tyler Heydolph (bass)…A new configuration at the weekly Monday Night Jazz gig at the Sierra Grille…This is a great new formation that I’ve been experimenting with and am excited to take to the Sierra Grille. We’ll be playing lots of originals (old and new) by myself and Alex, jazz standards and compositions by Monk, Herbie Hancock, and others, with a few pop tunes sprinkled in. 9.30-Midnight/no cover.

Thursday, April 29th - Esselon Cafe, Hadley MA - Duo Alchemica - featuring Leah Randazzo (vocals)…This new vocal/piano/bass trio is starting a monthly gig at the Esselon Cafe in Hadley, MA, so be on the lookout for us there once a month! We’ll be playing lots of the old jazz standards, and plenty of our own arrangements of pop tunes by the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and the like. Great food, delicious caffeinated beverages, and a wonderful atmosphere and crowd…6.30-8.30/no cover.

Friday, April 30th - Sandy Bailey CD Release at the Arts Block Cafe, Greenfield, MA -

I’m so excited to tell you all about a project that I worked on in a very different capacity than ever before - Sandy Bailey is an up and coming folk/blues singer/songwriter and I was thrilled when she asked me to produce her first album. This was my first effort in the studio as a producer and I’m very proud of the final product and of all the work that everyone involved put into the project. I sincerely hope you all will check out the music and if you like what you hear, come to show, or better yet, buy some of her tracks online, or get a copy of the physical CD.

You can check out the music at http://www.myspace.com/sandybaileymusic
You can download the music at http://www.digstation.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?albumID=ALB000042844
You can get a physical copy of the CD by emailing Sandy directly at smayo1981@gmail.com

This Friday, April 30th, is the CD Release Party at a brand new venue in Greenfield MA, The Arts Block Cafe. This is a Private Party with a limited capacity, so, if you’d like to come, please email Sandy at smayo1981@gmail.com. The show is from 8.30-11.30pm at the Arts Block Cafe, 289 Main Street in Greenfield and will feature musicians Makaya McCraven (drums), Levin Schwartz (guitar), Alex Chakour (bass), and myself (piano). Plus, it’s FREE….just make sure to reserve your space with Sandy.

AND THERE’S MORE…

May 3rd at the Sierra Grille - Monday Night Jazz with Leah Randazzo (vocals), Makaya McCraven (drums), and Darby Wolf (organ) - I’m so excited to be joined by Makaya (all the way from Chicago) for this Sierra Grille show…and with Leah and Darby, this promises to be a great night of music. If you haven’t seen this configuration before, don’t miss it. 9.30-Midnight, No cover.

May 8, 14, 22 - Eclipse, Northampton, MA - I’ll also be joining Alex Snydman for his regular gig at Eclipse, a brand new restaurant in Downtown Northampton (next to Harlow Luggage). Alex brings in a trio every Friday and Saturday and I am happy to be joining him on these three dates in May. Come check us out and enjoy some delicious, local food! We play a mellow dinner set from 7-9 and bring up the energy for the late set from 10-12.

Thanks for reading….I appreciate all of your love and support.

Jeff D.

hey everyone….just wanted to let you all know that I am changing the way that I post shows on my website…while i’m in the process of updating things here, please visit myspace.com/jeffdantona for the most current info on shows.

thanks! jeff

Hello Friends!

February promises to be a busy month of gigs; I hope you can make it out to some of these upcoming shows. Here’s what’s on the calendar:

Monday, February 8th at the Sierra Grille, Strong Ave Northampton, MA. 9.30 pm-12 am. The Monday night jazz series continues with a reunion of a trio that worked together for many years at a weekly Thursday residency at Amherst Coffee - Tristan Gutner on bass, Alex Syndman on drums, and myself on piano. It’s always great to play in this familiar configuration, especially after a long hiatus: if you were fan of Thursdays at Amherst Coffee, you are in for a treat.

Tuesday, February 9th at the Side Street Cafe, 42 Maple Street, Florence. 6-9 pm. For those of you who always say the Sierra gigs are too late for you, here’s your chance! Come out and support this great weekly gig (Every Monday and Tuesday evening) hosted by guitarist/vocalist Zack Danziger. If you’ve never been to the Side Street Cafe, you are missing out, it’s a wonderful local spot with delicious food and a relaxed atmosphere. And with free live music you can’t go wrong. Zack doing a great thing with his regular gig: he features different local musicians on every gig, and I’m fortunate to be a part of it. We will be having a lot of fun playing spontaneous arrangements of original compositions, jazz standards, pop covers, and more.

Saturday, February 13th, The Inn at Norton Hill, Ashfield, MA. 7-10 pm. A great valentine’s weekend date with delicious local food, chocolate tasting, and live jazz featuring myself and bassist Michael Dunning. Across the road from Elmer’s Store. Please call 413.628.4003 for more details and to make a reservation.

Sunday, February 14th, Fruitlands Museum, Havard, MA. 1-4 pm. More Valentine’s weekend fun for you “East Coasters.” This will be a duo with vocalist Leah Randazzo. We’ll be covering all the romantic standards your heart desires, plus some other pop tune covers appropriate for the occasion. For reservations & information contact 978-456-3924 ext.227. Visit http://www.fruitlands.org/calendar for details.

