Meeting with Tony Williams in Japan

Meeting Tony Williams was a special moment in my life. Even though at the time I didnt realize how much of a force he was. As a matter of fact when I was young, I used to follow all these famous drummers. In fact I studied with Chad Wackerman. And I loved Terry Bozzio’s drumming. And thought Vinnie Colaiuta was some kind of drum diety. Well after years of playing and listening to drums I began to hear Tony’s influence in some of my drum hero’s playing.

I was lucky enough to meet Tony Williams (thanks to the dude on bass in this video, Bunny Brunel​). In fact one day while on the road with Kazumi Watanabe’s band Bunny asked John Wackerman and I if we would like to meet Tony. Of course we wanted to meet Tony! At the time we were all staying at the Keio Plaza. And Tony was in the lobby of the hotel. So we went to the lobby and there was Tony Williams! Of course Tony was kind and cordial. Unlike his We didn’t say too much to each other. But he had a depth to his presence that I have not sensed in many people. In the end I can only say that Tony still has a huge influence on me. And that to this day I try to borrow his creativity and individuality for my own art.

Tony Williams Bunny Brunel Boston
Here is a picture from the Kazumi Watanabe tour Boston. A year or so before this story.

Ableton Tips

I looked at most of the Ableton “One Ting” clips and this was one of the only that resonated with me.







My iPhone won’t let me delete my pictures and videos with my Preview or Image Capture App

When my iPhone runs out of memory or storage I usually back up my pictures and movies with the Preview or Image Capture apps that are built in my OS on my MacBook Pro. Lately I noticed that the delete button is greyed out (or is it grayed out).

The problem is iCloud. When your phone begins to notice you are running out of storage space it will ask you if you want to turn on iCloud to free up some space. Once you turn on iCloud you are then unable to delete files off your iPhone with your Preview or Image Capture apps.

So the solution is.

1.  Back up your picture and videos from your iPhone.

2. Turn off iCloud for pictures and movies

3. On your iPhone click the home button then click, settings, yourname, and icloud. The turn off iCloud Photo Library. You will get a message about removing photos and movies off the phone (which is why you backed up before doing this step.

3. Use Preview or Image Capture to delete the pictures and movies you do not need. If not doesn’t work you will need to unplug your iPhone from your matchbook and plug it back in.