2.29.2024
What a year it's been! Suffice it to say I've been busy teaching, but that wouldn't do justice to the amount of learning I've done in the process. And playing my music is still a huge part of my recreation time when I have it, so I'm glad to be getting back to focusing on that more as Spring Break and ultimately the summer approaches. I wrote a new tune the other day called "Give You Everything," but the original mockup title and dummy lyric was "It's a Philly Thing." I don't really know if that portends anything real yet, but at least I'm feeling at home here in my new home of Philly. I've been itching to focus more time on my compositional, arranging, recording, and musicking goals. I can practically smell the oncoming summer on an unusually warm Spring day like today was, despite (or perhaps because of) the rain, or perhaps (or because of) the musicking.
Speaking of recording goals, I'm happy to say that although the Ernest Edwards recording project has yet to produce recordings for consumption by the general public, the process has progressed significantly since the original recording session. Unfortunately, in order to actually create CDs or digital files/streaming of the music, rights must be acquired which costs money that exceeds my personal budget. So, Mr. Ernest and I decided recently that perhaps a GoFundMe page could allow his fans to help. Mr. Ernest, with the help of a Newark School of the Arts employee named Sharon, has created such a page. I hope to post the liner notes soon if possible! Until then, here's the link! I really appreciate all you can do to contribute to this unsung Newark musician's recorded legacy. Any little bit helps! Thank you very much!
https://gofund.me/dd0b3ed8
1.27.2023
I got called to play at Rittenhouse Grill here in Philly again tonight. They booked me for two dates in February too (10th and 25th). I'm so happy they continue to ask me to play! I've had such a fun time getting to know the people who work there, and I can't say enough about how great it feels to feel welcomed every time I step in the door. Every time I walk in off the street in my suit and sit down to play for a few hours, I feel like Dexter Gordon in that one Jazz Icons DVD where he's walking down a dark street somewhere in Denmark and suddenly he's walked into a lively jazz club and directly onto the stage to perform. Just the coolest. And even though I'm starting to learn the ropes and getting used to playing there, that feeling isn't going away. This is something special!
I'm also happy to report that I very recently recorded an amazingly unique album with Ernest Edwards. More on that soon!
9.7.2022
Back by popular demand, Muzick Prince will once again be joining me for a duo set at The Social Room on Friday, Sept. 23rd! I had so much fun meeting and performing with him over Labor Day Weekend. And the craziest part is that we did it with absolutely no rehearsal! Only time will tell, but I really feel like this collaboration could turn into something very special. I've been looking for just the right male vocalist to bring my original music to life (see "Crossover" materials below), but we've only tried covers so far so it will be interesting to see if it works! The nice thing is that he is so well-versed in non-jazz (R&B, hip-hop, pop, and even rock), that he will bring a much-needed fresh perspective just by singing through some things and giving me feedback. About to send him some emails of my charts; wish me luck!
9.2.2022
I haven't blogged in over a year, but today I'm feeling inspired. I've got another gig at The Social Room in New Brunswick and am so grateful that this music is finally coming to life after the struggle of the last few years. A year or so ago (as the previous blog post describes), I got to try some of this music out with real band members (IRL) for the first time in Perth Amboy. Now that I've moved to Philly, I'm playing more gigs in Jersey than ever, and I've been so fortunate to have reconnected with April May Webb and Allison McKenzie recently. This has opened up the door once again to land some of my own gigs so I can play my own music and tonight represents a point in which I feel the music has finally started to come together. Bassist Charlie Dougherty knows the music well by now and even though our regular drummer Nathan Webb couldn't make it tonight, I've played a lot with Jon DiFiore over the years and have full confidence he will be up for the challenge. The music is deceptively difficult. Maybe tonight will help me decide which songs (they all have lyrics, by the way) will remain in the setlist and eventually get recorded and which songs will end up in the trash. I have no idea if anyone ever actually reads my blog, so if you're actually reading this, would you be so kind as to send me a quick email at ryan@ryantomski.com? I would really appreciate it! Thanks!
7.13.2021
As an update, I'm excited to announce the first live performance of the music I've been composing during the pandemic and over the last few years. The aforementioned "Crossover" project will finally get its first test run in less than ten days. On Thursday, July 22nd from 6-8pm, with the help of some extremely talented friends, the Ryan Tomski Quartet will premier all of the pieces listed below and a few more if there's time. While I definitely still see this project as a recording studio concept album, it will be really fun to see how things go in a live setting in front of a live audience. This event will be free and open to the public, so please stop by or send me a message if you're interested in accessing a recording should one be made. Thanks so much for your support!
1.27.2021
Here are some album cover designs I made awhile back for that project I mentioned a couple days ago. Got some good news today that makes it seem like recording these tunes in a studio with real other people might be possible soon. Of course, I'm not getting my hopes up, but I seriously can't wait to express this first post-graduation, real adult debut album in recorded form soon. If I get time, I'll try to post some track breakdowns and descriptions so you can see the backstory behind some of the tunes. If!
1.25.2021
I've been working on a bunch of new music since the pandemic hit. I can't wait until it's safe to get in the studio and start recording soon. The tentative title for the project is "Crossover," and deals a lot with all the many meanings and implications of the word. Since sports are a huge influence on me, the first thing that comes to my mind is the "crossover dribble" in basketball, which requires both ambidexterity and the will to deceive the defender into a pile of broken ankles. Of course, the word crossover has clear musical implications of multi-genre pollination tied to its usage, in addition to the specific inference of jazz musicians "crossing over" into commercial music, specifically R&B.
While I'm not 100% certain where this project and these ideas will take me, I can't wait to share more with you about my inspirations and thoughts on this blog. Perhaps in a few weeks, I'll have some snippets to share with you here. Until then, thanks for reading!