Monday, February 15th at the Sierra Grille, Strong Ave Northampton, MA. 9.30 pm-12 am. The Jazz Demolition Project (not my name but I’ll go with it for now) returns for a second appearance at the Monday Night Jazz Series. This is a killer quartet featuring some of the areas finest musicians. Like me, none of them want to be restricted by the term jazz, so we are combining our rock, folk, latin, funk, and soul influences in what we like to call “Indie Jazz.” The group features David “Goody” Goodrich on guitar, Jamie MacDonald on bass, Doug Raneri on drums, and myself on Fender Rhodes.

Monday, February 22th at the Sierra Grille, Strong Ave Northampton, MA. 9.30 pm-12 am. Another TRIO gig at the Monday Night Jazz Series!

So that does it for the gigs, for those of you who are still reading, thanks! One more quick thing, a long time friend of mine is starting a charity called Outdoors for a Cause (OFAC) As part of the Pepsi Refresh Project, her idea for the charity has been specially selected and so she has a chance to win $50,000 towards her organization! Take a minute and vote for her idea at http://refresheverything.com/outdoorsforacause (you can also read more about the organization at the link)

Thanks everyone!~

Hi Y’all - I have rescheduled Leah’s appearance at the Sierra Grille to THIS MONDAY, January 11th. Hope you all can make it, and sorry again about the confusion last week!

The show will feat. Leah Randazzo (vocals), Tristan Gutner (bass), Jon Fisher (drums), and myself (keys). We hit at 9.30pm, and there’s no cover. We would love to see some of you there!

Lots of great shows happening in November…hope to see you out! Here’s what’s going down:

The Sierra Grille Monday Night Jazz Series continues EVERY MONDAY at the Sierra Grille in Northampton, MA….9.30pm to Midnight, no cover. For those who haven’t checked out this venue, it’s a great spot. The food is creative and delicious and the beer and wine selection is top notch. And the best part…the prices are reasonable. My trio hosts the Monday Night Jazz series with a special guest every week and we’d love to see you down there. The lineup for November is:

November 9: Rick Tuntunjian (tenor sax), Jamie MacDonald (bass), Dylan Kumnick (drums). A fun night of my original tunes and jazz standards, all fueled by the fiery sax playing of Rick Tutunjian.

November 16: Leah Randazzo (vocals), Darby Wolf (organ), Jon Fisher (drums). Glad to be joined by Valley favorite Leah Randazzo, an incredible R&B/jazz vocalist. Come check out original music of Leah’s as well as soul/R&B covers and jazz standards.

November 23: Evelyn Harris (vocals), Tristan Gutner (bass), Jon Fisher (drums). I’m excited to be joined once again by the spectacular performer, Evelyn Harris of Sweet Honey in the Rock. Not to mention, I’ll be reunited with my great friend and collaborator Tristan Gutner on bass. Don’t miss this evening of R&B, soul, and jazz! (My apologies to those who came out for Evelyn’s last show and we weren’t there…I was not feeling well and had to cancel at the minute…)

November 30: David Goodrich (guitar), Tristan Gutner (bass), Dylan Kumnick (drums). This will be an exciting night of spontaneous and creative music that will feature the great guitar work of one my favorite local musicians David “Goody” Goodrich.

In addition to the Monday Night Jazz series, I have some exciting duo shows at some new venues…

Thursday, November 12th - Duo with Michael Dunning (bass)
Elmer’s (396 Main Street Ashfield, MA) 6-8pm, No cover.
An evening of choice jazz standards and original music; come for a delicious dinner and great music…

Tuesday, November 17th - Duo wth Zack Danziger (guitar)
Side Street Cafe (42 Maple Street, Florence, MA), 6-9pm
My first time playing Zack’s Duo series at a great cafe in Florence…it’s early, come out!

Last Wednesday, July 8th, two tracks off of my new CD were played on Worcester’s WICN, “New England’s Jazz and Folk Station.” This was very exciting for me….WICN is a big jazz station with a lot of listeners and any radio play opens up my music to a whole new audience. Please email the DJ and tell him that you appreciate him playing independent musicians and that you want to hear more of my CD on air! His name is Joe Zupan, and his email address is jzupan@wicn.org. You can tune in to his program, Jazz Matinee, Monday through Thursday 2-6pm, at wicn.org (live stream) or 90.5 (Worcester area)….thanks for your help!

Many of you have asked, so I thought I’d relay the numerous places you can purchase my new CD, “Ocean Rising”

1. First, the best place to buy one is at a live show! Come see me every Monday night at the Sierra Grille.
2. If you can’t catch me live, you can buy the physical CD or download the mp3s online at www.cdbaby.com/dantonatrio2
3. If you are in the Northampton area, you can buy the CD at local favorites Turn It Up! Records and Mystery Train.
4. If you want to use up those leftover iTunes giftcards from Christmas, you can buy my CD there too!

Many thanks.