Tuesday was the first complete rehearsal day since choreographers Mollie Mock and Jeremy Blair completed their new work “Reflect”, which is set to the original ‘ohana track “Hidden”. I had seen enough of the work already to know that they and the cast of seven had something very special going on, but the completed work is a strikingly graceful composition, a dynamic story based on an architecture of carefully interwoven passages.

The whole process of making Dance still mystifies me in many ways. Watching Angela, Caitlin, Carrie, Jeff, Kurt and Megan (Brian returns next week) run the piece Tuesday afternoon, I was, once again, more than amazed at what dancers do, and how they do it. I don’t mean the movement, even when it’s stunning; I mean the cooperation. Time-defying cooperation, to move to where somebody else is going to be, again and again, with perfect focus. But also, the remarkable cooperation that makes it possible for nine people (in this case), who may not even know each other when they start the process, to find a way to schedule, learn, communicate, practice, improve, perfect, and finally perform an original composition of movement.

“Reflect” will premiere July 17, 18, 19 at ThodosDanceChicago’s NEW DANCES 2009 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago 60610. For tickets, call 312.266.6255. Between now and then, I’m going to speak to the dancers and choreographers and ask them a little about the process of putting a work like this together.

It was back in March that Mollie Mock told me that she and Jeremy Blair would be collaborating in the creation of a work set to the new 'ohana track "Hidden". Ironically, I had recently begun to really notice Mollie and Jeremy when they dance together; there is a particularly bright rapport between them that you can see clearly whenever you watch them moving together onstage. So I was really enthusiastic when I heard that they would be applying the unique way they can work together to setting their piece, entiltled "Reflect".

Just got word of the launch of Chicago choreographer Brock Clawson’s new website (www.brockclawson.com, designed by Akio Satoh’s Pure Design Graphics) and it’s really worth checking out. It’s a really entertaining trip through the world of a new, but already well-respected independent choreographer. This is a remarkable profession; the work of a choreographer begins with a commission from a dance company, which leads to a process that combines the extremes of completely free-form creativity with an astonishing amount of disciplined hard work.

The Chicago radio story comes to life in D. Jeremy's new music video "Loser". Written for the girl who deserves better than what she has, its a club scene reminder not to settle for less. Theres someone out there who will treat you right.

Just got confirmation from Rajah about the show with Stanley Clarke’s new group SMV at The Country Club Hills Theater: It’s Saturday, June 20. The Country Club Hills Theater is a 5000 seat outdoor theater that has become a major venue for some of the best national R&B and Jazz tours. This summer’s schedule includes shows by Babyface, After 7, War and Lalah Hathaway, to name a few. I thought this would be the ideal time (and person) to launch a new series called “3Q” that will serve as a little introduction to some really good people to know about.

The music video preview event was a huge success! Thanks to everyone who came out to show their support. I had a great time performing for all of you and FINALLY getting to show the video. So many people put many hours of work into it and it came together so well. Thanks to Adam and Phil at Haberdash. It is truly one of the hippest stores in Chicago. A special thanks to Ty Bentli for coming out and being a part of the whole process. He is one of the best things to happen to Chicago radio in such a long time.

We recently were taking a close look at all of the services where you can purchase tracks from AOTPR artists. Of course, there is iTunes, AmazonMP3, Napster, and Rhapsody but we also wanted to take a look at some of the more innovative services to get a feel for them. The most intriguing had to be Emusic. They only sell from indie labels which means most of the major label garbage is automatically filtered out. Yay!

First off, Emusic is a subscription service that gives you a set amount of downloads per month. The price per track is a very reasonable (it can vary from $0.25 to about $0.40 depending on the package you choose). Plus you can get a free trial going that gives you 25 DRM-free downloads at zero cost. We figure you can get all or some of our tracks there for free. You have to give a credit card to sign up but if you cancel there will be no charges incurred.

Click here to get the special 25 free MP3 trial!

Johnny and I decided to sign up for Emusic to make sure we wouldn't be linking to a less than great service. Johnny will post his experience later. Mine are after the break.

Private Video Release Event!
A special music video pre-release viewing will be held at HABERDASH in Chicago's Old Town District. The event is invite only for everyone (both cast and crew) involved in the making of the video! Sorry for having to limit it. Wish you could all be there! I will be doing a rare performance with Mike Gallagher with a few unreleased songs.

Info:
Thursday May 21st
HABERDASH, 1350 North Wells Street, Chicago, IL 60610
8:30 PM - Please feel free to bring one guest!

"Sleeping Palms" will premier on May 1st in the MAD BAD (Moving Arts Dance, Bay Area Dance) festival in celebration of Bay Area dance week.

May 26th is the official release date for D. Jeremy's "Loser" music video starring Ty Bentli from 103.5 KissFM in Chicago! Along with the video, the new single will be available with 4 versions of the track. The original track and "phazelFOZ Edit" (currently available on iTunes) along with a new dance cut called "D. Jeremy's Thump Edit" and an acoustic version will be on the single. The acoustic features Mike Gallagher on guitar and additional vocals. The video also features Chicago listeners and fans who took the time to come out and be part of the production.